MangaScope - 12/14

One of the most anticipated best of lists each year is the Kono Manga ga Sugoi series from publisher Takarashimasha. Each year, sometimes twice a year, the publisher surveys critics, book store staff, bloggers and creators on their favorite manga of the year. In many ways this “These Manga are Amazing” list is the definitive must read year for the devoted manga fan.

Well this year’s 2009 year is out and here are the results:

Shounen/Seinen
1.Saint Oniisan (Nakamura Hikaru - Morning 2/Kodansha)
2.Uchu Kyodai (Koyama Chuuya - Morning/Kodansha)
3.Giant Killing (Tsujitomo - Morning/Kodansha)
4.March Comes in Like a Lion (Umino Chika - Young Animal/Hakusensha)
5.Midnight Dinning (Abe Yarou - Big Comic Original/Shogakukan)
6.Kinou Nani Tabeta (Yoshinaga Fumi - Morning/Kodansha)
7.Aoi Honoo (Shimamoto Kazuhiko - Young Sunday/Shogakukan)
8.Yotsuba&! (Azuma Kiyohiko - Dengeki Daioh/MediaWorks)
9.Ore wa mada Honki Dashite Nai dake (Aono Shunjuu - IKKI/Shogakukan)
10. Fantasium (Sugimoto Ami - Morning 2/Kodansha)

Shoujo/Josei
1　Sakamichi no Apron (Kodama Yuki - flowers/Shogakukan)
2　Eki kara 5-fun (Kuramochi Fusako - Chorus/Shueisha)
3　Chiha Yafuru (Suetsugu Yuki - BeLove/Kodansha)
4　Kimi ni Todoke (Shiina Karuho - BetsuMargaret/Shueisha)
5　Machi de Uwasa no Tengu no Ko (Iwamoto Nao - flowers/Shogakukan)
6　AmenashimuraYakuba Sangyoukanken Kankougakari 　(Iwamoto Nao - flowers/Shogakukan)
7　Roundabout (Watanabe Peko - Chorus/Shueisha)
8　Natsume Yuujincho (Midorigawa Yuki - LaLa/Hakusensha)
9　Kekkon Shinatuke Ii desuka? Su-chan no Ashita (Miri - Gentosha)
10　Shoujo Manga (Matsuda Naoko - Chorus/Shueisha)

For some reason I have a big smile on my face after reading those seinen titles. So many good mornings in 2008, and many more good mornings to be had in 2009.

-More rankings… This one comes from working women’s portal site escala cafe where editors have polled women ages 21-29 on who are their favorite male anime/manga characters:

1 - Rukawa (Slam Dunk)……30.4％
2- Mitsui (Slam Dunk)..…20.4％
3- Goemon (Lupin the Third)……18.2％
4- Jigen (Lupin the Third)……16.8％
5- Sanji (ONE PIECE)……14.6％
6- Zorro (ONE PIECE)……13.4％
7- Vegeta（DragonBall)……12.2％
8- Other……11.4%
9- Misaki Tarou（Captain Tsubasa)……7.8％
10- Piccolo (DragonBall)……7.4％

-Never thought Blade of the Immortal’s Samura-sensei was a Haruhi fan but here’s some proof… (Be Atarai)

-Muhyojo reports that the January edition of Fujimi Shobo’s Dragon Age magazine will come with a pack in mouse pad and promotional trading card game cards based on their hit gakuen zombie killing series High School of the Dead.

-Oh and speaking of Fujimi Shobo, they have revamped their website as they celebrate 20 years of light novels under their Fantasia Bunko line. The site looks pretty spiffy. And Fujimi Shobo is also proud to announce the new Slayers manga Slayers Evolution R. 2009 will mark the 20th year of Slayers’ run with Fujimi Shobo, making it one of the longest running light novels in Japan.

-Doujin artists often use existing characters and mix them up with their artists crazy fantasies to create the crazy DJ’s you see on the Toranoana listings every weekend. Well one group in Osaka took this idea a little too far on both levels… Delivery Health One Piece (18+ only. Seriously NSFW) allows customers to call for their treasure to be delivered to their apartments or a local love hotel… I don’t think this was the treasure Luffy was looking for but looking at the girls of One Piece maybe he should give this place a call. I wonder if these young pirates read manga on request? (via New Akiba… also NSFW)

Coming Soon:

Another version of Mirai Nikki? Come on Kadokawa can’t you think of new stories? How many NGE’s are there? Likewise with Blood+… Mirai Nikki Paradox will run in the seasonal magazine Ace Assault. (Be Atarai)

Itou Yuu’s new title Shutoheru debuts in the Dec 22 edition of Shogakukan’s Spirits. (Muhyojo)

Nishi Yoshiyuki, the artist that created Viz’s Muhyo & Rosie’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation, will debut his new series Boke-san in this week’s Shounen Jump from Shueisha. (Muhyojo)

Three new titles from Akita Shoten’s gekiga magazine comic Play will debut next month. Innocent from Takaiwa Yoshihiro, Beauty Man by: Kanou Seisaku and what might be the odd couple title of 2009 - Chanko Debu Nieta? by Igarashi Kei (where a petite office lady falls for a sumo wrestler…) (Muhyojo)

Jekyll, Hyde and the Jury will premier in the next issue of Shogakukan’s Superior. One of my manga brothers asked me about politics in manga recently. Well this kinda touches on the fact that Japan will introduce a jury system to their justicial system next year. That change has created an up-roar from Japan’s police departments who were notorious for their forced confessions and high conviction rates. (Ike-san from FR. neo ORE )