Cavalier Princess 1, Kitchen Princess 1, Animal Sense 1, Busou Renkin 1, Firefighter Daigo 20/20: Elex Media 9 July 2008 manga releases

New Series and Standalones
If you're feening for new manga (new to Indonesia in the *not* bootleg sense), Watsuki Nobuhiro-sensei's Busou Renkin finally premieres after being scheduled for May 2008 and then June 2008. I think it's worth getting, not just because of Watsuki Nobuhiro-sama worship, but more for the possibility of volumes 2 to 3 also going on sale in July. I base that squint-and-you'll-see-it speculation on the circumstantial inclusion of Busou Renkin volume 4 in the Elex Media Komikologi July issue (quick manga fixes = win after all).

Elex Media manga (2008.07.09)

Toggle release links for details and cover scans

1. [Premiere] A.S. (Animal Sense) 1 of 3 by Maekawa Takeshi

A.S. 「 Ａ．Ｓ． 」 by Maekawa Takeshi Kodansha Gekkan Shounen Magazine, shounen This volume first published in Japan 2006.03

2. The Age of Chaos (Shura no Toki) 2 of 15 by Kawahara Masatoshi

Shura no Toki 「 修羅の刻 」 by Kawahara Masatoshi
Kodansha Gekkan Shounen Magazine, shounen
Followed by Shura no Mon (修羅の門)
This volume first published in Japan 1990.10

3. Bobobo-bo bo-bobo 13 of 21 by Sawai Yoshio

Bobobo-bo bo-bobo 「 ボボボーボ・ボーボボ 」 by Sawai Yoshio Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump, shounen This volume first published in Japan 2004.06 Has a sequel, Shinsetsu Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (seven volumes, complete)

4. [Premiere] Busou Renkin 1 of 10 by Watsuki Nobuhiro

Busou Renkin 「 武装錬金 」 by Watsuki Nobuhiro Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump, shounen This volume first published in Japan 2004.01

5. Cantarella 8 of 10+ by Higuri Yuu

Cantarella 「 カンタレラ 」 by Higuri Yuu Akita Shoten Princess, BL On hiatus at 10 volumes This volume first published in Japan 2004.05

6. [Premiere] Cavalier Princess (Qi Shi Gong Zhu) 1 of 4 by Tsen Shiau-Jing

Qi Shi Gong Zhu 「 カンタレラ 」 by Tsen Shiau-Jing Sharp Point Publishing Mon Mon, shoujo AKA Knight Princess

7. Firefighter Daigo (Megumi no Daigo) 20 of 20 by Soda Masahito [Finale]

Megumi no Daigo 「 め組の大吾 」 by Soda Masahito Shogakukan Shonen Sunday, shounen This volume first published in Japan 1999.08

8. First Boyfriend (Hatsukare) 5 of 10 by Tomori Miyoshi

Hatsukare 「 ハツカレ 」 by Tomori Miyoshi Shueisha Margaret, shoujo This volume first published in Japan 2005.05

9. Ghost Sweeper Mikami (GS Mikami Gokuraku Daisakusen!!) 26 of 39 by Shiina Takashi

GS Mikami Gokuraku Daisakusen!! 「 ＧＳ美神　極楽大作戦！！ 」 by Shiina Takashi Shogakukan Shonen Sunday, shounen This volume first published in Japan 1997.04

10. [New] Girl in the Mirror by Dorachi Roshirin (makita)
11. [New] Jump Around by Kelingking Kuroshiro (makita)
12. Kagetora 6 of 11 by Segami Akira

Kagetora 「 ＫＡＧＥＴＯＲＡ 」 by Segami Akira Kodansha Magazine Special, shounen Serialized in Indonesian in Shonen Magz This volume first published in Japan 2005.01

13. Kedai Tasogare (Tasogare Dou e Youkoso) 2 of 7 by Yoshikawa Utata

Tasogare Dou e Youkoso 「 黄昏堂へようこそ 」 by Yoshikawa Utata Akita Shoten Horror Comics Special imprint, shoujo This volume first published in Japan 2003.01

14. [Premiere] Kitchen Princess (Kitchen no Ohimesama) 1 of 9+ by Ando Natsumi, Kobayashi Miyuki

Kitchen no Ohimesama 「 キッチンのお姫さま 」 by Ando Natsumi, Kobayashi Miyuki Kodansha Nakayoshi, shoujo This volume first published in Japan 2005.02 Licensed for North American distribution by Del Rey Manga; Indonesian serialization in Nakayoshi

15. [Premiere] Lum, The Invader Girl (Urusei Yatsura) 1 of 34 by Takahashi Rumiko

Urusei Yatsura 「 うる星やつら 」 by Takahashi Rumiko Shogakukan Shonen Sunday, shounen This volume first published in Japan 1980.04 Licensed for North American distribution by VIZ, later dropped after eight volumes

16. Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Sangokushi) 2 of 6 by Yamasaki Hiromi

Sangokushi 「 さんごくし 」 by Yamasaki Hiromi Akita Shoten Shounen Champion Comics imprint, shounen This volume first published in Japan 2005.05

17. A Story of Heroes 17 by Choi Mir
18. Trigun Maximum 6 of 14 by Nightow Yasuhiro

Trigun Maximum 「 トライガン・マキシマム 」 by Nightow Yasuhiro Shonen Gahosha Young King Ours, seinen This volume first published in Japan 2001.10

19. Tsubomi's Secret (Naisho no Tsubomi) 3 of 4+ by Yabuuchi Yuu

Naisho no Tsubomi 「 ないしょのつぼみ 」 by Yabuuchi Yuu Shogakukan Ciao, shoujo This volume first published in Japan 2007.06 Has a one-volume sequel Naisho no Tsubomi - Mebae

20. Western Shotgun (AKA Blazin' Barrels) 26 of 31+ by Park MinSeo

All titles above are IDR 13,800 with the exception of The Age of Chaos 2 which retails for IDR 15,000.

mangazines (2008.07.08)

The latest issue 49/2008 of Shonen Magz (Indonesia's version of Kodansha's Weekly Shounen Magazine), goes on sale one day before the manga volumes do. Among the titles ShoMagz has serialized are BECK, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, Kungfu Boy Legends, Rose Hip Zero, and Vinland Saga.

Source: Elex Media STO 09 Juli 2008

release highlights

New series - continued
With Busou Renkin, we have seven this release list, one of which is Cavalier Princess (below). Originally titled Qi Shi Gong Zhu, this shoujo manhua is the creation of Tsen Shiau-Jing, manga-ka of Dream Walker.

The other series debuts are: A.S. (Animal Sense), Kitchen Princess, and Lum, The Invader Girl AKA Urusei Yatsura. There are a couple of one-shot makita or original Indonesian manga—Jump Around by Kelingking Kuroshiro and Girl in the Mirror by Dorachi Roshirin. I'm not familiar with either komikus, but what I've googled netted the latter being dissed for his/her "amateurish" offering, My Cherry. Perversely, I'm now thinking of getting Girl in the Mirror to check to confirm whether the was the manga-ka drawing during a bumpy ride in a bajay? comment still applies. (Gee, do I also goggle at pileups on the tollway? No.)

Technorati tags
manga, manhwa, makita, manhua, Elex Media, Shonen Magz, shounen, sonyun, shoujo, boys' love, seinen, A.S. Animal Sense, Bobobo-bo bo-bobo, Busou Renkin, Cantarella, Cavalier Princess, Ghost Sweeper Mikami, Hatsukare, Kagetora, Kitchen Princess, Megumi no Daigo, Sangokushi, Shura no Toki, A Story of Heroes, Tasogare Dou e Youkoso, Trigun Maximum, Tsubomi's Secret, Urusei Yatsura, Western Shotgun

Finales
Firefighter Daigo concludes its Indonesian run with the release of volume 20 this Wednesday.

By original publisher
We have Taiwanese manhua, Korean manhwa, Indonesian makita, and Japanese manga, a diversity that makes jockeying for dominance slightly more challenging. In the end, it's Kodansha and Shogakukan in a tie, with each comprising 20 percent of the total releases. Shueisha and Akita Shoten account for 15 percent respectively. By virtue of those two makita titles, Elex Media grabs 10 percent.

I must reiterate that I'm surprised by the number of Akita Shoten manga being released by Elex lately. It's a welcome development, especially for this release list which has no Hakusensha titles in it.

By genre
No contest. shounen/sonyun captures 60 percent of the total release, 25 percentage points over the shoujo and boys' love aggregate.

Patience testing
This award has got to go to Tsubomi's Secret volume 3. When I first saw it, it was 3? What happened to 1 and 2? The Oracle at Mountain View helped out again, returning November 2006 for volume 1 and April 2007 for volume 2. Good thing I'm not a Yabuuchi Yuu-sensei fan.

UP NEXT
Level Comics 8 July 2008 manga

~niki DBA huamulan03 (花木蘭03) who still hasn't gotten Kedai Tasogare 1 yet >.<

end notes

Bajay
A three-wheeled utility vehicle/autorickshaw used for public transportation, the bajay is an omnipresent feature of Jakarta (kinda like Bangkok's tuk tuk). It's supposed to carry three (including the driver), although miracles have been known to happen with the payload. You have to haggle your fare but even without getting on, you soon discover that it's noisy, turn on a dime maneuverable (which it uses with effectiveness in traffic-congested streets and alleys), looks simian, and usually belches black smoke. Despite measures to legislate its freedom to putter along, the bajay looks like it will remain a mainstay in metro streets.

Nik's invaluable resources (click to unhide)

7&Y | Amazon Japan | Ubook | Baka-Updates Manga | Girls' Horror Comics | AKITA Web Station| 99770

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