News: Links to Scanlators Websites Removed from Manga Updates

Update:  Fix on Github (Install Greasemonkey to fix Firefox) -- LINK

Manga Updates has removed links to scanlator websites from their listings.  Here's a link to the explanation: Link

It is not clear who made the request and I don't understand how one entity can claim copyright over the entirety of mangadom.  I have my suspicions, but I'll keep quiet on it. For me it comes down to considering who benefits from the link removal.  Still, I don't think this will make much difference, since the lazy leechers already go to manga aggregators (cough) exclusively, and those who want to go to the scanlator's website already are and have set up bookmarks and feeds accordingly.

Fortunately, Manga Updates retains the links to groups' Twitter feeds and Facebook, so in our case, readers will have more direct access to the release posts through Twitter. In light of this, instead of Tweeting the Tumblr posts, I'll now Tweet the link to the release.  We will continue not having a Facebook presence.

Here are other ways you can keep up to date with our releases:

• Crimson Flower's RSS Feed (LINK)
• You can join the Crimson Flowers site using the "Join this site" link in the right column.
• You receive email update for Bakeneko's Lair by subscribing on the website (LINK)
• Bakeneko's Lair RSS (LINK)
• Twitter: @CrimsonFlowerRe, @Bakenekos_Lair
• Release Only Tumblr (LINK), Kuroneko003's Tumblr (LINK)

I'll format the Release Only Tumblr today, and start posting notifications there with the next release. I am also added project pages to this Tumblr page.

Hopefully this will not be too much of an inconvenience. And please, join us in one of the alternative routes like Twitter and Tumblr.

NYCC Manga License Announcements

Lots of good manga license announcements were made at Comic-Con in New York over the past two days.  For a full listing of the announcements please go of Anime News Network:

Vertical: Announcement 1/ Announcement 2
Kodansha USA: Announcement 1/ Announcement 2/ Announcement 3
Viz
Yen Press

This blog posting will only cover licensing announcements that matter to Crimson Flower Readers.

Vertical:

• "Attack on Titan: Before the Fall" Light Novels
• "Clothes Named Fat" by Moyoco Anno

Kodansha USA:

• "Attack on Titan: Before the Fall" Manga
• "Attack on Titan: No Regrets" (the Levi Spinoff)
• "Attack on Titan: Junior High

 Viz:

• "Black Rose Alice" by Mizushiro Setona

Yen Press:

• "He is my Only Vampire" (Junketsu + Kareshi) by Aya Shouoto
• "Demon from a Foreign Land" (Iki no Ki) by Yuki Kaori

We got a lot of great licenses, 3 of which were former Omari's Sister projects! Please buy the English releases and support manga licensing in the US.  I have a feeling that new batch of licenses will boost the industry and we'll see a lot more manga in 2015. A bright manga-filled future is ahead!

Note: All licensed materials have been removed from the blog and the servers. The blog posts are still there to read the comments, but the links are not active.

JManga/JManga7 is Shutting Down

I imagine this is irrelevant news to most of you since JManga didn't really serve this blog's demographic well.  But just so you know, JManga/JManga7 is closing. If you were a user, please make sure to read the info on this webpage to make sure whatever money you have sitting in JManga gets returned to you:
http://www.jmanga.com/urgent-message

I browsed JManga only a little. Until recently, there weren't any titles I wanted to read. They kept promising an iOS app, so I held off on purchases waiting for that promised iOS app.  Sorry, but I don't pay money just to keep something open if they don't sell what I want how I want it. I hear the cries from the anti-piracy folks, but buying something you don't want only causes the seller to stock more of what you don't want. Beside that, piracy didn't bring down JManga. JManga brought itself down.

I could go into all the various reasons for JManga's demise, but I think the most glaring reason relevant to this audience is that there was nothing to read on JManga. And the shoujo they did have was translated no better than what you could get for free from a crappy scanlation group. Sorry, but I don't pay good money for crap. It's sends the message that crap is okay and consumers won't see any improvement. Heck, I don't read crappy free scanlations because I don't want to encourage the group by giving their websites hits.

Anyhow, my major concern is whether this has hurt the chances of seeing more legitimate ways of reading the manga we want and actually being able to get some money to the creators we adore. I don't understand why this is so hard. The only way to combat piracy is to make the content available at a reasonable price. It won't stop piracy completely because there are those people who are pirates by nature, but it will stop the casual pirates who just want a legit way to get unavailable content.

New thoughts on scanlation:
I don't believe scanlation does anything to help or hurt the manga business. As far as I'm concerned, the two are completely disconnected.  There simply isn't enough English translated manga available for sell for scanlation to affect sales one way or another. I do believe scanlation raises awareness about creators and series, but I no longer believe it leads to series actually getting licensed. I believe a different calculus is used for licensing decisions. Unfortunately, until more manga is made available for purchase, scanlation is the only way you'll get a wide selection of titles. I think it's stupid to make a moral argument about how scanlation is taking money away from creators/licensors who aren't selling anything and have no intention of selling anything.  No selling = no buying!!! It's as simple as that. And telling people to ignore what exists and it available is completely unreasonable. Turn those people into customers by selling them something.

Happy Valentine's Day

Cute Red Panda says, "happy Valentine's Day everyone!" Viz unleashed some wonderful news for us shoujo and josei lovers today.  They have licensed four series near and dear to a lot of our hearts.  The series are:

• "Yoroshiku Master" which they are localizing to "Sweet Rein"
• "Seiyuu-ka!!" which they are localizing to "Voice Over!"
• "The Midnight Secretary"
• "Hapi Mari?!" which they are localizing to "Happy Marriage?!"

Here's link to the official Shojo Beat announcement on Facebook (LINK) and some additional information on the series from ANN (LINK)

Let's give Shojo Beat our support by purchasing these books so we can get more wonderful licenses like these.
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I don't have a special for you today because we've been directing our effort towards unfinished projects. I thought about releasing "Furou Kyoudai" today, but that would have been creepy, so I'll hold on to it.  Anyhow... we have done some romantic oneshots in the past, so let's celebrate with five of my favorite!

• The Honeybee Earl and The Flower Dress
• The Wizard and the Love Potion
• The Most Beautiful Name in the World 
•  
• Souai Metaphysica

It looks like we'll have a flurry of releases toward the end of the month as we wrap up "Fushigi no Maria-kun" and "Furou Kyoudai".

Mega Uploads Shut Down

I imagine some of you are raging about the Mega Uploads Shutdown.  I imagine many scanlation groups lost all of their content links as a result of the Mega Uploads Shutdown.  I think, though, before you go off raging, you should understand the full extent of Mega Upload's activities.  This is more about criminal conspiracy and racketeering than anything.  Please read the statement from the US Justice Department on the matter of Mega Upload's shutdown.

Link

My opinion: 

• Mega Uploads was sketchy.  Once I got wise a few years back, I quit downloading anything from that website for fear of viruses and opening my computer up to being hacked.
• This is proof that SOPA and PIPA aren't needed to combat online piracy.