Manga You Would Like SB To Pick Up

[maple_chan]

Are there any manga that you've heard of/read, and would like to see Shojo Beat pick up and release in the future?

(I apologize if a similar forum exists and/or this forum is breaking guild rules. Please feel free to delete if you need to 3nodding )

Personally, I would really like to see Shojo Beat pick up Twinkle Stars: Le Chant des Etoiles by Natsuki Takaya (most famous for her series Fruits Basket ).

I bought the first two volumes of this series when I was in Paris, and, oh my goodness, it's so adorable heart Takaya's art is simple, yet elegant, and her characters likeable.

I'm not very far at the moment, but the story so far is about a girl named Saku who, always having felt rather alone and afraid (I think it has to do with her past, but we haven't had any flashbacks yet), likes to spend her time on the roof, talking to the stars. Then, on her 18th birthday, a mysterious man shows up at her house to wish her a happy birthday. Not sure where it's going from here, but my guess is that this guy is a star? (Takaya seems to like personifying non-human objects xd )

How about you guys? What are some series you would like to see SB release?  

[kel aka gandy]

haha, so many!! I have a giant list of manga I want licensed on my blog (the list is here if you're curious), but I'll highlight some here:

Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen by: Akane Ogura
Mademoiselle Butterfly by: Akane Ogura
basically everything by Ai Yazawa (specifically, Kagen no Tsuki, Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai, and Gokinjo Monogatari)
MOMO by: Mayu Sakai
Stardust Wink by: Nana Haruta
Yumeiro Patissiere by: Natsumi Matsumoto
Il Cappuccino by: Wataru Yoshizumi
Switch Girl!! by: Natsumi Aida
Tora to Ookami by: Yoko Kamio
Hot Milk by: Ayumi Komura
HOME by: Rinko Ueda
Yomogi Mochi Yaketa? by: Kiyoko Arai
Itadakimasu by: Yuki Yoshihara
Appare Jipangu by: Yuu Watase
PIECE by: Hinako Ashihara
Joou no Hana by: Kaneyoshi Izumi
all the onshots by Kyosuke Motomi (Otokomae! Beads Club, Penguin Prince, Purikyu, and Seishun Survival)
Akuma to Dolce by: Julietta Suzuki
Hanasakeru Seishounen by: Natsumi Itsuki
3 Gatsu no Lion by: Chica Umino

and yes, Twinkle Stars by Natsuki Takaya! Though really, I want her most recent series, Liselotte to Majo no Mori, though I don't think there has been a volume released yet in Japan, just the chapters in the magazine so far.

And, lol yes, this is a "highlight" of series I want licensed! I want soooo many and most of the ones I want are series from authors that have had titles licensed before and therefore aren't unknown in the US, so have a fairly good chance of doing at least moderately well. And most of the series are relatively short (excepting a few of them, most are 4 volumes or less), which US licensers seem to have been going for lately.

(and this is a fine place for this topic! There may be another license wish-list post somewhere [maybe, I didn't check], but at this point, I'm glad to see someone posting!)  

[maple_chan]

Oh my goodness, you're so cool! xd How do you even hear about all these titles?! I rarely hear about new manga (my only source is AnimeNewsNetwork, and they don't cover manga very often).

I looked at your blog, and you DO have a long list! I really hope Rose of Versailles gets brought over here. They were selling the first volume of it AT Versaille, which I thought was super kick a**, but I didn't have a lot of money on me at the time, and I assumed that we had it stateside D;

Fruits Basket made me a huge fan of Natsuki Takaya, so I am definitely pro any of her stuff being licensed biggrin So far I've only read Fruits Basket and Tsubasa: Those With Wing (and a little bit of Twinkle Stars), but her works are so adorable heart

I know what you mean. I'm trying to post more, but, sadly, there are so few SB titles that I've actually read enough of to post about sweatdrop I've been really big on anime for the last five years, and it wasn't until this summer that I started focusing more on manga again. I have so much catching up to do!  

[kel aka gandy]

Well, all but one of the series listed here are by artists I have read licensed works of, so I just usually just google their names to see what other titles they've created. But then, honestly, I figure out which ones I like the most through a tiny bit of scanlation reading. I don't like to read scanlations because they're really the bane of the industry (people are not likely to buy what they can get for free, even if it is illegal to get it for free), but I do like to check out series by authors I know I like to at least see if it's interesting (and then hope that they'll be licensed, haha).

I also troll Japanese manga magazine sites to see what series I think are cute, lol. Then I just go to MyAnimeList.com or MangaUpdates.com and look through the different magazines to try to find the corresponding title. :]  

[maple_chan]

My manga consuming habits used to be really random, but, as of late, I've been zeroing in on a few select manga-ka and focusing on their works. I'm currently on a Kaori Yuki binge, but I've also been pursuing Matsuri Hino, Yuu Watase, and Natsuki Takaya. I've been on the fence about CLAMP, because I love their artwork, and I loved what I read of Tsubasa (which is only about half of it), but, from what I hear, they have a bad habit of completely obliterating the series near the end, and making their fans hate them '~'

I'm pretty sure all manga fans participate in scanlation reading to some extent -_-; There are a couple series that I'm just way too excited about to wait for the American releases of (Pandora Hearts being my current drug heart ) I do, however, make a point of buying the series once they come out over here, particularly if it is a series I loved. I want to support the person who brought me such awesome characters, you know? biggrin

I'll have to check some of those sites out!

(LOL I sound so dumb online. I apologize. I keep posting late at night, and I'm only half awake when I post ;P ))  

[kel aka gandy]

I tend to get all the works of an author I love too; I have most of Yuu Watase's, Kaori Yuki's, Matsuri Hino's, Arina Tanemura's, and Rinko Ueda's works, among many, many others. I think I'm a bit of a completist, haha.

I really like CLAMP. They can be an acquired taste however. The end of Tsubasa for example is a bit convoluted, but I didn't hate it (though a lot of others do). I have a lot of their work in English (working on getting it all, though it's hard since a lot of it is now out of print) and would suggest it, though to get a lot of it is a big money commitment, since they have soooo much! Dark Horse is currently releasing a bunch of omnibus versions of some of their older titles though, which makes it easier~ :3

I feel the exact same way. I always make sure that I buy the English editions of manga I've read scanlations for (even Naruto, which is a bank-breaker!)

haha, you don't sound dumb at all! I only post during the day because I'm in college and have all the time in world (or at least I think I do, haha).  

[non8noninfinite]

Having in mind the type of series Shojo Beat usually publishes, I chose these series that have romance, nice art and story. (Some are running and some are complete)(author's name goes in japanese order):

Strobe Edge - by Sakisaka Io (10 volumes - complete) (Romance with lovely art and story - it's about on the popular level as Kimi ni Todoke. It even has 2 novel adaptations.)
Ao Haru Ride - also by Sakisaka Io (ongoing)
Tora to Ookami - by Kamio Youko (ongoing)
Love So Life - by Kouichi Kaede (Hana to Yume series that's a fit for SB line) (ongoing)
Issho ni Neyou yo - by Takao Shigeru (recently completed with 6 volumes)
Seiyuu-ka-! - by Minami Maki (ongoing)
Usotsuki Lily - by Komura Ayumi (ongoing)
Kuragehime - by Higashimura Akiko (ongoing)
Stardust Wink - by Haruta Nana (ongoing)
Shounen Dolls - by Hibiki Wataru (this author's other series are also very nice, like: Hanatsukihime -2 vols-) (4 volumes - complete)
Sengoku Danshi Hana no Ran; Ten no Ryuu Chi no Sakura - two series by Sumomo Momo (both complete)
Switch Girl!! - by Aida Natsumi (ongoing)
Hiyokoi - by Yukimaru Moe (ongoing)
AUTO FOCUS - by Roppongi Aya (5 volumes - complete)
Hakuji - by Morie Satoshi (2 volumes - complete)
Mishounen Produce - by Ichinose Kaoru (4 volumes - complete)

Any series by these authors: Ichinose Kaoru, Mitsuki Kako, Hayashi Mikase, Shiraishi Yuki, Nishikata Mai, Sakai Mayu... and also I read some people's comments that they would like Akizuki Sorata's or Ogura Akane's works to be licensed.

Barajou no Kiss; Junketsu + Kareshi - by Shouoto Aya (ongoing) (these two series have beautiful color opening pages alongside the gorgeous art... I guess those two are more fit to be licensed by Yen Press, but... one's a girl-with-mysterious-powers-awakening-has-four-bishounen-knights-to-serve-her-and-save-the-world-with-her-fighting-against-more-bishounens-and-bishoujos, and the other series is vampire-love-story-where-the-heroine-became-her-childhood-friend(vampire)'s-slave(something-like-zombie-to-suck-blood-from)-this-happening-under-the-cover-of-hers-vampire-becoming-the-night-lord-by-collecting-stigmas(7deadly-sins)-and-trying-to-save-his-brother-and.....-basically-a-love-triangle-and-a-war-of-demons-against-angels-etc.)

Maid Sama! - by Fujiwara Hiro (dropped by TOKYOPOP) - This series needs a re-release. I was wondering why SB didn't license it, actually. The TP version has a lot of incorrectly repaired screen-tones and missing those little handwritten lines that are also too small to read. I only managed to buy the first two volumes, but I would definitely buy the new version if someone licensed it again. (Also, I don't like how TP didn't use the illustration on the backcover.)

I have more, but those are the ones I would like to own the most - so I can pick up and read them anytime.

................Comment to the poll:................I actually live in a country that doesn't license manga in its language. (There are very very few titles in english that available in the only shop in my town, actually...). I always read manga online (illegally) and because I'm on the poor side... Well, I found one online book store that actually has free shipping even to my country. Now I can buy at least the series I really really want. smile
I depend on internet greatly - if I didn't find the series and read them online (even if it's illegal) I wouldn't buy any manga as far as it goes, because I wouldn't know about them in the first place.
...Sorry about my grammar. English isn't my first language - I got better at it through reading english subs in anime and reading manga online - I swear. smile  

[maple_chan]

There's only one manga I've read scanlations for, but probably won't buy, and that's Soul Eater sweatdrop I like it, and I want to see where it goes, but the art is rather ugly, and it's a freaking long series (although not as long as some other shounen series, like Naruto or One Piece). I know those aren't justifiable reasons, though =_=

I read all of Ouran online, and I don't own it all yet, but I have the first four volumes in Japanese, and plan on buying more of it when I've solidified my Japanese skills a bit. I thought about buying it when I was in France, but then I got super excited discovering that France has all these manga that aren't available here, and I bought only those manga xd Fun fact: Ouran High School Host Club is actually called "Le Lycee de la seduction", or "The school of seduction" in French lol That made me lol.

I might pursue CLAMP. I really want to buy all of Tsubasa (I had previously been borrowing it from a friend), but it's always super disconcerting to start buying a series that you know is long. I've also been wrestling with whether to get used or new copies, because, when it comes to books, sometimes I'm a bit of a snob, and I feel like I must own new copies! D; That's totally bitten me in the butt as far as books for school go. A lot of money wasted because I'm a bit OCD about used things.

I'm in college as well, but I took this term off (for medical reasons), and I'm working during the day, which is why I only have free time at night. I'm starting classes again in January, though, and I'm really excited to be back on campus and with my friends again.


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For not being a native English speaker, you're very good at writing in English! I have American friends who have worse grammar than you xd So no worries here! What is your native language, if you don't mind me asking? (I love languages. They take awhile to learn, but there are so many I want to become fluent in! Right now I'm only fluent in English, have a decent comprehension of French, and very little of Japanese)

Ooh, you have all these authors I haven't heard of! I'll have to go look them up biggrin

I can't condemn reading manga online, because I participate in it, and I understand that a lot of people don't have the resources to get ahold of the series they love. It only really bothers me when middle class kids who are too lazy to pay for stuff consume massive amounts of manga online (sadly, I have friends who are like this stare ) And I do think people should get a chance to sample a series before buying it. That way they don't waste money. (Ugh, so many anime series I bought in the past that ended up SUCKING. This was before anime was so accessible online)  

[kel aka gandy]

seconding Usotsuki Lily! It's absolutely hilarious! biggrin Also seconding Mishounen Produce!

And I'd love to have Kuragehime licensed, but if it is, it'll be licensed by Kodansha USA, not Viz/Shojo Beat because it's a Kodansha title in Japan. :]

And yeah, I definitely see Aya Shououto's works being licensed by Yen Press, not anyone else, but it would be nice to see them. I've only read a bit of Junketsu+Kareshi, but I know her works are super popular, so I'm sure they'd sell well for Yen.

I wish Viz had gotten Maid Sama! too!! I think Tokyopop just got to it first. I wish Viz were more inclined to do license rescues, because it's a series I think needs to be rescued and Viz/Shojo Beat is the perfect fit!

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I read all of Ouran as well and am slowly working on getting it all in English from Viz/SB. And omg, that's a hilarious title in French! It kind of makes sense, but omg it's so silly!

I know exactly what you mean. It's so hard to get into longer series because you know how much of a commitment it is. And I'm exactly the same way about new/used books. If I can get a "like new" copy of a book for less than a new copy, I'll go with that, but if it's anything less that "like new" I'll probably go for a new copy...I just like to have my own pretty copies of books. I'm also super a**l about book spines getting broken (I HATE IT!).  

[maple_chan]

I totes forgot Kuragehime! My friend owns all of the volumes in Japanese but, as it's a Josei series, there's no furigana, and thus I can't read it (I don't know kanji at all =_= ). I definitely would get it if it came out here, though. I really want to know what happens with everyone! (Especially Shuu. He's my favorite xd )