Addendum 20 April:
Thanks to all who weighed in on this topic, either here or privately. My mind is now made up, and I have explained my stance here: Manga Alliance – Buyer Beware.
Feel free to weigh in in the comments there, if you feel there’s more to add.
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Today Manga Alliance launched.
It is a network for manga magazines and events, to cross promote and share contacts. That’s as far as I can tell, but I know that this initiative has sparked some strong opinions and even controversy.
So I am posting this as an open thread, for anyone with an opinion on Manga Alliance or the organisations joined in it to post in. You can give any name you want, your e-mail will not be published. Tell me what’s on your minds, folks.
I’m withholding my opinion, because I don’t feel like I know enough about it to have an opinion yet I have asked them some questions and want to give them a chance to respond.
Comments are the opinion of the comment poster, not Itch Publishing or Willie Hewes. Oh, apart from the ones by “Willie”, that’s me. Take it away.
Edited on April 18, 18:45
{ 15 comments }
I get the feeling that many dramas could be forthcoming, so I pretty much decided to ignore the whole thing (putting my fingers in my ears and going “lalala”). However, the more I hear, the less impressed I am.
Anything that Mike Towers is involved in equals drama and the shafting of someone else (/using someone elses hard work) for his own personal game seems to be his favourite pastime. So I’m staying the feck away from this and hope that anybody with any common sense will do the same.
Thanks for hosting an open thread on this, though lately I’m beginning to feel I’m terrorizing the internet by having my say on these matters…
This is an initiative from the filmscript writer gone manga, right? From the sound of it, he believes his cause at least, though if he is as smart a man as me, he will also realise how much he stands to benefit from the Pwanda mascot’s exposure (Panda? China? Surely this can’t be the most brilliant mascot ever imagined to represent UK manga). Apart from that most prominent aspect, I don’t really see what such an alliance would add: Do not all magazines already announce all events? What futher exposure is there to gain from interlinking a scene when it is already a whole? Explain this to me for I don’t see it.
Generally I do see strength in cooperation and I can name you a similar Dutch manga ‘alliance’ formed, with the difference that it aims to carry a combined and non-profit message to the general public, rather than to the manga scene in which each party holds their own stakes. Perhaps cooperation here could have its advantages as well, but I would question if the one proposing it is the most suited for the job.
On a more general note, it bugs me is that some newcomers are taking this manga scene, typically non-profit and voluntary endeavours, and try and make it into something commercial. Is that bad? One might say it is a good thing to turn it into a profitable industry and I might agree, were it not that it seems to be driven by profit rather than the heart which has gallantly driven it thus far. The credit crunch is to be the reason for this initiative? The credit crunch bears no relevance on the manga scene!! Foolish nonsense! Who should panic from a 17% decrease in manga sales? Not events, not magazines, not small press, for fandom rises above business. Only commerce stands to fear. And the extent of their power is to offer a website platform and to call on others? Pah!
Aye, strong opinions on peculiar developments. If these events have taught me anything good, it is that a beginning company should earn respect first, publish something their own and scout the grouds, and only then ask to be accepted as friends or leaders.
Thanks for your comments, guys. I’ve been mulling this over a bit and trying to pinpoint what it is about this initiative that’s rubbing me the wrong way. I want to make sure I’m not criticising it just because I don’t like the people involved, because that would be petty and lame.
Yes, one of my problems is with the panda. By the rules of the alliance, if you want to be part of it you have to put the mascot on your website or have a banner at your event, etc. And it *just so happens* that this mascot is a character from the flagship series of one particular publisher.
Huh. Right. Strange choice for something that protests to be an “all together now” community organisation.
I’ll have more to say on this. I’ve posted some of my misgivings in what I think is meant to be the forum for this initiative. AnimeLeague. I want to give them a chance to answer my questions, but I’ll be posting more on this when they do (or if it seriously looks like they won’t!)
I think the biggest problem is that attempts to unite scenes like this end up causing a divide instead. As the people who don’t want a part of it end up uniting against the alliance
(and the rest end up ignoring ‘em). It does seem a bit cynical using their own mascot… But worse than that is the hubris to post as if no one has ever made a mascot before, and no one has ever published manga before. Bonds between the scene should be formed from mutual respect – not steamrolling everyone with one mascot/property and acting like you are the king. But that is my personal feelings, and inside I am a bit of a manga-sharing-the-love-hippie (you have to look deeeeeep down!)
“Bonds between the scene should be formed from mutual respect”
Truer words were ne’er spoken.
I don’t know about the staff so hopefully I can do this without them in mind:
Well, I’m a cynic by nature so I’m wary of this. At the moment it looks to be beneficial only for the forum bringing fans together and acting as a directory. As for the current partners, I think the big one is NEO. I only heard about Dimensional Entertainment through one of their issues. Yes, Mangapulp are back, haven’t heard of Impact magazine. Never seen it on any shelves at newsagents, bookstores etc.
Then we have the con folk. To be honest, they don’t need this as they aren’t exactly underbooked every event and there are people who always go. I can see this initiative as being more beneficial to ‘green shoot’ events, new cons etc. Yet I don’t see any having signed up.
And it doesn’t look like as if they’re brining new people into manga, but rather targeting the people who are already into it. No real benefit in my opinion; if you like it, you’ll keep buying, reading and get involved. I’ve never heard of someone ‘giving up’ on manga and anime because of the credit crunch.
So my impression is, nice way to know stuff and talk to others, but nothing revolutionary. I hope I’m wrong, but I very much doubt it’s going to take UK manga to new heights it’s never seen before.
(And the mascot annoys me. Yeah, it’s cute and has links with Asia, but what’s British about the Pwanda?)
The mascot annoys me too. It’s just one of Dimensional’s manga characters, it has no relation to the fans atall.
It just seems like self-promotion, trying to turn this “Pwanda” into a cult-hero of the UK Manga scene -_-.
The site too, just seems like a glorified Link-Swap o_o
I don’t think the reaction to this is because of Cynicism, I think we just learn to be realistic and critical of events in the UK scene. We can only grow and develop if we’re realistic about where we’re coming from.
Oh I read that thread. Did you read the bit at the beginning?
“Dimensional Entertainment, are the UK’s only company that writes, draws and sells it’s own manga.”
I’ve just got to point out that that is totally utterly and completely wrong.
DFC, Self made hero, ITCH even…
What are they if not publishers of manga in the UK?
As old as that post was it’s still wrong. Self Made Hero and ITCH still exist. Not to mention all the amateur groups that have been publishing for years and years. Not registered companies but still publishers.
Here is a question. Not a week ago, dimensional linked to and was part of the japanime network, which seemed to me the embryo of the current manga alliance. but currently japanime network links to this http://japanimenetwork.com/ which is midlands expo related and not on the list of groups in the manga alliance. A week ago on dimensional they had banners for japanime network that linked to a ‘coming soon’ site but which have all now been replaced with manga alliance. So whats the deal were these two totally different things or old thing new name?
why the heck is the logo a Panda, which is mostly associated with China, when manga is mostly associated with Japan? “Pwandas are set to become an iconic mascot of the UK scene” is correct – a bunch of culturally illiterate weeaboos jumping at anything with fur on it cause its just sooooo kawaiiiiiiii Why not give it a British flag bandanna? Or have a bulldog with a Rising Sun? Or anything other than someone’s own IP that sounds like it was named by a precocious 5 year old.
By the headband of Naruto shall we know the mainstream loving muppet
By the sign of free hugs shall we know the emotionally unstable teenage attention whore
By the logo of the “Pwanda” shall we know the person who’s confused trying to build a scene (which already existed, thank you very much) with blatant self promotion
Still, congratulations to DM for getting free promotion from Impact, an unpublished manga Nuts magazine, and their own forums. A press release and website are so much more efficient at saving us all than getting any comics out there for people to read and I’m sure this bout of unwarranted self importance will help them shift a couple of issues plus get a bunch of people flocking around their tables at cons. Meanwhile I do my bit by spending cash on UK manga, or at least the ones that are good anyway…
I’ve googled “Pwanda” to read up on the mass appeal the characters are supposed to have.
So far, the only people I can find talking about the Pwanda are Dimensional Manga and people at the Neo forums: Pwanda.
Mass appeal, huh?
The sensible move would be a new mascot devised by all before launch, taking the personal interest out of the collective interest. Only then could we honestly see where a manga alliance such as this stands in terms of usefulness. But still I would have none speak of necessity for this initiative.
Luckily I hear no-one is too interested in this, and as I foresee no ill effects save loss of face, I think the worst and best I could call this is silly.
I see that this afternoon “Neo magazine” has been removed form the list of affiliates…
Quote Fan = “I’ve never heard of someone ‘giving up’ on manga and anime because of the credit crunch.”
Exactly! If anything people will spend a few quid on some entertainment to cheer themselves up. Are sales of manga down because of the launch of the Watchmen film and cheap availability of the graphic novel? Non manga being cheap to cash in on the popularity of superhero films occasionally? God forbid manga fans reading non-Japanese comics instead, for a bit!
Another quote = “So my impression is, nice way to know stuff and talk to others”
I wonder… *have* they spoken to anyone else who does the same thing as they do? Or just come up with this idea and rather naively expected others to follow? Is that really a great way to make friends and influence people? The scene has not just been born, so why are the new kids on the block suddenly crowning themselves king?
Agreed, this being a “glorified link exchange”. In fact link exchanging is brilliant. But this… VERY unsure.
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