The Hollywood Reporter sent a generation of young adults into a tizzy on social media this week with their report of a Xena the Warrior Princess reboot from NBC and NBC Universal International. Despite star Lucy Lawless’ later tweet about the reboot remaining a rumour, the response definitely proved that in a time where ancient…
Shinbun Saturday: Star Wars Gets the Ukiyo-e Treatment, Thanks to Fans
School Live and the positive relationship between manga sales and anime series If anyone ever doubted the purpose of anime, the team behind summer success Gakkou Gurashi!, or School-Live! might have some insight to share with them. With the release of the anime in early July, sales of the manga have seen a substantial increase,…
The Thursday Book Beat: Disney Returns to the Once and Future King for Film Inspiration
E.L. Doctorow passes away at 84 years old Fans of historical and literary fiction mourned the death of author E.L. Doctorow this week, his long career brought to a close by complications from lung cancer. He wrote a dozen novels, including the experimental Ragtime, in addition to his short stories, dramas and critical essays. His subversions of…
Dissecting the Asian Drama: Societal Reflections in Gender Perception and Performance (Part 2)
The male characters’ reluctance to accept their attraction to their female leads plays into another concept that Judith Butler explores in her piece “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory.” She talks of the strict repercussions Western cultures, especially in the United States, force onto people who stray outside their…
Shinbun Saturday: Versailles Comes to North America
An unlicensible manga comes to North America at last SDCC wasn’t quite the same licensing bonanza as Anime Expo, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t a couple major items of note. The biggest manga news to come out of the con is that Udon Entertainment licensed The Rose of Versailles. North American manga publishers tend to…
The Thursday Book Beat: Who Reads the Watchman?
Studios bid for rights in The Name of the Wind Fantasy novels featuring anti-heroes seem to be the hot new property in Hollywood, and it was only a matter of time before Patrick Rothfuss’ work caught producers’ eyes. The Name of the Wind, the first novel in the Kingkiller Chronicles, has started a bidding war between big…
Dissecting the Asian Drama: Gender Boundaries, Perception, and Performance in You’re Beautiful and Hana Kimi (Part 1)
Should you ever find yourself perusing Netflix, there’s an excellent chance that you’ll come across “foreign” TV shows. They’re usually shorter than the average American TV series—ten or eleven episodes in length and rarely more than one season long—and more often than not, they are romantic comedies with Asian characters and settings.
Shinbun Saturday: The Pirate King Retains His Throne
Barnes & Noble expands manga and graphic novel section On the heels of news that comics sales are up, the brick and mortar bookstore announced that due to customer demand, it would be doubling its space dedicated to manga and graphic novels. The increase would allow stores to keep backlist titles on the shelves longer…
The Thursday Book Beat: WoC Campaign for Looking for Alaska Spreads on Social Media
Looking for Alaska fan campaigning for WoC Alaska Young Mariah, or @MixMalikMarvel, tweeted about her wish to see lead character Alaska Young played by a young woman of colour, and support quickly poured in. Author John Green weighed in as well, saying that he would “support that campaign wholeheartedly.” Two films made from Green’s work, The…
Cats, Ninjas, Otaku, and a Company Returns from the Dead: Anime Expo 2015
While some of us gorged on barbecue and watched fireworks this past weekend, others braved the L.A. traffic to hit Anime Expo, the largest manga and anime convention in North America. A dizzying number of industry announcements were made over the span of four days but don’t worry. WWAC has got you covered! Here are…
Shinbun Saturday: Fighting for Love and Justice at Anime Expo
Welcome to the inaugural edition of Shinbun Saturday, a weekly round-up of recent manga news and other tidbits of interest!
The Thursday Book Beat: Accio New Harry Potter Play?
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to open on the West End in 2016 Whether you’re going by Floo Network, broomstick, or portkey, London’s the place to be for Harry Potter fans next spring. J.K. Rowling has remained silent about what the play will be about, though she has confirmed that it is not a prequel…