Seven Seas Pubwatch: August 2022

Comics Manga Pubwatch
Carrie McClain

August is here, which means you can work through all your FOMO before Summer’s end, not to mention the stress of not one, but two plagues. This month we’ve got some treats for the mature readers who love smutty goodness, some older manga, and an important update on a translation controversy! Jump in, and take a seat as we get into it!

 For Those Who Dare to Enjoy Classic Manga:

 

SPRIGGAN: Deluxe Edition

Deniz Amasya (Translator), Brandon Bovia (Letterer), Hiroshi Takashige (Writer), Ryouji Minagawa (Artist)
August 30, 2022

Spriggan, the classic manga first released in the late 1980s and which inspired the beloved anime film in 1998, is now a series featured on Netflix. The action-adventure manga of super spies and ancient relics is finally being released in its entirety in North America in this English-language release in a deluxe omnibus, each one boasting 600+ pages long and color illustration gallery. Just reading the preview of the first chapters reveals a fast paced story with enough intrigue for science fiction lovers.

The synopsis tells us ”an ancient alien civilization once hid artifacts of immense power across the Earth, and now the world’s governments will stop at nothing to seize those relics for their own nefarious purposes.” This manga seems to include spies, special weapons and armor, masterminds, scientists and extraterrestrial powers at hand. I’m always looking to read older manga and I’m thinking this would appeal to fans of Ghost in the Shell, Akira and maybe City Hunter.

For Lovers of The Spooky and The Supernatural:

The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún

Nagabe (Writer, Artist)
Release Date: 08/02/2022

For the fantasy lovers, here’s a manga recommendation! Nagabe’s tale of two kingdoms and the two individuals that met that defy the laws of the land. They are an unlikely duo: one human, one inhuman. In this manga two kingdoms exist: the Outside, where twisted beasts roamed that could curse with a touch, and the Inside, where humans lived in safety and peace. The story of one little girl named Shiva and a Beast that came to be named Teacher seems to be a fairytale inspired story blurring the drama, supernatural and fantasy genres.

I totally missed the train on this series when it was first published. On first look, I thought the artwork was gorgeous and something I might read. The bestselling manga series that went on to  captivate critics and readers from its debut to its conclusion has inspired an animated short film and a successful crowdfunding campaign for a feature-length anime. Now if you’re like me, you can finally read it all in its entirety in a special edition: a hardcover omnibus containing all three volumes along with color inserts, and exclusive covers!

 

For The Mature Readers Who Like Spice and Smut:

 

GAME: Between the Suits

Kai Kyou (Lettering), Jess Leif (Translation), Mai Nishikata (Writer, Artist)
August 09, 2022

I love comics and manga that center career women, working women, women married to their work! As part of Steamship, the all-new imprint at Seven Seas dedicated to sexy romance for women GAME: Between the Suits features a steamy workplace romance. While I’ll Never Be Your Crown Princess! and Outbride: Beauty and the Beasts, previous titles in the imprint that were published first were more fantasy and isekai based, this is the first title in the Steamship imprint to be set in a more modern word. Nishikata’s manga centers on Sayo, at twenty-seven she’s worked her way up to the top of her firm and is married to her work. She’s ambitious. She’s an ice queen.

She’s a puzzle for a super flirtatious (and good looking) new male coworker who is sure he can figure her out and also melt the ice around her. What happens next is a game of push and pull and a new steamy romance for the both of them. Honestly, workplace romances can toe the line of being entertaining to being grossly out of line because of power dynamics, so I’m hoping this one is full of consent and good times for Sayo at least. I read the preview for the first chapter and I do like the foundation set with Sayo, detailing her position at work and how her string of failed romances has made her feel. If done right, I’m hoping the start of this Josei flavored manga series continues to touch on gender roles, societal expectations of women and lot of  smutty good times between Sayo and Ryoichi.

 

PULSE

Alextasha and Karis Page (Lettering) Ratana Satis (Writer, Artist), Shompu (Translation)
Release Date: 08/ 26/2022

Here we’ve got the love-it-or-hate-it trope, the “stoic character who warms up due to love,” doing numbers this month at Seven Seas! For the Yuri/GL lovers that read on the Lezhin webcomic app, PULSE by Ratana Satis is a sure winner. This comic follows two women: Mel, a renowned heart surgeon, is well-known for being the biggest loner, and Lynn, a lively cardiac patient who needs a new heart, but refuses a transplant. Mel, who knows that delivering bad news to patient and patients’ families can make her seem heartless and extremely unlikable, doesn’t put much stock into relationships or finding love. In fact, she’s truly only there for a good time as she moves through hook up after hook up. When Mel and Lynn meet, they find themselves fumbling towards a relationship that changes them both, forever.

I kept seeing Ratana Satis’ art online and hearing about the creator from my hardcore GL reading reading friends. PULSE, the gateway work  to Satis’ webcomics for many, was a global hit for those who love WLW for mature audiences. I think we can never have enough Yuri/Girl’s Love/Women Loving Women media, especially in comics handled by women creators, and I look forward to buying this first volume. PULSE is another title launching through Seven Seas’ new line publishing popular webcomics from the Lezhin app, and is the first Yuri title in the line. I’m elated for what this means not just in terms of Girl’s Love global exposure but also by how this move continues to extend the life of webcomics and comics by Asian creators beyond the web and into print!

 

WRAP UP

An update on the translation controversy for I Think I Turned My Childhood Friend Into a Girl Vol. 1:

Yes, it is August and this tweet is from July. I know, I know. I still thought this was important enough to include as an update as this is an official statement from the publisher. If you need a reminder of what happened you can check out June’s Pubwatch for more details and links but the gist of the situation is: I Think I Turned My Childhood Friend Into a Girl, a newer manga title from Seven Seas Entertainment that became the topic of controversy, due to a localization choice that apparently changed the gender of one character in the original Boy’s Love story, resulting in a story instead about a trans character, without the important nuance such a story would require.

I’m game to check out the revised version and hopeful that it aligns more closely to the original work that the mangaka created. There is still a very necessary ongoing dialogue about about the work of translators and localizers in the overall industry of manga and anime that has great points by fans and professionals alike. Here’s to preserving and adapting a medium we love—manga as close to its origin as possible, being accountable for mistakes, acknowledging them and making sure this doesn’t happen again. I’ll keep my eyes out for the manga’s newest release and the latest update when it comes.

Next in the wrap-up, News about The Girl From the Other Side:

The Danmei train is not stopping! Danmei, the Chinese fiction genre focused on romanticized tales of love and attraction between men, similar to BL (Boys’ Love) from Japan has found a home with its English translated titles being printed under Seven Seas. These series, including The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System and Heaven Official’s Blessing have sold half a million copies in their first print run due to popular demand—as noted here. For the die-hards reading and collecting the genre, there’s more to love on the horizon with newer editions, more releases and exclusive merch. It looks like there has been a lot of care and consideration put into this line and while I’m not a part of the fandom (yet, at least), I do see the love from the fans.

That’s all for this month. Till next time!

 

 

 

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Carrie McClain

Carrie McClain

Carrie McClain is a Southern Californian native who navigates the world as writer, editor and media scholar who firmly believes that we can and we should critique the media we consume. The X-Men were some of her first best friends. She is forever chasing the nostalgic high of attending school book fairs. As a retired magical girl, you can usually find her buried under a pile of Josei manga.
mcclain.y.carrie@gmail.com
https://carriemcclain.carrd.co/
Carrie McClain

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