This is the press release that was released:

Kodansha and Random House Transform and Expand Their U.S. Manga Publishing Relationship

New York, NY – October 4, 2010 – Kodansha Ltd. and Random House Inc. have announced their plans to change and expand their manga publishing relationship in North America. The companies are shifting from a licensing relationship to a sales and distribution arrangement as of December 1, 2010.

The current relationship between Kodansha and Random House began in 2003, with the first titles debuting in 2004 under the latter’s Del Rey Manga imprint. Since then, more 500 volumes have been published, including many bestselling manga series.

Under the new arrangement, Kodansha’s subsidiary, Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC, established in 2008 and led by Yoshio Irie, will be publishing Kodansha-originated manga themselves directly in the U.S. English-language market with strong support from Random House Publisher Services (RHPS), Random House’s third-party distribution division. Del Rey Manga associate publisher Dallas Middaugh will remain with the program, transferring to RHPS.

“We are very excited to extend our relationship with Random House,” said Yoshio Irie, president and CEO of Kodansha USA Publishing. “Both companies see opportunity in the American manga market, and we look forward to working together to further the distribution and exposure of manga in the United States.”

“We are thrilled to have a publisher as distinctive as Kodansha USA Publishing join the Random House Publisher Services portfolio,” said Jeff Abraham, the division’s president. “Kodansha is one of the great worldwide publishing brands for the manga category, and we will do everything to support their efforts with our many booksellers and distributors who love selling manga titles.”

Del Rey’s ongoing manga titles which were licensed by Kodansha will be gradually taken over by Kodansha USA Publishing on a per-title basis.

Tokyo-based Kodansha established Kodansha USA Inc. on the occasion of their company’s 100th anniversary. Kodansha USA Publishing began by publishing Akira and The Ghost in the Shell in 2009 under the Kodansha Comics imprint. They plan to expand their strong line-up of manga under this exciting new collaboration with Random House Publisher Services.

Review by Linda Yau

The setting of this story is in a desert town, Gimmy is a teenage repair guy, and by mistake he loses his siblings as offerings to the local rain goddess. Sora, the goddess usually receives dolls as offerings, but follies occur. Gimmy messes up, but is determined to get his siblings back and that’s where the adventure begins.

This graphic novel has been sitting on my table, and I have read it a while ago. The first volume is a light easy read, definitely fine for the age group, and maybe younger than the 13+ rating it has for it. The plot was fairly predictable, and character designs were drawn quite cutely and moe. Putting together this book, there was parts of obvious fanservice, yet there is a premises with this story that may or may not catch the interest of readers.

There’s one sequence that I liked, and that was the point where Sora was threatening to take back the rain, because she was trying to kick Gimmy out of her home. Since rain is very important, the reactions of the other characters were what I remember, months after reading this book. Some townspeople where confused as to what was happening, but my strongest recollection was of the mayor and it was along the lines of how this brat is a goddess is beyond me.

Since the female character acts like a brat, this would most likely tickle younger readers. The first volume begins a story, and will be concluded in the second volume. If you are a fan of cute Lolita girls, with some light comedy, then this would be a suitable manga for you.

Review by Linda Yau

Imagine always having the ability to see micro-organisms with your naked eye. What would it be like? Would you embrace this ability, shun it, or would you learn to cope with it? That is how Tadayasu Sawaki lives his life. He stopped speaking about this unique ability, but learned to cope with it. Now the story begins with him starting as a freshman at an agricultural college with his friend Kei Yuki, and this is a story of their experiences.

I have been waiting to read this manga, and I am pleased about this book. There are several reasons why I feel this way; one is because of the cute representations of the micro-organisms. There are explanations, foot notes, and parodies about the behaviors of micro-organisms that live in every day life. Second issue is on the explanation of agricultural science. People hear about farming, and agriculture, but for urban cities dwellers, it makes it harder to realize an education or efforts out there are to provide resources for feeding the planet. Third is the theme or message of a possible way to look for alternative sources in producing food.

In this book there is the introduction of Sawaki and Yuki, along with a colorful cast of supporting characters. My favorite scenes were when the Professor was bringing out the smelliest foods, and the reactions of everyone around him. Also outside of volume 1 being a good beginning of this story, I am not sure how the story would turn out in the rest of the chapters. There has already been a hidden agenda revealed by the professor, and how Sawaki would tie into the equation. His skill of being the only person that can see the cute micro organisms can undoubtedly alienate people. What happens if everyone else finds out of his ability?

There are currently eight volumes in Japanese, and with the second English volume of this series being published soon. Moyasimon is a cute story that would please readers of slice of life, and wanting to maybe take a glimpse into a scientific field.

Youkai Doctor

Review by Linda Yau

Kotoko Katsuga is the descendant of a long line of people who exorcises youkai or demons. However by the time she came about, she pretty much lost that power, and can only be aware of spiritual beings that no one else can see. Because of this, in her past – people shunned her, but since she advanced to high school, she has been popular for the “amazing” things that she can do, so at the moment she is considered a quack.

Kuro Gokokuji is a bona-fide youkai doctor, he heals demons as oppose to exorcist. However, since no one can see what he sees, he is regarded as a perv and creep. It doesn’t help that he is attracted to the concept of “boobs.” Now what would happen if these two people meet?

Some points of this manga is refreshing, other in terms of relationships is something I see in a lot of manga, a character believes the best out of others, tormented pasts, misunderstood meanings, secrets that no one can see. Also cute drawings of youkai, as well as scary ones, which is a refreshing contrast. Reading through this manga seemed so quick, that as a reader, can’t help, but want to read more. So yes, this is a good premises, do check this horror/comedy manga if you get the chance.

Gakuen Prince vol. 1

Review by Kris

Jyoshioka Private High School, a.k.a. as Jyoshi (or Joshi) High, was once an all girls school but within the last few years they’ve started admitting guys. The girls outnumber the guys like no other and so to try and keep things somewhat quiet, all of the guys are in S-class. Every girl in school wants to be in S-class, except Rise Okitsu. Rise’s goal in life at Jyoshi High is to be invisible. It seems that she was bullied in her old school and wants to avoid it in her new school so to hide her stunning good looks she pulls her hair up in pigtails and wears clunky glasses.

Azusa Mizutani has recently enrolled at Jyoshi High not really caring that it was once an all girls high school. He seems indifferent to the whole thing. But little did he know that he would soon become the target of hormonally charged, sex crazed girls. After being chased around twice in one day, he runs into Rise who was hiding in a storage room. Rise is the only girl who doesn’t seem to be at all interested in Azusa so Azusa tries to convince the wild throngs of girls that he and Rise are an item. Does it work or will the throngs of crazy girls take it out on Rise?

I’m going to be straight up honest with you, when I first read Gakuen Prince I was so unimpressed. I perused several reviews of this manga and they were all glowing. I just didn’t get it. I do admit that I don’t read a lot of shojo manga and when I do they are usually comedic stories and have girls with personality. But I’ve recently changed my opinion of Gakuen Prince after reading a manga that is the ultimate in soap opera and the one of the main female characters is a complete doormat (*cough* Nana *cough* *hack*). Gakuen Prince is smart, funny, and gorgeous. I am so glad that I gave it another chance.

Rise is hilarious. She wants to be invisible but at the same time she wants to be able to tell people how she really feels. So when she’s caught in those situations she comes off looking awkward yet it is so funny. Mizutani is a clueless guy and doesn’t really understand the consequences of his decision. It is a well-crafted story with beautiful art. Not only is it nice to look at and fun to read but it shows how cruel girls can be. Not only physically but also psychologically. Bullying is a real problem and when you are dealing with girls, you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. Luckily Rise shows an amazing strength and piece of mind to help Mizutani even though Mizutani doesn’t realize what Rise is having to put up with.

You can expect some great manga reading when you read something from Del Rey. They are of pretty good quality and are easy to read and hold. They always leave the traditional honoriffics and even have a page explaining what they mean. At the end they have a section with translator notes to either give explanations on what they may have changed from the manga or notes on the Japanese words that they left in story. Sometimes they’ll even give you a preview of the next volume in the traditional Japanese form. Del Rey is definitely one of the better manga publishers on the market.

If I had written this review when I first read this title it would have been very negative and I wouldn’t have recommended it. Now that I have seen the light in regards to Gakuen Prince I can definitely recommend it. But I must warn you that it is Shojo with an edge had is thisclose to being smut. I would advise you that you’ll probably want to follow the age recommendation of 16+ and it is shrink-wrapped which usually means there might be something you might find objectionable in it. But definitely give this manga a chance. It is truly a unique manga with great humor and is a bit edgy. It’s worthy of your time.

Iron Man: Beneath the Armor

Review by Budd

Iron Man stormed into theaters in 2008 introducing him to a world that may have never known him otherwise. This history into Iron Man fills in the gaps and lets you know how the original story went down. This book is filled with interviews with a plethora of people who worked on Iron Man over the years.

The chapters are broken down into the different eras of Iron Man comics. There is a section leading into the movie with some neat trivia. Character bios take up the last third of the book and cover pretty much anyone you can think of or have read about to that point. The last section has a break down of the different armors, what they did, and when Stark wore them.

The really great thing about this book is the illustrations. They have covers and snippets from issues going all the way back. Mingled in are pictures of promotional items and toys. These illustrations give you a grasp on how the character and comic art have changed over the years. There are even some original illustrations that are beautifully done in there.

This book is great for comic fans or those who have just recently been attracted to the Iron Man Character. Not only that, but this book goes in depth on the state of the industry that caused the comic and all comics to go certain directions. This a very educational book and is very well put together. Highly recommeded.

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei vol. 1

Review by Kris

I’m the type of reader that whenever I hear (or in this case read) a lot of hype surrounding a particular title, I tend to shy away. Actually, I’m like that with more than just books but that’s beyond the point. Really the only reason why I decided to volunteer to review this manga was because I was trying to round out my shipment of review materials from the editor here at J LHLS. I have to say I can see why the buzz surrounding this title is so positive. It’s a really wacky title. Many say that this title is mostly geared to the otaku (major manga and/or anime freak) but I think that the layman, like me, can enjoy it.

Nozomu Itoshiki is a high-school teacher. He’s also one very depressed man. He basically feels that he’s no good so his goal in life is to find the perfect place to die. But he is the beloved teacher to a class of misfits. In this first volume we meet these unique female students. You have Kafuka Fura the most optimistic person on earth and every cloud has a silver lining to this young girl. She seems to cancel out all of Itoshiki-sensei negativity with her positive attitude. Next up is Kiri Komori. She’s the class shut in. Matoi Tsunetsuki is the third in line. She’s always falling madly in love with her crushes that she soon becomes an obsessive stalker. Abiru Kobushi always shows up to school with weird scrapes and bruises, is she being abused? Kaere Kimura is a Japanese student who spent time abroad and seems to have a split personality. One being like an aggressive American and the other personality being like the meek ideal Japanese woman and she cycles between these two extremes regularly. Meru Otonashi doesn’t speak, well at least not like others in the class. She chooses to use text messaging to get her points across and they are poisonous in their tone. Chiri Kitsu probably suffers from a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder; everything has to be precise. If things aren’t like the way she wants them she freaks out. Taro Maria Sekiuchi has moved to Japan with her entire family by hiding out in a shipping container. Finally we have Nami Hitou. She wants to be pitied and feel special so she behaves in such a manner that she can get sympathy but in this class of misfits Nami is only an ordinary girl.

What kind of influence can Itoshiki-sensei have on his students?

I found this to be a very fun manga. Not only does it have obvious humor but there are some inside jokes as well. It seems that when it comes to shonen manga there are particular things that need to show up (like the regular panty shots). Not only do these things show up but it is done in a tongue-in-cheek manner that makes it that much funnier.

Each of these characters are so unique and crazy you can’t help but love these girls. I especially found myself relating to Chiri Kitsu, the obsessive-compulsive girl. Plus anyone who knows me will see me in her as well. Even though the girls are charming in their own wacky way you can’t help but love Itoshiki-sensei. Even though he’s negative he cares for his students and goes out of his way to help them, even if it’s not needed.

The art is very low-key and rather simplistic but for this story it works very well. Plus Itoshiki-sensei wears more traditional clothing like kimono and hakama. Everyone seems to look similar yet they are so unique in the way that they are portrayed story wise they are easy to tell apart. The art and story aren’t the only thing that make this a stand out title. Del Rey definitely did a great job not only with the physical aspects of the book but also the extras that they provide. The volumes are slightly larger than normal sized manga titles and this particular book has a matte cover that has a velvety fell (what can I say I’m really into tactile sensations). In every volume they always provide a section for Translation Notes. Because this is a rather deep and layered with irony title the Translation Notes do come in handy for someone who is not seeped in Japanese culture, like myself. It points out the puns and have explanations on what the normal everyday reader might not pick up on. I have read some other Del Rey titles and have been very impressed with their high quality.

Whether you are an otaku or not I can’t see why you would want to miss this title. I know I’m kicking myself for avoiding Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei for as long as I have. Since this is a series I have high hopes for the upcoming volumes and I can tell you now that I won’t miss them.

Genshiken Official Book

Review by Linda Yau

As a fan of the animation series, and spin-off, I was actually quite very happy to have the opportunity to read and review this book. This is one of those Japanese guidebooks that actually got translated for the American public. My opinion in that this is a definite must have manga companion for fans of Genshiken, something to pair up with those nine volumes.

However, as much as I can say that I like the book, there are still some bad points that must be discussed. Sure there a great deal of background information, or biographical looks at the characters in the series, but I can’t get over some things. One is the print quality. I have to praise Del Rey to even bringing the book in English, but then slam it; can’t you try to do it the quality of Japanese releases? Where is the sincerity? There is only one color poster pull out in the beginning of the book, and that’s it!

The original playing cards of Kujibiki Unbalanced, are only black/white Xeroxed copies! That stinks! This brings to my mind, the fact that I believe American fans don’t get the same love as Japanese fans. That publishers expect fans to be happy with any information we get, and sure it is can be a good thing or a bad thing. Comprehension/translations are one thing, but is there a reward in being a fan? I do believe that American fans are seen by publishers to be disposable income teens, and that maybe true, but that is still discouraging news. Another solution is to also have the Japanese version of this book, if you are a series fan/collector.

Before I go on another long rant, I have to try and steer this review back to the book itself though. There are plenty of interesting points to learning about being an otaku in this series. The book gives an examination to the various couples in the series, as with their character biographies. Also an in-depth look into the spin off series, Kujibiki Unbalanced, up to even trying to cosplay/tips to one of the character is given. There is a quiz what it takes to be an otaku, as well as a narrow view of looking into some Akihabara eroge game shopping. (You have to be a Japanese culture lover to know what this means, otherwise Wikipedia it!) There is also one chapter devoted to translating an interview with Ken Akamatsu, creator for Love Hina, and Negima Sensei about surviving in Comiket. I wrote an earlier review for Mao-chan on JLHLS.

I love how the book definitely defines what a fan is, with the basic Otaku Terminology, and with a chapter like the Otaku Ten Commandments (By Madarame) even as a female fan who is always questions self at being an otaku/anime fan, I can’t help but agree with what he says. “When buying…. do not look at the prices.” Or just “Buy now think later.” So that is a call to just grab grab grab! There must be a line of what is to love something, but for the love of something just buy, and no regrets! That my reader, shows sheer devotion.

What would deter readers from this reference guide is the very fact that you wouldn’t know of this series itself. But to read it, and actually get the specific Japanese culture jokes make it very worthwhile to read this book. To be able to find other fans that are like you, makes this book a gem, but I would also have to play the devils advocate, and say that the definition of an otaku in this book should not be limited to the type casts in this series. There are more passions and characterization in loving what is considered Japanese animation, and the passions discussed in this book is very Japanese oriented, because that is where otakuism began, but to try and decipher it in American fandom is opening another can of worms that should be taken with some more grain of salt. I can be on a soapbox espousing the differences of being a fan in America verse a fan in Japan. But don’t take my word for it. So my final opinion is that this is a DEFINITE must have for the Genshiken fan. This is one of the series, that I cannot recommend enough to learn about the intricacies of being an lover for anime, and graphic novels.

Mao-Chan

Review by Linda Yau

Japan is under attack from aliens from the outer space, and only the force that could defend the earth is a team of three elementary graders. They are Mao, Misora, and Sylvia respectively representing the Ground, Air and Navy Army forces, following their grandfathers who are the general for each force. However their three grandfathers don’t often see eye to eye, so how will the three girls face approval to be united against the common evil? The common evils are aliens that are really cute critters, with the objective of stealing famous landmarks. Why through cuteness, friendship and when the situation seems very bleak of course.

Mao-chan as a publication is released in a special oversized volume, where there are two volumes of manga instead of one or three as volumes are commonly released as. The next collective would possibly be the last one, since there are only four manga volumes when it was originally published in Japan back in 2003-2004.

Each chapter is filled with parodies and usual Japanese comedy points. To keep the translations more accurate to please the existing manga readers – there are Japanese honorifics that are used. Because of these factors, there can be some culture references that can be lost for American readers. There are several pages before and after the book to acclimate readers to this different culture.

The book is actually rated for ages 16 and older, however I believe that this book can be enjoyed by an audience of younger ages. The rating was probably because of the various white panty references and depictions.

The author Ken Akamatsu is known among long time readers of manga as the author Love Hina and Negima!. These are known as harem series, where multiple girls would fall for one male lead, but to read Mao-chan establishes the author as being able to write for another genre, which this books is known as a magical girl genre. Mao-chan, the book is based on a 26-episode animated series, which was released by Gennon before the company went under. Still this is a series that can be enjoyed by fans of Magical girl shows.