Spice and Wolf: Controversy Sells?

Yesterday, Yen Press announced that they will be releasing a special dust jacket featuring the delicious original artwork by Ayakura Juu. Previously, Yen Press had come under fire by some hardcore fans about the changing of the cover which some described as ‘distasteful’. The change of covers was for marketability. Reasoning that with this new cover they could broaden their marketing opportunities. Rather than just selling to the manga crowd they could also reach the fantasy readers as well. Which is perfectly understandable. Making money is the number one priority. But Yen Press, for all their awesomeness, have other high priorities.

This would be the happiness of the fans. They announced they would release this dust jacket to online retailers and those who ordered online would receive it. They also releases the jacket in the Yen magazine. But from what I’ve read of those who got it from there, things aren’t so positive. You can’t please everyone. Which is the case. Some people are arguing that the people who don’t buy theirs online are being pushed to the side, or bringing up the point Sankaku Complex made in that ‘customers are important to us;  But not important enough for them to change the cover back to the overwhelmingly preferred original, it seems’. (Really, I stopped visiting Sankaku Complex three months ago to preserve my faith in humanity, so I’m just going off some of the things I’ve just read in the comments of said article).

While I am currently unemployed and unable to purchase the novel online, I will be buying it as soon as possible. This is one of my top five series. Of course, silly cover or not, I’ll be buying it! I will have to suffer with the new cover but that’s okay. The story is the same. Are people forgetting that? I mean it’s just a cover. I was a little bitter at first. But I’m just a sucker for Ayakura’s art. It’s not like they edited the story crazily here or anything. Hell, Yen Press is one of the best manga publishers there is. I mean, hello, it’s not like we’re dealing with freaking Tokyopop here. Now that would be tragic. They wouldn’t think twice about offending and enraging the fanbase (we still remember Rozen Maiden, jerks).

But I would like to ask anyone who is thinking of purchasing the Spice and Wolf novel to please order it online. I spoke, sorta, with them earlier and asked whether or not we can expect the new covers or the original for the rest of the series. They responded with saying:

“We will continue to produce alternate covers for future Spice & Wolf novels. We can’t expect retail support for them otherwise. Whether or not those alternate covers are jackets with the original covers underneath or we continue to offer jackets like this will be dictated by the success of this jacket. It will give us a great opportunity to gauge the success of each version. So this your chance, Spice & Wolf fans! An actual opportunity to vote with your dollars! Not buying tells us nothing. What you buy speaks volumes!“

Totally fair logic. So you heard them! We already know this great publishing company actually cares what we think! So now it’s up to you guys to tell them! And like they said, the best way to do this is to buy the series not boycott it! You’ll just be loosing out on a really great story. So I encourage everyone, I practically want to BEG everyone to go out and buy the novel online!

As of yet, the list of retailers that have agreed to participate in shipping out the cover with the novel is unknown. When further information is known on the list of retailers, I will update this post.

Yesterdays Announcement: here
Original Announcement: here

Exit Trance presents Speed Anime Trance Best 8 Info

Exit Trance presents Speed Anime Trance Best 8 will be out later this week and I can’t remember if I’ve given a heads up on what to expect. I’ll put it frankly though: no Katayoku no Tori. But do we really want Exit Trance to touch that? They have improved lately. Well hell, I misread! Actually, I skipped it. I was skimming the list and saw it! Now I’m both terrifiyed and excited! They have a newbie singer preforming it… ehhh… at least not Latte right? We  have to look forward to are Canaan’s ‘Mind of Judgement’, Pandora Heart’s ‘Parallel Hearts’, Saki’s ‘Glossy:MMM’, Bakemonogatari’s ‘Stable Staple’, Tales of Abyss’s ‘Karma’, Eden of the East’s ‘Futuristic Imagination’, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei’s ‘Super Scription of Data’, and Ghost in the Shell’s ‘Inner Universe’. I know there are two Kanameno and Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu tracks as well. I’m also not 100% sure on Karma and Inner Universe. They don’t sound like common titles though.

Jeez, now I’m a little excited.

Also, thank you to Quake Records for finally putting the illustrators names on the album pages. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.

Umineko Motion Graphic 4 Translation/EP Full Patch

Two sorta big Umineko posts here. I was supposed to review the other new (there were a few..) Exit Trance albums but I had to rage about the Umineko anime. So let’s do this before I rage here on LS, okay?

Someone over on livejournal translated the latest Umineko no Naku Koro ni Motion Graphic (the text/lines, not the song) and then added the notes into the video! I’d beware there’s some thinly masked spoilers. But if you’re already browsing Loli Salad you should be used to Umineko spoilers. I plan on creating a complete list of spoilers, plot twists and things you shouldn’t know before you watch the anime. But I’m very bitter about the anime. So. Yeah.

Episode Four has been fully translated by Witch-Hunt! I know I’m a bit late but I figure it’s worth sharing. You can find the patch over on Witch-Hunt’s site. I’m looking forward to playing myself! Here’s a link to Witch-Hunt’s site incase you (for some crazy) reason don’t have it. Comiket is right around the corner so WH gets a small break before EP5. Better get ready you guys! Great work and thanks from all Umineko fans!

Peach-Pit Hospitiliazed, Manga on Hiatus

Peach-Pit announced on their website that Shugo Chara, Zombie Loan and Rozen Maiden (which was just pulled off an abrupt ending) are on hiatus while they are in hospital for a sudden illness.

More info over at ANN.

Kannagi Manga ’suspended’

That’s it, Manga’s over. Go home. You ruined it. Full Story over at Sankaku Complex.

Mirai Nikki Licensed

Sorry I’m a little slow on this. It didn’t occur to me really becauss ANN uses the english Future Diary title. Haha, seriously? Tokyopop? I wonder how much they’d censor. I’m glad anyways. Now I can finally catch up on the danged series. I’ll still be waiting for my Soul Eater and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni from Yen Press though. Yen Press is always my first choice when it comes to translated manga. But seriously? Crap like Mirai Nikki gets picked for translation (okay, that was a little harsh but honestly, who would read Mirai Nikki for the plot? You want Gasai Yuno and you know it) while other awesome-er titles are left untouched? It’s bad enough you can’t find Narutaru anywhere but I’d die for Bokurano (I don’t know if I’d literally die for it…)

EDIT: I take most of this back. Mirai Nikki ended up becoming one of my favourite series.

Nanoha Movie Announced for Winter

I really couldn’t believe it when I woke up and read this! It seem so out of the blue! A Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha/Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha movie! Especially since it’s going to be a parallel universe thing. Woah. Maybe it’s going to end in dramu rather then Fate and Nanoha being friends? Maybe Arisa will turn out to be crazy badass awesome and show off some mad powers. Well, it won’t have Hayate (although it is labeled the first movie). But if they just make a remake of the first season I’ll be a little annoyed, right?

More info at Moetron.

Spice and Wolf Licensed

Old news, old news. I know, I know. But I’ve been on vacation, see? My next post is old news too but I’d be damned if I didn’t keep up with what I said and continued to boycott a crappy Sunrise series when I said I would stop under one condition. DAMNED, I tell you!

Anyway, Spice and Wolf and Wagaya no Oinarisama are both licensed by Kadokawa USA. However, no actual distributer has been named yet. So We’ll have to wait around for that soon. I’m down with those two. I never got around to watch WnO though.

Umineko no Naku Koro ni Anime Announced

Fuck yeah. Very little details are out because I can’t find a translation of the announcement on Oyashirosama.com. Ryukishi07 has also said that Umineko will have 7-8 games in total with the first 4 being question arcs. Honestly, this has beena great week for announcements. Touhou and now Umineko? AWESOME.

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