One of the most exciting pieces of manga news to come out of Comic-Con International was Udon’s announcement that it has licensed Ryoko Ikeda’s classic manga Rose of Versailles. Set in the court of Marie-Antoinette of France, Rose of Versailles is a period piece that really digs into its period: it has big hair, elaborate […]
It’s no mystery why so many novels are about novelists, as the old adage “write what you know” becomes a self-devouring ouroboros. So too do some of the most entertaining manga-ka take themselves as a subject, creating works that provide an inside look at their lives and the workings of the manga industry. It’s not too surprising: If the […]
No doubt about it, this was a great year for manga, with the return of some classic older series and the debut of some fascinating new ones. While I was thinking about the best new series of 2015, I was looking for stories that push the boundaries of the standard genres—or step outside them altogether. […]
“Otomen” is a portmanteau that combines the Japanese word for “woman” and the English word “men.” Manga fans know that Otomen is also the title of Aya Kanno’s series about a teenage boy who struggles with his love of things that are traditionally considered feminine—cooking, sewing, and reading shoujo manga. Asuka overcompensates with manlier pursuits—he’s the captain […]
