My Blue Castle

Where I Post About Stuff I Like

[hotwaterandmilk]

Series: Star Blacks Artist: Maki Youko Publication: Maki Yoko Illust-shu 'Graduation’ (05/2020) Source: Scanned from my personal collection

[hotwaterandmilk]

Series: Madame Petit Artist: Takao Shigeru Publication: Bessatsu Hana to Yume #9 (07/2013) Details: ‘Madame Petit / Golden Days’ Shigeru Takao Illustration Book Source: Scanned from my personal collection

[hotwaterandmilk]

Series: Madame Petit Artist: Takao Shigeru Publication: Bessatsu Hana to Yume #9 (07/2013) Details: ‘Madame Petit / Golden Days’ Shigeru Takao Illustration Book Source: Scanned from my personal collection

[brickme]

driiiiives meeeeee nuuuuuuuts that US publishers are putting out hardcover "deluxe edition" manga with glued spines. while I was in Germany I had the opportunity to look at a volume of the Dark Horse "Berserk" edition (the huge black ones) and other than the fact that the cover felt like a cheap plastic toy (because it's pleather), I do think the spine was? might have been? sewn. however, apparently the US hardcovers of "A Silent Voice" and Jojo and all sorts of other titles are glued books they're charging extra for because they have cardboard stuck to them, and it driiiiives meeeeee insaaaaaane

it's a sub-par product they're trying to sell for more money by tricking people into thinking they're high quality. there's nothing wrong with glued spines in general, I'm not saying all random paperbacks should be made with coptic stitch or whatever (paperbacks being cheap and widely available to all is a good thing!), but if you're going to advertise your publication as a special, deluxe, high-quality product, you should back it up. and instead of being mad, fans are gobbling it up and asking for more!

the "Vagabond" deluxes are sewn and bound with cloth, both of which justify the price tag, btw. those will last for a very long time, unlike glue and pleather.

[nakamorijuan]

中森明菜 - 愛撫 Akina Nakamori - Aibu Akina's 28th single (MCA Victor) Composed and arranged by Tetsuya Komuro

[hotwaterandmilk]

Series: Time Stranger KYOKO Artist: Tanemura Arina Product: Tanemura Arina 30th Anniversary Exhibition Tokuten Sticker (04/2026) Source: Scanned from my personal collection

[hotwaterandmilk]

Series: Umi no Yami, Tsuki no Kage Artist: Shinohara Chie Publication: ‘Shinohara Chie Genga-ten Koushiki Zuroku’ (11/2018) Source: Scanned from my personal collection

[seldomscans]

Hi!! I recently stumbled upon “Images” by Chiki Ooya and I ADORED IT (it was all I was looking for in a piece of art, it really stuck with me) and then read her other manga that is available online (Candy to Choco bon bon; Snow Maidens) and I was wondering if you knew where to find others of hers? I know she stopped making manga to become an illustrator, but did she ever write other manga? Is the lack of stuff by her due to a lack of translation?

Her art is exquisite indeed. Sadly, her works are not digitalized (except for Kaiten Mokuba which is only available on cmoa, which will not take my gaijin credit card, grrr). As a result, you will have to hunt down her books in print, which are very likely already out of print. That's why I'm not sure if all of her published works are collected in volumes. You can see a little list of her published volumes here, but I'm not sure if that list is exhaustive. Apparently, she even worked for the kashihon market, so there might be more.

Your best bet is to check sites like Mandarake, Surugaya, Mercari, YAJ, Kosho etc. to get your second-hand copies to read more of her.

[hotwaterandmilk]

Series: Glass no Kamen Artist: Miuchi Suzue Publication: 'Miuchi Suzue Hakusensha Card Gallery′ (06/1987) Source: Scanned from my personal collection

[brickme]

[brickme]

[brickme]

My recent haul included a Ribon "newspaper" furoku from May 1984, and I only intended to scan the Ikeno bits, but turns out this is AH-MAZING so I decided to scan all four pages to share. Basically, a ton of the Ribon artists active at the time answer three questions: "who's your ideal man?" "what does the room you draw manga in look like?" and "what's your pet?" Highlights:

Ikeno draws basically Shun as her ideal man, except I don't think Shun is much of a reader???

I like 80s music so I'm always excited to see manga artists of the time draw or talk about new wave musicians; this is Hagiiwa Mutsumi's fanart of David Sylvian from the band Japan, her ideal man.

Ichijo Yukari saying she's not greedy and doesn't have high ideals for men's looks, they just have to be "about as handsome as Bowie", which lol.

I'm not sure who this guitarist is supposed to be, all hair metal dudes look the same to me. Michael Schenker, I guess, since Gonoue was apparently a fan?

And some fanart!

Future Boy Conan / Yokoyama Mitsuteru's Babel II / Chiba Tetsuya's Shidenkai no Taka (also a childhood favorite of Takemiya Keiko)

Tabuchi Yumiko, one of my favorite Ribon artists, was already married at this point, so she says her "ideal man" is someone who doesn't stay in their pajamas to lazy around in the kotatsu all Sunday. Tabuchi married a Ribon editor and has written some autobiographical works about her marriage and her children, in which she depicts her husband as... a sea lion.

Tabuchi also draws her work space, which is the kitchen. On a side note I just adore Tabuchi's art so much... she has this totally unique yet adorable style and her free hand backgrounds and items make me go ugh, so good.

Ikeno also draws her work space, where we can see Ranze's penguin plushy <3

This furoku also features photos of some of the artists' work spaces, and we get an awesome intimate look at Ichijo Yukari's work desk!

More proof of how popular British new wave and rock was among Japanese manga artists in the 80s... there's one more David Sylvian there, and I think I spot Simon Le Bon?

I'm fascinated by this goose in the middle of Ogura Fuyumi's room.

I'm sorry what the fuck is going on here.

And last but not least, please enjoy a photo of Ikeno's adorable "pet" piglets <3 <3 <3 Ikeno was born to a farm and grew up with a ton of pigs, which is one of the reasons she often draws cute piggies!

[acquired-stardust]

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R Super Nintendo Entertainment System 1993

[venustanjos]

40 years ago today, peak was released.

[thatgirltvshow]

That Girl (1966-1971) 3.05 7 1 4 part 2

[thatgirltvshow]

That Girl (1966-1971) 1.01 Don't Just Do Something, Stand There

[hotwaterandmilk]

Series: Oni no Hanayome wa Taberaretai Artist: Sakano Keiko Publication: Hana to Yume Issue #1 (01/2021) Details: Hanayume Allstar Desk Calendar (February) Source: Scanned from my personal collection