One-Shot: "World End Garden"

Just in time for the end of winter and the beginning of spring is our final winter one-shot, "World End Garden".  Please forgive me, but I couldn't help myself on the credits page.  This was another big undertaking by the group and they all worked very hard to get this out on time.  A big thanks goes out to Suzume and Silver Lunar for getting this one-shot sparkly clean and to Kumiko and Ichigo Stars for doing some miraculous redraws.  I'd also like to thank the mangaka Shiina Dai for such a beautiful and emotionally wide-ranging story and for her lovely drawings.  I will admit that this was one of the most challenging works I've translated in a while, but it's a lovely story in Japanese and I hope I managed to capture that beauty in English.

Links to "World End Garden": (Zip) (PDF)

Speaking of Shiina Dai, this summer we will be translating her short series "Fushigina Maria-Kun" ("Wonderous Maria-kun").  Hahaha, I can't believe I'm putting yet another vampire manga series out into this world, but trust me, you'll like it.  It will be lots of summer fun and it's only 9 chapters long!

Next up are the Aria series! Please look forward to them!

Winter One-Shot #2: "His and Her Sleepless Winter"

Here is the second of our winter one-shots, "Kare to Kanojo no Futomin" or "His and Her Sleepless Winter".  I really like this story and I wish I saved it for Valentine's Day, because I don't think the one-shot I've selected can compare in sweetness and romance.  I guess we'll have to wait and see :).  "Ginrou no Sakura" has a completely different set of "charm points" and will appeal for different reasons than this one-shot.  Getting out of the weeds and back to the story at hand:

Links to "His and Her Sleepless Winter":  (Zip -- High Quality) (PDF -- medium quality but convenient)

Our last winter one-shot, "World End Garden", will be released mid-March.

Next up are the debuts of our two new series "Yukarism" and "The Ghost Apartment Manager".  Please look forward to them!

Winter One-shots!

Here's a list on the Winter-themed one-shots planned for December and January

December:

• "Folklore no Tonakai" -- "Folklore Reindeer" by Mizuno Tohko ("Kimi ni XOXO") -- A young lady has to choose a husband by Christmas, but due to a momentary lapse in sanity the men around her have frightening animal heads!?
• 
  
• "Marii to Santa" -- "Marie and Santa" by Nigushi Keiko -- Santa crashes into a tree and spends an evening with a practical but sweet little girl.  It's short and super cute!

January:

• "World End Garden" -- "The Garden at the End of the World" by Shiina Dai -- Girl gets lost in the snow and is captured by a yeti-like creature who plans to eat her.  But that's only the beginning ;p.  It goes from "WTH" to "Dawwww" in 40-pages.
• "Kare to Kanojo no Futoumin" -- "His and Her Sleepless Winter" (un-hibernation) by Nari Kusakawa -- Unrequited love and serious winter loveliness!  I'm so excited!

Look forward to them!

Christmas/Winter Holiday One-Shot Suggestions Wanted!

The holidays are fast approaching and I would like to do some Christmas, Winter Holiday, or general Winter themed one-shots.  Please send in your suggestions.  Here's a listing of the magazines I have subscriptions to (most back to Sept 2007):

Lala
Lala DX
Hana to Yume
The Hana toYume
Bessatsu Hana to Yume
Aria
Asuka
Princess
Betsucomi (stopped getting that January 2010)
Betsucomi Extra (stopped getting that January 2010)

I also have some of the furoku comics books that are holiday themed.

By the way, the Halloween special will be "Guardian Joker."  There may be something Halloween themed in this week's Hana to Yume.  If so, I may consider sneaking that in instead and moving GJ to November.  We'll see...