Entry tags:	fandom, manga
Crossposts:	http://mystickeeper.livejournal.com/620581.html

I try to listen to Anime News Network's ANNCast podcast as much as I can, partly because I really, really like Zac Bertschy [would like to push him somewhat on his distaste for all moe ever, but whatevs] & also like being up to date beyond my hole on the Internet.

This week, he had on the people who release Weekly Shonen Jump in the U.S.: Andy Nakatani, Urian Brown, and Misaki Kido.
Last week, Weekly Shonen Jump started doing simultaneous releases of of series alongside Japan, for all the Weekly Shonen Jump titles - Naruto, Bleach, etc.
I've read about 30+ volumes of Naruto and 20+ of Bleach, but they're not my favorite thing.

The podcast is here.

Zac took questions from Twitter, and my question was asked! It's very exciting to me (hence, this post).


My question, read on-air: I know the US's Shojo Beat mag[azine] went out of print. Still any chance of simultaneous releases for shojo manga in the future?

One of the dudes: We are only SHONEN jump!

MK: We should at least have another, a pair, a digital magazine, I think. And I think it should be shojo. This is strictly my personal opinion, too, but if there was like a counter digital magazine to Shonen Jump in the same newstand, I think people would get a better sense of what digital magazine is.

One of the dudes: I'll tell you what, if Shonen Jump, if everybody subscribes and it continues to be successful and become super successful? That will only increase the chances of another one.

MK: That's true.

ZB: Okay!

---

I'm really glad that Weekly Shonen Jump is releasing the same content in Japan and the U.S. simultaneously. If I a) had an iPad, or b) was a bigger fan of the current series, I would definitely subscribe. I've been considering subscribing anyway, just because it's such a good deal for instant access to the content.

This is a thing, though that's said a lot on ANNCast. "Support x, and maybe some day, you'll get y!" And I understand why that's economically true.

However, it can be somewhat of a strain.
Firstly, there is the issue of taste: If I prefer shoujo manga, i.e., stories by and about girls & women, why should I have to give money to shounen manga first? The success of shounen manga might predict the success of shoujo manga somewhat, but as was pointed out in this very podcast, women actually read more manga in the US than men do. So maybe using one to predict the other might not be 100% accurate?

I am re-purchasing the Sailor Moon manga series as it gets released in the U.S. because my complete set from Tokyopop has a really shitty glue job, it reads left-to-right, and some translation choices are terrible.
However, the release by Kodansha is riddled with errors, like "Spark ring wide pressure!" (instead of Sparkling Wide Pressure). I think William Flanagan (US translator) even complained about the quality on his FB account, before deleting it.

I also re-purchased the Paradise Kiss manga by Ai Yazawa when it was released into two beautiful volumes by Vertical, but this post at Manga Bookshelf points out some reasons why others might find the original US translation preferable. I bought them anyway because I think it'd be great if her older stuff got released here, like Gokinjo Monogatari.

There's an argument going on right now in the ANN forums about the new release of Moto Hagio's Heart of Thomas, which was released in a beautiful edition. Someone complained of some typos, and Zac's response is all, "You kids better shut up and like this stuff, because otherwise it won't do well and you won't get stuff like this/better than this in the future!"


I think it's unfair to reprimand fans for expressing their dismay when they purchase an unprofessional product with mistakes in it - and it's especially unfair if you're telling the same fans that they'd be immoral if they downloaded & run fan-translated manga instead. Especially in the case of Heart of Thomas - some fans have been waiting for this volume for DECADES.

I guess: if I spend my own money on something, ESPECIALLY if I'm purposely spending the money to try & get something else to happen (i.e., buying shounen manga to make people more likely to release shoujo manga; buying series x so it succeeds & maybe I'll get series y), then I'll complain about whatever the fuck I want, thank you very much.