Sailor Mars is Slacking Off…
New York Comic Con can even wear out a magical girl who has super powers! Meanwhile Chun-Li is reviewing photos from the weekend: Read more…
Are You Ready for the CLAMP Festival?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 7, 2011 in Comic Books
Oh sure anybody can go to an anime convention these days — but this September 24th manga fans in Japan are in for a treat: There will be a one day festival that’s just focused on the manga artist’s collective CLAMP. The gathering will feature music, videos, interviews, skits and of course cosplayers are welcome to attend. Read more…
Rurouni Kenshin Gets Live-Action Adaptation
This one took me by surprise. About a year ago, there were some rumors floating around the net regarding a potential live-action adaptation of the classic manga, Rurouni Kenshin. Well, it turns out it’s not just some rumor after all. Warner Brothers will be producing the film, starring Sato Takeru as Kenshin. Some of you might recognize him from last year’s live-action adaptation of Beck (the manga, not the musician.) While I enjoyed the Rurouni Kenshin‘s manga and OVAs, the animated series that aired in the late-90s seemed a bit too juvenile in comparison. Of course, that didn’t stop it from being wildly popular. Still, I’m looking forward to seeing how the film shapes up over the next few months. The rest of the cast for the upcoming film have yet to be unveiled, and it won’t hit theaters until sometime in 2012.
Shojo Titles are Tripe with Romance and a Pursuit of Happiness: Which is Why We Love Them!
Posted by Linda Yau on Mar 7, 2011 in Comic Books
Samples of Arina Tanemura’s art work..
Shojo titles target audience is the opposite to Shonen Jump‘s target audience. Literally translated from Japanese, shojo means little girl, and titles are fashioned for females to appreciate. Themes in shojo titles cover romance, self-discovery, and friendship. For a period of time in the United States, Viz Media did release a sister magazine publication to Shonen Jump in Shojo Beat, however citing financial reasons the magazine ended its print run in 2009. Viz Media though, still uses the imprint of Shojo Beat to sustain its branding for releasing titles toward female fans. Consider this list of shojo recommendations in titles and creators, do you dare to see if you’re interested in this genre?
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A Devilishly Good Manga Cover
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 5, 2010 in Comic Books
The Devil is So Cute is a collection of the work of manga artist Takako Shimura. What I really love about this cover is not that it’s just a good manga cover, but that the fact that it’s a beautiful illustration and well designed. Honestly when was the last time you found an American comic book that featured the color combination of chartreuse, pale yellow and mauve with polka dots? And even though I can’t read Japanese the ultra thin typography in gray looks wonderfully elegant.
Controller Prince: A New Manga Aimed at Geek Girl Gamers
Posted by Michael Pinto on Aug 23, 2010 in Comic Books, Videogames
The minute I looked at this illustration it caught my eye right away as the lead protagonist in the image is surrounded by a sea of screen shots of roll playing videogames and an assortment of brightly colored baubles and baked goods. This artwork is a promotional illustration for a new manga series that’s running in the latest issue of Margaret magazine and from my crude translation the name of the series is Controller Prince. From what I can see the manga focuses of the romantic adventures of a young lady online who plays “a good game of love”. Read more…
This Kobato Figurine is soooo Kawaii
Posted by Michael Pinto on Aug 13, 2010 in Animation, Comic Books
If you’re a Clamp fan and are lucky enough to be in japan this August you may be able to get your hands on this very cute Kobato Hanato figurine from the manga (and anime) series Kobato (こばと。). Also included in the package is the blue stuffed dog Yogisanmo and a handy traveling bag which will set you back 1890 yen: Read more…
Manga Masterpieces: Recent Illustrations from Japan
Posted by Michael Pinto on Aug 8, 2010 in Comic Books
One of my joys is to walk through a Japanese bookstore and to gawk at all of the beautiful cover illustrations — they’re always so inspiring as a designer. Although I should note that with this collection that these these illustrations aren’t all covers for comic books — but sometimes covers for books that are done in a manga style. Shown above is Hoshikawa Ginza 4-Chome which caught my eye due the wonderful use of pastel colors. What follows are ten illustrations from Japan that recently caught my eye: Read more…
The Swinging Sixties Shōjo Manga of Eico Hanamura
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 17, 2010 in Comic Books
Unless you’re willing to travel to Japan the odds are highly against you coming across vintage manga from the 60s — so coming across a collection is always a cause for celebration: Eico Hanamura dominated shōjo manga in the 60s, and on March 16th a new book titled Happigaruzukorekushon of Hanamura Eiko will show off some of her best work from that primordial era of girls comic books in Japan. This book includes reprints of Some Girl in the Fog, her 1965 series Madeleine Shouwanoto as well as various fashion illustrations. Here’s a gallery to give you a sense of Eico’s style — you can really so how much she inspired how shōjo manga looks today: Read more…
Figurines for Manga Reading Fangurls
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 6, 2010 in Comic Books, Hobbies and Collections
Natsume's Book of Friends
Nell Brinkley: A Proper Tribute to the Queen of Comics
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 15, 2009 in Comic Books
The minute I viewed the above video preview of the Frantagraphics book The Brinkley Girls