First of all, from all of us from DMP & 801 Media and the affilliate vendors of Digital Manga Inc, want to say a big official THANKS to those who came to our booth and gave us lots of love and support at AX2009 and making this event a success!  None of this is would have been possible without YOU fans!  THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!  Some of you stopped by in an unforgettable costumes made us laugh and became a good dinner conversation!  You know who we’re talking about!     And of couse, we’ll do it again next year! Only next time, bigger and better AND more manga!  Again, thank you so much for your support! 

Another review of On Bended Knee came in over the weekend!  (click here.)  This one is done by dear friend Michelle Smith.  And there’s another one - this one is done by Lissa Patillo (click here.)  Thank you both!  I’ll be sure to forward the link to Ruri.  She’d really appreciate that!  Oh, and another one:  This one also by Lissa (click here.)  on His Arrogance.  Thanks Lissa! 

Okay so remember, I told you I was going to look for Stupedia: The Most Useless Facts on Wikipedia… but DUH me, the pub date for this is September 15, 2009…  Why didn’t I catch that in PW weekly… aye aye…

This is for Cait who left me a comment for my July 3rd blog entry.  She asked, “if we, DMP, re-releasing Yellow? the omnibus version? Or is this something new?  The answer is yes, yes and yes.  YES, DMP will be re-releasing Yellow. and YES it will be re-released as an omnibus edition - yep, the link you gave me! (Omnibus volume 1 would contain volume 1 and 2 of the original series, and Omnibus volume 2 would contain volume 3 and 4 of the original series.)  And YES, the manuscript that I received on Friday is something new!  This is tentatively slated for October 2009 release, limited numbers of copies will be available - (hopefully) at Yaoicon 2009 as a Yaoicon Special Edition.  These are called Yellow 2: Episode 1.  It’s a sequel to the Yellow series.  These have never been published before, but they have been distributed only in Japan via cell phones and hand-held portable devices.  DMP is extremely lucky to be able to license these series!  Yes, there are many more to come, of course.  Episode 2, 3, 4 … etc etc  These will be hitting the US market as a short-comic style, containing approximately 60 pages or so.  It’s a classic Makoto Tateno!  I read this 5 times over the weekend!  It’s simply awesome and I can’t wait for everyone to have it!  

Speaking of Yaoicon 2009, yes, we will be there!  And that’s probably our last convention for the year.  Wait… but give us some time to unwind… and unpack…  let us go to the spa to recoop first…   We’ll make more official announcements then! 

If you need the gossip earlier, you know where to get it! twitter.com/digitalmanga 

Off to the spa now,
801-chan

I admit defeat on the reviews. I seem to add more reviews to the list faster than I can post them. So I am taking the punk way out of the reviews. >_< We are going to switch from the long format to the short format...

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The King of Debt by Sanae Rokuya
Both the Lincoln Heights Literary Society and The Comic Book Bin had nothing but good things to say about The King of Debt.“I was pleasantly surprised.” exclaims Kris at LHLS, “Many of the stories were a little more original than you usually see in the genre. The thing that was most refreshing, however, is Sanae Rokuya-sensei’s art style.”

Leory at Comic Book Bin gives it an A- and the stamp of approval, “Rokuya’s eclectic scenarios and shamelessly physical boy loving makes King of Debt an exceptional read for yaoi fans.”

All of these glowing reviews translate to “BUY ME.” But if you need more convincing, click on the links for the full reviews. If I need not say more you can get your very own copy at the 801 Media Inc. store or Amazon.

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A Foreign Love Affair by Ayano Yamane
Wiggle over at Boys on Boys on Film knows a gem when she sees it!”A Foreign Love Affair by Ayano Yamane, widely known by its Japanese title Ikoku Irokoi Romantan, stands apart as one of those BL manga titles that nearly every fan knows, and one which many yaoi readers already loved long before it was translated into English. Luckily for us, and luckily for A Foreign Love Affair, this title was licensed by 801 Media, a company who, despite having the highest price point in the current BL manga market, has earned widespread admiration among the yaoi fan base for their excellent presentation and quality in publishing. The English version of A Foreign Love Affair succeeds mostly on its own merits, but is wonderfully enhanced by a high-quality, respectful treatment from its English publisher.”

And Kirs at Manic About Manga has excellent taste in manga as well.

“801 Media doesn’t disappoint with this volume of manga. The dust jacket has a beautiful pearlescent lavender background with Al in his uniform and Ranmaru sitting with a wide open, disheveled kimono and wearing only a fundoshi underneath. Mmm, mmm good! You’ll check it out if you know what’s good for you (I’m channeling my inner Yakuza, what do you think?)!”

I need not say anything other than, buy this one here or here.

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Steppin’ Stone Series by Shiuko Kano
Cat over at Lincoln Heights Literary Society was very pleased with volume 1 of this manly series:
“I was quite pleased to receive a 801 Media copy of I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone: Shameless because Shiuko Kano is known for providing blatantly sexy and lanky guys; tongue-in-cheek approach in storytelling; generally intense and explicit portrayal of sexual situations, and good times. Not only that, many male characters in her works are famous for putting ‘C’ in cockiness, ‘T’ in testosterones, ‘M’ in machismo, ‘Z’ in ‘zest for life’, ‘H’ in humour, and sometimes, ‘F’ and ‘U’ in attitude.”Kirs from Manic About Manga chimes in on volume 1 and 2.

“I really wish that the construction workers in my area looked like Shiuko Kano-sensei’s. The ones around here are usually bald and fat. One must say that Kano-sensei’s manga is always filled with mega attitude and comes straight at you like the Three Stooges double eye poke. If you aren’t prepared to see some major male nudity and hot male on male action you best prepare with some of Kano-sensei’s other work like Affair (also published by 801 Media). Her works are always really top notch. Her character development, her art, everything is fantastic. Her men are actually MEN. Not girly looking like some other mangaka erm…Lily Hoshino for instance.” - Volume 1

“I LOVED this manga. It was cute, funny, heartwarming, etc., etc., etc. Kano-sensei can do no wrong. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite mangaka. Not only for her amazingly hot men but her great storytelling. She can tell a touching story with the perfect amount of humor and boy can she draw uber-hot sex! Out of the two (there is a third one related to this series but it hasn’t been licenced here in the states… yet [hint, hint!!!]) Maybe I’m Your Steppin’ Stone: Loveliness is definitely my favorite.” - Volume 2

You can buy these lovelies here and here from the 801 Store, or here and here from Amazon.com.

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Yay! Only a few more to go and then we will have the winner for our poetry contest!~801-chan (^ ^)

More reviews than you can shake a stick at! More bishies than can fit comfortably in a doggie pile! It is the battle of the Love is Like a Hurricane Reviews.

Round 1 - Volume 1

Kris over at Manic About Manga joins the ranks of the LILAH fan club after checking out volume 1:

“This is quite the dirty, little guilty pleasure. Having never been to Japan I’ve never dealt with anyone grabbing a fist of my flesh (never had to deal with here either, come to think of it.) The premise of the story is quite clever. Having the story set in a boys only school is not new to the yaoi genre, neither is the whole student body president picking on other classmates. But this is still an enjoyable piece trash! I have to say Tokiya Shimazaki-sensei has done an incredible job. The art is clean and very detailed (insert blush here.)” - Kris

Yup, I haven’t been groped on a train either, but living vicariously through Mizuki is a lot of fun! *teehee* You can read the rest of her review here.

Round 2- Volume 2!

Kris at Manic About Manga weighs in again with volume 2 of Love is Like a Hurricane!

“I have really enjoyed the “Love is Like a Hurricane” series so far. It is quickly becoming a guilty pleasure! Tokiya Shimazaki-sensei definitely has the “cute” uke thing down. If you like mindless fluff with lots o’ sex, then this is the series for you.” - Kris

*teehee* Mizuki is sooooo cute! You just want to snuggle up with him or ruffle his hair! Or put him in your pocket and carry him around with you everywhere… *sigh* Well, any normal, sane person would!!! You can read the rest of Kris’s review here.

Round 3 - Volume 3

Cynthia over at Boys Next Door continues to trudge through LILAH even though it isn’t her favorite series. (We still can’t understand why it isn’t in her top 10, but… to each their own. >_< We publish all reviews here, not just the ones we like... But we are still hopeful that she will do a complete 180 by the time she gets to volume 5.)

“In all honesty, I think I like the stories about the side characters more than I like the stories about the main characters. The side characters don’t seem to be as whiny. The plot for the two main characters doesn’t seem to be more than have Azuma pushing for sex and Mizuki refusing. That is, until Azuma overcomes Mizuki’s objections through sheer pleasure and Mizuki moans the roof down as he comes.” - Cynthia

What is not to like about that?!? *teehee* You can read through the rest of Cynthia’s review here.

Kris, our number 2 LILAH fan (Jen over at Yaoi Suki was #1), weighs in LILAH 3 and has a slightly different take on the story. >_<

“In the series, the story goes as follows: Mizuki does something dumb, Azuma shows up, sex ensues, and the cycle starts over again. Initially I thought that I would get bored of the predictability of the whole thing, but it seems that I still am enjoying it. Shimazaki-sensei’s art is very cute. 801 Media’s production value is still worthy of my infomercial, and I anxiously await what insanity that will ensue in the following volumes!” - Kris

We will never tire of Kris’s lovely endorsements of 801 Media Inc.’s production values. So if you would like to read it in full again, hop on over here and check out the rest of her review.

Round 4 - Volume 4

Cynthia over at Boys Next Door has made it all the way to volume 4! We have to give the girl props for her determination. (We might have to bribe her with The Devil’s Secret to get her to review Volume 5! >_< Let it be known that 801-chan is not above a little trickery to get things done around here! Just ask Kampai, the stores she can tell you...) Anyway...

“Usually 801’s releases match my tastes. The stuff they pick is usually plot-heavy and topped off with smutty goodness. This is the reason why I’m so eager to try series they bring over that I’m not familiar with. Most of the time, they’re spot on. I just don’t know why they decided that this should be the first real series that they were going to release. I guess that it’s not my cup of tea and should just leave it at that. But, it still bugs me. I want to like this, really I do, but I can’t seem to make myself get into it.” - Cynthia

I still have faith that volume 5 will charm you! Really I do! And if not, you can always wait for Ze to come out next year! You can check out the rest of Cynthia’s apologize…errr…review here! >_<

Leroy over at the Comic Book Bin got a hold of LILAH Volume 4 and while yaoi is not his cup of tea, he found the story to be delightful!

“As a high school comedy, Love is Like a Hurricane is silly and inconsequential – nothing special; it’s one subplot after another about teen love and misunderstanding. As a yaoi title, it’s a festival of grab-ass, with practically every chapter punctuated with an exuberant scene of furtive sex between young male lovers. Such potency and virility is something worth celebrating.” - Leroy

Banzai! Banzai! Banzai! I don’t know, I would think a guy who doesn’t like yaoi endorsing a yaoi title would be reason enough to go out and buy it! You can read the rest of Leroy’s review here.

Finally, Kris weighs in again on the latest volume of LILAH. Looks like somebody did a marathon session with this series!

“This is the second to last book in the series and I have no idea how this series is going to end. Shimazaki-sensei outdid herself with this volume. It has the highest story value of the four, so far. The art is cute, the story isn’t quite as disjointed as the others, and I have to admit, Mizuki looks better as a girl than I do. That’s the joy of yaoi! 801 Media doesn’t dissappoint, like always, and the final installment comes out this June. Will I be able to wait? Nope! But, unfortunately, I’ll have to!” - Kris

Noooooooo! Only 1 more volume to go! *sniff* Luckily, we just got in review copies of volume 5, so check back in a week or 2 for a sneak peek on how this wonderful series ends. Oh, and you can read the rest of Kris’s review here. She definitely gets the gold start this week!
Happy Reading!

801-chan (^ ^)

Cyn-sama from over at Boys Next Door checked in with Love is Like a Hurricane Volume 2. Not the biggest fan of the series, Cyn has to admit that the series is starting to grow on her:

“In fact, I really enjoyed the quasi-incestuous relationship between Akira and Izumi. They’re step-brothers, with no blood between them, but reading about them screwing madly just makes me happy. I have an odd fascination for incestuous stories. Sue me. We all have our weird kinks.” - Cynthia

*teehee* I will be the first to admit that Love is Like a Hurricane appeals to a certain…aesthetic… (>_<) So you should definitely give it a try. Sadly, Love is Like a Hurricane is about to come to a bittersweet end. So if you haven’t picked up this great series, you are missing out on a great find.

~801-chan (^ ^)

Yay! An oldie but goodie! Verygorgeous over at Manic About Manga checked out one of 801 Media Inc.’s first books Bond(z) this week.

“This is a great manga. I love Kawai-sensei’s art style, especially the way she draws eyes and kids! The only draw back I can see is that many of her characters in many different books all look alike, and this tome is no different. It’s still worth checking out and it is worth the price you pay (801-Media is a bit more expensive, $15.95 per book.)” - verygorgeous

*teehee* Verygorgeous is very generous with her praise of Bond(z)! So if you haven’t picked up this one, slide on over to the 801 Media Inc. store and add it to your shopping cart. You can also read the full review of Bond(z) here.
~801-chan ^ ^

Briana over at Anime on DVD got a chance to look at The King of Debt.

“Sometimes, its nice to grab something where every chapter is guaranteed to begin and/or end with two guys in bed, or against the wall, or in the backseat of a car. This collection of stories satisfies that need: the sex is hot, the men are gorgeous, and every chapter does indeed end with two guys panting and screaming.” - Briana

I think that about sums it up pretty well! (>_<) You can read the full review here, but if you are looking for a sexy read that isn’t too heavy on the intellect, The King of Debt is perfect. Fun, sassy and sexy, this one is definitely a keeper!

The King of Debt is available now at your favorite retailer. So pick up your copy soon!

~801-chan ^ ^

Next up… we have another look at The Prime Minister’s Secret Diplomacy!

Snow over at Fujoshi Librarian, where it is “hard to be hentai,” also had only good things to say:

“Gone are the overly dramatic and demonstrative men with careers in the performing arts or as gamblers, as in Nitta’s previous works. Shiraishi and Yoshinaga are government men, skilled in diplomacy and politics. Even though Shiraishi is a Nitta seme–younger, more emotional, and less skilled in his craft–he is no Katou-of-the-dramatic-proclaimations. These men know that their relationship is not and will never be sanctioned. They know that they may not even be able to trust one another, for who can truly trust someone whose job depends on his skill at manipulating words and actions? As Yoshinaga says, ‘That honest smile of yours is your greatest weapon. You lied so easily a moment ago, and yet it compels me to believe you without a second thought.’” - Snow

>Squee< Yup, The Prime Minister’s Secret Diplomacy is dark and sexy all at the same time. If you are looking for the stereotypical boys love story, this is not it. But if you are looking for something intellectual stimulating this is the best yaoi manga on the market!

And for those of you looking for the next volume, the wait might not be that long. Chapters of Secret Diplomacy have been popping up in the latest issues of Hertz! I count 4 new chapters and usually tankubons are 6… Keep your fingers crossed!!

~801-chan ^ ^

She does like 7 blog post in 1 day! *teehee*

But in all seriousness, we had tons of reviews come in this week! So here we go! First up…

The Prime Minister’s Secret Diplomacy!

Patricia over at Anime on DVD gave The Prime Minister’s Secret Diplomacy straight A’s across the board! So to sum it up in a sentance:

“In this beautiful and engrossing volume, 801 Media delivers the goods - a title that distinguishes itself in both presentation and story.” - Patricia

And the good comments don’t stop there:

“In so many BL volumes, characterization gets reduced to type - know a few things about a character and you know the rest. Not here. In Minister Yoshinaga, Youka Nitta presents a man, detached, manipulative, and distant, who knows the give-and-take of a negotiation table, yet cannot concede anything on a personal level, even when confronted with his deepest secret. Not exactly the traits of a “bottom”, are they? Much as Shiraishi cannot pin this man down, neither can the reader. The things that move him are a mystery from beginning to end.” - Patricia

If you haven’t picked up your copy of The Prime Minister’s Secret Diplomacy, you better do it soon. Plus, Youka Nitta is the guest of honor at Yaoi Con 2008. The 2 page color spreads in this book are perfect for her autograph. Anything else would be simply uncivilized!

~801-chan ^ ^

We got a 2 for 1 today with 2 reviews of Love Circumstances!

Julie over from Manga Cast/ Manga Mania hints that maybe being an editor at 801 Media Inc. wouldn’t be too bad:

“Aco Oumi’s art is very appealing, featuring those leanly muscled men that I love so dearly. Her character illustrations are elegant, with all of the details lavished on them, and very few spared for the background details. The sex scenes are scattered generously throughout the book, leaving little to the imagination. I have to admit that many of the sound effects made me laugh - splrt, gulp, slurp. Man, I bet it was fun working on this title!” - Julie

Yes, we hear a lot of noises coming from Kampai’s cubicle. Most of the time it is laughter, but I have heard the clank of glass beer bottles being opened upon occasion! You can read the rest of Julie’s comments here.

Cynthia from Boys Next Door admits Love Circumstances isn’t her cup of tea, but she can see the fangirl appeal:

“It really is cute and the art is better than in most releases that I see, but there was nothing special to make it stick out in my mind. Maybe it’s me; maybe I should lay off the schoolboy romances and teenage angst for a while. Pick it up if you want some mindless, fluffy smut that will make you grin without having to think too hard.” - Cynthia

Yeah, if schoolboy romances and teenage angst aren’t your cup of tea, check out Shiuko Kano’s Steppin’ Stone series instead. *teehee* You can read the rest of Cynthia’s review here.

Love Circumstances is currently available at fine retailers every where. Of course you can pick up a copy at the 801 Media Inc. store and get free shipping while you are at it (domestic addresses only).

~801-chan (^ ^)

Lissa and Snow over at MangaNews.net have been busy reading! We got 3 reviews up that are a mix or new and old.

Lissa checked out The Prime Minister’s Secret Diplomacy and had the following to say:

“From the very beginning pressed collars and stiff speech lets readers know what kind of story they’ve picked up. The pages are littered with the political intrigues and daily going-ons of the men’s profession. On the story’s side, it does manage to keep from getting bogged down by such affairs. Instead, however, it’s weighed down most heavily by the politics growing between Yoshinaga and Shiraishi, because it feels much more like that than a relationship. However the interactions are intense and motivations not always entirely clear which keeps a tight grip on readers from start to finish.” - Lissa

The Prime Minister’s Secret Diplomacy is definitely the most intellectual manga we have published to date. While a PWP manga is always appreciated, sometimes you want something with just a little more in the story department. You can read the rest of her review here.

Next up is the latest installment of our lovable series Love is Like a Hurricane.

“Tokiya Shimazaki’s fan girl appealing series continues with one new yaoi stereotype tossed in after another. Loveable puppy boy? Check. Shota? Check. A little light bondage? No problem. The aim seems to be to have something for everyone, one chapter at a time, and thus far it’s been a smooth ride. Most of the book’s focus stays on Mizuki and Azuma, the main characters for the series, but the last story deviates to some childhood friends discovering they want a little more to their relationship before it’s too late. It’s an enjoyable change from the usual with entertaining personalities that differ from the title couple.” - Lissa

We can’t describe LILAH as anything other than a cute, fun read! With only 2 volumes left in the series, now is definitely time to pick up the first few volumes if you haven’t tried them out yet! You can read the rest of the review here.

And last but not least, Snow weighs in on My Paranoid Next Door Neighbor.

“The cover, with Yukito still in his school uniform top, but in only his bikini underwear on bottom, pretty much defines the audience for this title—yaoi fans looking for pretty school boys who have very hot sex, a lot of it. If you’re looking for manly men, this is not the yaoi for you.” - Snow

The cover of My Paranoid Next Door Neighbor currently holds the honor as our favorite cover! That caused some tension around the office too. Some people wanted to cover us Yukito’s underwear with the logo!?!?! But we won’t name names…

The full review is here.

Love is Like a Hurricane 1-3 and My Paranoid Next Door Neighbor are currently available for sale at fine retailers everywhere! You can pick up Secret Diplomacy next Monday at the 801 Media Inc. Store if you haven’t already!
~801-chan ^ ^