Forum - View topicViz Cancelled Gintama Manga
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Lightning Leo
Posts: 311 Location: Earth |
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Whoa, seriously, they're cancelling Gintama?? Eeesh, I was considering picking it up.
It seems like a blockbuster hit in Japan, wonder why it's not doing so well stateside? My brother said the last time he was at a bookstore in Japan, girls were lining up outside all a-giggles to get the next volume. You'd think since girls make up the majority of the manga readers here that it would do better. I started watching episodes of the anime on Crunchyroll, it seemed pretty funny in a dead-pan sorta way, and even recommended it to a friend of mine. I've read some of the manga too, it has stories that don't show up in the anime, which was a cool bonus. Hope it's not a sign of the times. 
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bahamut623
 Posts: 1463 |
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Unfortunately, it seems like it is. To me, Viz seems the most financially stable of all the manga publishers, so seeing them cancel several series in the span of a few months is kind of disheartening. Viz isn't in trouble, but they're definitely tightening their belts. They managed to complete Jojo 3 and St. Seiya, and I imagine Gintama did better than those two at least...but I'm sure that the fact that it has no end in sight is also a factor. I wish Viz would at least try omnibuses like DelRey was trying. That way even if they only have two releases a year, we'd still be getting several volumes worth of content. I was pretty confident in collecting Viz series before, but now I might be slightly more wary in picking up a second or third tier (popularity-wise) Jump title. I just wish Viz would address this and confirm if these titles are gone forever, on hold, or just slowed down. Omnibuses, Viz! |
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Paploo
Posts: 1875 |
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One thing that occured to me though is that they don't have a lot of longrunning ongoing series at the moment- a lot of the newer titles they pick up are already finished in Japan, and many are shorter series.
Looks like the final volume of Yakitate Japan hits next month, matching the Japanese release- http://www.amazon.com/Yakitate-Japan-Vol-Takashi-Hashiguchi/dp/1421529084/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301246305&sr=1-1 InuYasha's already done [.... I need to get more of it. Wonder if they'll do the entire thing in VIZBIG format? That'ld still be about 18 or so volumes, but they're already at 8] http://www.amazon.com/Inuyasha-Vol-56-Graphic-Novels/dp/1421532999/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301246259&sr=1-1 Baby & Me finished last year http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Me-Vol-Graphic-Novels/dp/1421524716/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301246578&sr=1-1 as did Red River http://www.amazon.com/Red-River-Vol-Graphic-Novels/dp/1421522543/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301246627&sr=1-1 and Flame of Recca http://www.amazon.com/Flame-Recca-Vol-Nobuyuki-Anzai/dp/1421522047/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301247999&sr=1-2 And wow, Mar ended 4 years ago http://www.amazon.com/MAR-Vol-Mar-Graphic-Novels/dp/1421514036/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301248123&sr=8-1 Project Arms is done http://www.amazon.com/Project-Arms-Vol-Graphic-Novels/dp/1421517000/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301248193&sr=1-1 Nightmare Inspector http://www.amazon.com/Nightmare-Inspector-Yumekui-Kenbun-Vol/dp/1421522268/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301248261&sr=1-1 And OParts Hunter http://www.amazon.com/-Parts-Hunter-Vol-19/dp/1421525674/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301248327&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Muscle-Vol-29-Battle/dp/1421528827/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301249093&sr=1-1 Ultimate Muscle made it to Vol.29 [and Amazon.jp tells me that should be it- it ended in 2005 in Japan, though there's been lots of spinoffs, but those'ld be seperate licenses/series... I need to get more of it before it becomes scarce, funny stuff] http://www.amazon.com/Hoshin-Engi-Vol-Ryu-Fujisaki/dp/1421528355/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301249471&sr=1-1 Hoshin Engi ends soon too [wow, VIZ's schedule is really clearing up] http://viz.com/product?id=7823 Whistle's been done for awhile Law of Ueki too [though they didn't license the 5 vol spinoff, but that's a seperate series/license, so I'm looking at Ueki as finished] http://viz.com/product?id=6985 there's a lot of other series that are finished, and ones that are on slower schedules who still have volumes listed [IE- Hayate the Combat Butler, Excel Saga, We Were There among others], so I wouldn't panic too much.... it seems series getting put on hiatus isn't too common, even with more happening lately. After browsing through Amazon and their catalogue, it seems edit- more series finale's that match the japanese run- http://viz.com/product?id=7758 Honey and Clover http://viz.com/product?id=8207 Sand Chronicles On Hiatus in Japan too- -Nana- Ai Yazawa took time off, so the series is on hold in Japan too. Like Hunter X Hunter or DH's Berserk, we're just following things right along with Japan. -DGrayman- looks like VIZ's most recent vol for it was 20, released last month, though only 21 is out in Japan. Looks like it's currently monthly in Japan, so makes sense it'd be on a slow, slow schedule. Stuff that's on hiatus? -Zatch Bell- we know it's on hiatus due to rights issues in Japan -Kurohime- moved to digital in Japan, no idea what that means here -InuBaka- the only one officially confirmed as on hiatus [I think someone might of said something about ZB at some point, but couldn't find anything] -Bastard- wnet on hiatus back in 2009 -Reborn- also in wierd hiatus land Unsure- -GinTama- maybe? wierd final vol listing, waiting confirmation EDIT--- I think Crimson Hero might also be on hiatus- 19 vols in Japan 14 was the last VIZ put out http://www.rightstuf.com/cgi-bin/catalogmgr/MvVU8LQDyCcQUmRWM5/browse/item/88577/4/0/0 I also think Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo is on hiatus after vol.5, though like Tough and Golgo 13, it was meant to be a "Best Of" release I think what's becoming clear is that the manga market is shrinking BUT it's still big enough to sustain longer series so long as their audience remains large enough. So publishers will keep trying to release those series and complete them, though in terms of licenses, they do seem to be going for completed/shorter series more so [I know in Vertical's case, they've stated they prefer series of that sort, though still give longer series a try where they think it's worth trying, which is why we're getting Drops of God, and why Black Jack's almost finished]. Series going on hiatus are more about lack of popularity and a smaller market whose best sellers can't hold up poorer selling titles anymore, as it did in the past. [and after digging through VIZ's catalogue, it seems that it's only a handful of series that are unfinished/onhiatus, and mostly ones we already know about, so less of a reason to panic I guess] |
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Lightning Leo
Posts: 311 Location: Earth |
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Hear hear, I second that motion! 
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fortykoubuns
 Posts: 22 Location: Connecticut, USA |
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I'm still mourning the loss of Zatch Bell :< I'm clinging onto the small thread of hope that the rights issue will get fixed and Viz'll finish off the series (it was so close to finishing!!!). ...and B.O.D.Y. too, I liked that series :/ |
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Paploo
Posts: 1875 |
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Kodansha just announced his 2nd series http://kodanshacomics.com/ "Animal Land, by manga legend and Zatch Bell creator Makoto Raiku, tells the hilarious and heartwarming story of a baby raised by animals. This is set for an August release." So while Zatch is caught in red tape, you can still follow his latest work 
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bahamut623
Posts: 1463 |
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Actually, I think if we see Zatch Bell in the US again, it might be via Kodansha comics. I say this because Kodansha recently started rereleasing Zatch in Japan (I'm assuming they're kazenban editions or whatever). Kodansha is releasing Raiku's new series here this summer, so who knows? |
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GATSU
Posts: 15292 |
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bahamut: I'm just surprised Prince of Tennis is still surviving this long. Though I wouldn't be shocked if Viz chose not to pick up the sequel. I am glad that 20th Century Boys is surviving the purge, though. Maybe it'll convince 'em to take another chance with Monster in Vizbig editions. As for Kodansha, I think I'm wondering more if they'll still continue GunM/Alita, or if Viz will continue it. I don't see any pre-orders for volume 15...
Paploo:
They just kinda joked on Twitter about doing UY that way.  So I suggested they try their luck with Maison Ikkoku.
As for Ultimate Muscle, I think it got rebooted in Japan. Didn't know Hoshin Engi was still running, though. I think D. Grayman has a following, so I wouldn't expect them to cancel it any time soon. I thought Bastard's cancelled though. And Bobobo's done. They said final volume in issue 5, even though it's nowhere near the final volume. Plus, it wasn't meant to be a "best of". Depending on who you hear it from, Bo^7's run was meant to be a "least offensive" release or a run with the art the author likes most. I wish someone would at least rescue the anime, dammit. Can't Toupee just upload it on Crunchyroll at least?! And I thought Crimson Hero was ending soon. |
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spartydragon
 Posts: 61 Location: Portland, OR |
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Actually, Gintama maintains its sense of humor. It does get serious from time to time, but it transitions smoothly in and out of the heavy stuff. It's still about 90% comedy. And ironically Gintama IS actually episodic btw. Arcs are short and to the point, and the manga chugs along at a brisk pace. It's set up more like a sitcom than a traditional shounen manga. It's my favorite series, but it certainly isn't for everyone; you definitely have to have a certain sense of humor and a decent knowledge of Japanese pop culture (and nerdy things in general) to appreciate it. I am kinda surprised it's made it this far, but I'm also kinda saddened that Viz never seemed to know what to do with it. They rated it for older teens but would edit out all of the swearing (just isn't Gintama without someone screaming YOU BASTAAAAAAAARDS at some point  ). The translation was inconsistent; sometimes it was great, others it was very textbook, and still others they'd translate a term, only to leave it untranslated elsewhere - even on the same page (IE, sometimes it was Yorozuya Gin-chan, others it was Odd Jobs Gin), sometimes there were honorifics, sometimes there weren't, and there were even a number of typesetting errors (usually very tiny font in a very large speech bubble - dunno how that got past quality control).
Also, I can, and can't see scanlations hurting it. On the one hand, Gintama is a pain in the butt to translate so it hasn't been scanlated very consistently, which means that the official release is actually the most complete English language Gintama out there. On the other hand, Viz mishandled it. It would probably never surpass cult status even with a proper marketing scheme, but Viz didn't seem to feel it was worth the effort to release a quality product to cater to the fanbase they DID have, which made relying on the sporadic scanlations seem like the better choice simply because - while both products have their flaws - the scanlations are free. :/ I'm still gonna collect it (once I can afford to again), but damn. 
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Paploo
Posts: 1875 |
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http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Tennis-Vol-42/dp/1421528541/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301307259&sr=1-1 POT finishes this summer. With Bobobobobo, they did a random selfcontained vol at first, then a section from later in the run [the artist's fave]. It's such a wierd , intentionally ugly looking series, I'm surprised we got as much as we did. |
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GATSU
Posts: 15292 |
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sparty: I wouldn't say it transitions smoothly, because the serious arcs feel irritatingly leaden at times. But it seems the anime writers are at least at better at working around those uneven directions, so I'll try to catch up through it on CR. And I get how it's set up, but the sitcom aspects were also getting old, too. I mean, I like the characters, but Sorachi was not doing enough with them. I will say that I don't feel like the pop culture's detrimental to the enjoyment of the title compared to, say, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, which is why I'm surprised it's actually doing better than Gin Tama. I'm also not sure what Viz could do with it, given that American fans appear to be unpredictable when it comes to which genre titles they'll buy on a consistent basis. For example, Ouran and B.O.D.Y. both have plots revolving around hosts, but only one's still selling for Viz. And Black Lagoon and Dogs prove there's an audience for older titles, but then they try to release more Lupin and Golgo, and...
Paploo: Well, Viz was probably betting on the anime release to sell the manga. But since that got fudged up, only the die-hards were supporting Bo^7. |
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spartydragon
Posts: 61 Location: Portland, OR |
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Guess we're gonna have to agree to disagree there, cause I feel that the transitions are brilliant - manga and anime, and the slice of life format was a welcome relief from the long, drawn out arcs happening in other shounen titles. Ah, the pop culture. I realized the other day, that Animaniacs aired in Japan. Animaniacs... which is an American pop culture steeped, bizarre, wacky, spastic silly cartoon with crazy silly and clever music. It must have been a total pain in the ass to adapt to foreign audiences and yet... they did. And to my knowledge it was fairly popular worldwide. Which makes me stare squinty eyed at Viz and Sentai Filmworks (much like this >.>) because, hey, if they could adapt Animaniacs, why not Gintama? Gintama, at least, doesn't have all of the songs. Yeah, I'm not sure either when it comes to marketing. The anime has the upper hand in this department simply because especially lulzy clips are easy to distribute, and it comes with a number of built in meme's (which are in the manga too, but it packs more punch with motion and color and sound) which are entirely exploitable. Neo Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon snow sculpture building contest anyone?
If I was handling marketing I'd do some sort of viral campaign involving lulzy Photoshops and Justaways turning up here and there... |
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GATSU
Posts: 15292 |
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sparty:
Yeah, I will admit Gin Tama has better "filler" than other shonen manga, but at the end of the day, it's still filler. I mean, it's great when Sorachi is able to connect with readers, but when he strikes out, you wonder what the point is with him going that way, 'cus it's neither "ha ha" funny, nor "in-joke" funny.
I think the pop culture Animaniacs covers is stuff most people in other countries would be familiar with, because of how big the references are, aside from a few exceptions. That's probably also why The Simpsons had no problems transitioning to that market. Now, if you're gonna mostly make jokes about stuff only a certain subculture would get, that's when you have problems, which is why The Boondocks appeared to have crashed and burned there. [Though I know the Afro Samurai creator was familiar with the show, at least.] But damn if it wouldn't be cool if it was a hit there. And so I know how you feel about GT not doing better here-especially since my argument doesn't seem to apply to Zetsubou, even though you have to effing read numerous pages of liner notes-Shirow-style-to "get" it. So I guess I'll add that Gin Tama's other strike against it might be that the concept of slackers without jobs or good jobs might not be very appealing to older readers or younger readers exiting high school, given the current economic climate. Zetsubou at least makes you laugh at losers, while GT reminds you you're a loser.
I'm guessing Sentai does ok with the anime, because the Amazon sales ranks for it seem higher than the manga. But it is still a long show, and the only titles w/ that many eps people are willing to shell out bucks for unquestiongly are Bleach, DBZ, and Naruto. Maybe Fist, as well, but I wouldn't be surprised if Discotek opted for a small run on those box-sets, too. So, personally, I think the only way to "save" the Gin Tama manga is to briefly skip to the arcs that fans like the most, and go back to the slow shit later. |
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spartydragon
Posts: 61 Location: Portland, OR |
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A few chapters of "meh" are far less damaging than a few HUNDRED chapters of "meh" IMO. Arrancar Arc of Bleach anyone? Geeze, that went on forever and didn't accomplish much of anything. It's hard to damn a series for being only mildly entertaining sometimes, while giving others a free pass even though they've been downright dreadful for months on end.
That's a pretty big assumption, there. Granted, American celebrities are better known worldwide, but we're still talking about stuff that is culturally specific to North America, and even specifically LA at times. I have no idea to what degree it was localized, but either way that was a lot of stuff to either adapt, or explain.
Rurouni Kenshin had a full glossary and historical notes in the back. Gintama is, in many ways, Bizarro Kenshin, but Viz didn't bother with a glossary in this case. :/
That's another stretch. For one thing, most everyone I know who loves the series is over 18, is in college or highly educated, female, and either out of work, or working a crap job. It's not a reminder; it's a buddy, someone who's in the same boat as you are (but has far wackier adventures). It's kind of awesome to watch a bunch of other unemployed or underemployed people do crazy things. Gintama is relateable to the current batch of 20somethings. The cast is mostly adults, no one's trying to be the next Hokage, or exceed 9,000 or any of that other stuff - they're just doing their thing, trying to make ends meet and having a blast doing it even if they don't have a lotta money, or crazy powers. It's a slice of life! As for younger readers, it's really just a little beyond them from what I've seen. I and others have found ourselves explaining Jokes to the younger fans, since, well they just weren't around at time to know what the hell Sorachi was referencing. Late 80's to mid 90's in-jokes do not make any sense to anyone who wasn't there (makes the 20somethings giggle madly though).
What slow shit? Gintama IS NOT SLOW. It moves far more quickly than Naruto, Bleach, and the various other Dragonball clones (not One Piece, One Piece also chugs right along). In fact, it leaves Bleach in the dust; one chapter of Gintama contains more story than a months worth of Bleach (two months at the pace Kubo's been working at lately >.<). |
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Paploo
Posts: 1875 |
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I don't think Gintama's problems were either content, quality or translation- all were pretty decent from what I've read. I think it's just that not enough people were buying it to keep printing new volumes.
The best way to get future volumes would probably be for those who haven't bought it yet to go out and by as many of the available volumes as possible. http://www.amazon.com/Gin-Tama-Vol-Hideaki-Sorachi/dp/1421528215/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301438754&sr=1-1 Looks like the Amazon listing got fixed to include the final volume note. It did make it to 23 vols, which isn't too shabby, hope fans continue to seek it out so VIZ might get the numbers it needs to relaunch it. |
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