Yen Plus Magazine Details

Some new details about Yen Press' manga anthology magazine, Yen Plus, were posted today over at their blog. They won't be offering subscriptions until the second issue, which is a bummer, so it looks like I'll have to make the trek up to Barnes and Noble sometime at the end of the month.

Here's the details if you don't feel like clicking the link:

Price per issue: $8.99 US / $9.99 Canada
Number of pages: 400+
Subscription price: $49.95 US / $59.95 Canada
1st issue on sale: 7/29

Is it still fair to make Canadians pay more when the exchange rate is so close now? Maybe the extra cost stems from the cost to ship it over the border.

This magazine is notably more expensive than Shojo Beat, which I just renewed my subscription to, but it's also notably a thicker magazine - almost twice as long. But then, Shojo Beat isn't half-filled with OEL manga or manhwa so I guess if you're not a fan of those you might be slightly miffed with the higher price.

Three out of four of the non-Japanese titles look like something I'd read so I'm not upset about them being there. And then I'm excited about four of the five Japanese titles so without even seeing the first issue I know I'm going to place an order for a subscription as soon as I can do it online.

The Japanese titles that will appear in the magazine are:

Soul Eater by Atsushi Ohkubo

In a world where technicians wield the select humans who can turn into weapons, Shinigami-sama created a school to teach young technicians and their shape shifting partners what it means to be a just death god. In order to create the ultimate weapon, the students of the school must collect the souls of 99 evil humans and 1 witch.

My thoughts: Having watched the first 6 episodes of Soul Eater, I already know that I'm going to like this one. I can't wait to see what the manga looks like. Hopefully the comedy plays out on the page as well as it does on screen.

Nabari no Ou by Yuhki Kamatani

Rokujou Miharu, the Master of Apathy was just a normal boy living a normal life planning to own a normal restaurant. After being pestered by his classmate Aizawa Kouichi and his english teacher Kumohira to join the ninja club time and again, Miharu is attacked by a group of ninjas and learns of the Book of Knowledge a.k.a. hijutsu dwelling within him and that Kouichi and Kumohira are actually ninjas. With the strongest power of Nabari(ninja world) inside him and dangerous ninjas out to kidnap him, can Miharu's life of indifference remain, or will he be forced out of his days of apathy...

My Thoughts: I've seen the first 3 episodes of this anime, and I'm honestly not sure why I got so far behind. I like the characters, the animation style, and the story, so I'm not sure why I let this one get on the back burner. I'm looking forward to reading this manga so maybe it'll help push me to catch up with the anime.

Sumomomo Momomo by Shinobu Ohtaka

Momoko Kuzuryuu is a martial-arts crazed teenage girl who has grown up in the mountains with her father, a legendary fighter. However, one day her father tells her that because she is a girl, she will never be able to master the family's ultimate technique. The only thing forher to do is go marry the strongest warrior, and produce the strongest offspring. Her unlikely fiance is the handsome but weak Koushi Inuzuka, the son of her father's best friend and rival. Their marriage was agreed upon by their fathers before they were born. However, Koushi has no interest in martial arts; in fact, he is a coward who freezes whenever he sees violence. Instead, he wants to become a prosecutor, so that no criminal can escape capital punishment. Despite Koushi's adamant refusal to marry her and his subsequent displays of cowardice, Momoko falls in love with him and swears to remain in his house and train with his father in order to become the strongest fiancee ever.

My Thoughts: This is probably the one title I'm not so excited about. I saw the first 2 episodes of the anime, and granted, I'm sure I'm not the target audience for this type of show, but honestly it was one of the dumbest shows I'd seen in a while. And it really creeps me out when they draw a 17-year-old girl so she looks like she's 12 or 13. I posted two pictures above so you can see what I mean. Plus the way her hair stands up in the front annoys me. Since I'm paying for the magazine I'll probably read as much as I can, but I don't expect I'll stick with it for very long.

Bamboo Blade story by Masahiro Totsuka, art by Aguri Igarashi

Kawazoe Tamaki has sworn herself to be a protector of justice. In all her years of learning kendo, she has never once been beaten. But, in this world can a hero truly be strong without knowing defeat, or could it be that only some lessons are learned after one loses. Joining the kendo club along with new friends and teammates, Tama-chan begins her long and hilarious journey to becoming a great kendo fighter.

My Thoughts: I've got the entire anime sitting on my computer right now and I'm not sure why I never started watching it. If this manga is any good I'll probably watch it. If not, no big deal, I can just make room for something else. The cover art looks interesting though.

Higurashi: When They Cry story by Ryukishi07

One hot day in 1983, a transfer student named Maebara Keiichi comes to live in the peaceful villiage of Hinamizwa. He befriends fellow classmates, Mion Sonozaki, Rena Ryugu, Rika Furude, and Satoko Houjou who welcome him as a member of the "club". Keiichi and his friends play games like Old Maid and even Hide and Seek. The way life was for kids BEFORE video games. However Keiichi soon stumbles upon Hinamizawa's dark history: Every night, during the Watanagashi festival, one person goes missing and another winds up dead. As Keiichi gets deeper into the mystery, he learns that there may be more to his new friends than meets the eye.

My Thoughts: I've seen both seasons in their entirety of Higurashi so I'm curious to see what, if anything, the manga can do that'll be new and/or refreshing. I like the characters though and the premise of the series so I'll probably enjoy the manga as well.

Then there's also a few OEL manga titles and manhwa thrown in:

• Maximum Ride - story by James Patterson, art by NaRae Lee

Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, better known as Max, knows what it’s like to soar above the world. She and all the members of the “Flock”–Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel–are just like ordinary kids–only they have wings and can fly. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living nightmare at any time–like when Angel, the youngest member of the “Flock,” is kidnapped and taken back to the “School” where she and the others were genetically engineered by sinister scientists. Her friends brave a journey to blazing hot Death Valley, CA, to save Angel, but soon enough, they find themselves in yet another nightmare–this one involving fighting off the half-human, half-wolf “Erasers” in New York City. Whether in the treetops of Central Park or in the bowels of the Manhattan subway system, Max and her adopted family take the ride of their lives. Along the way Max discovers from her old friend and father-figure Jeb–now her betrayed and greatest enemy–that her purpose is save the world–but can she?

My Thoughts: For reasons unknown I own the first three books in this series but have yet to read them, yet I'm familiar with the story. I'm wondering how well this series will transfer over to the manga format, but I guess I'll find out soon enough!

• Nightschool by Svetlana Chmakova

Nightschool answers the age-old question–Where do demons get their diplomas? Schools may close for the night and the lights may be off, but class is still in session. A young werin named Alex joins the vampires and demons at school to learn what has become of her sister. Will she be prepared for what she finds at the Nightschool?

My Thoughts: This series was created by the author of Dramacon, which is really popular but not a series I ever read. I'll read anything with vampires in it but maybe this will be a good story considering how well her other series sold.

• Pig Bride by KookHwa Huh and SuJin Kim
  

Si-Joon has a recurring nightmare about being eight years old and lost in the woods. In his dream, he is forced to marry a strange girl whose face is obscured behind a pig mask. Unsettling as it is, at least it’s just a dream… On his sixteen birthday, though, the girl with the pig mask appears in his room — declaring that she’s come to share their first night together as husband and wife!

My Thoughts: I can't help it, every time I look at the cover for volume 1 it cracks me up. It's been a while since I read any really good manhwa, so hopefully this one is as funny as it looks.

• Jack Frost by JinHo Ko
  

It’s Noh-A’s first day at Amityville High School, and her reception is chilly to say the least. Brutal might be a better description! Decapitated but not dead (or is she??), Noh-A quickly realizes that nothing is as it appears at Amityville High where paranormal creatures battle for supremacy. Caught in the crossfire, Noh-A may have to rely on the unlikely (and possibly unreliable) aid of the most sinister student at Amityville…the deadly Jack Frost!

My Thoughts: Wow, that cover is wicked. Hopefully the art inside is just as good and detailed. The story sounds interesting so I'm looking forward to this Korean title as well.