From the Gallery
The Kenshin Manga Again
by Michael Nicolas,
Okay, let me follow up on my little piece about Rurouni Kenshin a few months ago.
First of all, it comes as little surprise to me that the manga has been picked up. Second, it comes as little surprise to me that the manga was picked up by Shueisha, the publishers of the manga in Japan. It only made sense that Viz gets perhaps the biggest manga free agent in the English game…although it kinda helps when the free agent is more or less employed by the same team already.
The real question now is in what form will the Kenshin manga run here in North America. Will it see its first run as part of Shonen Jump? Or will it go straight to trade paperback? Now as fairly big Kenshin fan (couldn't you tell), I regard that I'd prefer the latter as opposed to the former. But to Viz, that decision isn't as cut and dry as you might think. Let's take a brief overview of both sides.
As far as I could tell about the Kenshin manga pick up, it's a clear case of “Striking the iron while its hot”. Kenshin's mainstream exposure, I am sure, is the highest it has ever been in North America, due in no small part to the TV series currently airing nightly on The Yu-Gi-Oh!, other titles enjoying a successful run on TV.
Those that want Kenshin to go straight to trade can say the following: Viz's recent restructuring also includes a new focus on their trades. This refocus includes a new design and price point (and maybe more frequent release dates) for their current titles, something that has already started with the latest volumes of Video Girl Ai.
While it's great to finally hear about the Kenshin manga in North America, in the end, its success will depend on how Viz handles it. While a base number of fans/readers can be assured, Viz has the opportunity to get so many more if they can play this right. Good luck Viz, we'll be watching.
So what's your opinion on the debate? Tell me about it. okina_chair (at hotmail.com)
First of all, it comes as little surprise to me that the manga has been picked up. Second, it comes as little surprise to me that the manga was picked up by Shueisha, the publishers of the manga in Japan. It only made sense that Viz gets perhaps the biggest manga free agent in the English game…although it kinda helps when the free agent is more or less employed by the same team already.
The real question now is in what form will the Kenshin manga run here in North America. Will it see its first run as part of Shonen Jump? Or will it go straight to trade paperback? Now as fairly big Kenshin fan (couldn't you tell), I regard that I'd prefer the latter as opposed to the former. But to Viz, that decision isn't as cut and dry as you might think. Let's take a brief overview of both sides.
As far as I could tell about the Kenshin manga pick up, it's a clear case of “Striking the iron while its hot”. Kenshin's mainstream exposure, I am sure, is the highest it has ever been in North America, due in no small part to the TV series currently airing nightly on The Yu-Gi-Oh!, other titles enjoying a successful run on TV.
Those that want Kenshin to go straight to trade can say the following: Viz's recent restructuring also includes a new focus on their trades. This refocus includes a new design and price point (and maybe more frequent release dates) for their current titles, something that has already started with the latest volumes of Video Girl Ai.
While it's great to finally hear about the Kenshin manga in North America, in the end, its success will depend on how Viz handles it. While a base number of fans/readers can be assured, Viz has the opportunity to get so many more if they can play this right. Good luck Viz, we'll be watching.
So what's your opinion on the debate? Tell me about it. okina_chair (at hotmail.com)
bookmark/share with:
