Manga

BusinessWeek reports that when Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries issued a 62-page report “about the country’s worrisome dependence on food imports,” it added a twist. The Ministry summarized their findings in a four-minute animated video, which you can watch below.  Maybe Peter Orszag should try this for his first budget. 

About ten years ago, Masashi Kishimoto created the manga series Naruto, about a young ninja with a dark secret. The series has been monumentally successful, selling tens of millions of books and spawning its own media empire. In an LA Times interview, Kashimoto explains the appeal of this less-than-perfect lead character:“Perfect heroes are cool, but no one can […]

It’s this guy — Shizuku Kanzaki, a character in a popular Japanese manga series.The NY Times picks up on the amazing Japanese phenomenon of Kami no Shizuku — a manga series that is reshaping the Asian wine market.The Drops of God, as the title roughly translates in English, tells the story of a reluctant wine maven. And it’s become […]

Using FaceYourManga, Random Tech Stuff decided to “manga-ify” the candidates. 

If you’re in New York City, join us Monday October 6 at 6:30pm for a cool event at the Japan Society. I’ll be talking about manga, Johnny Bunko, and dojinshi. Added bonus: There will be food!All the details are here.

I’m all over this like a cheap suit. More info.

(HT: Candace Fitzpatrick and GoComics)

More evidence that comic books, er, graphic novels are going mainstream. Stars and Stripes, the military newspaper, reports that in preparation for the arrival of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan, the U.S. Navy is  distributing 30,000 copies of its own manga.  Titled CVN-73, the book tells the story of third-class petty officer Jack […]