Post New York Anime Festival 2008 Interviews

Check them all out!

New York Anime Festival - Peter Tatara
Dark Horse Comics Inc. - Michael Gombos
Del Rey Manga - Ali T. Kokmen
FUNimation Entertainment - Adam Sheehan
Otaku USA - Benjamin Boyles
Otaku USA - Joseph Luster

© 2008 Linda Thai

Post NYAF 2008 with Peter Tatara

Check out my Pre-Anime Festival with Peter Tatara.

Since the end of the festival, Peter Tatara has been feeling "sleepy." The New York Anime Festival was a great show. They were aiming for 17,000 and ended up having over 18,000 fans and attendees. Peter said "I'm very proud of it, but once a show wraps, we don't kick up our feet until next year." Not only was Peter very happy with the event but also his boss Lance Fensterman. "The show went over very well, but -- like me -- we're already looking ahead." They are "all deep in planning for New York Comic Con 2009" and New York Anime Festival 2009 "is already in the works."

Last time I spoke to Peter he said, "I honestly don't know what I'll be doing during NYAF yet." Of course during the festival Peter had things to do. All of his activities were related to his responsibility to the festival. "Tighten bolts. Patch leaks. Put out fires. If there was something that needed fixing, that was my job." On a lighter side of his duties he had dinner with Kikuchi-san.

With his duties at New York Anime Festival, Peter had to make sure the process of turning NYAF into reality was going smoothly. He arrived at Jacobs Javits Center a day before the show around 9:00am. While walking onto the exhibition hall, the booths "were midway through construction." At the time it was not yet complete: the convention was still setting up. It was on its way to completion. "It's an amazing thing to see something that only exists on paper for most of the year transform into something real." He didn't really have an exact set schedule for any day. He just had to be there within enough time do his job. "I jumped around the panel rooms, registration, guests, etc. As for Sunday, I got home around 11 or 12 and was up at 6 to greet guests before they left for the airport."

According to Peter, "most of the show ran very well and very smoothly." Their biggest concern was with the Akihabara Stage. "We featured a number of performers and artists on this stage, and we were worried before the show that sound might carry too far into the panel rooms." Guess what? Their concern came true. "We tried as best we could to keep the volume down, but it was something we had to deal with all weekend." Blasting loudness.

Even with the issue of loudness coming from the stage, the "fans were very happy." Even though the overall feeling of satisfaction was present, there were some mixed reactions in regards to the big concert's location. Instead of having the event at the Jacob Javits Center, it took place at the Knitting Factory. "I understand the want to have everything in one building, but we can't do large scale concerts inside the Javits, so for both the New York Anime Festival and New York Comic Con going forward, if it's big and musical, it will be in a different venue." Understandable.

Another related event that fans had some reactions to was the appearance of Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, who was the Guest of Honor. "Morimoto was standing room only. Prior to the show, some blogs were confused as to why Morimoto was at the show." I also asked Peter in a Pre-Anime Festival interview about that too, so I could understand the confusion. "The answer's because he's awesome. His events were all packed, and the Chef was thrilled. He's never been to an anime convention and had no clue his fanbase included anime fans."

Another event that had a large fan base, which included fan participation, is the Lucky Star Dance contest. There was "about a half dozen complete entries." The winners of the contest were announced a few weeks before the show." Yes, they did get prizes and goodies for being the victors! "They won tickets to the con as well as a nice selection of DVDs and swag from Bandai."

Not only was there a dance contest, but there was competition in the cosplay realm: World Cosplay Summit Masquerade. The parade of colors and creativity of magnificently display of costumes. "The World Cosplay Summit, WCS, was a blast. We've got some of the best cosplayers in America coming to NYAF. Looking to ages, we had a few youth entrants (who weren't in the running for the WCS) and twenty five teams that ranged from 18 to 40 who were aiming to win the tickets to Japan." So did Peter have a favorite? "I know a lot of the cosplayers participating and am good friends with a few, but I can't have a favorite. I support everyone entering the competition." The victor of the competition, Team USA, was crowned at the end of the night, whose names are India Davis and Becky Licata. Team USA will be going to Japan in the summer of 2009 to represent the USA. "They've already done a few interviews and are actively blogging at newyorkanimefestival.com."

Another fan related issue was room changes. On Sunday there were Lolita events, but the original rooms were changed the last minute. I did not even realize this change until I went looking for the event room. It was not just me that got confused it was both fans and some of the volunteers. So I had to ask Peter why were the changes done last minute? Peter said "On Sunday, we swapped the rooms the Lolita events were in. We moved the Baby, The Stars Shine Bright fashion show into our biggest room in anticipation of larger crowds." Do not worry Peter. Even with the confusion of room changes, the volunteers were able to guide many others and I in the right direction.

Now Peter is an anime and manga fan himself and has certain people he looks up to. Peter met his childhood heros Hideyuki Kikuchi and Yoshitaka Amano shortly before Opening Ceremonies of the festival. "I was nervous at first, simply because both men are hugely important and I didn't want to goof it up, but things went very well, and some great bonds were made. We're keeping in touch, and I hope to be able to bring them back to NYC again." Good job Peter!

So with all the events going on both inside and outside of the Jacobs Javits Center, did he have time to attend any? Peter attended as many as he could. The New York Anime Festival had many events happening at night. As a result, Peter had to pick and choose which ones he should go to. "I made damn sure, though, I was running Hideyuki Kikuchi's Birthday Dinner."

Making sure he would be at the birthday celebration, it became his most memorable moment of NYAF 2008. "It was fantastic -- completely and utterly fantastic." Kikuchi's Birthday Dinner was held at Jekyll and Hyde Club in midtown. "Jekyll and Hyde is a horror-themed Chuck E. Cheese's and I knew it would either be a big hit or a complete failure. Kikuchi-san ate it up as did all the attendees. It couldn't have gone better."

Even though the excitement is over, would Peter relive the moment of NYAF 2008 again? "I'd very much like to be able to go back and attend the con. I'd like to be able to sit through Kikuchi's panel, Morimoto's panel, Amano's panel, and Tanaka's panel. I'd like to be able to watch the entire Masquerade, listen to the Far East To East Showcase, and enjoy the After Party. There's a lot of fun stuff I don't get to take in that I'd love to be able to go back to."

Thanks again Peter! Thank you for the pictures Peter!
If you want to learn more about the New York Anime Festival please visit http://www.nyanimefestival.com/
© 2008 Linda Thai

Legal Times: Old and New, 20th Century Fox Warner Brothers and Watchmen

Introduction to Legal Times: Old and New

Fox wins Warner Lose over Watchmen. A Judge Gary A. Feess said that Fox "owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the Watchmen motion picture." I guess the battle will continue...Read the updated articles to know what is up.

01/13/09-According to my latest find "Warner Bros. and Fox are "close" to reaching a settlement regarding the "Watchmen" lawsuit, according to those familiar with the dealmaking."

~BTW there are links to original documents related to the case.~

Studio War Involving ‘Watchmen’ Heats Up By Michael Cieply New York Times Published: August 29, 2008

Fox and Warner's 'Watchmen' Feud Escalates No Signs of a Deal Yet ICv2 Published: 09/02/2008, Last Updated: 09/03/2008 11:00pm

QUICK TAKES Los Angeles Times December 16, 2008

'Watchmen' Still in Judicial Limbo Judge Passes on Pre-Trial Ruling ICv2 Published: 12/16/2008, Last Updated: 12/17/2008 01:49am

'Watchmen' Judge Rules in Fox's Favor March Release in Jeopardy ICv2 Published: 12/27/2008, Last Updated: 12/29/2008 01:53pm

Updated on 12/30/08 with other articles

Warner Vows to Release 'Watchmen' Fox to Fight ICv2 Published: 12/30/2008 12:25am

Updated on 01/12/09 with other articles

Watchmen Lawsuit Original Documents By Jeff Trexler, uncivilsociety.org, August 19, 2008 1:07 AM

Judge To Decide Watchmen’s Fate On January 20th ICv2 Published: 01/07/2009, Last Updated: 01/08/2009 01:34am

UPDATED: Fox Officially Responds To Open Letter From 'Watchmen' Producer By Nikki Finke, Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily, Jan 8th, 2009 at 10:53PM

'Watchmen' Settlement Talks 'Productive' Lawyers Want Hearing Delayed ICv2 Published: 01/09/2009 01:43pm

'WATCHMEN' WATCH UPDATE: Settlement Talks "Productive"! Fox Responds To Pic's Producer; Another Court Decision Today (...And Shut Up, Larry) By Nikki Finke, Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily, Jan 9th, 2009 at 04:57AM

Updated on 01/13/09 with other articles

Fox, Warners 'close' to 'Watchmen' settlement Companies met Monday to discuss possible deal By Borys Kit, www.hollywoodreporter.com, Jan 12, 2009, 10:03 PM ET

'Watchmen' Settlement Close TV Ad Campaign Underway ICv2 Published: 01/12/2009 10:29pm

Updated on 01/22/09 with other articles

Watchmen Case Settled Request for Dismissal Friday ICv2 Published: 01/15/2009, Last Updated: 01/16/2009 12:59am

Legal Times: Old and New, Dwight Whorley Anime Obscenity Charges

Introduction to Legal Times: Old and New

From what I can understand this is a child pornography case related to anime, but also including items with real children. It is a case that started a while back under the child PROTECT law of 2003. Read the United States Attorney's Office Press Releases, because it provides a better understanding of the case.

Anime Conviction Upheld Under PROTECT Act ICv2 Published: 12/22/2008 01:31am

Update on 12/23/08 with other articles

United States Attorney's Office Eastern District of Virginia Alexandria - Richmond - Newport News - Norfolk March 2005 Press Release Archives (Look at 12/01/05)
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae/Pressreleases/2005/1205.html

RICHMOND MAN FIRST CONVICTED UNDER EXPANDED CHILD-PORN LAW By Tom Campbell, Richmond Times - Dispatch, Dec 2, 2005

Protecting Our Children: Virginia Man Sentenced in Landmark Obscenity Case Federal Bureau of Investigation 03/10/06

United States Attorney's Office Eastern District of Virginia Alexandria - Richmond - Newport News - Norfolk March 2006 Press Release Archives (Look at 3/10/2006)
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae/Pressreleases/2006/0306.html

Man sentenced to 20 years in child-porn case By Tam Campbell, Richmond Times - Dispatch, Mar 11, 2006

Child porn cartoon conviction upheld in Va. By Larry O'Dell, Associated Press Writer, Yahoo News Fri Dec 19, 2008 7:01 pm ET

Child porn cartoon conviction upheld By the Associated Press, Chicago Tribune December 19, 2008


Updated with articles on May 21, 2009

Down the Slippery Slope - The Crime of Viewing Manga Comi Press, 2009, Lawrence A. Stanley

Legal Times: Old and New, Upper Deck Konami and YuGiOh

Introduction to Legal Times: Old and New

I guess the best way to summarize what is going on so far is that Konami said they will have complete take over of the YuGiOh Trading Card Game. Upper Deck is the distributor and is not happy with that announcement from Konami. It is an on going situation so most likely more news to come.

Open Letter from Upper Deck International

Konami Takes over 'YGO TCG' Upper Deck Files Suit ICv2 Published: 12/12/2008 12:00am

YGO OP ‘In a Transitional Period’ To Resume in New YearICv2 Published: 12/15/2008 12:00am

Upper Deck Plans to Continue YGO OP Including WebsiteICv2 Published: 12/18/2008 12:00am

Upper Deck/Konami Feud Spreads to Europe U.D. Files for Injunctions ICv2 Published: 12/23/2008 08:29pm

Updated on 12/29/08 with another article

Dutch Court Sides With Upper Deck
Overrules 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' Termination ICv2 Published: 12/25/2008, Last Updated: 12/29/2008 02:32am

Updated on 12/30/08 with other articles

Upper Deck Gets Favorable U.S. Ruling Konami Injunction Denied Published: 12/30/2008 12:00am

Updated on 01/15/09 with other articles

Konami Press Release December 11, 2008

Konami Open Letter to Yu‐Gi‐Oh! TRADING CARD GAME Duelists December 15, 2008

No 'Yu-Gi-Oh! Champion Packs' Konami Won't Fill OrdersICv2 Published: 01/14/2009, Last Updated: 01/13/2009 09:59pm

Konami Responds on 'YGO TCG' 'We Are the Only Distributor'ICv2 Published: 01/14/2009, Last Updated: 01/15/2009 02:17am

Updated on 01/22/09 with other articles

Konami to Release 'Yu-Gi-Oh! Crimson Crisis' Sneak Peaks at Hobby Stores ICv2 Published: 01/21/2009, Last Updated: 01/22/2009 04:22am

Updated on 03/02/09 with other articles

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. Wins Preliminary Injunction Against The Upper Deck Company

Updated on 04/15/09 with other articles

Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. Prevails in Appeal Proceedings against Upper Deck International

Updated on 01/13/10 with other articles

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc Prevails in Lawsuit Against Upper Deck

Updated on 02/3/10 with other articles

Upper Deck Forced to Settle with Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.

Post NYAF 2008 with Adam Sheehan

Check out my Pre-Anime Festival with FUNimation.

I present to you Adam Sheehan the Senior Events Manager and Brand Manager for FUNimation Entertainment. I spoke to him before the festival about his work there and what he hopes to happen. Let’s see if anything he expected and did not expect came true.

New York Anime Festival 2008 is over. So what were his overall impressions? “It was a great show that’s growth impresses us once again.” According to Adam, FUNimation’s presence was “even better than last year.” They had some huge events related to Claymore, Ouran High School Host Club, and Darker Than Black and “all were great successes.” They will definitely be back for NYAF 2009.

Since Adam has been to both 2007 and 2008 NYAF, I wanted to know what were the differences and similarities of FUNimation’s presentation and the festival itself. “For both shows we kept the similar push for key shows releasing around that time.” At the NYAF 2007 FUNimation was promoting their One Piece release, but for 2008 NYAF they were promoting Claymore and Darker Than Black. When it came to shopping ease, their booth set-up became a “lot more shopper friendly with some key new elements purchased earlier in the year.” The change in presentation and keeping the similarities was an important contribution to FUNimation’s presence. “The importance of keeping a similar booth plan but tweaking a few items helps greatly since the fans will have some idea of what to expect but at the same time will always be able to find something new.” In regards to comparing and contrasting the festival for 2007 and 2008, the difference Adam saw was the size of the event. Comparing to last year the attendees were much “more excited.” Both festivals “ran well,” so that “didn’t need to change.”

Back to NYAF 2008. Adam arrived the day before the show began at around noon. When he reached the the floor of the exhibition hall his first thought was : “there is a lot to do.” (^_^) So why did he think this? “When we first arrive the booth is just a black spot on the floor with a big crate next to it.” The emptiness must be filled with the presence of FUNimation power!
So it was time to fill up the emptiness. After the set up it was time for the show. On Friday, it was a “steadily” start, but it “picked up a lot near the end.” On Saturday, it was “insanely busy from beginning to end.” I guess there was no bathroom break… The last day, it “was very full with fans who were trying to catch everything they missed in the last two days.” Lucky for Adam, he did not leave New York City until Monday morning, so he had time to rest. “I wasn’t as tired as I could have been.”
Last time we spoke, Adam said he was overseeing a couple of panels. So, how did they go? According to Adam, “all of our panels went very well and were well attended.” There was a “really strong” fan reaction to their Darker Than Black premier and the panel. Many of the fans that have seen a subtitled version of the show gave a positive reaction. They “loved it even more with the English language track.”

I remember him being worried about the weather in NYC. So I had to ask was too cold for you? This is what he said “(laughing out loud) I was more worried for my girlfriend since she’s from Vegas and doesn’t do well with the cold. I love it since I’m originally from the east coast. Show wise the weather didn’t affect anything luckily.”

Ok remember Adam mention big surprises. Boy was I surprised! My biggest surprise was the nice sword they were displaying. I didn’t think it was gonna be that huge! According to Adam, “we are big fans of the Claymore sword as well. We had to make it so big to watch the size of the series.” There were two big FUNimation announcements during the festival. One announcement was about the acquirement of the live Action Mushi shi movie. Another announcement was that FUNimation would be bringing Ouran High School Host Club to the FUNimation Channel. “The fans were very happy with both announcements and were asking for more details as soon as we have them.”
With all the surprises, process and presence of FUNimation he was focused on, he really did not have time to attend non-FUNimation events and activities. “I barely have time to manage all the FUNimation activates and the booth so usually I never get a chance to see anything else the show has to offer.” From different fans that had attended some of the events they “seemed very happy.”

Even though his priority was FUNimation, did he want anything at the festival that was not there? “(☺) Not really, it’s a great show that is sure to keep growing each year and we are happy to be part of that growth.” The attendance for the festival was met. “They managed to get more people this year which allows us to do more things at the show.”

For Adam, the most memorable moment at the festival was the Darker Than Black event. “We had a whole viral campaign with different characters from the show interacting with fans at the show and it was great to see this all come together and the fans excitement of being part of it.” He would “absolutely” relive the moment of the festival, because “it was a great show.”

Adam’s final words: “Just that everyone should stay close to FUNimation.com or where ever they get there anime new from for new and exciting developments in the near future.”

Thank you Adam for helping me out again! If you want to learn more about FUNimation Entertainment please visit www.FUNimation.com
Photograph of the FUNimation Entertainment NYAF 2008 Booth by Linda Thai.
© 2008 Linda Thai

Introduction to Legal Times: Old and New

Hello Everyone,

Lately, I been hearing about different cases, legal cases, related to the world of anime and manga. Since my blog is to educate others that anime, manga and comics is not just what you read and watch, I decided to create a post type call "Legal Times: Old and New." I will be using the skills I learned from library school to research for articles related to a case, both past and present, and posting up the links. If I find any new links or articles, I will be updating that same post about the case. So it is one post one case. These postings will only be resources of information and I am no way what so ever a legal expert.

© 2008 Linda Thai

Post NYAF 2008 with Ali T. Kokmen

Sorry for the long delay everyone, but schoolwork comes first and could not update until my professor reviewed my online assignment. (^_^) Now I am back with other Post New York Anime Festival interviews. The first of these interviews is Ali T Kokmen, the Manga Marketing Manager of Del Rey Manga.
This is my second interview with Ali, but I will tell you about his duties based off my first interview. As reflected in his position title, his responsibilities are the related to the marketing activities in the realm of the manga and graphic novels. “Once a project is acquired and scheduled, I work to let everyone know about that project—not only individual readers, but also (and, in some ways, primarily) the book stores, comic stores, schools, and libraries that carry our books, and my colleagues in the company that specialize in working with those various customers.” That’s a lot of promoting he has to do just to get the book out there. As the marketing manager his other activities are “meetings with editorial and publicist and sales colleagues. But the overarching responsibility is always to the book, to do best by it and its creators, to ensure it garners everything it deserves.” So, there is a lot more to being a Marketing Manager then what the title implies. Along with these duties he has job also involves “looking after advertisements, trade sale prices and convention and trade show attendance.”

Speaking of conventions Ali was at the 2008 New York Anime Festival. The man “absolutely” enjoyed the event. He felt that it has been a while for New York to have such an event dedicated to anime and manga. “It’s just great to see how the show has grown and evolved to fill that need.” Hell yeah boy!

When it came to his duties at the convention, he had to make sure that everything was going smoothly so that all of the plans Del Rey Manga had for the festival would go well. According to Ali, “most obviously, that means making sure that our booth set up in the exhibitor hall is taken care of, but it’s also making sure we’re ready for the panel events we’re participating in, or that the objectives for our attending editors and publicists are addresses as well.”

It was not only to tend the Del Rey Manga’s booth in the exhibition hall, but Ali participated in a panel. The panel Ali participated in was The State of the Manga Industry. “I was asked to participate in a state of the manga industry panel along with staffers from Yen Press and Dark Horse Comics.” The way the panel worked out was that the moderator of the panel gave the panelists “a set of questions beforehand so that we could get a general sense of the subject areas he wanted to cover.”

According to Ali,

“The general theme of the State of the Manga Industry panel was just that: a discussion of where the business of manga is right now. I don’t think there were any bad moments. Fans who attend these sorts of industry panels—the kind that speak more to the underlying business of our industry—tend to be a little more serious, studious, and inquisitive. They’re genuinely interested in the behind-the-scenes realities of working in our business. I think all of the panelists were mindful enough to recognize that. Plus, I think that we were able to demonstrate the general collegiality that still underlies our business. We may work at different publishers, but we’re all fans of each other and of each other’s work. Plus, the audience laughed at my jokes, so that’s always good.”

With a list of agenda, Del Rey Manga was lucky to have a staff based in New York, which helped meet staffing needs of Del Rey Manga’s festival presence. “However, the one main difference between 2007 and 2008 was that Del Rey Manga Associate Publisher Dallas Middaugh was unavailable to attend the show this year.” He got married not too long ago and went on his honeymoon with his lovely spouse. “I know Dallas feels bad for missing the show, but I think we can all forgive him this time!”

Even though the 2008 festival opened on Friday afternoon, Ali arrived with some of his colleagues to setup Del Rey Manga’s booth and presence on Thursday morning. Early set up means good preparation for the festival. His initial reaction is like more or less the same in a situation like this. “Whenever I first arrive as a show site: a tremendous rush of adrenaline as you enter the raw space; the worry that you’re not going to be able to complete your set up before the show opens; the scramble to find your materials, solve problems on the fly, and get ready to present yourself and your company well.” In another words, “it’s heady, exhilarating, and terrifying, all in equal measure, and that’s how it goes for every show.”

So with the nerves and plans in mind, they had a schedule to follow and hopefully sleep.
In Ali’s case, he arrives roughly half an hour to an hour before the opening of the festival on each day of the event. At the end of each day, he leaves around the time of closing of the festival. So lucky him, since he does not have that many evening appointments, whether it be a dinner engagement or late night meetings, the man was able to get some sleep in one’s own bed. The last day of the show is slightly different. When it came to Sunday, Ali and his colleagues stayed roughly an hour after closing to dismantle the Del Rey Manga booth and organized and prep all their materials for return shipment. “Setting up and breaking down shows can be the most stressful parts of the process, but the nice thing is that the Del Rey Manga Manga team has worked together for so long and for so many shows that we’re really, really good at those parts.” Experience man, experience. It takes time to learn and understand the process. Dey Rel got it good.
Along with their staff and NYAF team, there is another group involved in the NYAF. The group I am talking about is the fans and those who attend the festival. Del Rey Manga had promotional items to give away to the fans, such as their “famous Fairy Tail snap bracelets.” They celebrated their publication, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney manga, with “foam rubber gavels, which were a hit with fans.” Along with that celebration, they also celebrated their “upcoming Bakugan books by displaying some of the many, many Bakugan toys on the market.” So what is Bakugan? “Bakugan, as you know, is wildly popular, but it wildly popular among a slightly younger group than the typical shojo/shonen reader, so it was a lot of fun to have something for that younger crowd too.”

Since Ali attended both 2007 and 2008 NYAF, I wanted to know were there any differences or similarities between the two festivals. In regards to NYAF 2007, which was the first ever New York Anime Festival, it was a “excellent experience.” Since Del Rey Manga’s first particiation, they have been communicating with the NYAF staff about their plans for the next festival. Del Rey Manga was “very impressed” with the dedication of those part of the New York Anime Festival team, which was to make it “a premiere event” in the world of anime and manga. “All our thoughts were positive. We have a great relationship with NYAF and with Reed Exhibitions (NYAF’s parent company,) so we had no trepidation about working with them for 2008.” A working relationship is good and can help make things go smoothly and successfully.

Next is comparing 2007 and 2008 NYAF and there were some similarities and difference in Del Rey Manga’s participation. At NYAF 2007, the editor of FAUST Katsushi Ota was in attendance, but at NYAF 2008 there were no Japanese guests. This is the “chief difference between the two year’s activities.” According to Ali, with any show that Del Rey Manga participates in, “we structure our activities and expectations around what books we have to promote and what assets we have to promote those books; those obviously change from year to year.”

Even though there were differences and similarities there was a “core goal” at the 2007 and 208 NYAF. According to Ali, it was “to present ourselves to the fans who support us, to tell them about what we have coming up, and to listen to what gets them excited.” So, how did Ali feel about Del Rey Manga’s presentation this year? “I think we did great! As I said above, Del Rey Manga has a great team, and I think we really shined at NYAF 2008. “

So with the similarities and differences was there anything that Ali might have wanted for NYAF 2008 that the festival did not have? “Well, the maid café isn’t exactly my thing, but being an egalitarian fellow, I sympathize with those who complained that there were no butlers. But maybe for 2009!” The funny thing is there was one butler, who I happen to know ;) Let’s save the person the embarrassment.

Was there a memorable moment at the festival for Ali? Yeah there was. Even though he was busy being a Del Rey Manga staff, he was able to get Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s autograph. “I couldn’t make it to his panel, but I was able to get away long enough to get him to sign a copy of his book. That was a thrill.” Now that is a fan! Along with the achievement of the autograph, it was his brief participation in a podcast with the team from Japanator, which Ali thought “was pretty cool.”

Along with his fandom moments, Ali was “impressed with attendance” of the 2008 NYAF. Even with the first day of the festival, which was rainy, the attendance “just proves how NYAF has already evolved into a must-attend event.” Go us fans!!! Ali also said, “I understand that NYAF saw a substantial attendance increase overall from 2007 to 2008, which is gratifying to hear.”

With all the excitement done and lived through would Ali relive the moment? “Of course, but any convention is an intrinsically ephemeral event. It lasts for how long it lasts and then it’s over, and then you have to plan for the next one. That’s just the nature of things.

Ali’s final words: “If all goes to plan 2009 will be another great year for both NYAF and Del Rey Manga Manga. Stay tuned!” We will be on the look out for Del Rey Manga in 2009!

Thank you Ali T. Kokmen for participating in the interview and the logo!!!
For more information about Dey Rey Manga please visit http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/manga/index.pperl
Photograph of the Del Rey Manga NYAF 2008 Booth by Linda Thai.
© 2008 Linda Thai

Student Project: Preservation of Manga

Disclaimer: Because this is my student project, which is required to be online, please seek a professional on preservation of manga. You can read this just for fun.

This project only focuses on preserving the physical manga as is. No discussion of rebinding or digitization will occur. Those are separate issues to deal with.

~What is manga?


Manga in Japanese means comics and whimsical pictures. In America the word was adopted to represent graphic novels or comics from Japan. Manga is a licensed product from Japan. A Japanese publisher, licensor, has granted permission for a US publisher, licensee, to do something with the manga such as translate it in English, usually in exchange for some amount of money. The manga, in a graphic novel format, are compilations of chapters or segments of a story in either a single or multi volume series.

~Why should we preserve it?

Personal value- Manga fans read manga for leisure and entertainment. Some collect the manga for the artwork it contains. Others use the manga as reference tools to draw characters with similar style. Not only are they for leisurely reading, but they have been recently used for academic purposes, such as teaching a science class using manga.

Corporate value- Manga is a licensed product from Japan granted to a US Manga publisher. The existence of the English-language version produced by the US Manga publisher could be used as a record of the existence of manga in the US. This overseas license and production of the Japanese product can prove that manga has been accepted into the US market. Manga titles are licensed materials from Japan. Once the license for a manga title is over, if the original licensee does not renew the license, the English version of that manga title from that licensee will be out of print and will not exist anymore. Even if another publisher decides to obtain the license of that manga title, it may not be the exact same English version. It may be a different version altogether.

Library value- Believe it or not, manga, like United States produced comics and graphic novels, promote reading, literacy and can be used as a teaching tool. If a library wants to get people to read and learn, manga should be added and kept in their collection. Because people read and learn from manga, the usage and check out of manga could increase the circulation stats of the library.

~Examples of library value:

~Mahon Library-
According to the Spring 2008 article In Texas Library Journal by Robert G. Weinerm, who is a reference librarian at the library, due to their graphic novel collection there was an increase in circulation. Weinerm, the self proclaimed "zeal of a fan boy," place similar items together in one area. He separated the collection by publishers and then by the publishers respective characters, such as Batman for DC Comics and X-Men for Marvel. "We put them with the graphic novels; and after they were moved, circulation of the Batman, Superman, Spider-man, etc. prose novels improved...We found that the circulation did indeed go up on all levels."

Weiner, Robert G. "One Library's Solution to the Cataloging Problem." Texas Library Journal 84.1 (Spring2008 2008): 8-16. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. EBSCO. Simmons Library, Boston, MA. 9 Nov. 2008 .

~Talcott Public Library-
According to their website, Graphic Novels for Young Adults: A New Collection at the Talcott Public Library, the library has a new approach to get teenagers to use their library. What the library is proposing is that they will be "reinvigorating" the young adult collection with a new collection that will catch the attention of the young patrons. The new collection, which will consist of graphic novels and manga, could be used as a promotional tool the other teen resources. As a result, it will increase young adult patronship and circulation in the library.

In regards to preserving the materials, according to the site: ""Items will be removed from the collection if they no longer meet the needs of the community, either by currency, physical appearance or use" (Talcott Public Library Collection Development Policy)." Even though this policy exists, this does not stop the library from trying to fight "the natural decomposition process" of graphic novels. If available, one way to fight this from happening is by ordering hardcover version of graphic novels. Another is the "BeeWee Bound books which are specially rebound to withstand the wear-and-tear of children and young adults." This is to "prolong the life of the materials."

"The goal of the new Young Adult Graphic Novel collection is to meet the needs of the patrons of the Talcott Public Library. This means that the collection will reflect the needs of those patrons, items will be repaired until they are no longer useful because of damage then they will be removed."

~Roncalli Primary School and Roncalli Elementary School-
According to the article "Graphic Novels in the School Library to Help Promote Literacy for Boys" in PNLA QUARTERLY Summer 2005 by Sandy Andera, who is a librarian for the Primary and elementary schools, the comic books in thier collection were old and in poor condition. Because of the condition of the comics, she went into book stores and public library for current titles of the worn out comics. She discovered the graphic novels for the comics, but was I was questioning the "importance to the library." After conducting research on graphic novels, she "found that graphic novels help promote literacy while also encouraging the reluctant reader...By adding graphic novels to my collection, I was hoping that circulation by boys would increase."

To advertise the graphic novel collect and to "get the boys to read more books," she promoted "two or three different genres each month," such as humor, horror and sports. After having the graphic novels on a "special shelf" and having a "book talk" on the promoted genre, there was a fast circulation of graphic novels. As a result, "the graphic novels were so popular that at the end of the school year, there were still many circulation holds on them."

To protect the books from damage, if available, she purchased hardcover version of graphic novels and more than one copy. Unfortunately, soft cover version can not withstand the handling of patrons. "I have had to mend/glue/tape them a few times."

Andera, Sandy. "Graphic Novels in the School Library to Help Promote Literacy for Boys." PNLA Quarterly 71.4 (Summer2007 2007): 5-8. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. EBSCO. Simmons Library, Boston, MA. 9 Dec. 2008 .

~Cleveland Public Library-
According to Rollie Welch, a year after ordering their first manga collection, the library has an "active anime mania club." This club meets biweekly and had an anime film festival that was attended by more than 100 teens in one day at the library. The manga was quickly circulated and an estimate of twelve titles were checked out each time.

After presenting information about and the teen sensation towards graphic novels and manga to the serials committee, Welch "was given the directive by the committee to begin a collection that would be archived, so that future generations could visit CPL and view a sampling of twenty-first-century pop culture...With the archive project, we have the beginnings of a graphic novel collection that will stand the test of time and truly represent a fascinating (and oft neglected) segment of current pop culture."

Welch, Rollie, and Julianne Brown.. "Y Archive?." Young Adult Library Services 3.4 (Summer2005 2005): 22-26. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. EBSCO. Simmons Library, Boston, MA. 9 Dec. 2008 .

~The components of the manga:



text block, back and front cover, glue and any additional items on the manga, that may not be part of the actual book.

~Acidic or Not Acidic that is the question

To figure out if the manga is made from acidic materials, such as recycle paper, use a pH Pen as the testing tool. This is the cheapest way to test out the manga. Take the pen and make a small mark, usually in the middle of manga, on a page near the inner margin. If the mark turns: yellow = acidic = poor quality, purple = non-acidic = good quality.

~How could manga be damaged?



The purpose of manga is also what causes the damage. Manga is meant to be viewed for purposes such as reading and reference. The problem is how we view it. We do not simply open the book, but we open the book enough for us to view it. Manga can be further damaged by mishandling, improper storage areas and storing and poor preservation techniques.

Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 2 Handling
Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 3 Storage Area
Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 4 Protection, Dark Horse Comics Archiving and Thank You's

© 2008 Linda Thai

Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 2

Disclaimer: Because this is my student project, which is required to be online, please seek a professional on preservation of manga. You can read this just for fun and check back for updates on this project.

This project only focuses on preserving the physical manga as is. No discussion of rebinding or digitization will occur. Those are separate issues to deal with.

Manga handling

~Placing manga in a bookshelf or book truck



Since it is made out of acidic material, which is cheaply made, you should carefully place the manga in the shelves without shoving the manga in between other manga or books. If you aggressively put the manga into a bookshelf, it will damage the cover of the manga by bending it or removing of the exterior of it. This handling could also damage the exterior of neighboring manga and books.



You should make a space wide enough to place the manga in the bookshelf. Between manga and books.

~Removing manga from a book shelf or book truck

Even though manga does not have a head cap like hard cover books, you should not aggressively pull the book out. Since manga is already made out of acidic material and cheap glue, just grabbing it out of the book shelve can further damage the exterior of the book such as the coloring of the cover. This could also damage the exterior of neighboring manga or books.





You should push the neighboring books and manga slightly in enough so you can carefully pull out the manga.

~Shelving Manga

Manga should not be placed on the opening side. The weight of the spine will damage the pages of the manga and the pages are not strong enough to hole up the book. You should not place the manga on its spine, because the weight and the open side of the paper glued to the spine can further weaken the spine and possibly the strength of glue.



Manga should be placed in an upright position.

~Viewing manga or opening it



No matter what the reason is for opening the manga, how to view or open the manga is an issue that will probably be difficult to deal with.



Unless you can look at the contents of the manga without completely opening it, you will end up damaging the spine of manga. If you see cracks along the spine of the manga, you know the spine is damage.

Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 1 Introduction
Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 3 Storage Area
Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 4 Protection, Dark Horse Comics Archiving and Thank You's

© 2008 Linda Thai

Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 3

Disclaimer: Because this is my student project, which is required to be online, please seek a professional on preservation of manga. You can read this just for fun and check back for updates on this project.

This project only focuses on preserving the physical manga as is. No discussion of rebinding or digitization will occur. Those are separate issues to deal with.

Manga Storage Area

~Keep the storage area and manga clean



Manga, like anything that stands still for a long time untouched, should be dusted. If the manga needs further cleaning, before and after storage, like removal of dirt, you should consult a professional who has the proper training in cleaning books. Keeping the storage area clean also prevents and keeps rodents away that could eat away the manga.

~Maintain the storage area of manga



Make sure all operating facilities, such as pipes, are in good condition and properly working. Make sure the environment is free from water, molding and rodents. Bad facilities and storage areas can further damage the manga, like making them wet and you would have to dry them out.

~Keep manga protect and shield it from sunlight



Ultraviolet rays from the sun can harm and damage the manga, such as changing the color of pages from white to yellow. This causes the breakdown of manga pages, which will cause it to brittle and crack. To protect the manga from the sun one can cover the windows with curtains and place books in areas where the sun will not touch them.

~Regulate the temperature and humidity where manga are stored



If they are not regulated, high temperature and humidity will increase the speed of deterioration of the manga. As a result, the manga will worsen in quality, value and strength. The proper temperature and relative humidity for manga is probably the same as for any other paper based material, such as paperbacks.

~Keep manga from drying up and high humid conditions

Depending on how old the manga is, when a manga dries up the pages or text block falls out and become separated from the cover. When the humidity becomes high, the increase in heat will cause mold to develop, which can danger both manga by eating it away and causing people to become sick. If mold exist, the manga should be carefully isolated from people and everything else, including other manga by a professional. If you have the money have it placed in a special storage freezer. For the time being, wear gloves and a protective mask when handling the infected manga and place it in an airtight plastic.

Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 1 Introduction
Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 2 Handling
Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 4 Protection, Dark Horse Comics Archiving and Thank You's

© 2008 Linda Thai

Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 4

Disclaimer: Because this is my student project, which is required to be online, please seek a professional on preservation of manga. You can read this just for fun and check back for updates on this project.

This project only focuses on preserving the physical manga as is. No discussion of rebinding or digitization will occur. Those are separate issues to deal with.

Protecting from
Damage or Further Damage

~(Follow the suggestions about Manga storage)

~Manga should be placed in phase boxes





If manga has lose pages, keep the lose pages in page number order inside the manga. Do not separate them. Then place the manga with its lose pages together in a phase box. If a manga does not have lose pages, it should still be placed in a phase box. You can either buy phase boxes that fit the size of the manga or you can make one yourself. You have to first measure all sides of the manga, including length and width of each side. Then buy non-acidic glue, cardboard and tape. Cut the board up to fit the size of each side; expect the spine, but enough that it will not suffocate the manga when placing it in the phase box. Take the tape and tape up the cardboard together that corresponds to each side of the manga to create a phase box. When taping up the cardboard, remember that the spine is the open end of the phase box. The manga spine should be the only visible part of the manga when placed in the phase box.

~Manga should be placed in upright position

As if it was placed by itself in a bookshelf, the manga in the phase box should be placed upright.

~Manga should be placed in non-acidic bookcases or shelves



Since the manga is already acidic from birth, place them in bookshelves, possibly aluminum, that will not further damage the manga and the phase box.

~Saving your place in a manga

Do not fold the pages of a manga to keep your reading place. Since manga is already acidic, folding the pages of a manga will further weakening the strength of the page. You should use a non-acidic bookmark to keep your reading place. No metal bookmarks!

~Do not stuff the manga

Placing a bunch of items in the manga, whether it is paper based or not, will weaken the spine of the manga. It places the spine under a certain amount of stress, which will weaken the strength of the glue. As a result, pages of the manga will fall out.

~Food and manga = bad combination

You should not be eating food or drinking while reading manga, because if the food or drink spills on the manga, it damages the manga and its contents. Food can also attract insects and rodents. Keep unwanted pests away from manga.

~Manga that is wet



Do not get the manga wet. If the manga becomes wet, the pages will change in shape and possibly the content will be removed due to water. Dry out the manga by having it in a fan like open position and stick paper towels in between the pages to sponge up the water. Change to a new dry paper towel to prevent further water damage. Also have a fan in front of the manga to dry it out, but keep the fan setting low enough to dry it out with out damaging the pages. No sun drying! No hair dryer or blow dryer!

~Manga that smells

Manga that smells is due to the acid base materials it is made from. Unfortunately, you will not be able to get the actual smell out of the manga. Once it stinks it will continue stinking.

~De-acidification of manga

Although manga can be replaced, which is cheaper than getting a preservationist or specialist, if manga is to one day not exist or be limited in existence, de-acidification maybe the thing to help preserve manga. If you have the money consult a specialist or professional about de-acidifying the acid manga.

Dark Horse Comics and Archiving

I thought this is pretty cool so I decided to add links to a few articles about Dark Horse Comics, Inc. founder and president Mike Richardson and executive vice president Neil Hankerson donating their comics to the Portland State University Archives. Below are a few articles, but I will see if I can dig up more to share with you guys.

Dark Horse Press Release
Dark Horse Comics collection celebration on October 16 video
Dark Horse Comics collection celebration coverage
Dark Horse Comics, Inc., Donates Complete Collection to Portland State University Library by Office of University Communications, Portland State News September 17, 2008
Dark Horse Donates Complete Collection To Portland State University by IcV2 September 19, 2008
Portland State Library Celebrates Donation of Dark Horse Comic Collection, Oct. 16 by Office of University Communications, Portland State News September 24, 2008
Pow! Zowie! Comics in the library by J. David Santen, Jr., Portland State News September 25, 2008
The Country's First Comic-Book Archive, Courtesy of Portland State and Dark Horse by Matthew Perpetua, New York Magazine September 30, 2008
Comics 101: This month Portland State University and Dark Horse Comics open the country's first comic book archive by Kristen Hall-Geisler, Portland Monthly Magazine October 2005
Downtown: Dark Horse Comics finds home at PSU by Jessica Machado, special to The Oregonian Thursday October 02, 2008
Portland State gets a whole lot of Dark Horse by Kristi Turnquist, The Oregonian Wednesday October 15, 2008
Dark Horse, ' Doctor Who' and 'Heroes' in Everyday Hero headlines by Geoff Boucher, Los Angeles Times October 23, 2008
Every Dark Horse comic avaliable at Portland State University by Aaron Humphrey, Publishers Weekly The Beat blog October 23, 2008

Acknowledgments and Thank You's

Sites I used for my project, but they are not manga preservation sources:

http://www.biblio.com/unbound/2008/6/preservation.html
http://www.library.northwestern.edu/preservation/chlm/
http://www.loc.gov/preserv/care/books.html

Thank you Brooklyn College Archive and Special Collections for letting me burrow their facilities for this project.

Thank you Slava Polishchuck from Brooklyn College Archive and Special Collections for teaching me and helping me with this project.

Thank you Mike Gombos from Dark Horse Comics, John Fuller from Kinokuniya Bookstore, Ali Kokmen from Del Rey Manga and Kensuke Okabayashi author of Manga for Dummies for helping me out with the manga part of this project.

Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 1 Introduction
Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 2 Handling
Student Project: Preservation of Manga Part 3 Storage Area

© 2008 Linda Thai