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4 July 2012 Leave a Comment

Manga Giveaway: From Eroica with Love Giveaway Winner

And the winner of the From Eroica with Love Giveaway is…Matt! (Matt also recently started a manga blog, Matt Talks About Manga. There’s some great stuff over there, so be sure to check it out!)

As the winner, Matt will be receiving a copy of From Eroica with Love, Volume 1 by Yasuko Aoike. From Eroica with Love is a great series that is unfortunately out of print in English. For this giveaway, I was wondering which out of print manga people would want rescued. I was also curious who else might be a fellow out-of-print manga collector. (See the From Eroica with Love comments for everyone’s complete responses.)

Here’s a few of the out-of-print manga on our wishlists:
2001 Nights by Yukinobu Hoshino
A, A′ by Moto Hagio
Banana Fish by Akimi Yoshida
Basara by Yumi Tamura
By the Sword by Sanami Matoh
Eden: It’s an Endless World! by Hiroki Endo
Emma by Kaoru Mori
Fist of the North Star written by Buronson, illustrated by Tetsuo Hara
Four Shōjo Stories edited by Matt Thorn
From Far Away by Kyoko Hikawa
From Eroica with Love by Yasuko Aoike
Happy Cafe by Kou Matsuzuki
Lone Wolf and Cub written by Kazuo Koike, illustrated by Goseki Kojima
Monster by Naoki Urasawa
Please Save My Earth by Saki Hiwatari

Most of the entrants didn’t consider themselves out-of-print hunters although a few mentioned that they had to resort to it on occasion. Two different people mentioned finding manga available in Japanese instead of tracking down the English equivalent. I really need to work on my Japanese reading comprehension so that I can do this, too. (Plus, that would mean I could read a ton of manga that will probably never be translated!) Still, tracking down out-of-print manga can be fun even if it is frustrating. Personally, I’ll probably be pursuing the hobby for quite some time.

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27 June 2012 5 Comments

Manga Giveaway: From Eroica with Love Giveaway

The end of June fast approaches, which means it’s time for another manga giveaway! This month you will be able to enter for a chance to win a new copy of the now out of print From Eroica with Love, Volume 1 by Yasuko Aoike. I’m rather fond of From Eroica with Love and I want share the…well…love. As always, the contest is open worldwide, so I hope you’ll enter!

I recently was able to complete my collection of the English volumes of From Eroica with Love. It had been a project of mine for quite some time; I discovered the series well after it had gone out of print. While searching for and finding out-of-print manga can be a thrilling adventure, it can also be terribly frustrating. Frequently, the prices can become ridiculously expensive. And sometimes it’s only a few random volumes in the middle of a series that are difficult to find while other volumes are still available. Some publishers, like Vertical, are wonderfully upfront about which titles will go out of print or change format. (I really love Vertical for that.) Other publishers seem content to let their series die out without much fanfare. I hold no illusions, there are plenty of legitimate reasons that manga goes out of print. Just to name two: the publisher or imprint itself may go under, or maybe the series is no longer pulling its weight. Still, I can’t help but be sad when manga, or any book, goes out of print.

So, you may be wondering, how can you win From Eroica with Love, Volume 1?

1) In the comments below, tell me about a manga that you would like to see be brought back into print or otherwise rescued.
2) I’m also wondering, are you a fellow out-of-print manga hunter/collector? Simply let me know in the comments.
2) If you’re on Twitter, you can earn a bonus entry by tweeting about the contest. Make sure to include a link to this post and @PhoenixTerran (that’s me).

And there you have it. Each person can earn up to three entries for this giveaway. You have one week to submit your entries. If you have trouble leaving comments, or if you would prefer, you can e-mail me your entry at phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com. I will then post the comment in your name. The winner will be randomly selected and announced on July 4, 2012. Good luck to you all!

VERY IMPORTANT: Include some way that I can contact you. This can be an e-mail address, link to your website, Twitter username, or whatever. If I can’t figure out how to get a hold of you and you win, I’ll just draw another name.

Contest winner announced—Manga Giveaway: From Eroica with Love Giveaway Winner

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2 January 2012 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: December 26, 2011-January 1, 2012

My News and Reviews

So, I have exciting news. Well, exciting for me. This past weekend I helped build a shelf in my room specifically for my manga. It runs the entire length of one wall and half of another. It looks great and I had fun filling it up with books. All of my manga is now out of boxes (except for my Ranma 1/2 collection), which makes me extremely happy. I also have a floor again. Anyway.

Last week was the Sailor Moon Manga Moveable Feast. For my contribution, I posted a review of Naoko Takeuchi’s Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 1. Also, a bit late, I have quick takes for Codename: Sailor V and Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 2 below. This month’s manga giveaway also features Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 1. You still have until Wednesday to enter the Magical Girl Mania manga giveaway.

Speaking of the Manga Moveable Feast, I’ve officially made the announcement that Experiments in Manga will be hosting the Feast for January—Usamaru Furuya Manga Moveable Feast: Call for Participation. This will be my first time hosting the Feast, so I’m hoping to see some great contributions this month. I’ve already set up the archive page and have populated it with past reviews and articles. If you have any you would like to see added, just let me know!

Because of the upcoming Feast, and because of my November/December health issues, my posting here at Experiments in Manga might be a little wonky for a month or so. I’ll do my best to keep up, but you can probably expect to see My Week in Manga to be shorter than usual. Also, there won’t be any in-depth manga reviews until the Feast. In the meantime, you’ll just have to put up with my Japanese literature reviews.

Quick Takes

Codename: Sailor V, Volumes 1-2 by Naoko Takeuchi. For the most part, I enjoyed Codename: Sailor V. The series, though it ran concurrently with Sailor Moon, actually serves as a sort of prototype and prequel. I found Codename: Sailor V to be more coherent overall than the first couple of volumes of Sailor Moon. In fact, reading Codename: Sailor V helped me to understand some things about Sailor Moon that confused me. I particularly liked the first volume while the second volume turned out to be much goofier until the final chapter. Not that goofy is necessarily bad; I simply didn’t find it to be as engaging. I did like that several of the characters from Sailor Moon make cameo appearances in Codename: Sailor V.

From Eroica with Love, Volumes 5-9 by Yasuko Aoike. I’m really enjoying From Eroica with Love. Eroica and Klaus make such perfect foils for each other and I love watching them interact. And I can’t help but grin every time Klaus calls somebody a wanker, which is fairly frequently. I’m impressed by Aoike’s ability to create legitimate seeming scenarios for the two leads to encounter each other. The secondary characters, particularly Klaus’ “alphabets” and Eroica’s underlings, are also likable. Even James, who could have been annoying (and certainly is to the other characters), is delightfully amusing. The whole series is farcical, but completely believable in its own setting. I’ll definitely be tracking down the rest of the volumes available in English.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 2 by Naoko Takeuchi. After an unfocused first volume, I was very happy to see things begin to make sense in the second volume of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. Not everything does mind you, but enough that I was able to enjoy the story and want to learn more. I’m starting to believe that Takeuchi actually has some solid ideas to play with. Probably most important is that the backstory for all the characters has been revealed (or at least has begun to be revealed). I still find Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon to be a little silly, although the second volume is less so. But, it’s a fun, charming silliness. I hope to continue to see Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon improve and find its footing.

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19 December 2011 Leave a Comment

My Week in Manga: December 12-December 18, 2011

My News and Reviews

Not much news from me here this week. I posted Library Love, Part 8 in which I provide some quick takes of manga that I’ve been reading and borrowing from the library. I also posted my review of Ninja Attack!: True Tales of Assassins, Samurai, and Outlaws. It’s another really fantastic book from the authors of Yokai Attack!: The Japanese Monster Survival Guide. Definitely recommended.

And because I like lists, I thought I’d share a few that I’ve come across recently. Graphic Novel Reporter has posted their Holiday 2011 Gift Guide. Unfortunately, not a lot of manga on that one. However, No Flying No Tights revealed their Must Have Manga for Teens not too long ago. It’s a very nice list. You should check it out. And finally, Deb Aoki of About.com: Manga has posted the Top 25 Most Anticipated Manga of 2012. There’s some really great stuff coming out next year that I’m very excited about.

Oh! December’s Manga Moveable Feast, featuring Naoko Takeuchi’s Sailor Moon, is next week! Sean Gaffney over at A Case Suitable for Treatment will be hosting.

Quick Takes

Chi’s Sweet Home, Volume 7 by Konami Kanata. I really do love Chi’s Sweet Home. Sometimes you just need to read something cute and fluffy and Chi more than fits the bill. Kanata’s color illustrations are simply lovely to behold, too. The seventh volume of the series finds Chi mostly settled into her new home, although she still gets lost wandering around on adventures if she’s not paying attention. She’s determined to befriend Cocchi, regardless of what the other kitten wants. Kanata perfectly captures the lovingly antagonistic relationship that I’ve seen with my own cats. The seventh volume also features an adorable goldfish, which I’ll admit made me very happy.

Drifters, Volume 1 by Kohta Hirano. If there’s one thing that Hirano does well, it’s create highly entertaining manga. Granted, Drifters doesn’t have a lot of substance and there are a lot of things that don’t make sense yet, but I still had a tremendous amount of fun reading it. Hirano’s artwork is bold and bombastic, perfectly fitting his nearly insane characters and the over-the-top and constant action. However, some of the fight sequences can be a little difficult to follow. Drifters will probably work best for readers who are already familiar with the historical figures presented in the story (as well as some of their personal quirks) since not much background information is given. Their character designs are pretty great regardless, though.

From Eroica with Love, Volumes 1-4 by Yasuko Aoike. The first volume of From Eroica with Love is rough, with a quickly (and fortunately) abandoned plot dealing with a group of psychic teenagers. Get past that and the series turns into something really special. Earl Dorian Red Gloria is not only fabulously flamboyant, he is also the internationally infamous art thief Eroica. Major Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach is the ever rigid and reserved NATO officer who somehow always happens to be the one having to deal with Eroica. They are great on their own, but the series best when Klaus and Eroica are sharing the stage together. The constant harassing (on Klaus’ part) and flirting (on Eroica’s) are endlessly entertaining.

Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Apocalypse Saga directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara. The third and final of the Revolutionary Girl Utena boxsets from Nozomi, The Apocalypse Saga consists of episodes twenty-five through thirty-nine of the anime series, the movie The Adolescence of Utena, and a disc full of extras. The series is surreal and difficult for me to adequately describe, but it is incredibly engaging and compelling. It really is a tremendous series. Frequently it makes my heart ache as I get caught up in the story. As for the movie, it is a very odd interpretation of an already strange tale which probably won’t make much sense at all unless you’ve seen the series. And even then, it’ll probably still make you wonder.

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