Category Archives: Manga, Manhwa, Manhua, and Anime

Crunchyroll releases a sneak peak at HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle

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Crunchyroll is setting the stage by spiking a sneak peek of HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle. The newly released clip introduces the players on rival teams Nekoma and Karasuno and their coaches, but also shows legendary Coach Ikkei Ikai in a hospital bed rooting for his grandson, the new coach on his former team!

The film, distributed by Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment, opens today, May 31, across the United States and Canada. It is available in Japanese with English subtitles and dubbed in English. 

Shoyo Hinata joins Karasuno High’s volleyball club to be like his idol, a former Karasuno player known as the “Little Giant.” But, Hinata soon finds that he must team up with his middle school nemesis, Tobio Kageyama. Their clashing styles turn into a surprising weapon, but can they beat their rival Nekoma High in the highly anticipated “Dumpster Battle,” the long-awaited ultimate showdown between two opposing underdog teams?

Based on the original Weekly Shonen Jump manga series from Haruichi Furudate, HAIKYU!! is a slice-of-life sports anime revolving around Shoyo Hinata’s love of volleyball. Inspired by a small-statured player known as the “Little Giant,” Hinata creates a team in his last year of middle school. His team is unfortunately matched up against “King of the Court” Tobio Kageyama’s team in their first tournament, inevitably losing. 

After the crushing defeat, Hinata vows to surpass Kageyama. Entering high school, he joins the volleyball team only to find that Tobio has also joined, making his once rival his new teammate. The anime series HAIKYU!! is produced by TOHO animation.

Credits: Directed and screenplay by Susumu Mitsunaka. Original story by Haruichi Furudate. Produced by Production I.G. Run time: 85 minutes.

Origin Vol. 4 might be the best volume yet and really shakes things up

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If I don’t do something, everyone’s going to die. Origin arrives in Kyoto with Mai and Dr. Fermi, only to find the director of AEE’s A.I. Institute recalcitrant at best-but that’s the least of their worries after Origin’s robot brother GON shows up and goes on a merciless rampage! Committed to protecting Mai but unable to reveal his true identity, Origin must make a deal with the mysterious “data-mind” Y in order to find a way out of this lethal ordeal!

Story: Boichi
Art: Boichi
Translator: Mark Streer

Get your copy in comic shops! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Bookshop
Amazon
Kindle

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

A Business Proposal Vol. 5 is the best volume yet. A fantastic rom-com

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The big day is finally here. Taemu takes Hari to meet his grandfather and receive his blessing…only for her to be flat-out rejected! But Hari has come too far to give up. Fishing, hiking, watching dramas―if it means getting on the chairman’s good side, she’ll do it all! Meanwhile, Yeongsuh faces relationship problems of her own when her father tracks down the lowly secretary who dares date his daughter. And when Sunghoon comes back from the meeting, he seems a changed man, his face devoid of its usual warmth and sweetness…

Story: Haehwa
Adapted by: Perilla
Art: Narak
Translation: Tapas Entertainment
Letterer: Abigail Blackman

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Bookshop
Amazon
Kindle

Yen Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Titan Manga Announces I.L Vol. 1, on sale this October!

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Dive into the extraordinary world created by Osamu Tezuka, author of world-renowned titles Astro Boy and Dororo.

Readers are thrown into the life of Imari Daisaku, a filmmaker whose fanciful creations have fallen of favor in a society dominated by scientific triumphs. However, his life changes forever when he encounters a peculiar group led by Count Alucard, and he receives an extraordinary gift; I.L, a mysterious mannequin with the power of shapeshifting.

Together, Daisaku and I.L utilize the phenomenal transformative abilities to help those in need and are propelled into an array of thrilling and haphazard adventures.

Readers are thrown into the life of Imari Daisaku, a filmmaker whose fanciful creations have fallen of favor in a society dominated by scientific triumphs. However, his life changes forever when he encounters a peculiar group led by Count Alucard, and he receives an extraordinary gift; I.L, a mysterious mannequin with the power of shapeshifting.

Together, Daisaku and I.L utilize the phenomenal transformative abilities to help those in need and are propelled into an array of thrilling and haphazard adventures.

Each chapter unveils a new client seeking I.L’s unique services, as the protagonists find themselves in an array of scenarios ranging from domestic strife to political unrest. Not only does the reader accompany the duo on these haphazard missions, but they are given an insight into Daisaku’s internal conflict, caused by walking the tightrope between reality and fantasy.

This Volume is a treasure for fans of Tezuka’s works, including the widely successful Astro Boy, Dororo and Princess Knight, as well as the seminal and titles. I.L is now being published in English for the first time, meaning fans can journey through Tezuka’s innovative and contemporary themes within a classic by the pioneer of Manga.

Whether an enthusiast of Tezuka and Manga, or not, the nuanced exploration of thought-provoking themes and characters, and a compelling storyline coupled with captivating illustrations, is a reading experience that will linger in the minds of readers.

I.L Vol. 1 is on sale October 1, 2024 at bookstores, comic shops and digital.

Tokyo These Days Vol. 2 continues the fantastic drama focused on the manga industry

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After 30 years as a manga editor, Kazuo Shiozawa suddenly quits. Although he feels early retirement is the only way to atone for his failures as an editor, the manga world isn’t done with him.

Shiozawa forges ahead with an independently published manga project. But the manga creators around him are crumbling into chaos–Chosaku drinks himself into ever less productivity over worries about his career and family, a longtime creator can’t discern the difference between fiction and fantasy, and Aoki disappears rather than face the deadlines for his new hit series. Sometimes, the simple pleasure of an apple is worth more than all the fame and toil of making manga.

Story: Taiyo Matsumoto
Art: Taiyo Matsumoto

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Bookshop
Amazon
Kindle

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Preview: The Great Yokai War: Guardians Vol. 3

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The Great Yokai War: Guardians Vol. 3

(W) Yusuke Watanabe (A/CA) Sanami Suzukui
In Shops: May 15, 2024
SRP: $12.99

The 3rd volume in the manga adaptation of the hit movie The Great Yokai War: Guardians!

Kei and his friends return from the realm of monsters to the human world, re-joining with the Yokai Corps!

Can they work together to save all of Japan by launching an all-out attack on their titanic enemies?

The Great Yokai War: Guardians Vol. 3

Tokyopop and Penguin Random House Publisher Services forge a worldwide distribution agreement

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Tokyopop

Penguin Random House Publisher Services (PRHPS) has announced a multi-year sales and distribution agreement with Tokyopop. Beginning January 1, 2025, PRHPS will sell and distribute the entire Tokyopop frontlist and backlist across all sales channels worldwide.

Founded in 1997 by entrepreneur Stu Levy, Tokyopop delivers Asian pop culture across the globe. From bestselling licensed titles like Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Battle for Pumpkin King to the celebrated LoveLove imprint’s Fangs and On or Off, to Tokyopop Classics like Dramacon, the entire catalogue continues to grow across both children’s and adult titles.

Dark Horse reveals more Trigun Maximum Deluxe Editions

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Dark Horse Manga and creator Yasuhiro Nightow reveal new, final cover art for the highly-anticipated Trigun Deluxe Edition and Trigun Maximum Deluxe Edition Volume 1 (of 5). And there’s more: while fans have been eagerly anticipating the final cover art and release of these first two volumes, Dark Horse has been hard at work on those that follow. Trigun Maximum Deluxe Edition Volume 2 and Volume 3 will follow in short order, and all these volumes are now available for pre-order wherever comics and books are sold.

These four volumes will be released in quick succession beginning in September 2024 with Trigun Deluxe Edition, followed by Trigun Maximum Deluxe Edition Volume 1 in October, Volume 2 in November, and Volume 3 in December. Stay tuned for more to come, and get ready to enjoy Nightow’s fan-favorite manga in the signature Dark Horse Deluxe Edition hardcover style, with faux-leather, foil-stamped covers and a ribbon bookmark. Each volume presents the artwork at its original serialized 7×10” size. These volumes are translated by Justin Burns and lettered by Studio Cutie.

In Trigun: On the forbidding desert planet of Gunsmoke, a sixty billion double-dollar bounty hangs over the head of Vash the Stampede, a pistol-packing pacifist with a weapon capable of punching holes in a planet. Every trigger-happy psycho in creation is aiming to claim Vash, dead or alive—preferably dead! Although Vash believes in nonviolence, he won’t go down without a fight. And when Vash fights, destruction is sure to follow!

In Trigun Maximum: Vash the Stampede, the galaxy’s deadliest gunslinger, emerges from two years in hiding to help his beleaguered desert homeworld, Gunsmoke. But the Stampede’s many enemies have kept their motors running, and they’re back on his trail and determined to bring Vash to ground–hard! And a new crowd of bounty hunters, badasses, and braincases are also looking to cash in the price on his head.

The Trigun Deluxe Edition volume will arrive in bookstores September 10, 2024 and in comic shops September 11, 2024. The 704-page collection is available for pre-order now on TFAW, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at your local comic shops and bookstores and will retail for $49.99.

Trigun Deluxe Edition

The Trigun Maximum Deluxe Edition Volume 1 (of 5) will arrive in bookstores October 8, 2024 and in comic shops October 9, 2024. It collects the original Trigun Maximum series volumes 1-3 in 704 pages. It is available for pre-order now on TFAW, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at your local comic shops and bookstores for $49.99.

Trigun Maximum Deluxe Edition Volume 1

Trigun Maximum Deluxe Edition Volume 2 (of 5) will be available November 12, 2024 from bookstores, and November 13, 2024 from comic shops. It collects the original series volumes 4-6 spanning 624 pages. It will retail for $49.99 and is available to pre-order now from your local comic shops and bookstores, TFAW, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

Trigun Maximum Deluxe Edition Volume 2

Trigun Maximum Deluxe Edition Volume 3 (of 5) will be available December 10, 2024 from bookstores, and December 11, 2024 from comic shops. This collects original series volumes 7-9 in 632 pages, and is available to pre-order now from local comic shops and bookstores, TFAW, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble for $49.99.

Trigun Maximum Deluxe Edition Volume 3

All four volumes are presented in 7×10″ hardcover format with a ribbon bookmark and faux-leather covers featuring foil stamping.

Scribbles Vol. 3 is another amazing volume highlighting the art of Kaoru Mori

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Scribbles Vol. 3 features more fantastic art from manga artist Kaoru Mori.

Art: Kaoru Mori

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Bookshop
Amazon

Yen Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Manga Tech Startup Orange, Inc. Raises $19.5 million in Pre-Series A Financing

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emaqi

Orange, Inc., a manga localization technology company, today announced JPY 2.92 billion (approximately USD $19.5 million) fundraising in pre-series A financing. Orange is an entertainment technology startup from Japan dedicated to the manga industry. The company is leveraging deep-learning technology to address significant global market opportunities and historical development challenges within the traditional production of the Japanese art form.

The global manga market has shown substantial growth, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10%, and is expected to reach USD 42.2 billion market in 2030 (Manga Market 2023 report by Grand View Research, Inc.). This traditional entertainment in Japan has evolved into a global IP industry, reflecting an expanding audience for manga and its adjacent industries, such as anime.

However, only a fraction of works—according to Orange’s research, approximately 2% of manga released annually in Japan—has been formally translated and made available in English, partly due to the difficult and lengthy translation process and the limited number of translators. The global piracy market for manga was $ 5.5 billion in 2022 [Content Overseas Distribution Association], which significantly harms the industry and the rights of wonderful creators and artists.

Orange is breaking through these issues by developing innovative technologies that enhance the capacity of localization and enable the worldwide simultaneous distribution of manga, working closely with several publishers

Orange has been developing a manga-dedicated localization system since it was founded. It enables significant efficiencies in the localization process of manga by integrating cutting-edge computer vision and natural language processing technologies developed by a top-class deep learning engineering team.

Their proprietary system uses their localization operation process, enabling a capacity for Japanese-to-English localization of up to 500 manga volumes per month. This is 5x more than the current production capacity of the whole localization market, according to Orange’s estimates. Orange will also work on localizing manga into other languages, ensuring that manga fans across the world can enjoy manga in their native languages.

In the summer of 2024, the company will also launch a digital manga store named “emaqi” in the US. “emaqi” will include titles localized by Orange. It will feature recommendations suggested by AI technology and manga influencers to offer new and fun experiences to all manga fans in the US.

The financing round was led by Shogakukan, Globis Capital Partners, ANRI, SBI Investment, JIC Venture Growth Investments, Miyako Capital, Chiba Dojo Fund, Mizuho Capital, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, and GFR Fund.

The funds will be used to develop a localization product based on deep learning models and to launch their digital manga store in the summer of 2024.

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