Del Rey Books - Manga Newsletter

DEL REY MANGA NEWSLETTER – SEPTEMBER 2006

This past weekend, I went upstate for the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, and while watching a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream, I had a curious thought: Shakespeare was a proto-manga-ka.

No, really, hear me out.

Midsummer has all the ingredients of a really good manga series. Magical transformations, nature spirits, cross-dressing, a quartet of attractive teenagers involved in a really complex love quadrangle, a love affair between a queen and a donkey-headed creature (you know, for the necessary uncomfortable weirdness factor), and a supernaturally gifted bishonen named Puck.

Now, it might have helped that this particular performance had a 50s sci-fi B-movie theme, so everyone was carrying laser guns and wearing silver moon boots, and they added (for no good reason at all other than it was really quite cool) a kung-fu battle between Hermia and Helena. But I think my argument rests firmly on the text, and that you can play this game with any number of Shakespearean comedies. (Try it at home! Great fun at parties!) I've often wondered what my old English professors would think of what I've done with my education, and right now, I can't help but think they'd be really proud.

NEGIMA AND BASILISK ANIME!

Shakespeare's not the only way you can see manga in performance. There are two great anime adaptations of Del Rey Manga series out right now, courtesy of our friends at FUNimation: Negima! and Basilisk. Follow the links to visit the official sites for each series and get previews, character bios, DVD information, and more!

And that's just the beginning. Coming soon are anime adaptations of Wallflower and Ghost Hunt, plus an extra-special treat: Nodame Cantabile is becoming a live-action drama. Watch this space for more news!

MangaNEXT PANEL!

Manga fans, add this to your busy social calendar: MangaNEXT, the very first convention dedicated totally, absolutely, unequivocally, and indisputably indubitably to manga, is coming to the Meadowlands in Secaucus, NJ on October 6-8. Everybody's who's anybody's going to be there, including a couple of Del Rey Manga editors. Stop by our panel to share your questions, comments, and bizarre theories about the close resemblance between Hamlet and Negima.

ENTER THE TRANSLATION DOJO

Bill Flanagan, translator of xxxHOLiC and Tsubasa (and many other Del Rey Manga favorites) has an entertaining and informative blog about translating manga. Follow the link to enter the Translation Dojo and get an earful of Sensei's inimitable wit and wisdom!

TRAIN MAN—IN STORES NOVEMBER 7TH!

Forget Romeo and Juliet—this month's new manga brings us a love story that's truly for our times. Train Man's lovers are truly star-crossed: a shy otaku who's never had a girlfriend and a beautiful girl with a taste for Hermès and fancy tea. This couple's now just as legendary as Antony and Cleopatra and Lady and Mr. Macbeth in Japan, where Train Man has become a major pop culture phenomenon. It began with a series of messageboard posts on a real-life Internet forum, in which a geeky fanboy asked the posters for advice on wooing the dream girl he met on the train home. With the help and encouragement of the entire online world, the Beast won over his Beauty—and not only did the couple live happily ever after, their story became a bestselling novel, a blockbuster film, a hit TV show, and this great one-volume manga!

We'll invite everyone to fall in love with Train Man with our upcoming online preview, but even greater rewards await the luckiest among you. E-mail us, and if you're selected, we'll send you a set of advance page proofs to read. We only ask one thing: Write back to us and tell us what you think!

Send your emails to delreymanga@randomhouse.com with TRAIN MAN 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 set of Train Man advance page proofs and a copy of the book when it is published. All submissions must be received by Wednesday, September 27th, 2006.

There are some crazy people out there who believe that it wasn't Shakespeare who wrote those plays, but someone else: Sir Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, the Earl of Oxford. Myself, I'm working on an essay proving it was really Oh!great.

Tricia Narwani
tnarwani@randomhouse.com

NEW IN STORES

Basilisk 2
In stores August 29, 2006

The bloody battle to rule Japan has begun: The Iga and the Kouga clans are locked in a fight to the death. Driven by a centuries-old hatred, each clan will do anything to annihilate the other. The Kouga clan is engaging in a little espionage, and has planted a shapeshifter, disguised as an Iga ninja, in the Iga palace. Meanwhile the Iga clan turns to its last, best hope: their new leader, Gennosuke, the only one who can defeat the Kouga’s formidable leader, Oboro. But is she willing to kill the man she loves? As the war grows more desperate, will true love be the next casualty?

Suzuka 1
In stores August 29, 2006

Yamato is ready for a fresh start. So when his aunt invites him to stay rent-free in her big-city boarding house in hustling, bustling Tokyo, Yamato jumps at the chance. There's just one teensy-weensy catch: It's an all-girl housing complex and spa! Things get even more nerve-racking when Yamato meets his neighbor Suzuka, a beautiful track-and-field star. She's not just the cutest girl Yamato's ever met, she's also the coolest, the smartest, and the most intimidating. Can an ordinary guy like Yamato ever hope to win over a girl like Suzuka?

ES 2
In stores August 29, 2006

Mine Kujyou is a brilliant and beautiful scientist who has unlocked some of the darkest secrets of the human mind. But she’s about to discover the hard way what the mind is really capable of. Mine joins forces with Sakaki to defeat Isaac, a genetically engineered superbeing with terrifying mental powers. Though Isaac is still a child, he is powerful and cruel enough to destroy anyone who gets in his way. For extra help, Mine turns to Shuro, who shares Isaac's strange powers but not his hatred for humanity. Yet Shuro is far from compassionate, and Mine can't fathom his indifference. She's never encountered a mind quite like Shuro's, but she’ll have to learn to understand him fast. Isaac has killed again, and it won’t be the last time.

Negima! 11
In stores August 29, 2006

The first lo-o-o-o-o-ng day of the Mahora Academy Festival is finally coming to a close. Of course, Negi needed to repeat the day four times, courtesy of a bit of magic, in order to make it through his to-do list. And thanks to Evangeline's enchanted resort, Negi has had enough training and rest. But will he have the courage to face fellow magic-teacher Takamichi in the premiere round? It's time to do what Negi's father did before him—not only survive the "Budokai" Martial Arts Tournament, but win it!

Gacha Gacha 5
In stores August 29, 2006

Kurara finally confesses her love for Kouhei, but something's not quite right. She looks like Kurara, she sounds like Kurara, she even punches like Kurara—but it seems too good to be true. Is this really Kurara, or could it be some kind of trick? Kouhei's love life gets even more complicated when Kurara transforms into her most fearsome personality yet. "01" is the ruler of the virtual world and she won't rest until Kurara is "deleted." Now Kouhei must venture back into the realm of Gacha Gacha virtual reality for an extremely dangerous mission. Will he save Kurara in time?

School Rumble 3
In stores August 29, 2006

Love (in the form of Tsukamoto Tenma) betrayed Harima Kenji, but he has moved on in an effort to find himself. He's become a fortune teller who can communicate with animals. Some even mistake him for a helpful deity who watches over a local shrine. What happens to a young man who gets lost on his journey of self-discovery?

Meanwhile, Tenma and her friends embark on a trip of their own. They go to the beach for sun, sand, and surf—and meet four guys with less-than-noble intentions.

Plus, Rumble fans can look forward to a brand-new character!

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