Manga Sutra 4
Posted: July 31, 2010 Filed under: Manga Sutra 2 Comments »Katsu Aki – Tokyopop – 2008 – 47+ volumes
this is the end of the Tokyopop translation
I reviewed this over at Manga Village, so you can check it out over there.
Really, all I have to add is that every volume of this series was unique and an absolute joy to read. I laughed and learned. It’s horribly 80s/early 90s, but at the same time taught me all sorts of naughty things in great detail. It wants more than anything to teach. It sort of fails when it comes to plot and characters, but that’s okay, because its tremendous strength lies in its lessons and the unique way they are framed.
I am sincerely sorry that Tokyopop didn’t have more success with this.
Loved your review of the Manga Sutra series; I too enjoyed these books but have only been able to locate Volumes 1,2,3. #4 is difficult to locate, and I am not about to pay over $50+ from Amazon.com or e-Bay to get it. Anyway, I wish Tokyopop would have continued supporting the series, but since it’s not considered a major money maker in the US, they just gave up on it. Oh, well… no one ever listens to the small fry.
Thanks a lot, I really appreciate it!
After I wrote this, I read an older interview where a Tokyopop rep mentioned that they were looking into continuing the series in a less expensive edition. They’ve made good on such promises before (I really didn’t think they’d ever finish CLAMP no Kiseki after it was on hiatus for a year), but it has been some time since the fourth volume came out. They also did downgrade the quality of the book considerably by the fourth volume. There was no slipcase, no recipe card (though the recipe was in the book itself), and the usual essayist in the back was replaced with someone else (still a professional, though). Short of taking out that essay altogether, or maybe releasing this as single volumes instead of a 2-volume omnibus, I wonder how they would make it cheaper.
I didn’t realize the fourth volume was so hard to come by. How unusual, since you can still purchase the other three volumes new.