Largo

Reports of Animerica magazine's demise have been spot-on: Now comes a new report that subscriptions are no longer available, and remaining subscription issues will be replaced with Shôjo Beat. (This doesn't change the fact that the new-format Animerica will still be available as a convention exclusive and also in limited runs at bookstores.)

Manganews.net has started a new Manga Discussion series: This week's topic, "How do you feel about the increasing gaps between official English releases, esp. for titles that have finished their run in Japan, and/or nearing completion in N. America?" Personally, I didn't realize this was a problem except in the case of ADV Manga. Right now the discussion looks more like a bitch session about how ADV is completely slacking off on so-and-so's favorite series. When I think about my favorite manga titles, I mostly worry about how Hot Gimmick is just a few steps behind the Japanese tankoubons now, or how Evangelion comes out so slowly mostly because Yoshiyuki Sadamoto himself can't draw fast enough. So it all depends on your perspective.

And the point about Sadamoto is verified by Animania's link to a Japanese interview session with manga editors. One of the questions was how the editors deal with manga-ka who fall behind schedule, and the editor who manages the serialization of Evangelion in Shonen Ace magazine said: "I give up." Ouch.

ICv2 has images of the new Princess Ai doll, which looks like perfect snark material if it had been in Previews or something.

James @ Reading Along has the first look at Del Rey's new releases, Nodame Cantabile and Genshiken. With Nodame Cantabile we finally get a classical music-themed comic, which is clearly the new alternative/underground, because all the other music-related comics out there are either rock or hip-hop, it seems.