InFurNation Rotating Header Image

Manga

Kitten? Stray No More!

Mar 17th, 2016
by rodney.
No comments yet

Konami Kanata is well-known for her full-color manga series Fuku Fuku, dramatizing the adventures of her adopted stray kitten of the same name. Now Vertical Comics have brought together several adventures in a new graphic novel, Fuku Fuku: Kitten Tales. “From the author of the New York Times manga best seller Chi’s Sweet Home comes a delightful series of vignettes in the life of a kitten and her doting owner. To a young kitten, even the most mundane things appear fresh and exciting (and sometimes unpleasant or scary). Join FukuFuku on her journey and rediscover the world from a tiny cat’s point of view.” Visit the Vertical web site to see a preview.

image c. 2016 Vertical Comics

image c. 2016 Vertical Comics

Before the Movie, the Manga

Feb 27th, 2016
by rodney.
No comments yet

Just in time for the full North American release of  Mamoru Hosoda’s latest anime feature, The Boy and the Beast (on the same weekend as Zootopia’s release, grumble grumble…), Yen Press have published Mr. Hosoda’s black & white manga of the same title. “Fleeing tragedy and mistreatment, a young boy named Ren hides among the crowds in Tokyo’s busy Shibuya ward. His efforts to run away are more successful than he realizes when he ends up in the world of the beasts! A rough-living bear named Kumatetsu gives Ren a new life and a new name–Kyuta–but is Kumatetsu really up to the job of being a mentor?” Find out! And check it out over at Yen’s web site.

image c. 2016 Yen Press

image c. 2016 Yen Press

The Horror of Kitties

Nov 18th, 2015
by rodney.
No comments yet

Junji Ito is a well-known creator of horror manga in Japan, celebrated for his intricate black & white artwork. Now he’s done something… different. Autobiographical.  But with a twist. It seems that Mr. Ito invited his fiancee’ to move in with him.  Wonderful.  Unfortunately… with her comes her two pet cats. A strange white cat named Yon (whose white fur features a skull-like pattern on the back) and Mu (a fluffy and fun-loving country cat). Mr. Ito is a bit put out by this development — especially since he’s a dog person! Now he’s detailed his frequent attempts (and frequent failures) to bond with these new feline housemates in a new manga, Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu. More recently, Kondansha Comics have translated the manga series and released them together in a single graphic novel. In black & white, of course! Find out more at Amazon.

image c. 2015 Kodansha Comics

image c. 2015 Kodansha Comics

Little Kitty Gets Bigger

Oct 13th, 2015
by rodney.
No comments yet

In case it slipped beneath your radar, Chi’s Sweet Home is a manga series created by Kanata Konami in 2004. “Chi is a mischievous newborn kitten who, while on a leisurely stroll with her family, finds herself lost. Overcome with loneliness she breaks into tears in a large park meadow, where she is rescued by a young boy named Yohei and his mother. The little kitty is then quickly and quietly whisked away into the warm and inviting Yamada apartment…where pets are strictly not permitted.” Vertical Comics licensed the manga for translation and distribution in the west. Now, they’ve released the first large-format collection in trade paperback. “Vertical’s most popular comic of all time, Chi’s Sweet Home, is now available in a larger format with brand new content! Hot on the heels of a new DVD release and the summer 2015 conclusion of its thirteen-year serialization, Chi’s Sweet Home gets a new deluxe release for new readers to dive into. The Complete Chi’s Sweet Home collects three volumes of this full-color all-ages adventure of Japan’s favorite kitten heroine – Chi! This new edition also features a brand new comic from Konami Kanata’s latest series in Japan – FukuFuku: Kitty Tales! This new release will feature new craft extras and a new story from the author.” Check it out over at Comic Book Realm.

image c. 2015 Vertical Comics

image c. 2015 Vertical Comics

Beware the Bunnies!

Jul 21st, 2015
by rodney.
No comments yet

Mary Bellamy is an illustrator and comic-book creator known for her manga-style works like Faux Facts and Aw Heck! In the latter, a young girl finds herself mistakenly trapped in Hell — and she wrecks holy, um, heck as she fights her way back to world of the living. Facing horrible dangers along the way of course — among them, killer demon rabbits! Ms. Bellamy rather likes rabbits it seems, because they play an even bigger roll in her new comic series Zorilita Guardians. In fact she even sells plushie versions of the three fuzzy guardians who protect Zorilita and her friends. Take a look at Ms. Bellamy’s web site where you can find out more about all of this.

image c. 2015 by Mary Bellamy

image c. 2015 by Mary Bellamy

Save King Mickey!

May 17th, 2015
by rodney.
No comments yet

After what seems like a long long time, this past March Yen Press finally released Kingdom Hearts: The Novel as a single black & white collected manga. Just one that happens to be over 300 pages long! “On the Destiny Islands, three children–Sora, Riku, and Kairi–are living out their peaceful, carefree lives while yearning for whatever lies beyond the great ocean. But one night, an unexpected disaster takes place, and the three are torn from each other and their island home. Meanwhile, at Disney Castle, Donald Duck and the other castle residents are in an uproar upon discovering King Mickey has suddenly gone missing. When fate brings them together, Sora, Donald, and Goofy set out on a grand Disney adventure to find their friends!” Find it over at the Yen Press web site. It’s written by Tomoco Kanemaki and illustrated by Shiro Amano, based on the original game concept by Tetsuya Nomura.

image c. 2015 Yen Press

image c. 2015 Yen Press

The Girl, The Gods, and the Fox

Mar 24th, 2015
by rodney.
No comments yet

Sentai Filmworks have released Gingitsune: Messenger Fox of the God — Complete Collection, bringing together all 12 episodes of the anime TV series based on the original manga by Sayori Ochiai. Here’s part of the review by Charles Solomon over at Animation Scoop: “For 15 generations, Makoto Saeki’s family has maintained the Inari shrine to the agricultural god Ukanomitama. Makoto lives there with her widowed father, a well-meaning, slightly befuddled man. Because her bloodline makes her the heiress to the shrine, teen-age Makoto has ‘the gift’: She can see and converse with Gintarou, the resident fox-spirit who is a herald of the gods. Heralds traditionally live and work in in pairs, but his partner left many years ago. Gintarou is later joined by Haru, a much younger female fox spirit brought to Inari by Makoto’s friend Satoru… Gintarou functions as a sort of substitute father/big brother to Makoto. He’s gruff, cranky and lazy, but his façade of indifference can’t disguise his affection for her.” I like Mr. Solomon’s description of the fox spirit: “Gintarou has a scarred fox’s head stuck onto a burly human body. He looks like a macho delegate to a Furries convention.” So noted! The 2-disc DVD set is for sale over at Best Buy.

image c. 2015 Sentai Filmworks

image c. 2015 Sentai Filmworks

Welcoming Back And Old Friend…

Feb 22nd, 2015
by rodney.
No comments yet

Back in 1997, Antarctic Press decided to move away from funny animal comics (a move which brought about the birth of Radio Comix) and instead concentrate on “American Manga”. Well now, to celebrate their 30th anniversary Antarctic are back in the furry herd with a new full-color one-shot called Furry Tails. “As a special event for our 30th-anniversary year, Antarctic Press is going back to one of its (hairy) roots-anthropomorphic comics! Includes work from Sonic the Hedgehog artist David Hutchison, plus an all-new, all-furry fun-fest from Fred Perry! Fast and Furriest: When the world order makes every aspect of life miserable for the poor multitudes, Turbo Ninjas take to the highways to rob from the rich and give to the poor!” Check it out over at Bleeding Cool.

Image c. 2015 Antarctic Press

Image c. 2015 Antarctic Press

The Robot Cat and a Lot of Dogs

Jan 1st, 2015
by rodney.
No comments yet

First off: Happy New Year! Welcome to 2015. We’re happy to be here with you.

Something cool slipped by us in 2014. Doraemon: New Nobita’s Great Demon—Peko and the Exploration Party of Five (whew what a title!) is the latest anime feature starring Doraemon — a robotic cat from the 22nd century who travels back in time to assist a young boy named Nobita Nobi. Since he premiered in 1969, Doraemon has become one of the most popular anime and manga stars in Japanese history — so much so that the Japanese government tagged him as Japan’s “animation ambassador”. In this latest feature, “While out playing, Nobita meets a dog prince who has become separated from his people. Thankfully Doraemon and his magical powers are close at hand so the gang set out on an adventure to return the prince to a mysterious land known as the Bow-Wow Dog Kingdom.” Evidently this new film is a remake of the 1982 feature Doraemon: Nobita and the Haunts of Evil. Really now. Here’s hoping that someone in the vast anime import industry might see fit to distribute this new film in North America. For now, check out the trailer over on YouTube.

image c. 2014 Toho Studios

image c. 2014 Toho Studios

← Earlier Posts Newer Posts →