vintageshoujopubwatch

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Late 2024, I did email Udon asking if this release was postponed or cancelled, and the rep I spoke with said they were still working on it, so fingers crossed!

New Release

Title: The Rose of Versailles Episodes, Vol 1 by Riyoko Ikeda Format: Manga Release Date: Originally Dec 31st, 2024, Delayed to ???

Udon Entertainment is continuing their English release of Riyoko Ikeda's seminal Rose of Versailles series by publishing her later side stories in a two-volume series. [source][preorder]

"More than 25 years after she finished the original historical drama, Riyoko Ikeda-sensei created a series of new stories focusing on various side characters in the Rose of Versailles series. Set in a parallel timeline to the original series, "Episodes" gives the readers an in-depth look at characters like Andre, Alan, Gerodelle, and Rosalie."

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After a couple false starts, this did, in fact, release! Received my copy and can't wait to dig in.

New Release

Title: They Were 11! by Moto Hagio Format: Manga, 298 pgs Release Date: April 22nd, 2025

DENPA publishing is releasing the first English standalone edition of Moto Hagio's award-winning sci-fi, They Were 11!. This story was last printed in Viz Media's (now impossible to find) Four Shoujo Stories in 1996. [source] [order link]

"The original manga follows a group of 10 would-be space cadets on their final entrance exam aboard a derelict starship. However, 11 students arrive at the ship instead of 10, and the simulation test starts to go awry."

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New Reprint

Title: Revolutionary Girl Utena Deluxe Box Set by Be-Papas & Chiho Saito Format: Manga box set, two hardcover volumes Release Date: April 11, 2017

After multiple years of $300+ aftermarket prices, Viz has reprinted the RGU Deluxe Box Set. Doesn't seem in-stock everywhere, but copies are available now. [publisher store]

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Bad news on this one, after two years of the release date perpetually being pushed back, the pre-order page is now missing from the Crunchyroll store.

I preordered it in 2023, so... we'll see what happens

New Release

Title: The Rose of Versailles Episodes, Vol 1 by Riyoko Ikeda Format: Manga Release Date: Originally Dec 31st, 2024, Delayed to ???

Udon Entertainment is continuing their English release of Riyoko Ikeda's seminal Rose of Versailles series by publishing her later side stories in a two-volume series. [source][preorder]

"More than 25 years after she finished the original historical drama, Riyoko Ikeda-sensei created a series of new stories focusing on various side characters in the Rose of Versailles series. Set in a parallel timeline to the original series, "Episodes" gives the readers an in-depth look at characters like Andre, Alan, Gerodelle, and Rosalie."

[vintageshoujopubwatch]

Release day!

New Release

Title: The Poe Clan by Moto Hagio Format: manga box set, two hardbacks, 916 pgs total Release Date: Nov 12, 2024

Fantagraphics has combined their two earlier releases of Moto Hagio's The Poe Clan into a 2-volume box set. [pre-order] Fantagraphics will also continue compiling and publishing Hagio's newer Poe Clan work in 2025. [source]

"The Poe Clan: a race of undead that feeds on the energy of the living, whiling away the centuries in a village of roses where time and geography have no meaning. Circumstances lead to a brother and sister, Edgar and Marybelle, being initiated into the clan too young, and therefore doomed to live out eternity forever on the brink of adulthood."

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They Were 11! by Moto Hagio

A massive old starship becomes the theatre in the final stage of an entrance exam to a prestigious academy for a group of applicants who unexpectedly number 11 instead of 10. Soon they find themselves fighting to not only pass this test but, for their lives in famed creator Hagio Moto’s hard sci-fi title They Were 11!

Popular enough for multiple adaptations in various mediums over the decades They Were 11 was the first of Hagio’s stories to be brought over in English. Initial exposure came in 1992 with the 1986 animated film release, the comic following in 1995 when the North American market was still presenting Japanese comics like their American comic counterparts in floppies. (Further her sci-fi collection A, A′ would premiere in April 1995 in Manga Vizion Vol. 1 #2.) They Were 11 is another comic Hagio has revised a bit over the years going through printings and editions, (coupled along with a sequel not translated to English). This title is however still undeniably of 1975. Influenced somewhat by Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1969 sci-fi classic novel The Left Hand of Darkness of which a primary theme was gender and society, like Le Guin’s novel modern audiences could wish some aspects were less filtered through a particular lens.

So much in this comic is conceptualized by societal roles and behaviour. A key character, Frol comes from a society where one is assigned the gender of man or woman as they reach maturity. Frol uses coarser and what is regarded as masculine language further desiring the status and freedom afforded men on their planet, hoping to earn the government’s determination in aligning with this by being accepted to the academy. Along with thereby escaping becoming another bride (it’s also a polygamous culture) for an older man. Classic issues of equality and self-determination. But as feelings grow between the young Terran man Tada and Frol the latter considers rethinking that rejection of becoming a woman and wife. One might forgive some things as gender and sexuality are complicated and messy. But as with the male chauvinism readily on display how these subjects are expressed and presented, it is hard to not believe the work isn’t imbued with some very common tendencies in cultures that are nonetheless not good.

For this comic with characters who hail from across the galaxy, gender is limited and, in most cases, based on the external. Beside another applicant that comes from a species that recognizes a bit more than a binary because of their process of biological reproduction, no one really seems to buck the notions at play except Frol and even then, only so far. There is a conflation where the gender of the person Frol is attached to appears to define their own. Heteronormative as a word may trace back to 1991, but the attitude existed well before then. There’s not really a great sense of sexual identity either in this comic and in the real world, like gender there is fluidity and a whole variety out there. Even when sometimes a relationship or the possibility of one is a catalyst for greater understanding or discovery of self, identity is personal, internal.

Reflected time and again more in the comic is others’ perception of a person. People do indeed treat one differently by what they judge largely through observation of various factors. The negative outcomes being denying an individual’s identity, validity and human(oid) rights. Frol’s patriarchal culture deciding for its citizens (based on something as illogical as birth order at that) along with other aspects of their lives is immensely dreadful. Something young girls or other people in Japan and around the world I bet could relate to or empathize with. Something that also makes They Were Eleven compelling today despite strides made around many social issues. Still, personally I hope the future centuries on is frankly a lot queerer. Too despite areas for critique (there’s further some artistic license when it comes to science), I’d still like to see They Were 11 brought back into print in English. If Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness was a thought experiment, one still prompting discussion today, a comic springing off that by an accomplished artist no less can surely be of some value as well.

They Were 11 by Hagio Moto was released in English in four Viz Flower Comics issues by VIZ Media translated by Rachel Thorn, lettering Mary Kelleher

Also included in the 1996 anthology Four Shōjo Stories from VIZ ISBN# 9781569310557 which incidentally was not approved by Japanese publisher Shogakukun so hence its rarity

The 1986 OVA was licensed in English by Central Park Media and released on both VHS and DVD, now OOP

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Currently Available

Title: Lady Georgie Format: Anime, Blu-ray DVD, 45 episodes Release Date: December 26, 2023

Discotek has released 1983's Lady Georgie with English subs. [Crunchyroll Store] [Amazon]

"G'day mate! There's never a dull moment to be had when you're running around in the Australian bush with the Buttman kids- especially that rambunctious little Georgie and her koala buddy, Rapp! The only problem she seems to have is keeping that heavy gold bracelet around her wrist. Odd thing for a kid her age to have, but then again, the bubbly blonde seems to be slightly out of place herself. A Victorian era coming-of-age tale that's equal parts spunky and sorrowful."

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News - A trailer for the brand new Rose of Versailles movie has been released. (You can turn on captions for English subtitles as well!) Animated by Mappa, the new film is set for release in the Spring of 2025. The cast includes:

Miyuki Sawashiro as Oscar François de Jarjayes

Aya Hirano as Marie Antoinette

Toshiyuki Toyonaga as André Grandier

Kazuki Katō as Hans Axel von Fersen

You can read about more of the staff involved here.

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Pre-orders are now up at most major retailers as well! [Bookshop link]

New Release

Title: The Poe Clan by Moto Hagio Format: manga box set, two hardbacks, 916 pgs total Release Date: Nov 12, 2024

Fantagraphics has combined their two earlier releases of Moto Hagio's The Poe Clan into a 2-volume box set. [pre-order] Fantagraphics will also continue compiling and publishing Hagio's newer Poe Clan work in 2025. [source]

"The Poe Clan: a race of undead that feeds on the energy of the living, whiling away the centuries in a village of roses where time and geography have no meaning. Circumstances lead to a brother and sister, Edgar and Marybelle, being initiated into the clan too young, and therefore doomed to live out eternity forever on the brink of adulthood."

[vintageshoujopubwatch]

Currently Available

Title: Dear Brother Format: Anime, Blu-ray, 39 episodes Release Date: June 29, 2021

Discotek has released the anime adaptation of Riyoko Ikeda's 1974 Dear Brother with English subs. Discotek noted their license period for the title was "unusually short", and as the blu-ray is no longer sold in the Crunchyroll store, it is likely to be out-of-print indefinitely soon. [Amazon]

"It’s Nanako’s first day at Seiran Academy, a prestigious all-girl’s high school famous for its exclusive and elegant “Sorority.” Only ten members will be accepted this year, and competition is fierce! Despite seeming fairly unremarkable on the surface, Nanako is selected as a member – instantly making her a target for her jealous and angry classmates. But the bullying doesn’t stop Nanako from forming friendships with the three most popular students, and even falling in love."

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Currently Available

Title: Dear Brother Format: Anime, Blu-ray, 39 episodes Release Date: June 29, 2021

Discotek has released the anime adaptation of Riyoko Ikeda's 1974 Dear Brother with English subs. Discotek noted their license period for the title was "unusually short", and as the blu-ray is no longer sold in the Crunchyroll store, it is likely to be out-of-print indefinitely soon. [Amazon]

"It’s Nanako’s first day at Seiran Academy, a prestigious all-girl’s high school famous for its exclusive and elegant “Sorority.” Only ten members will be accepted this year, and competition is fierce! Despite seeming fairly unremarkable on the surface, Nanako is selected as a member – instantly making her a target for her jealous and angry classmates. But the bullying doesn’t stop Nanako from forming friendships with the three most popular students, and even falling in love."

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Currently Available

Title: Aim for the Ace! Format: 3 separate Blu-rays Release Date: Feb 28th 2023, May 30th 2023, & Nov 28 2023

Discotek has released the anime adaptation of Sumika Yamamoto's 1973 Aim for the Ace! with English subs. Their releases include the original 26-episode series, a movie-version of the original anime, and the sequel 13-episode OVA series. A sports manga classic, Aim for the Ace! is one of the best selling shoujo series of all time. [Crunchyroll Store] [Amazon]

"15-year-old Hiromi Oka has never held a racket before, but she joins the famous Tennis Club regardless for one reason: Reika Ryuzaki. With the nickname “Madame Butterfly,” Reika is a top-level player for her age and is adored by her peers. Hiromi’s idyllic and carefree high school life is turned upside with the arrival of the new tennis coach, thrusting her head-first into the highly-competitive world of high-school tennis alongside her idol."

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Currently Available

Title: The Rose of Versailles Format: Anime, 2 Blu-rays Release Date: April 27, 2021 & June 29, 2021

Discotek has released the Blu-ray anime adaptation of Riyoko Ikeda's seminal 1972 The Rose of Versailles with English subs. The series was last available in 2013 on DVD from Rightstuf. [Crunchyroll Store] [Amazon]

"Set during the French Revolution, 'The Rose of Versailles' follows the story of Oscar François de Jarjeyes. Oscar, a young noblewoman raised as a son by her father, ascends to commander of Marie Antoinette's palace guard. Oscar is brought face-to-face with the luxury of King Louis XVI's court at Versailles. Joined by her servant André, Oscar is privy to the intrigue and deceit of France's last great royal regime."

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Shoujo and Josei manga that have won or been nominated for the the Seiun Award (Comic category)

The Seiun Award is a Japanese speculative fiction award given each year for the best science fiction works and achievements. It’s the oldest science fiction award in Japan, since it started at the 9th Japan Science Fiction Convention in 1970.

It is similar to the Hugo Award, which is presented by the members of the World Science Fiction Society, but the Seiun Award is implicitly limited to works released in Japan and written in or translated to Japanese.

Toward the Terra / Terra e…

*licensed digitally on MangaPlanet

Although a shonen, I found it important to note since it was created by Keiko Takemiya, One of the Year 24 Group (particularly known for her work Kaze to Ki no Uta). It won the very 1st Seiun Award for manga in 1978.

The story takes place in the distant future sometime after the 31st millennium where humanity exists under the rule of the political order controlled by supercomputers known as Superior Dominance and the carefully selected humans known as the Members Elite.

Centuries before the story begins, the human race came to the conclusion that war and pollution rendered life on Earth unsustainable. Using warp travel the decision was made to leave a supercomputer artificial general intelligence and caretaker humans behind and colonize distant stars.

Under the rule of Superior Dominance all humans are born in vitro and given to carefully selected parents. At the age of 14, all children are put through brainwashing where their memories are wiped by Superior Dominance and overwritten to produce functional adults. A race of advanced humans with psionic abilities called Mu (pronounced myuu, μ) has evolved, and the supercomputers that control Superior Dominance make every effort to exterminate them. Led by Soldier Blue and then Soldier Shin, the Mu make every effort to locate and rescue as many Mu children as possible before the children are discovered and eliminated. The Mu have only one wish, to return to what they see as their promised land, Terra.

The series spans a large number of years, jumping back and forth multiple times, from Soldier Shin’s life on Ataraxia, the various events on Station E-1077, Soldier Shin’s founding of a Mu colony on a habitable planet, Neska, the Superior Dominance war of extermination on the Mu, and finally to the Mu’s return to Terra.

Star Red

*not licensed

By another of the Year 24 Group, Moto Hagio.

In the near future, overpopulation on Earth has led humanity to colonize space. Mars was colonized in 2050, though extremely high rates of stillbirth among the colonists made long-term colonization impossible; the planet was transformed into a prison in 2070 before being abandoned in 2150.

Some children born on Mars developed genetic mutations giving them parapsychological powers, which became more potent across subsequent generations of Martians. When humanity attempted to re-colonize Mars in 2264, they discovered the surviving Martian population, and attempted to exterminate and experiment upon them.

The primary action of the series focuses on Sei Red (レッド・星, Reddo Sei), a fifth generation Martian possessing the power of telepathy, telekinesis, and teleportation. She is exiled to Earth in 2276, where she is forced to conceal her Martian identity.

There she encounters Erg (エルグ, Erugu), an alien who comes into conflict with both humanity and the Martians. Sei ultimately dies, but her consciousness survives in a sort of limbo; there she meets various spirits with vague sexual identities, which allow her to be reborn as a sixth generation Martian.

Keep reading

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Currently Available

Title: The Rose of Versailles by Riyoko Ikeda Format: 5-volume omnibus collection, gold-foiled hardback Release Date: Feb 4, 2020 - May 4, 2021

UDON Entertainment has released Riyoko Ikeda's seminal The Rose of Versailles in a stunning 5-volume set. [Publisher's Site][Crunchyroll Store] [Amazon]

"Set during the French Revolution, 'The Rose of Versailles' follows the story of Oscar François de Jarjeyes. Oscar, a young noblewoman raised as a son by her father, ascends to commander of Marie Antoinette's palace guard. Oscar is brought face-to-face with the luxury of King Louis XVI's court at Versailles. Joined by her servant André, Oscar is privy to the intrigue and deceit of France's last great royal regime."

[vintageshoujopubwatch]

Currently Available

Title: Lady Georgie Format: Anime, Blu-ray DVD, 45 episodes Release Date: December 26, 2023

Discotek has released 1983's Lady Georgie with English subs. [Crunchyroll Store] [Amazon]

"G'day mate! There's never a dull moment to be had when you're running around in the Australian bush with the Buttman kids- especially that rambunctious little Georgie and her koala buddy, Rapp! The only problem she seems to have is keeping that heavy gold bracelet around her wrist. Odd thing for a kid her age to have, but then again, the bubbly blonde seems to be slightly out of place herself. A Victorian era coming-of-age tale that's equal parts spunky and sorrowful."