Best North American Manga Company [Archive]

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AnimeDudde

03-17-2006, 07:08 PM

Libby

03-17-2006, 07:11 PM

I love GoComi! a lot. They've licensed some really fun books, and I love that they've done stuff like translate You Higuri's website. The note at the end of the books are wonderful, as well, and I just like the quality of the writing.

Manadevil

03-17-2006, 07:12 PM

Viz, ALL MY MANGA (see siggy) is shonen jump stuff.

black_myst

03-17-2006, 07:16 PM

BLU is the BEST!

Gokhan

03-17-2006, 07:17 PM

Countess Cain

03-17-2006, 07:20 PM

They each have their good points (Well... Maybe not ADV. I don't really like them all that much anymore...) But I really like Del Rey. Not only is it physically durable, I like how they preserve the manga in its original form, with explainations in the back.

AnimeDudde

03-17-2006, 07:40 PM

oooh... Viz and Del Rey are at the top. Okaay... mostly Del Rey, cuz at the back of the manga, they thoroughly explain all the different Jap styles and like... what the characters mean when they say "this" or "that".

They each have their good points (Well... Maybe not ADV. I don't really like them all that much anymore...) But I really like Del Rey. Not only is it physically durable, I like how they preserve the manga in its original form, with explainations in the back.

You guys said it! :D Exactly why i love Del Rey so much.

danbeck

03-17-2006, 07:43 PM

Del Rey/Kodansha

They listen to the fans, try their best to leave manga as is and prefer to explain things that are un-translatable instead of editing or changing them for the worst. They also tend to leave honorifics intact.

Even better, they have good licenses. =)

AnimeDudde

03-17-2006, 07:44 PM

haha I should have added a poll to this :P

Alpha

03-17-2006, 07:45 PM

TokyoPOP, and not trying to be politically correct.

My whole manga collection is TP heh.

Anjolina

03-17-2006, 07:49 PM

I think they are all good (I mean of course they are, they do get the manga sold of course), but I do agree with AnimeDudde, Del Rey is the best because they explain everything and seem very honest (they even said they checked fan sites to check for proper translation for one of the countries Sakura and the others visit in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle), although they could have a better choice of some manga. :)

kooky

03-17-2006, 07:53 PM

tokyopop, they have a wide seletion of manga

fangirl

03-17-2006, 07:55 PM

To me, it's a tie between Del Rey and Gocomi. I really like Del Rey because of the obvious effort they put in their books, while Gocomi wins my heart because of their fine qualities and titles.

Klawzie

03-17-2006, 09:33 PM

Tokyopop. C'mon people. ;)

AislingNiamh

03-17-2006, 09:50 PM

azngurl0088

03-17-2006, 09:54 PM

I preferred Del Rey, even though it is a bit more than Tokyopop or Viz.
I like the way they don't censored it, and the translations in the back.
So far, I like the new manga companies that are coming out. I like Ice Kunion (they are licensing really good manwha!!):D

AmyIshida

03-17-2006, 09:55 PM

Del Rey has the best translation by far. Although, Tokyo Pop and VIZ has a bigger range of mangas, especially popular ones. Most of my shelf is covered with either company. Tokyo Pop is a good at translating too, just there are errors from time to time. I don't particularly like VIZ's translations but they have most of my favourite series, I'll get what I can. XD

ADV actually has really good translations, it's just the fact they are REALLY disorganized. Their site hasn't been updated in forever so you never know when the released are coming out. ^^;;

AnimeDudde

03-17-2006, 09:55 PM

Like most people, I say Del Rey is my favorite. They translate well and don't kill the original story!
Followed by Tokyopop, simply for the great Furuba translation. Some of the other stuff falls a little flat though. Tokyopop is, I guess, tied with Viz. ADV does a good job but the books are oversize and the releases are just... random.

True, ADV didnt seem to do that good of a job on the Pretear Manga, and I can only hope for the best with FullMetal Panic. Anime on the other hand ADV is good with :P Subs anyway...

JChen

03-17-2006, 10:44 PM

AnimeDudde

03-17-2006, 10:55 PM

JChen

03-17-2006, 11:17 PM

froggyguy

03-17-2006, 11:17 PM

I'm in the Del Ray group for several reasons

1) good translation, always a plus.

2) wierd japanese/pop culture references explained, not translated. that way the reader knows what was really meant, not what the editor changed it to (the honorifics go in this category)

3) Japanese sound effects with subtitles. Personal preference, because it maintains the original art to a very high degree, but I still know what's going on without having to flip to the back for a translation (or worse, no translation at all! I've seen this in some TP books actually, and while I applaude the pristine, original artwork, it would be nice to know if that's a "boom" in the background or crickets chirping...)

AnimeDudde

03-17-2006, 11:42 PM

Nice try AnimeDudde

I’ll think about giving you credit for something down the line. Keep reading TOKYOPOP manga in the meanwhile. We're constantly trying to produce the best manga out there. I believe we have an excellent translation staff and I know we are always endeavoring to produce the most authentic manga out there. However we also want to make sure that people who are not familiar with the manga and the Japanese culture can understand the manga as well. It’s a constant struggle everyday in the office but bear with us and I’m sure you’ll all be pleased with what TOKYOPOP produces. Keep bringing the good feed back, we definitely want the hear what you guys are saying. :)

Haha, Ill try to be the best little suck up I can be {insert angel smiley here} xD I never actually found anything wrong with the manga you guys release (except for the early ones like Sailor Moon, but Im sure that would have been released 'authenticated' and revised had its license not expired) But the prices can be a little high. I payed $18 Canadian for a Digimon manga with about 100 pages... Other than TokyoPops doing great, and even better know that you guys got a nice little forum :P Something else to occupy all my free time with :D

earthboundwish

03-18-2006, 12:47 AM

I can't pick which company is the best, because ... I don't really care. :p As long as they have a good series that I like, I'll buy it.

Like for Viz, it's Tokyo Boys and Girls; TOKYOPOP for Fruits Basket; CMX for Seimaden, Dark Horse for Hellsing (confusing to read all of those accents though...), etc. :)

Fanservice Alchemist

03-18-2006, 01:29 AM

The bulk of my managa is from TOKYOPOP and most of my favorites do come from there.

ADV was a close second, until they had to start canceling titles and cutting back on their releases. Right now, though, I have to say DEL REY is my second favorite, followed by OEL newcomer SEVEN SEAS...

Gibby Gibson

03-18-2006, 06:09 AM

I am not trying to get anything from saying this (not like I would accept it anyway, I would most likely ask if someone else could have it instead for that is my nature) but I personally like Tokyopop above the rest.

I like the wide range they have to offer, and it just seems to me like most of what they have relates to my taste. I have tried some of the other companies manga, but they just never appealed to me for some reason. The only acceptation to that would be Viz, where I get some of my stuff.

All the companies have a good reason for someone to like them, from the lineup of manga, to the translations, to various other stuff that happens, but like finding a car for a person, once you find that one special one, you may stick with that brand for a long while for it’s pleased you countless times and hasn’t disappointed you often.

Holy Dragon Sword

03-18-2006, 06:28 AM

TokyoPOP edges out the other primarily because they carry the vast majority of titles I enjoy(read: Much Seikai/Gundam love), and they do a good job on things. And hell, the releases are consistent.

ADV runs a real close second-- only the release consistency kills them.

And unfortunately, much of Del Ray's previous titles that I want aren't floating around in print anymore.

Kurama

03-18-2006, 08:34 AM

I like Viz and Del Rey a lot. I like Del Rey because of the high quality, the translation notes, and the honorifics being left intact in the translation its a nice touch haha. I like Viz because they bring over a lot of my favorite series i mean they have the Shonen Jump line plus they have the only manga anthologies out that i see around (Shonen Jump, Shojo Beat) However i give Tokyopop lots of cred because they've been around so long and have so many series published plus the Fruits Basket translation is awesome.

hiimrisa

03-18-2006, 09:23 AM

Del Rey. They have translation notes at the back and their manga is more on quality instead of quantity. Well, I think. Their translations are confusing and make sense. That's a plus to anything.

AnimeDudde

03-18-2006, 11:31 AM

Sweet, Del Rey is in de lead :P

Phoenix

03-18-2006, 12:05 PM

i go for tokyo pop. i got like 20 tp series but only a feew from others...

mind you i liked onegai teacher so much that i put comicone in second place, though they arent called that now...

AnimeDudde

03-18-2006, 02:10 PM

i go for tokyo pop. i got like 20 tp series but only a feew from others...

mind you i liked onegai teacher so much that i put comicone in second place, though they arent called that now...

I have more TP then i thought =O I counted 11 :P

Countess Cain

03-18-2006, 03:13 PM

Klawzie
lost_soul
Alpha

Thanks for your support. Just wanted to let you know that TOKYOPOP thinks your the best too. I'd like to thank you guys for helping TOKYOPOP Lead the Manga revolution. Send me a private message with your address and each of you will receive a complimentary copy of "Someday’s Dreamers" :D Hope you enjoy it.

http://products.tokyopop.com/dbdocuments/3/9/12993.jpg

...Okay, I change my mind, TokyoPop's the best! *Cheese!* (But seriously, a free manga? And one that I was sort of considering buying the other day? XD I feel really let down now...)

I feel bad for the people at CMX and Dark Horse. They aren't getting any love here at all, are they?

Miako

03-18-2006, 03:23 PM

Del Rey - Tokyopop - VIZ

And I agree this would have made a good poll ^_^

AnimeDudde

03-18-2006, 03:34 PM

...Okay, I change my mind, TokyoPop's the best! *Cheese!* (But seriously, a free manga? And one that I was sort of considering buying the other day? XD I feel really let down now...)

I feel bad for the people at CMX and Dark Horse. They aren't getting any love here at all, are they?

Well, CMX is good, but they havent done anything outragous, nor have they licensed manga that is appealing to most fans. And Dark Horse, hmm, they did like Bastard and The Ring right? xD

Del Rey - Tokyopop - VIZ

And I agree this would have made a good poll ^_^

Yeah lol, but meh being as stupid as I am pressed the 'Submit' button by accident :p Owell, I'll count up the scores later on. :rolleyes:

Chaos-Shadow

03-18-2006, 03:40 PM

i got a mix of viz and tokyopop i think their pretty good but not the best ;)

Liannah

03-18-2006, 03:53 PM

Del Rey is very good about the translations, I love all the notes in the back to explain the cultural references as well as having some very good titles (Eg. Tsubasa)

Tokyopop's pretty awesome because they have CLAMP no Kiseki, which I buy religiously whenever it comes out. :D
Also, Tokyopop's great about having a diverse selection of manga available. For example, what other company would have everything from CLAMP no kiseki to Beautiful People to DNAngel?

AnimeDudde

03-18-2006, 03:58 PM

Del Rey is very good about the translations as well as having some very good titles (Eg. Tsubasa)

Tokyopop's also pretty awesome because they have CLAMP no Kiseki. :D

Yea and since they carry alot of CLAMP titles in general, its pretty good. I've always wondered why TokyoPop didnt license xxxHOLiC or Tsubasa, considering they have the rights to almost every other CLAMP title.

Liannah

03-18-2006, 04:03 PM

Yea and since they carry alot of CLAMP titles in general, its pretty good. I've always wondered why TokyoPop didnt license xxxHOLiC or Tsubasa, considering they have the rights to almost every other CLAMP title.

Yeah, that was kind of surprising, before it was licensed, I was definately betting on Tokyopop getting it, since they do have almost every other CLAMP title, but Del Rey did a good job, so I can't really complain. :D

AnimeDudde

03-18-2006, 04:32 PM

Yeah, that was kind of surprising, before it was licensed, I was definately betting on Tokyopop getting it, since they do have almost every other CLAMP title, but Del Rey did a good job, so I can't really complain. :D

True True :D

dreamcatcher

03-20-2006, 10:36 PM

Go! comi
CMX
Delrey
Viz
Tokyopop

odinmm

03-20-2006, 10:39 PM

i say tokyopop, because they have fruits basket, D.N.Angel, Off*Beat, and Gravitation plus hundreds of other good ones too.

odinmm

03-21-2006, 10:02 AM

They all have their good points, but I think TOKYOPOP is the best because they are taking more risks than the other companies with OEL manga, and I applaud them for that. They also have some good titles (Furuba, CLAMP works, etc.)

VIZ has a lot of good titles as well (Death Note, Merupuri, Naruto, Bleach, etc.) so I like them too.

I also like Del REY because they do a good job of translating and keeping honorifics (along with an explanation page). They have some good titles as well, but overall I think TOKYOPOP is the best.

have you ever tried any from DMP books they have allot of yaoi which is a touchy subject in the states. it comes second in my fav. Manga Company.

circaocean

03-21-2006, 10:11 AM

Tokyopop & viz

GracieLizzy

03-21-2006, 10:44 AM

I'd say Del Rey is my favourite too but I just wish you could get their books through UK bookshops, instead of just via the internet and comic shops. Then TokyoPop -though not the older titles like Sailormoon so much, and then Viz/Gollancz, then CMX & Dark Horse... I've not read any manga from other companies.

Rayechu

03-21-2006, 10:51 AM

Bah. I am not a huge fan of Del Rey. Sure the extra page of notes is nice but it isn't really worth the extra money and time. Del Rey charges more and is slower producing. Either charge more or work slower, not both. (7 months between volumes is not a good idea.) My favorite publisher always has been Tokyopop, it's probably a good 75-80% of what I own. Honestly I don't mind a typo or a switched balloon bubble if I don't have to wait months for releases. TP has always listened to my suggestions and responded to emails personally. They ask what we want, send us free stuff, have contests and more. I don't see that kind of stuff coming from Del Rey or any other company.

Pig-kun

03-21-2006, 11:12 AM

Three-way tie between Viz, Tokyopop, and Del Rey, for me.

Viz is releasing the bulk of my favorite series at the moment (Eyeshield 21, Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, Hikaru no Go, Fullmetal Alchemist, Death Note), so I have to give a tip of the hat to them. (Also: Naruto merchandise. I want one of those headbands so bad.)

Del Rey has nice explanations and stuff like that in the back, which is very fun for gigantic geeks like myself. Also, XXXholic and Genshiken. (I wish they'd explained what's so otaku-ish about Saki's name, though. ;;)

Tokyopop, meanwhile, has Fruits Basket and Saiyuki & Saiyuki Reload. More importantly, though, they're much more willing to interact with the fans, and probably most importantly, they're willing to give them a chance to do what they love as a career, thus resulting in the OEL line. also the Saiyuki/Saiyuki Reload translation is awesome. You can tell who's talking by their speaking style! squee!

...Okay, so it's mostly Tokyopop and Viz, but I wanted to give Del Rey a nod because the explanations and Genshiken and XXXholic make me squee. ssh. (ADV, meanwhile, releases (was releasing?) two series I really like (Chrono Crusade and Peacemaker Kurogane), but seems to have gone kaput? But we were, like, 2 volumes from the end of CC, I think? *weep*)

Onime_no_Kyo

03-21-2006, 11:42 AM

Tokyopop
why?
because:
HQ paper
very good edition
good translation
Samurai Deeper Kyo
90% of my manga is from TP

gynocrat

03-21-2006, 12:01 PM

Dark Horse. They're the only ones producing quality seinen manga.

Is Del Rey actually Kodansha? I saw the slash up there and wasn't sure since Dark Horse and some others license titles from Kodansha as well.

I feel bad for the people at CMX and Dark Horse. They aren't getting any love here at all, are they?

I don't think they care. ((^_^))

AnimeDudde

03-21-2006, 12:16 PM

As of Today, the standings are as follows:
1. Del REY 15 votes
2. TokyoPop 13 votes
3. Viz 4 votes
4. Gocomi 3 votes
5. BLU 1 vote
6. Dark Horse 1 vote
7. ADV Manga 0 votes
8. CMX 0 votes
9. DMP 0 votes

elisegrey

03-21-2006, 12:50 PM

Del Rey, without a shadow of a doubt. As far as I can tell with all the manga I've bought from them, they haven't put a single step wrong - compare that to some of the duds Tokyopop and Viz(<-killkillkill) have brought out; it's impressive. They don't edit out the sound effects; they really put effort into their translations*; they have good quality paper and printing; they have these nifty little cultural notes at the back- Guh. Can you marry a publishing company?

*Especially xxxHOLiC. What Del Rey did for HOLiC is just amazing. :D

airmaster

03-21-2006, 01:08 PM

Dark Horse here as well. I mostly read seinen mangas, so it's a no-brainer. Although, Viz did a good job with their Gundam stuff. :x

Village Idiot

03-21-2006, 01:21 PM

I'm going to go with Del Rey for #1 choice, for the tons of effort they put into their manga releases.

Tokyopop #2, especially for being the first real company that that had balls to show that both manga, shoujo manga, and a faithful translation can be a successful business.

Liannah

03-21-2006, 01:24 PM

manfred

03-21-2006, 04:25 PM

lol i'd have to say Dark Horse, just because they do TRIGUN! only the greatest manga ever, but Del Rey and Tokyopop are good too, they have a lot of good titles. and i'll say CMX because they're putting out the next volume of MegaTokyo

gal12

03-21-2006, 04:52 PM

tokyopop, korean manhwa, and viz

Village Idiot

03-21-2006, 06:03 PM

Oh, and special award goes to BroccoliBooks.

They only have a few titles, but their manga is extremely high quality, with color pages, translation notes, and Omakes making it into the english version.

In fact, other than the harder covers than normal, I really can't tell it apart from the original Japanese version.

Jamie Coville

03-21-2006, 08:28 PM

Most of the manga I own is published by Dark Horse. Lone Wolf and Cub, Samurai Executioner, Akira, Domu...

But then I'm a 31 year old male and their stuff appeals to my demographic more and other publishers.

Holy Dragon Sword

03-21-2006, 08:32 PM

dunno001

03-21-2006, 09:42 PM

Of all the companies out there, my choice would go to Drama Queen. They do beautiful presentations,all the extras, and they don't know the meaning of the word 'edit.' (And I mean that in a good way.) After that I'd have to say DMP for their yaoi line. Of the ones you mention, Viz, easily. A few years ago, I'dve said Tokyopop, but my problem with them is that they're too hit-or-miss. Some, like Tokyo Babylon, are beautiful masterpieces, but others, like Gravitation, really suffer from poor editorial choices. So why Viz? They keep getting a lot of the series that I want to buy, to the tune of them costing me almost $2000/year, and that's with about 40% off retail. Sure, they also have a few misses, but they're fewer and farther between than the other big guys. ADV, well, let's see some completion first, Dark Horse seems to be stuck in the dark ages at times, and CPM really needs to learn how to stop editting manga.

I am, however, hopeful that Tokyopop will keep the quality of the BLU line high, since I've been very pleased with the releases thus far from them. They keep it up, and they'll be joining some of the others for companies I want to see get titles I want!

GracieLizzy

03-22-2006, 03:16 AM

Del Rey, without a shadow of a doubt. As far as I can tell with all the manga I've bought from them, they haven't put a single step wrong

The only thing I've heard go-wrong for Del Rey is some the Latin translations in Negima, just ask Diaphanus or take a look at his webpage on the subject (http://www.absoludicrous.net/antares7/latin/ln/index.html). But that's because they translated the Japanese translations of the Latin, rather than translate the Latin itself which is understandable if they didn't have anyone who was good at Latin working for them at the time... but they're fixing that now I hear.

AstroNerdBoy

03-22-2006, 03:44 AM

Which North American Manga company do you think is the best? Please note I only listed more of the mainstream companies that have released more of the popular (more or less) manga.

- Viz (includes Shonen Jump, Shonen Jump Advanced and various mags)
- Tokyopop
- ADV Manga
- Del REY
- Dark Horse

You MUST EXPLAIN your choice.

Del Rey, hands down! I'll run through the others first.

[COLOR="Blue"]Viz -- This is a Japanese-owned company and it shows. There is no concern for fans for the most part (though I do give the anime-side a tiny bit of credit for pushing the release of Maison Ikkoku on DVD), only a cold business-model look at manga publishing. Therefore we get domesticated translations because Americans are too stupid to understand Japanese culture things like honorifics, even if there are explainations.
CPM -- While not a Japanese company, they still have a number of titles that are flipped. Plus, they subscribe to the "Americans are stupid" model.
ADV Manga -- When I saw how they were publishing Azumanga Daioh, I got annoyed. This is a manga (actually a "4-koma" comic strip collection series) which is completely rooted in Japanese culture. Thus the removal of the honorifics (save "Chiyo-chan") offended me even more than it normally does. GAH! I bought the first two volumes, then sold them on eBay.
Dark Horse -- They are slowly getting closer to the modern age as they are finally republishing Oh My Goddess unflipped and with new translations that are less domesticated. They won't make full-use of honorifics, but based on the letters responding to me in the recent volume that was published, they will include a few honorifics in the future).
TokyoPop -- TP is hot and cold on their titles. They appear to leave it up to the individual project managers or English adaptor's on whether or not to include honorifics or not. Initially, whether a company used honorifics didn't bother me until I learned how they are an important element in defining character relationships. So TP gained with me by at least making partial use of honorifics in Love Hina. As I grew more "hardcore," I found that I couldn't stand TP's translation of Chobits and sold it gladly a while back (note to TP -- if you republish the title to include ALL honorifics, I'll repurchase it). Ditto Kare Kano, though I continue to buy for the story at this point. Mahoromatic was done well. Fruits Basket rocks for translations! Card Captor Sakura had the first series done well, but the 2nd series done poorly, so I refused to buy any of it.
Del Rey -- Initially, I thought they would be the manga version of 4Kids. :eek: BUT, Del Rey moved to the top when they decided NOT to censor manga and chose to make full use of honorifics. Since they came into the market, Del Rey has shifted to a more "otaku-friendly" English adaption of their titles. As such, terms like "ojousama" will appear. Various forms of "big brother" or "big sister" appear untranslated.

Del Rey's inclusion of translator notes to explain such terms or to explain why they changed certain things put them far above the pack. I learn more about Japanese culture with Del Rey's titles. Because of this, anything Del Rey publishes gets serious consideration by me.

If TP wants to challenge Del Rey, they need to do the following things:

Make full use of honorifics in all titles. That includes the "big brother" and "big sister" honorifics. They should also be included in the novels.
Limit the domestication of translations.
Make use of translator notes to explain certain translation decisions, Japanese terms, etc.
Include cultural notes as well to educate us further about our Japanese friends.

Whew!

GracieLizzy

03-22-2006, 04:34 AM

Make full use of honorifics in all titles. That includes the "big brother" and "big sister" honorifics. They should also be included in the novels.

While I agree with this for the most part, I think all honorifics should be kept, I am a little iffy on the big-brother/big-sister thing... if it is an important aspect of the character then yes but otherwise I think it might be a bit OTT I mean their not in the business of putting out romanized manga after all, they are in the business of putting out translated manga.

AstroNerdBoy

03-22-2006, 05:19 AM

While I agree with this for the most part, I think all honorifics should be kept, I am a little iffy on the big-brother/big-sister thing... if it is an important aspect of the character then yes but otherwise I think it might be a bit OTT I mean their not in the business of putting out romanized manga after all, they are in the business of putting out translated manga.

I was specifically thinking of Negima!. The ermine Chamo-kun uses many forms of "big sister" to address the various girls in Negi's life. The translation would always be "big sister" which then causes Chamo-kun to lose an interesting aspect of his character.

But I don't see how the use of certain terms and honorifics in an English translation is a bad thing. For me, they add to the richness of a title and since Del Rey is pretty good with the translator notes, it also adds to my education. ^_^

GracieLizzy

03-22-2006, 06:02 AM

I was specifically thinking of Negima!. The ermine Chamo-kun uses many forms of "big sister" to address the various girls in Negi's life. The translation would always be "big sister" which then causes Chamo-kun to lose an interesting aspect of his character.

But I don't see how the use of certain terms and honorifics in an English translation is a bad thing. For me, they add to the richness of a title and since Del Rey is pretty good with the translator notes, it also adds to my education. ^_^

True I just worry that it could get over the top with random words appearing romanized rather than translated, for no good reason. If their is a good reason (like the one you pointed out) or if it is a general aspect of Japanese culture that should be maintained (like shinigami, kitsune, or something like that) then I think it should be kept. Personally I prefer to use "Sailor Solider" to "Sailor Senshi" for example.

crispy

03-22-2006, 06:52 AM

I, honestly, don't see much of a point in romanizing honorifics and including them in the translations. I don't think that missing honorifics should be the deciding factor in whether or not you buy a comic -- if you enjoy it, then buy it.

Honorifics are used in Japan because they're part of that culture, and however, while I don't feel that Americans are stupid, I do think that just including these honorifics rather than translating these relationships through the dialog is almost like a cop-out. The thing about Japanese honorifics is that they're not like a Mr. or Ms. situation -- they aren't really there, but they are, if that makes any sense. They function to intonate the speech -- but they're not an integral part of it. If you can translate the characters, and they SOUND like they’re friends, then there’s no real compelling reason, to me at least, to include these honorifics.

Anyway, I would have to say that my favorite publisher is Tokyopop. While Viz and Del Rey both put out quality products – products that I do like – I admire Tokyopop for being willing to move the manga industry in another direction, taking risks and sometimes succeeding. I think that if there’s any chance of the manga industry surviving in America, Tokyopop’s ideas will be the grounding point in that. Rather than seeing manga as a fad, they’re willing to make it a part of American comics culture, with original creations and all.

AstroNerdBoy

03-22-2006, 09:09 AM

True I just worry that it could get over the top with random words appearing romanized rather than translated, for no good reason. If their is a good reason (like the one you pointed out) or if it is a general aspect of Japanese culture that should be maintained (like shinigami, kitsune, or something like that) then I think it should be kept. Personally I prefer to use "Sailor Solider" to "Sailor Senshi" for example.

I agree with that.

For a title like Inuyasha, I'd prefer to see the term "youkai" in the text because that is the type of creatures that they are always fighting. They aren't the same as western "demons" or the like. I think the Japanese attack names sound cooler than when they are translated into English (though I do like knowing what "Kaze no Kizu" means). But that's a title that could get away with more.

A title like Slayers should have the term "mazoku" untranslated. Thankfully, TP's novels did leave the term untranslated and I know FUNimation will do the same when they release the anime (TV series).

I, honestly, don't see much of a point in romanizing honorifics and including them in the translations. I don't think that missing honorifics should be the deciding factor in whether or not you buy a comic -- if you enjoy it, then buy it.

I'm already collecting 13 manga titles at present. That's a lot of money and the limit of my budget. So, when TP recently completed Mahoromatic, I had room to replace it with a title. I picked Genshiken because it was published by Del Rey and Del Rey shows the proper respect to manga (IMO). I went to 13 when I picked up School Rumble, also from Del Rey and again for the same reason.

My enjoyment of a title goes down when I know that they aren't calling each other "miss" or "mister" or whatever.

Honorifics are used in Japan because they're part of that culture, and however, while I don't feel that Americans are stupid, I do think that just including these honorifics rather than translating these relationships through the dialog is almost like a cop-out. The thing about Japanese honorifics is that they're not like a Mr. or Ms. situation -- they aren't really there, but they are, if that makes any sense. They function to intonate the speech -- but they're not an integral part of it. If you can translate the characters, and they SOUND like they’re friends, then there’s no real compelling reason, to me at least, to include these honorifics.

First, including the honorifics isn't a cop-out any more than ignoring them is (which happens for many honorific uses). It is showing respect to the Japanese culture. It gives us non-Japanese an insight into that culture. It also adds dimension to characters.

Second, how a character addresses another is key to understanding how they relate to each other (the use of family name or given name also plays a role in this). We don't have this kind of honorific breakdown in English. Thus translators either have to force-translate things to make them speak unatural English. I use the word "translate" but in reality, it is more like "make it up" most of the time in an attempt to try to emulate the feel of what the honorific was trying to convey. Thus "Anita-chan" becomes "Anita, dear" until those dark situations where the use of "dear" is inappropriate. So even though the character is still being addressed as "Anita-chan" in this dark situation. the translator now has to ignore the honorific because his/her forced translation no longer works. That wouldn't happen if "chan" had been used from the start.

Also, look at the "big brother" or "big sister" terms. For big brother, it is "oniichan," "oniisan," "oniisama," and other terms I will skip. All three of those terms would either be translated as "big brother" or by the brother's name. What did we lose? Each form of the word conveys more respect, submission, and formality on the part of the addresser. Further, it is not proper for a younger Japanese kid to address their elder syblings simply by name. It is either the name and a variation of the above terms as the honorific (for "big brother") or the term as a stand-alone.

"Senpai" is another term that either gets stupid force-translations or is ignored. In the school setting, students address those in grades above them as "senpai" or the persons name-senpai. That's not anything like what we'd see in America and is an important part of Japanese culture. If the term is not used, then "san" would certainly have to be used by the younger unless there were some very informal relationship between the addresser and addressee.

"Sensei" is an earned title for Japanese teachers, but we dump on that by calling them "Ms. Misaki" (as an example) rather than "Misaki-sensei" or just "Sensei." Besides, your favorite manga-ka are addressed with the sensei honorific. :p

Third, reading text with junior high kids calling each other "Mr." or "Miss" drives me spare! That isn't how they are addressing each other and it is weird reading them do so. Having them all ignored drives me spare as well for the reasons in the second item.

Fourth, if the Japanese can include western honorifics (depending on the situation) in their manga/anime without force-translating it, then why can't the reverse be true?

I could have written a disertation on this subject, but I don't want to bore folks anymore than I already have done. ^_^; Bottom line is that honorifics are an important part of manga/anime and I want my manga and anime subtitles to include them. Thus I reward Del Rey and TokyoPop (those titles that are ANB-approved) on the manga-front and FUNimation on the anime front.

Anyway, I would have to say that my favorite publisher is Tokyopop. While Viz and Del Rey both put out quality products – products that I do like – I admire Tokyopop for being willing to move the manga industry in another direction, taking risks and sometimes succeeding. I think that if there’s any chance of the manga industry surviving in America, Tokyopop’s ideas will be the grounding point in that. Rather than seeing manga as a fad, they’re willing to make it a part of American comics culture, with original creations and all.

Yeah, and they did something that folks back then scoffed at -- they published manga Japanese-style. Back then, there was the old, "Americans will be confused" sentiment as well as, "This isn't Japan, so Japanese comics published in America with English translations MUST be published American style." TokyoPop was the company who said, "Smeg to that! We'll publish it unflipped and we'll even allow honorifics in. Oh, and it isn't 'Japanese comics' -- its 'manga'," proving that one does not have to translate every Japanese term. ;)

chibikodo

03-22-2006, 01:09 PM

I'd have to say Del Rey as well, only because sometimes, Tokyopop releases/translations baffle me even though they're able to astound me with their translations at other times. With Del Rey, I like the way that they, if they do change something, explain things. They also leave cultural references alone, such as with band names of bands that are big in Japan, but the general public may not know about in the US.

Example of what other companies do that irks me from time to time: The usage of slang that will probably fall out of fashion in a couple years and does not reflect the time period in which the manga exists. I feel like slang never lasts, so it's pointless to try to make the character speak in a certain manner, when the meaning of such terminology may be forgotten in a couple of years as some new terminology comes along and makes it out of date.

crispy

03-22-2006, 01:49 PM

While I do understand your opinions, I don't think that it's necessary to always include honorifics. Sure, if it makes the story easier to translate and more understandable, and they're an INTEGRAL PART OF THE STORY, then I can understand keeping them. However, if I open up Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles, and see Sakura screaming SAYORAN-KUN~~~~!, I think that it's ridiculous. Just because the comic was written by Japanese people does not mean that the world needs to include those honorifics. It's an alternate universe -- why are they still there?

What you're saying about how honorifics display character relations can be true -- however, I don't really see them as being all that important in conveying those, either. You can just as easily grasp that Sakura is Sayoran's close friend by the way she acts and speaks, even without the honorifics. If you're unable to convey character relations without having to rely on Japanese honorifics, then you aren't a good translator ... or even , maybe, a good mangaka.

AnimeDudde

03-22-2006, 02:00 PM

Del Rey, hands down! I'll run through the others first.

Viz -- This is a Japanese-owned company and it shows. There is no concern for fans for the most part (though I do give the anime-side a tiny bit of credit for pushing the release of Maison Ikkoku on DVD), only a cold business-model look at manga publishing. Therefore we get domesticated translations because Americans are too stupid to understand Japanese culture things like honorifics, even if there are explainations.
CPM -- While not a Japanese company, they still have a number of titles that are flipped. Plus, they subscribe to the "Americans are stupid" model.
ADV Manga -- When I saw how they were publishing Azumanga Daioh, I got annoyed. This is a manga (actually a "4-koma" comic strip collection series) which is completely rooted in Japanese culture. Thus the removal of the honorifics (save "Chiyo-chan") offended me even more than it normally does. GAH! I bought the first two volumes, then sold them on eBay.
Dark Horse -- They are slowly getting closer to the modern age as they are finally republishing Oh My Goddess unflipped and with new translations that are less domesticated. They won't make full-use of honorifics, but based on the letters responding to me in the recent volume that was published, they will include a few honorifics in the future).
TokyoPop -- TP is hot and cold on their titles. They appear to leave it up to the individual project managers or English adaptor's on whether or not to include honorifics or not. Initially, whether a company used honorifics didn't bother me until I learned how they are an important element in defining character relationships. So TP gained with me by at least making partial use of honorifics in Love Hina. As I grew more "hardcore," I found that I couldn't stand TP's translation of Chobits and sold it gladly a while back (note to TP -- if you republish the title to include ALL honorifics, I'll repurchase it). Ditto Kare Kano, though I continue to buy for the story at this point. Mahoromatic was done well. Fruits Basket rocks for translations! Card Captor Sakura had the first series done well, but the 2nd series done poorly, so I refused to buy any of it.
Del Rey -- Initially, I thought they would be the manga version of 4Kids. :eek: BUT, Del Rey moved to the top when they decided NOT to censor manga and chose to make full use of honorifics. Since they came into the market, Del Rey has shifted to a more "otaku-friendly" English adaption of their titles. As such, terms like "ojousama" will appear. Various forms of "big brother" or "big sister" appear untranslated.

Del Rey's inclusion of translator notes to explain such terms or to explain why they changed certain things put them far above the pack. I learn more about Japanese culture with Del Rey's titles. Because of this, anything Del Rey publishes gets serious consideration by me.

If TP wants to challenge Del Rey, they need to do the following things:

Make full use of honorifics in all titles. That includes the "big brother" and "big sister" honorifics. They should also be included in the novels.
Limit the domestication of translations.
Make use of translator notes to explain certain translation decisions, Japanese terms, etc.
Include cultural notes as well to educate us further about our Japanese friends.

Whew!

Love your explanations :P TP is second best IMO, but could probably easily move up if they did a few things that DelRey is good at ;)

Ayokillyou

03-22-2006, 02:14 PM

Yeah, and they did something that folks back then scoffed at -- they published manga Japanese-style. Back then, there was the old, "Americans will be confused" sentiment as well as, "This isn't Japan, so Japanese comics published in America with English translations MUST be published American style." TokyoPop was the company who said, "Smeg to that! We'll publish it unflipped and we'll even allow honorifics in.

Incorrect. Viz published the first "unflipped" manga back in '97 with Neon Genesis Evangelion, Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z.

With Toriyama's work, he had a stipulation that demanded that his artwork remain in the right-to-left orientation. However, with the Evangelion manga, each issue was offered in both left-to-right AND in right-to-left. Viz was there first, Viz tested the waters and took the first shakey steps into right-to-left territory.

Tokyopop is the company that popularized the right-to-left orientation with their "100% Authentic" campaign. A brilliant campaign in every respect. But let's just please not rewrite the facts.

Oh, and it isn't 'Japanese comics' -- its 'manga'," proving that one does not have to translate every Japanese term. ;)

Manga=Japanese comics.

Literally, Manga=Japanese word for comics.

However, as a loan word, the term carries the connotations of its origin as well as contextual connotations to its host language (that's us). So while "manga" literally is comics, its context makes us use it in the case of those of Japanese origin (or influenced as such).

Rem Akimichi

03-22-2006, 02:27 PM

Hm. Well, for a translating company, my vote goes to Tokyopop. Most the manga I buy comes from them.

However, for OEL? Tokyopop's catching up, but I'm addicted to Onipress. (who isn't on the list, I know). They're smaller, and their artists styles vary widely, and they don't call it OEL Manga, but a lot of their artists have manga influences, you can see, and they're just lovely *hugs Blue Monday and Hopeless Savages* Not to say that the OEL artists for TP aren't great, they are! I've just been addicted to Onipress longer is all ^__^

DKW 001

03-24-2006, 02:01 AM

Can't really say, because there's good and bad in them all (so don't count my vote, all right? :) ).

First off, I, and pretty much every avid manga reader in the country, has to give Viz Media a lot of credit. I mean, let's be serious, they pretty much made Manga In America something other than a weird curiosity. They're probably the biggest offenders when it comes to Americanization ("Go read the last graphic novel!"), but they're actually trying to make money, so even that's understandable. I'm looking for entertainment, dangit, not a proper appreciation of culture or honorifics or any of that jazz that I don't remember ever being an issue before. Viz entertains, period, and I have to give them credit for it.

That said...they were much, much too quick to pull the plug on a number of titles, including the horrendously underrated Area 88. And you just never know if they're going to see a series to its conclusion (you have any idea how long they're taking to translate a friggin' slam dunk like Jojo's Bizarre Adventure?).

Dark Horse has done consistently good job with its titles, but I just don't see them as a bigtime manga player. It's just one of many things they do, so we're never going to see a big library. Del Rey simply doesn't have anything I'm interested in; ADV isn't much better.

Tokyopop? Okay, they deserve all the credit in the world for taking a chance on Initial D. I mean, it's one of the most unusually-drawn mangas in the world about street racing in Japan. I can guarantee you that no other company in the country would've glanced at this, and Tokyopop took it and made it a huge success. Unfortunately, the only other Tokyopop title I've actually paid for has been the Erica Sakurazawa collection.

I'm not about to play favorites. Be it comics, TV, movies, or video games, if it looks good, I'll give it a shot.

Rayechu

03-24-2006, 08:57 AM

First off, I, and pretty much every avid manga reader in the country, has to give Viz Media a lot of credit. I mean, let's be serious, they pretty much made Manga In America something other than a weird curiosity...

Actually I would say the manga revolution really started with Mixx/Tokyopop. I know my first manga was Sailormoon, which I think was printed in 1997. I can't think of any really "huge" titles VIZ had before Inuyasha.

Meroko Yui

03-24-2006, 09:48 AM

chibikodo

03-24-2006, 01:23 PM

Actually I would say the manga revolution really started with Mixx/Tokyopop. I know my first manga was Sailormoon, which I think was printed in 1997. I can't think of any really "huge" titles VIZ had before Inuyasha.

Well I'm not sure how big Ranma was, but at the same time in which Mixx was releasing some of their earliest titles, Viz was doing the same. From what I recall, there was quite the limited selection.... I think Ranma was seen as actually "pretty cool" back then... I don't really know the history of manga in the US, but I do remember Ranma, and Sailormoon, and a couple of other titles...

Ayokillyou

03-24-2006, 01:41 PM

Actually I would say the manga revolution really started with Mixx/Tokyopop.

Nope. The current explosion began before Mixxzine even existed, with Studio Proteus and Viz. Tokyopop helped push it over the edge into the general mainstream, but it's not as though one day Mixxzine became Tokyopop and suddenly, manga was big. It was a steady, growth over the course of fifteen or twenty years from complete obscurity to mainstream. Tokyopop was very instrumental, especially in the marketing and creation of a U.S. mainstream manga culture, but let's not go around acting as though they created the explosion from scratch.

I know my first manga was Sailormoon, which I think was printed in 1997. I can't think of any really "huge" titles VIZ had before Inuyasha.

That's funny. Viz had HUGE hits with Battle Angel Alita, Ranma 1/2, Crying Freeman, Sanctuary...all types of stuff. Viz has pretty much had the U.S. manga trade sewn up for the past fifteen years.

Loverofpiggies

03-24-2006, 01:51 PM

Tokyopop, because they dont flip things anymore and they also leave in sound effects. I hate Viz for taking out the japanese sound effects and taking out all the honorifics in their imported manga. Its annoying and takes away from the artists origianal stuff. I can understand writing little text next to the sound effect saying "boom!" or something, but other then that just leave it the way it is. Also TP gives american artists a chance. XD YEHAW!

Riku109Niwa

03-24-2006, 08:17 PM

which manga publisher do u buy the most from? i buy most from tokyopop

Jacku

03-24-2006, 08:19 PM

I'm more of a Tokyopop person myself.

Gibby Gibson

03-24-2006, 08:39 PM

I actually buy a great majority of manga / comics from TokyoPop, Viz and DC Comics, though I do have a few from Dark Horse. But if I had to pick the one that I got the most from it would be TokyoPop for the shear verity of genre’s and media that they offer.

As I looked through my manga / comic collection, I have one shelf that is devoted to nothing but Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. The shelf below that contains the rest of my Viz collection. The three shelves below that are devoted to TokyoPop manga. The bottom shelf contains the mixture of other manga companies that I have collected.

I then have a few of the comic boxes that are filled with DC comics (American), though they mostly come from the DC: Vertigo line.

I chose TokyoPop not out of the shear number of what I’ve got from them but in the vastness of the different types of genre’s and styles from them. While I enjoy what Viz has to offer, I mostly have nothing but the Action oriented manga from them. My DC: Vertigo collection is of a slightly larger genre but still is limited slightly.

But with the TokyoPop line, I read things from Boys Be…, to Battle Royale, to .hack//. I’ve always considered those three to be largely different in the age / target audience, but I find them all to be of great reads.

Andy

03-24-2006, 08:43 PM

Mostly Tokyopop and second Viz.

froggyguy

03-24-2006, 09:55 PM

while I prefer other publishers in terms of how the translation is handled etc. TokyoPop is without a doubt the publisher with the most (and some of the best) series, and I never buy based on publisher. The manga comes first :3 So yes, I do buy mostly TP :3

odinmm

03-24-2006, 10:05 PM

i voted for tokyopop as my #1 sense you dont have DMP books on the chart. but ya the majority of my books are from Tokyopop, Viz, and Del Ray (hay we have a pizza place called that, how interesting). ^_^

AnimeDudde

03-24-2006, 10:07 PM

So.. who made the poll here? x_x

Rayechu

03-25-2006, 12:23 PM

Nope. The current explosion began before Mixxzine even existed, with Studio Proteus and Viz. Tokyopop helped push it over the edge into the general mainstream, but it's not as though one day Mixxzine became Tokyopop and suddenly, manga was big. It was a steady, growth over the course of fifteen or twenty years from complete obscurity to mainstream. Tokyopop was very instrumental, especially in the marketing and creation of a U.S. mainstream manga culture, but let's not go around acting as though they created the explosion from scratch.

That's funny. Viz had HUGE hits with Battle Angel Alita, Ranma 1/2, Crying Freeman, Sanctuary...all types of stuff. Viz has pretty much had the U.S. manga trade sewn up for the past fifteen years.

They may have been huge to the older fans who were already into anime and manga but Sailormoon was the only manga (from that time) I ever remember seeing for sale in places like the college bookstore, and in Hottopic. I remember by the time Volume 6 came out the stores were just starting to put manga on a shelf by itself.

Alphonse Elric

03-25-2006, 12:36 PM

tokyo pop by far.. its got all of the best series out there

Ayokillyou

03-25-2006, 03:11 PM

They may have been huge to the older fans who were already into anime and manga but Sailormoon was the only manga (from that time) I ever remember seeing for sale in places like the college bookstore, and in Hottopic. I remember by the time Volume 6 came out the stores were just starting to put manga on a shelf by itself.

Nah. Except for the bit about Hot Topic, those other things were going on before Mixx got up off the ground.

It probably has more to do with the individual stores.

penguinminor

03-25-2006, 03:26 PM

I voted for Tokyopop, simply because they take a lot of chances when it comes to licencing and producing a new series.
Most other manga companies play it safe by only licencing books or series that the believe will sell well.
Tokyopop brings a huge mixture of manga to the North American audience, and I love 'em for that. :D

Del Rey comes as a very close second. They've been acquiring licences to some really awesome series, and the books the release look gorgeous. You pay a little more, but the quality definitely shows.

Third would be Broccoli Books, because they've got a few really cool series. I like them, though, because they've released some cool bonuses with their books and I also really like the appearance of their books.

Countess Cain

03-25-2006, 05:09 PM

Broccoli Books picks some great series, but I don't like the physical quality of their stuff. Almost all of the series I/some of my friends have by them have pages that are falling out... And only after it's been read by six or so people. And we're all careful with them. D:

Shemara

03-27-2006, 06:58 PM

I think tokyopop is the best just because they stay ontop of most of there mangas and they give an estimated date for when the next volume of a manga is going to come out. I mean, I love mangas that adv is publishing, but they are too slow about some of them, and they don't really tell you an estiment of when the next one is going to come out. Like Tactics, in two years they have only translated 2 manga, and I know there are at least 5 or 6 in all. I think it may be the same for Loki Ragnarok, but I just bought the first two so I'm not sure how long they have been out. But other then that it's ok.

Gaara

03-27-2006, 07:00 PM

dc comics isn't a manga company.....but anyway i pick Tokyopop
:D

Kaede

03-27-2006, 07:10 PM

I don't pay too much attention to who publishes what, but Tokyopop. They seem to be mostly timely about their releases, and the most fan-friendly of the companies. The only negative I've really noticed is the website: I read that Off*Beat volume 2 was being released in March a while ago in an issue of Takuhai/Manga, and the information for that volume still isn't online.

VIZ is in a close second, because they also seem to be very friendly and familiar with many aspects of the fandom, but they delay titles in SJ/SB for far too long. I've been waiting for volume 7 of Hikaru no Go for too much time now.

AnimeDudde

03-27-2006, 07:21 PM

dc comics isn't a manga company.....but anyway i pick Tokyopop
:D

I didnt make the poll T_T Someone hacked without permission! :( argh... what happened to respect!? :mad:

Jacku

03-27-2006, 07:28 PM

Someone's a biznitch. Poor AniD.

AnimeDudde

03-27-2006, 08:06 PM

='( They couldve at least asked... They changed the entire point of the post in favor of TokyoPop *sigh* :rolleyes: Clever indeed, but still wrong.

dunno001

03-27-2006, 08:09 PM

dc comics isn't a manga company.....but anyway i pick Tokyopop
:D
Actually, they are. DC Comics is the parent company of CMX.

penguinminor

03-27-2006, 08:34 PM

Actually, they are. DC Comics is the parent company of CMX.

Heh! I was going to point that out, but it looks like you did it for me. ^^

I've heard that Marvel Comics is looking to jump on the manga boat pretty soon. That's only what I've heard, though.

dunno001

03-27-2006, 08:38 PM

Heh! I was going to point that out, but it looks like you did it for me. ^^

I've heard that Marvel Comics is looking to jump on the manga boat pretty soon. That's only what I've heard, though.
Yeah, I tend to try to keep up with the companies in America, sometimes to little avail, though.

As for Marvel, I can't say that we really need yet another publisher, however, if they do come in, they better have learnt 1 thing already from DC: don't edit a big title. There are quite a few people I know who've yet to buy a CMX title because of Tenten. (But they have GALS, so I am buying from them...)

penguinminor

03-27-2006, 08:45 PM

Yeah, I tend to try to keep up with the companies in America, sometimes to little avail, though.

As for Marvel, I can't say that we really need yet another publisher, however, if they do come in, they better have learnt 1 thing already from DC: don't edit a big title. There are quite a few people I know who've yet to buy a CMX title because of Tenten. (But they have GALS, so I am buying from them...)

I've been reading CMX's Land of the Blindfolded, and it's excellent.
I heard that they've also released Testarotho, which is kind of cool. I've got the first volume published in French, and it was pretty cool.
Quite graphic and unsettling at parts, though.

JChen

03-27-2006, 09:34 PM

Heh! I was going to point that out, but it looks like you did it for me. ^^

I've heard that Marvel Comics is looking to jump on the manga boat pretty soon. That's only what I've heard, though.

They definately are... Stan Lee even came to visit the TOKYOPOP office. It was pretty cool. He signed alot of stuff for the staff. Anyway, back to topic ... TOKYOPOP is the best north american manga :D I'm not just saying that cause I work there but with OEL and other similar efforts TOKYOPOP doing the most to make manga an entertainment format for the masses in America like it is in Japan.

AnimeDudde

03-27-2006, 09:36 PM

They definately are... Stan Lee even came to visit the TOKYOPOP office. It was pretty cool. He signed alot of stuff for the staff. Anyway, back to topic ... TOKYOPOP is the best north american manga :D I'm not just saying that cause I work there but with OEL and other similar efforts TOKYOPOP doing the most to make manga an entertainment format for the masses in America like it is in Japan.

I have a question about OEL :P Say someone in Canada had very promising story/artowork in their manga, would TokyoPop be able to publish that? Even though RSOF isnt open to Canadians, is there still that oppourtunity?

Ayokillyou

03-27-2006, 10:12 PM

Gaara

03-27-2006, 10:58 PM

Ayokillyou

03-27-2006, 11:24 PM

i have a question....if i got my manga published by tokyopop does that mean i couldn't make manga for anyone else? Cuz if i did get it published i would also want to get my other manga published by other companies specifically Shonen Jump...would that be against the rules?

Shonen Jump is not a company.

Furthermore, Viz Media (the company that publishes Shonen Jump magazine) doesn't publish American works, ever. They are a Japanese comics licencing company only. They are not in the business of producing OEL. They only import and translate Japanese products. That's their business, that's their parent company's reason for creating them. It's nothing against American creators, it's just not what that company does.

As for the rest of your question:

Tokyo Pop does not hold any exclusivity over its artists. They are free to work for other companies (and they're expected to--comics rarely pay enough for a creator to survive on a single gig). If you ever sign a book contract with a company, the contract would explain all of this (more accurately, your lawyer would explain what the contract says). However, if you're doing a three-book deal for Tokyopop, it's unlikely (not impossible) that you'd have the time to create full-length books for other publishers at the same time. There's always the time after (and before), but while working on a graphic novel/manga project, you'd be lucky to find time to eat and sleep, let alone work on TWO graphic novels at once.

Any old way, here's a brief list of resources that I am instructing you to look into:

www.comicsreporter.com <-- Tom Spurgeon's excellent news site about comics. Check out the links page especially.

www.tcj.com <--website for The Comics Journal, the only North American magazine about the comics medium.

www.fantagraphics.com <--website for Fantagraphics Books, Inc. the publisher of The Comics Journal and the publisher of most of the greatest North American comics of all time.

www.onipress.com <--website for Oni Press, Tokyo Pop's closest competator in the OEL manga kind of graphic novels.

www.antarcticpress.com <--not sure if that's correct. Antarctic Press, one of the earliest American publishers that featured OEL manga-ka (since the 1980s)

Radio Comix <--unsure of the exact URL...they splintered off of Antarctic Press and formed this mostly adult publishing imprint.

www.imagecomics.com <--One of the most exciting indie publishers today, Image has in the last few years, transformed their...image...no pun intended. They publish only indie creators, but you have to have a bit of money to work with them, as I understand it.

www.darkhorse.com <--Another of today's most exciting indie publishers, Dark Horse has some very specific requirements to submit at times...however, they're running a contest, similar to Tokyo Pop's talent contest, so now could be the time.

www.drawnandquarterly.com <--one of the finest publishers of artcomics, Canadian-based Drawn and Quarterly is one of the finest, most prestigeous publishers in North American comics.

Blueharlequin

04-07-2006, 04:57 PM

My manga collection is split about 40/40 TokyoPop/Viz with the other 20% being other companies like Del Rey, Go Comi!, etc.

As for the Best North American Manga Publisher, sorry TokyoPop but I am going to have to say Del Rey. Even though they do not have a large selection the translation and other factors (sfx, liner notes, etc) is done very well. I also like Go Comi for same reasons.

Its strange I find some of the TokyoPop GN's have better translations than others. Like I think Saiyuki is done very well as opposed to maybe Vamipre Game. But it might just be due to the fact that I have the original Japanese tankobon to compare them with.

ewlmonkey

04-08-2006, 12:07 PM

all my mangas are tokyopop and i don't know why itz jus t tokyopop makes alot more books than the other companys. And they also have the rising star competion so i think tokyopop is great but that doesn't mean the other companies aren't great

feder

04-08-2006, 04:05 PM

From what I've seen of Del Rey I like them the best.
Their translations seem pretty accurate, and I really like how they give you a preview chapter of the next volume (at least in Tsubasa they did).

Tokyopop and Viz are two companies I buy frequently, but some things about them kind of irk me. For Tokyopop it's mostly grammar and editing-name changing and changing lines to fit American audiences. Viz bugs me because of it's mainly poor publishing, editing, and grammar.

wolfofthehighlands

04-09-2006, 12:27 PM

MephistoWaltz

06-06-2006, 08:47 PM

Tokyopop is NOT my favorite company. I like Viz and Del Rey. Most of the mangas I have comes from Tokyopop, because they have a lot of popular series.

striderx

07-29-2006, 08:57 PM

www.onipress.com <--website for Oni Press, Tokyo Pop's closest competator in the OEL manga kind of graphic novels.

Hm, I would have thought Seven Seas was TP's closest competitor for OEL manga. Oni Press is an independent publisher, while Seven Seas isn't (as far as I know). But I guess I could be wrong.

And why aren't there any manhwa publishers included here? I know we're talking about manga, but Korean comics (manhwa) are making way too. Net Comics is a new company, but they've got a lot of stuff out (and cheap online downloads). I'd put Ice Kunion on the list for quality at #1 - they keep everything original, the cover art and the size (manhwa is larger than manga), and the quality is quite nice. As for manga companies, I'd say Del Rey and Viz. I used to not like Viz, but they've done really well in terms of quality. I do buy Tokyopop titles, but I'm sorry TP - I'll admit it. I've seen a lot of mistakes in translations and clean-up work/lettering. ^^;;

takethebackseat

07-29-2006, 08:59 PM

My allegiance lies in several places.

Tokyopop to me seems to be the publisher doing the most to make manga relevant for everyday people here in America. Regardless of whether this site pleases or pisses you off, TP re-did the site in an effort to make manga more accessible to the general public. And the fact that they're willing to take chances and give an opportunity to talented stateside (worldwide too, for that matter) manga-ka earns huge plus marks in my book. The majority of my TP books are OEL / OGM creations.

My favorite manga series of all time are all Shonen Jump so Viz gets my vote there.

And the best presentation / quality I've seen goes to Del Rey. Translation notes, keeping SFX, and shiny glossy covers = ^_^

alucard666

07-29-2006, 09:03 PM

darkhorse and tokyopop are my favorite manga companies. the only mangas i like from viz are naruto and bleach.

hanachan01

07-31-2006, 02:12 AM

Mine is Del Rey. Not only are they releasing two of my all time favorite manga series (xxxHOLiC and Genshiken), they are doing a really good job. They choose both mainstream titles like Gundam Seed and Tsubasa, but then they get some really odd(but good!) ones like Love Roma and Nodame Cantabile. The only manga I purchased from them that I was unhappy with was Q-ko-chan, but it was more that I didn't like the manga than I didn't like how they published it. I like how they translate very acurrately, and the include cultural notes in the back to describe things. I also like how they do previews in the back, especially when they are in Japanese, because it's cool to see what the manga looked like in its original language in print without having to buy a Japanese volume of manga. I also really liked how they included the 'Project G' doujinshi in the back of Genshiken volume 6. Many publishers wouldn't go through the trouble of translating and releasing it, let alone put translation notes for it like Del Ray did, but Del Ray knows that a quality product is what brings in audiences.

I also like Viz for their innovation with the magazines, but I am unhappy with some of their translations(the slang in Nana wat atrocious, and it reminded me of the English language GetBackers manga), and that they still release 'X', 'InuYasha' and 'Ranma 1/2' flipped. However, they do print a lot of manga I like, such as Nana, One Piece, and Monster, so I buy a lot from them.

elliemae

07-31-2006, 04:13 AM

i love Tpop! i get most of my manga from it.
but viz and shojo got good manga too.
and i only get one manga from Del Rey.
so over all Tpop is the best compang :]

MephistoWaltz

07-31-2006, 07:39 AM

I totally love Del Rey, I wish more manga companines could be like them. I agree with Q-Ko-Chan also. The manga was WTF but I'm really happy with how they handled it.

Ariolander

08-02-2006, 06:33 AM

In terms of quantity in what I buy defately Tokyopop for of my 109 manga (at last count) 76 of them were Tokyopop titles. In terms of 'best' as quality Tokyopop is not bad but I like Del Rey (though more expensive). Dark Horse isn't that bad either but the only experience I have ahd with them is Hellsing.

So yea Tokyopop & Del Rey definately...

BTW for the 3 people who voted DC Comics/CMX... you are fools. One series for you Tenjho Tenge. They lost all credability they had with that one. Never buying a CMX imprint again outside of Megatokyo.

I can't give any props to Viz or Shonen Jump 'cause they have had some sore spots and I hate the whole flipped thing...