This sounds very interesting: VIZ Media, the popular manga publisher, has created a new venture called Haikasoru dedicated to translating Japanese science fiction books into English. The first releases are planned for next month. Haikasoru editor Nick Mamatas has an entry on the Haikasoru blog about the Japanese science fiction field and how it compares to SF in the English speaking world. Definitely sounds interesting.
Besides my interest in the books themselves, I'm excited by the potential this may have for bringing more readers to the field, especially younger readers. Most big bookstores I've been to have the Science Fiction/Fantasy section next to the manga. When school isn't in session, the manga section is usually quite busy, in large part with kids at or within a few years of the age I was at when I became a serious SF reader. Japanese science fiction marketed by a manga company has all sorts of potential for creating long-term fans.
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how this turns out.
1 comment:
I agree - this is very exciting. I have to keep an eye on the Haikasora blog for updates on this new project. Thanks for the heads up.
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