Digital Manga Inc. Blog

First off, we’d like to apologize for the delay in the release of The Tyrant Falls in Love and Ze — the books were delayed at the printers, and we’re looking forward to receiving them and getting them to you ASAP!

This week was quiet on the digital front, but more conventions are quickly approaching. If you’re headed to Anime Expo in Los Angeles next month, come say hi to us at our Akadot booth! We’ll have AX goodies, eManga.com demos, and, as always, plenty of manga for you to peruse! We’ll be wating at booth #438, 440, and 442, so swing on by — we’ll be announcing more AX-only sales and deals in the weeks to come.

A very special manga celebrity arrived at eManga this week… I’m sure you all noticed, but in case you missed it, give a warm welcome to Astro Boy, the star of Weekly Astro Boy Magazine! Astro Boy and countless other members of Tezuka’s famous Star System appear in over 80 volumes of this fine publication, more than enough to sate a classic manga fan’s hunger for Tezuka! Haven’t read any Tezuka before? Maybe you should change that — he isn’t hailed as the “God of Manga” for nothing. Tezuka’s work is charming, insightful, and surprisingly relevant even today! You can grab the first 10 issues of Weekly Astro Boy Magazine now, available to stream via our online reader anywhere you have an internet connection!

In other digital news, we’re happy to release a number of old June and 801 titles digitally, including I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone and Sensitive Pornograph! And if you couldn’t join us at Yaoi-Con 2012, Uki Ogasawara, our esteemed guest of honor, was kind enough to give fans everywhere a unique glimpse of the event with her short manga, My Yaoi-Con Report 2012!

Finally, if you’re a hentai fan looking to pick up something new to read, we’re offering double the reward points with every purchase at Project-H’s online store (18+ link) on June 9th… that’s 6/9, you see. Happy “Hentai Day”!

I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone: Sakai Kazuya is a 23 year-old man in love. Unfortunately, the object of his affection is a woman who’s only interested in well-educated men. Sakai never finished high school-he’s been living off his brawn, not his brains-so he enlists the aid of the woman’s younger brother, Ezumi Masashi, to help him pass the high school entrance exam. Ezumi is happy to assist, but his services come with a very steep fee; he isn’t interested in money-he has his sights set on Sakai’s other assets…

Maybe I’m Your Steppin’ Stone:Kousei seems pretty popular with everyone-the other construction workers, the clerk at the convenience store-just about everyone except his ex-wife. Kenji Hirose, the clerk at the convenience store, has become a doting uncle ever since he realized that his niece and Kousei’s son attend the same nursery school. When the school’s sports tournament leaves Kenji injured, Kenji’s more than willing to take advantage of Kousei’s nursing ability and wait for the opportunity to pounce!

My Yaoi-Con 2012 Report: Uki Ogasawara (Black Sun) was the special guest for 2012′s Yaoicon. It was her first con attendance located in a hotel, and DMP’s first year as the event’s hosts. So, what did she think and how did it all go? Come on and find out!!

Sensitive Pornograph: Seiji-kun is a novice manga artist. A long time fan of the works of Sono-san, a famous manga-ka, he’s surprised to learn that Sono-san is a guy! A chance meeting leads to a night in bed and Seiji-kun becomes completely addicted to the body of the incredibly beautiful Sono-san. Is this love or is Seiji-kun taking his admiration for Sono’s work just a little too far? The manga on which the hit OVA of the same name is based is finally available in English!

Taimashin: The Red Spider Exorcist, vol. 4: Believing the immediate threat from Laughing Face is over, Midori returns to school and faces her more mundane opponents. Akamushi doesn’t take well to his bride being bullied and steps in, but the real terror comes from unexpected quarters for the pair in separate incidents. Was their love doomed from the start and is Midori fated to never find peace and happiness?

Weekly Astroboy Magazine: Often hailed as the “God of Manga”, Osamu Tezuka draws stories of life, death, and morality His compilation of stories touch upon sci-fi, history, crime, politics, romance, but always raises questions on the human condition and reflects the ambiguity of morality. The invincible Pluto sets out to kill the seven strongest robots in the world and become king of the robots. It’s the duty of Astro Boy, Japan’s resident boy robot, to stop Pluto from wreaking havoc and killing more robots. In Phoenix: Karma, the crippled bandit Gao meets a mysterious old man who tells him he will die in three years…by a nose disease of all things! And Dororo opens up with a story of a power-starved man who sacrifices his son for infinite power. Also included is the story of Black Jack, the most infamously expensive and morally ambiguous doctor around.

June is here, and what better way to welcome it than with, well… June books! Now at Akadot Retail, all June titles have been marked down – some as much as 50%! Head on over and scoop up any books you’ve been waiting to get!

Gardena, CA (June 5, 2013) Digital Manga Inc. is proud to announce the release of Weekly Astro Boy Magazine on eManga.com in collaboration with Tezuka Productions. A collection of Osamu Tezuka’s works spanning over 80 issues, Weekly Astro Boy Magazine features chapters from Astro Boy, his most acclaimed manga (first printed in Japan in 1951), as well as selections from the beloved manga classicsPhoenix (1967), Buddha (1972), Black Jack (1973), Dororo (1967), Adolf (1983), and Ode to Kirihito (1970). Originally translated into English by Viz Media, Vertical, and Dark Horse Comics, eManga now brings you a new way to read classic manga wherever you have an internet connection!

Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989), often called the “God of Manga” and the “Godfather of Anime,” was instrumental in the development of the early manga and anime industries. A prolific creator during his career, Tezuka created and penned over 700 manga titles made up of over 15,000 individual pages. His original style featuring characters with “large eyes” is now a characteristic of most Japanese comics and cartoons. Although he completed a medical degree, he never practiced medicine and instead chose to become a mangaka: a risky and controversial decision that manga and anime lovers now thank him for.

Who knew robots could be so lovable… In this futuristic “Pinocchio gone wrong” where robots co-exist with humans, Astro is rejected by his creator and sold to the circus. Only later does he become the legendary defender of justice when Professor Ochanomizu, Japan’s new head of the Ministry of Science, discovers him and becomes his legal guardian. Don’t miss this classic manga with all its crime fighting, robot battles, and alien invaders. How close to a ‘real’ boy can a robot become…?

The first ten issues of Weekly Astro Boy Magazine are now available for $4.99 per issue on eManga.com. Each week we’ll be adding 5 more issues, providing Tezuka fans with a constant stream of Astro Boy adventure!

To find out more about eManga or to begin reading right away, visit http://emanga.com/

We’d like to extend a big thank-you to everyone who came out to the DMI and Project-H panels last weekend at Fanime! Wow, there were more of you than we expected, and it was great to see all the Fanime energy we’ve grown to love.

For those of you who weren’t there, we rolled out a bunch of exciting announcements. If you haven’t heard yet:

Castle Mango, Muku Ogura and Narise Konohara’s surprisingly sweet BL about love hotels and AV directors (of all things!) is slated to continue with volume 2! The book is scheduled for a print release at a future date — we’ll let you know when that is!

We also have three new yaoi licenses for you! Wolf Magic (Ookami wa Mahou wo) by Natsuki Zippo and Hideyoshico’s Apple and Honey (Ringo to Hachimitsu) and Apple and Honey: His Rose Colored Life (Kare no Barairo no Jinsei), pictured above. All three books will be headed to the printing presses, with release dates TBA.

On the hentai front, Project-H announced six new licenses from fan favorite artists and fresh faces alike: Holy Knight by Maya Miyazaki, Not Enough Time to Pull it Out by Jouji Manabe, Fetishism with Dignity by Yuzuki N’ Dash, Love Story of a Kinky Girl by Ryuu Shinonome, You’re Too Hot for Me by Taira Azuma, and Pretty Please by Moral Anzaki. And if you’re not happy just looking at the titles in text, you can head over to the Project-H Twitter or Tumblr [18+ LINKS] to catch all, and we mean all the Project-H news!

Finally, and most exciting for the con goers amongst you, we’re proud to announce that Yaoi-Con will be returning to its home in the San Francisco Bay Area in Fall 2014! Our convention chairs are working hard to get the dates and venues squared away, so stay tuned and keep an eye on our Yaoi-Con Twitter feed and Facebook page for all the latest updates!

Phew! Lots of exciting stuff, but we’ve got one last thing to share: a beautiful new josei title on eManga.com from the ever-talented Lily Hoshino: Romance of an Ancient Dreaming City!

Romance of an Ancient Dreaming City: Princess Olga lives inside a gilded cage. Denied the right to choose her future or even whom she may love, she seeks solace and escape in magic and the collection of magical artifacts. Through the enchantment of a golden circlet, she is transported to an exotic land very different and yet so very similar to hers, where she meets Abed, a young woman in similar circumstances. Between them lies a mysterious box with magic to grant them power over their destinies — but how high is the price for Olga’s freedom?

We’re happy to announce that print edition yaoi is making an early comeback on Akadot! Next week, both Ze vol. 7 and The Tyrant Falls in Love vol. 8 will be available for purchase! As an added bonus, any Akadot customer who orders Tyrant vol. 8 will receive a limited postcard featuring Morinaga, Tatsumi, and a special omake comic! Thank you for the patience, everyone, the wait is over!

We’re at Fanime this weekend – for real! Come see us on Saturday, we’ve got the DMI/eManga.com Panel at 2PM in Panels 2, followed by the Project-H Panel (18+ only – bring ID!) at 9PM in Panels 2. There’s plenty of books to be won and plenty of great announcements lined up, so if you’re spending your weekend at the San Jose Convention Center, swing by and say hi!

And if you’re not at a convention this weekend, there’s still plenty of good stuff to be had. This Memorial Day weekend, you can snag 45% off any order of $60 or more from Akadot Retail with the coupon code “MEMORIAL2013“. There’s plenty of cheap manga in stock, starting from as little as $4, so you can make off with a whole boatload of swag if you so desire.

In the digital realm, Indie comics have arrived at eManga! For those of you looking for new work to read and support, we’ve got a huge launch selection of the best, from OEL yaoi to American comics, fantasy, and more!

And finally, if you prefer the convenience of buying through Amazon or Barnes and Noble, the following books are now available for the Kindle and Nook marketplaces: Body Guard, Clair Voyance, vol. 1, Dark Green and a Dream of Silver, Erementar Gerade, vol. 18, Erementar Gerade: Flag of Bluesky, vol. 1, Erementar Gerade: Flag of Bluesky, vol. 2, Happy-Go-Lucky Days, vol. 1, Happy-Go-Lucky Days, vol. 2, Help! God of Love, Lovers’ Licentious Nights, Maple Leaves, The Pain in My Heart, Paradise of Sin, Seiwa Heigh School Bento Club, The Strange Tale of the Twilight Demon, Welcome to Nyan Café!, Witch Boys! Vol. 3,and Yumeichi

Clair Voyance, vol. 1: Ruerune, a high school boy with the ability to sense alien creatures, and Pi, a girl science geek, set up an “X-file”-ish club to help the inhabitants of an alien world. A wonderful work from Singapore’s acclaimed manga artist FSc!!

A Convenient Man: Meet Kitamura, convenience store manager, age 31. With normal good looks and normal good taste, a normal job and a normal income, he feels a normal amount of unhappiness in his normal relationship with a normal woman. Wait! There is a storm warning over this barren life.Meet Minamihara, younger man and part-time employee. Minamihara lives boldly, courageously. And he is the storm who throws Kitamura’s life and heart in unexpected directions.

Get 45% off any purchase of $60 or more with the coupon code Memorial2013, Friday May 24 to Tuesday May 28 on Akadot Retail!