Hanagumi Ninkyouden
Everyone knows I hate this mangaka’s art style, right? I caught this on the BoBoF Forum at Yahoo, but Deux is releasing Hanagumi Ninkyouden - and like VIZ, I don’t consider what Deux releases, to be actual licenses, if the books are coming from Oozora Shuppan. They own these editions all ready - nothing to license, right? What’s got me curious is…why aren’t they using their original covers? When Azora* Aurora [Deux!] first released these, the mangaka was using the pen name of Uida Shiuko, and they were released back in 96. I didn’t get my hands on the editions, until I was pregnant with my daughter in 98, and sitting around with little to do except picture-read manga from Japan. At that time, I scooped any title I could find on gangsters, which is how I found this title. *correction from AMLA.
I notice on Amazon, they’re using the cover for the Futubasha editions, which is listed as ‘their edition’ by Kano Shiuko over at JPQueen. [Sometimes these new 'editions' have extras for updated art because the mangaka's style may have improved or changed.]
Curious…which edition are we getting? Obviously it belongs to Kano Shiuko, but since it’s being released through Deux, are we getting their version–or Futubasha’s? And what about Volume #3…well obviously Futubasha ditched the extra story and arts that made up a chunk of Aurora’s volume 3 release, some of which were NOT BL - and compacted the title into two BL specific volumes…so did Deux have to acquire these versions from Futubasha?
For the record, personally, I dug this story, even if I hate the artwork. It’s a sexy story, and doesn’t even try to be all serious like Finder does–and fails. It’s tongue-in-cheek fun, with ‘BL’ gangsters. ^_^v
Curious.
