“Best and Worst Manga of 2010” Panel Liveblog

Why? Because we like Deb Aoki and we like manga. 🙂 This is, btw, happening at Comic Con 2010. Funimation panel is next!

4:31 PM – they’re starting now. They’re ribbing Carlo Santos now.

4:33 PM – introductions. Jason Thompson is speaking.

4:37 PM – the actual moderator appears, Tom Spurgeon, of ComicsReporter.com.

4:38 – Best manga (teens/all ages): Twin Spica (Vertical) by Ko Yaginuma. Described as a cross between Moyashimon and Planetes (both which I like).

4:42 PM – Cardcaptor Sakura (Dark Horse) omnibus edition. This is something of a re-release. + Clover. Edited by Carl Horn; I remember him being a worshiper of Hideaki Anno back in the Evangelion days. Christopher says Clover is an “interesting failure” though.

4:45 PM – Cat Paradise (Yen Press) by Yuji Iwahara. Deb Aoki: “X-Men with cats.”

4:47 PM – Chi’s Sweet Home (Vertical) by Kanata Konami. Christopher: surprisingly dark. Really? Never watched the anime though. Carlo Santos is not so hot on it—he found it a bit episodic. The anime episodes were like 5 minutes each right?

4:51 PM – Karakuri Odette (Tokyopop) by Julietta Suzuki. I’ve never heard of it.

4:52 PM – Kingyo Used Books (VIZ) by Seimu Yoshizaki. “Manga for manga nerds” (Carlo Santos). It’s apparently a manga nerd paradise. Nostalgic for manga we never had….Christopher likens it to Pluto.

4:57 PM – Megaman Megamix (Udon) by Hitoshi Ariga. Um, wow…

4:58 PM – Kekkaishi (VIZ) by Yellow Tanabe. “You know who likes Kekkaishi in Japan? Freakin’ everybody…..Kinda like Bleach.” (Gets booed.)

5:01 PM – Best for adults: Oishinbo, 20th Century Boys, Pluto. I remember this was mentioned in last year’s panel…

5:02 PM – Stuff by Jiro Taniguchi: A Distant Neighborhood and The Summit of the Gods. I’ve been meaning to check his stuff out.

5:03 PM – Ooku (VIZ) by Fumi Yoshinaga. Christopher doesn’t like the way it’s translated though.

5:03 PM – Detroit Metal City. A Drifting Life (Yoshihiro Tatsumi).

5:05 PM – Age Called Blue/Red Blinds the Foolish (Deux/Netcomics) by Est Em. This is BL/yaoi.

5:06 PM – Not Simple (VIZ) Natsume Ono. I actually like this one. It’s a pretty intense story.

5:06 PM – Black Lagoon (VIZ) by Rei Hiroe. But of course!

5:10 PM – International category. Twilight the Graphic Novel is mentioned, to much booing and consternation. Deb Aoki: “it’s the money machine that makes all other manga possible.”

5;10 PM – WORST: Orange Planet, Togainu no Chi.

5:11 PM – Red Hot Chili Samurai. .hack books (“ALL OF THEM”) 🙂 Maximum Ride, an adaptation of James Patterson story. They generally don’t like manga based on licensed existing properties.

5:13 PM – Most anticipated manga. AX Alternative Manga anthology (Top Shelf). Genkaku Picasso by Usamaru Furuya: draws very pretty girls, with a sick sense of humor. A Drunken Dream by Moto Hagio, who is here at Comic Con apparently. This is the author of They Were Eleven, and was one of the founders of shoujo manga.

5:17 PM – Not Love but Delicious Foods. Cross Game (VIZ), by Mitsuru Adachi. (I like the anime.) The Strange Tale of Panorama Island by Suehiro Maruo.

5:19 PM – UNLICENSED: Kami no Shizuku: this is the famous wine manga. It’s not licensed yet, but it’s seen some mainstream exposure already. Saint Young Men by Hkaru Nakamura: Jesus and Buddha as modern roommates. Otoyome Gatari, from the author of Victorian Romance Emma. The Music of Marie: “this is Miyazaki on LSD.”  Atagoul by Hiroshi Masumura. The Rose of Versailles–really, this has never been licensed? Perhaps Ms Ikeda is asking for tons of money.

That’s it!