Otakon 2013

Vertical

The Vertical panel lost no time by leaping right into some of their current and upcoming catalogue titles. Marketing director Ed Chavez started with the fourth volume of Tsutomu Nihei's Knights of Sidonia, which is available this month.

Next month will see the release of part three of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin – Ramba Ral. A manga adaptation of the anime series, Mobile Suit Gundam, it is written by original series director and writer Yoshiyuki Tomino, and illustrated by original series character designer Yoshikazu Yasuhiko. The manga series was previously released in the North America by Viz, but Vertical has been re-releasing the series in hardcover format. Part III will be 440 pages, with an MSRP of $29.95. Incidentally, the manga will have an anime adaptation, set to be released next year in celebration of the 35th anniversary of Gundam.

Other current and upcoming titles include Asumiko Nakamura's Utsubora, Mitsuhisa Kuji's Wolfsmund part 1, and Osamu Tezuka's The Twin Knights. Volume seven of Shūzō Oshimi's Flowers of Evil will be released in October, while this month sees the tenth volume of Chi's Sweet Home by Kanata Konami.

For josei fans, this month also sees the release of Kyoko Okazaki's josei manga, Helter Skelter, which was also the basis of the popular live action movie. Her manga Pink – Love and Crocodiles will be released in November.

Meanwhile, fans of philosophy might want to check out Sickness Unto Death, the first volume of which will be released in September. Written by Hikaru Asada and illustrated by Takahiro Seguchi, the manga is a retelling of Kierkegaard's book.

Also slated for this fall includes Mamoru Hosoda's Summer Wars part 1, which will be released in October. The title is the manga adaptation of the film. For September, fans will be able to read Tropic of the Sea, a feature length graphic novel by famed director Satoshi Kon. It will be 320 pages long.

For February next year, Vertical will be releasing Insufficient Direction, an autobiographical gag manga by Moyoco Anno, the wife of Evangelion director Hideaki Anno. The one-shot follows their “otaku lifestyle.” It is illustrated by toru.

Newly announced is What Did You Eat Yesterday?, by Fumi Yoshinaga. The manga is about a lawyer named Shiro Kakei and his lover Kenji Yabuki, a hairstylist. The manga follows their everyday lives together, and the time they spend together cooking and eating. The series also provides recipes and cooking tips.