(Press Release) Some people are so heartlessly cool that they can casually disparage Valentine's Day, but some of us (okay, me) are hopeless romantics who aren't above enjoying a heart-shaped box of chocolates (flowers also accepted). Cynics are strongly recommended, this February 14th, to wear pink, eat some candy hearts, and spend some quality time studying the example of manga's most romantic couples:
1. Sakura and Syaoran (Tsubasa): The Romeo and Juliet, the Tristan and Isolde, of manga. Syaoran is willing to do anything to save his childhood love, Princess Sakura, from the curse she's fallen under—even sacrifice his memories of her. This epic love story is one reason why Tsubasa has become a modern manga classic.
2. Mine and Shuro (ES: Eternal Sabbath): She's a brilliant neuroscientist. He was created in a cruel scientific experiment that's given him mysterious powers. In her pensive, brilliant science fiction thriller ES. Former shojo queen Fuyumi Soryo uses the strange, beautiful relationship that develops between a scientist and a test subject to explore what it means to be human—and fall in love.
3. Hana and Izumi (My Heavenly Hockey Club): It's totally obvious that the frumpy, lazy Hana and the super-hot, super-vain Izumi were meant to be together…right? Daft genius Ai Morinaga takes conventional will they/won't they shojo romance clichés and gives them a gently satirical, screwball twist in My Heavenly Hockey Club.
4. Kanji and Ogiue (Genshiken): Manga editor Kanji Sasahara and manga artist Ogiue are the ultimate nerd power couple. Watching these two shy sweeties fall in geek love was one of the highlights of Genshiken. Bonus feature for unrequited lovers: Madarame's hopeless, heartbreaking crush on Saki.
HELL GIRL PREVIEW ON MYSPACE
But of course it must be admitted that Valentine's Day is no fun for some of us—the broken-heartened, the betrayed, and the abandoned. If you don't want to just get over it and move on, finally, you have options: Get revenge with Del Rey Manga's Hell Girl! Go to the Hell's Correspondence website at midnight. Enter the name of your treacherous ex. And the Hell Girl herself will drag your faithless tormentor into the inferno. Not convinced? Having moral qualms (really)? Get a free sample of our Hell Girl manga on Myspace—and read the testimonials of the Hell Girl's many satisfied customers. And while you're there, don't forget to friend us!
AVRIL LAVIGNE ON TOUR!
No date for Valentine's Day? Why not make a date with Avril Lavigne? Her anthem Girlfriend might be the perfect tune for your holiday playlist, but you can do better than that! Avril Lavigne, co-creator of the Del Rey Manga series Make 5 Wishes, is on tour this year. Check out her website to find out when she'll be in your hometown—and be sure to pick up a copy of the book while you're at the show!
(GRAPHIC) NOVELISTS, INC.
Novelists, Inc. is a professional organization for authors of popular fiction, offering support and services to published novelists throughout their careers. But graphic novels work a little differently than their unillustrated counterparts. That's why we're delighted to report that next month's Novelists, Inc. Conference in New York City will include a panel dedicated to graphic novels and I'll be one of its panelists. Manga and graphic novels are finally getting the respect they deserve, and we're happy to be part of that process!
DEL REY MANGA BLOG UPDATE
Though we must pretend otherwise on Valentine's Day, everyone at Del Rey Manga really only has one true love: comics. Dallas Middaugh and I will be blogging in the next couple of weeks about how we fell in love with comics—and lucked our way into our dream jobs—at the Del Rey Manga blog.
COSPLAYING IN ROANOAKE
Our friends at the Roanoake County Library in Virginia had a cosplay party recently and sent us a few pictures of their manga/anime club's cosplayers. Lovingly photographed by club member Natalia Data, these snapshots were too cool not to share, so take a look!
Roanoake Cosplayer 1 Roanoake Cosplayer 2
Roanoake Cosplayer 3 Roanoake Cosplayer 4
Does your library have a manga/anime club? Drop us a line and tell us about it!
PARTY IN THE BLUEGRASS STATE!
Speaking of parties: There are plenty of reasons why Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, Kentucky is one of the premiere bookstores in the country, only one of which is that their staffers read this e-newsletter. (Hi, Patricia!) They also host great events, including fantastic manga parties with cosplay and art contests and Anime Jeopardy games and a whole bunch of fun. The next one is scheduled for March 29, 2008, so if you're in the area—or know anyone who is—be sure to be there. And tell 'em we sent you!
NEW YORK COMIC-CON IS COMING SOON!
There are a lot of reasons to be excited about going to a con. Cosplay. Free stuff. Meeting your favorite manga-ka. And stopping by the Del Rey Manga booth! Just a reminder that New York Comic Con is just around the corner—it's April 18-20 at New York City's Javits Center. Watch this newsletter for updates on Del Rey Manga events at the con!
DARK WARS IN STORES NOW!
Hideyuki Kikuchi has already revolutionized the vampire legend with his Vampire Hunter D novels—the inspiration for the classic anime. Now Japan's master of horror returns with Dark Wars: A Tale of Meiji Dracula. In this novel, Kikuchi tackles the greatest vampire story of all—the story of Count Dracula—and brings it to nineteenth- century Japan, where the count faces off against Japan's greatest swordsman. Check out a great advance review at ActiveAnime.com.
YOZAKURA QUARTET IN STORES FEBRUARY 26, 2008
Yozakura Quartet is kind of like Heroes—but with more cute girls, cute boys, and an adorable cat person or two. Yozakura Quartet's heroes and heroines are teens with amazing superpowers who defend their hometown from the forces of evil. Bonus asset: creator Suzuhito's super-stylish character designs.
FAIRY TAIL CONTEST
Have you ever read a manga so good that you end up kind of sort of getting a crush on the manga-ka? Well, prepare to fall hard for Hiro Mashima, probably one of the Top Ten Geniuses in Manga today--and the creator of the brilliant new series Fairy Tail. He's already acquired plenty of groupies with his previous series, Rave Master, and his following's going to swell to boy band-sized proportions when Fairy Tail drops.
After all, how could you not be crazy about a creator who's capable of writing a series that has: wizards, magic, maids, quests, monsters, a flying cat (blue, by the way), a fire-eating magician with a dragon for a foster mother, a cute blonde who can summon Celestial spirits, a really angry gorilla, and a flute that doubles as a deadly weapon? And that's just the first couple of volumes or so. Every page of this series is crammed with delights, wonders, marvels, jokes, and magic inventions. Thank you, Mashima-sensei!
Ascend to manga heaven. Be the first to read Fairy Tail. E-mail us, and if you're selected, you'll win an advance copy of the book. There's just one catch: You have to write in and tell us what you think!
Send your emails to delreymanga@randomhouse.com with FAIRY TAIL in the subject line, including your full name and address in the body of the e-mail (NOTE: your personal information will not be used for any purpose other than this contest). Ten (10) lucky winners will be selected at random and will receive a copy of the book when it is published. All submissions must be received by Wednesday, February 27, 2008.
MIMIMA CONTEST WINNERS!
These lucky winners will be getting something in the mail that's almost as good as a valentine from a sweetie—a free copy of Minima!, volume 1. Minima! will be in stores February 26, 2008.
* Anna Neatrour (Salt Lake City, UT)
* Emily Jones (Fort Wayne, IN)
* Kayce Crews (Knoxville, TN)
* Daniel Grisso (Lawton, OK)
* Lindsey Kuser (Spotsylvania, VA)
* Rainy Ng (Chicago, IL)
* Lucinda Horn (San Francisco, CA)
* Zacariah Benjamin Harrell (Raleigh, NC)
* Molly Vanderloop (Madison, WI)
* Wei-Ting Lai (Saint Petersburg, FL)
Tricia Narwani
delreymanga@randomhouse.com
IN STORES IN FEBRUARY
AIR GEAR 7
by Oh!Great
Ikki's extreme skating team is coming together, but they've got a match against Behemoth that'll take more than just guts to win!
Air Gear 7 by Oh!Great
ALIVE 3
by Tadashi Kawashima; Illustrated by Adachitoka
Taisuke and Yuta are searching for their kidnapped friends when they are ambushed by the wind-wielding Morio.
Alive 3: The Final Evolution by Tadashi Kawashima, Adachitoka
KITCHEN PRINCESS 5
by Natsumi Ando and Miyuki Kobayashi
In Sora, Najika has found her prince, her true love. But there's one major problem: Sora's brother, Daichi, has fallen for Najika!
Kitchen Princess 5 by Natsumi Ando, Miyuki Kobayashi
MINIMA! 1
by Machiko Sakurai
What would you do if your favorite toy came to life and became your best friend? Well, that's just what happens to Ame Oikawa, whose super-cute doll Nicori proves to have a mind of its own
Minima! 1 by Machiko Sakurai
MUSHISHI 3
by Yuki Urushibara
After a young boy is orphaned in the forest, he is saved by a reclusive female mushishi. But the lake near the mushishi's home holds a deadly secret, and the boy must find out what it is before his only friend is lost forever.
Mushishi, Volume 3 by Yuki Urushibara
SHUGO CHARA! 3
by PEACH-PIT
Amu's Guardian Characters have been stolen by her teacher, a bitter man whose dreams died when his own egg was smashed. She has to get her egg back, but can she help her teacher too?
Shugo Chara! 3 by Peach-Pit
TSUBASA 16
by CLAMP
Don't miss this pivotal volume of the Tsubasa saga! Battles are fought! Friends are betrayed! Secrets are revealed! And our heroes will never be the same!
Tsubasa 16 by Clamp
YAGYU NINJA SCROLLS 2
by Masaki Segawa and Futaro Yamadai
Eager to learn to fight and avenge their men's deaths, the Hori women turn to swordsman Yagyû Jyûbei Mitsuyoshi to teach them the ways of the blade. Meanwhile, a mysterious spy has also drawn the attention of their foes. What could his agenda be?
The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls 2: Revenge of the Hori Clan by Masaki Segawa, Futaro Yamada
YOAZKURA QUARTET 1
by Suzuhito Yasuda
Hime is a superheroine. Ao can read minds. Kotoha can conjure up anything with the right word. And Akina…well, he's just a regular guy, surrounded by three supergirls! Together, they protect the town of Sakurashin.
Yozakura Quartet 1 by Suzuhito Yasuda
