Manga Traders

Posted by KaKaR on 02/05/2010 8:52 pm

This week, our manga spotlight has shined on Shin Angyo Onshi suggested by Momomimi & I Wish suggested by Amber3.  If you are unfamiliar with these manga be sure to check them out!

Shin Angyo Onshi

Series Summary:
In a country named Jushin, existed a secret agency under the King's control. The agents - called Angyo Onshi (or Amenosa)- travelled incognito to inspect local areas for corruption or other threats. However Jushin has crumbled and the Angyo Onshi have disappeared... All but one. The remaining envoy, Munsu, now wanders, searching for clues about the man responsible for everything...
-

I Wish

Series Summary:
K is a wizard who can grant wishes--all he asks in return is that which is most precious to the wisher...
Mourning from a horrific loss, Jin Ryu wants K to bring back her parents and brother from the dead. But when K tells her that a wish such as this can only lead to greater tragedy, he agrees to take her on as an apprentice. Now Jin observes K with his various and sundry clients: A father who wants to put a stop to his son's relationship... A young woman who longs for her lover to remember... A boy who will do anything to be accepted...

Posted by MasaMune on 02/02/2010 7:52 am

Greetings once again, ladies and gentlemen.

As it's the start of a new month, it's time to start our contests once again!  As you know, each month there is a new contest, with a $5 USD cash prize going to the winner.  PM your entry to myself, and our panel of expert judges (anonymous, of course, so don't try to curry favor with any particular staffers; it won't do much good) will judge and rank them.  But the real fun is sitting down and coming up with something that's both fun and shares a bit about yourself.

This month's contest is "manga shame, manga pride".  For some, manga is a thing to boast about to friends and family, for others it's a dark little secret to be squirreled away.  Wherever you fall along the spectrum, or even if you haven't seen this happen with people you know, take the time to write (or sing, or dance, or draw) about anything that "shame and pride" brings to mind.

Last month there were some really interesting entries, some essays, some memories, even a few poems, arts, and an audio.  Looking forward to seeing what people come up with this time around!

Entries must be submitted by the end of the month, and we will announce the winners sometime in early March!  Good luck!

Posted by KaKaR on 01/29/2010 9:38 pm

Since zraith is MIA I decided to do SOTW until he returns.  Now, since I don't read much manga (more like I rarely read manga) I would need suggestions from you guys so pm your suggestions for SOTW to me and put "Suggestion for SOTW" as pm subject.  I picked these two series from my reading/wish list so I hope they are worth reading for you guys as well.  Tokyo Crazy Paradise is one of my favourite but I haven't read Kagetora so can't really say anything about it (I think as soon as I saw ninja in it's summary I added it to my wish list).

This week, our manga spotlight has shined on Kagetora & Tokyo Crazy Paradise! If you are unfamiliar with these manga be sure to check them out!

Kagetora

Series Summary:
The young ninja Kagetora has been given a great honor. To serve a renowned family of skilled martial artists. But on arrival, he's handed a challenging assignment: teach the heir to the dynasty, the charming but clumsy Yuki, the deft moves of self-defense and combat.

And yet, Yuki's inability to master the martial arts is not what makes this job so difficult for Kagetora, it's Yuki herself. Someday she will inherit her family dojo, and for a ninja like Kagetora, to fall in love with his master is a betrayal of his duty, the ultimate dishonor, and strictly forbidden. Can Kagetora help Yuki overcome her ungainly nature . . . or will he be overcome by his growing feelings?

-

Tokyo Crazy Paradise

Series Summary:
It's the year 2020 AD, and Tokyo II is a city infested with crime. Women can no longer go out in the streets alone without being victimized. Not wanting their daughter to suffer the same fate, Tsukasa Kozuki's cop parents raise her as a boy. When they are suddenly killed by one of the yakuza's in-fights, Tsukasa is left orphaned on the streets along with her three brothers. With no other options, she goes to the only person she can think of for help: pokerface Ryuji Shirogami, her classmate of 8 years and also the head leader of the powerful yakuza group, Kuryugumi. Ryuji, whose father was also a victim of the same yakuza fight, agrees to take her on as his personal bodyguard. As they set out to find their enemy, Ryuji slaps an increasing amount of debt onto Tsukasa, using all manner of ploys to keep the reluctant Tsukasa by his side.

Posted by MasaMune on 01/13/2010 7:31 am

So here it is.  Many participated (and what I love about it was how many people participated who aren't big forum names), but only one came out on top.  And so my big, fat, crispy Abraham Lincoln goes to...

Jedinat
for this entry about "manga beginnings":
Cracking the clean pages' firm resistance
a musty tome-ish smell engulfs my questing nose
the brand-new untouched pages wait
await me their expectant prose amid inked drawings
of rendered pantied schoolgirls posing
amongst bleeding boys' noses gushing
or the doki doki thrill of hatsukoi
as flowers bloom behind the modest schoolgirl blushing
But really it all comes down to this
the scrape of paper against calloused skin
was all well enough a way to begin
but the simple facts must pertain
there is not much to gain by throwing coin away
on works whose quality might go either way
And so much joy can still be had
when one pairs MangaTraders with Hamana!

Melchior's top vote went to:  Ghostfriendly
Belth voted for: zesire
Gaspar wanted to give my money to: Jedinat
Masa couldn't decide between: Camera / shaggyjebus

It was actually a really, really, really close vote.  Three people were all bunched up for a close second, and two of them weren't anyone's top vote!  So, one last time, thank you to everyone who participated!

And, well, hell.  I apologize for the delay.  New year, new compy, lots of traveling, some judges (I'm lookin' at you, Belth...) taking their sweet time getting their votes in.  But if excuses were mooses, we'd all build our houses out of antlers...

Contests will resume starting Feburary 1st

Read the rest of the entries here!

Posted by zraith on 12/25/2009 9:36 am

This week, our manga spotlight has shined on 20th Century Boys & Angel Heart! If you are unfamiliar with these manga be sure to check them out!

20th Century Boys

Series Summary:
Kenji and his friends start to notice a series of odd occurences related to their childhood. A mysterious cult-leader named "friend" is out to destroy the world, and it has something to do with Kenji's childhood memories.

-

Angel Heart

Series Summary:
A young Taiwanese assassin codenamed "Glass Heart" committed suicide by jumping off a building, and her heart was pierced by metal fence. Miraculously, her life was saved by heart transplantation. During her recovery she began to experience strange dreams, which led her to Japan looking for the donor of her heart, who happens to be Kaori Makimura, former partner of City Hunter.