RPLD Animanga Club

Just one year ago, U.S. Shonen Jump ceased publication of its print manga magazine in favor of an all-digital format available only via the web or on mobile devices. The newly christened Shonen Jump Alpha was something of an experiment for its parent company, anime and manga publisher Viz Media, and year two brings even more changes as the magazine feels its way across this new frontier of digital periodical publishing.

Dropping Alpha from its title beginning January 21, 2013, the latest iteration of digital Shonen Jump will allow readers in the U.S. to read the same stories simultaneously as readers of the original Japanese edition without the usual delays of years past in translating, printing, and shipping the old paper magazine.

With the Alpha release, subscribers' access to each digital issue expired after a certain interval, but no longer; copies are now permanently available for downloading even after a subscription has lapsed.

It's been an interesting first year for Jump fans, and the publishers likely will have a few more surprises up their sleeves in the coming months. Check out some of the links below and explore the world of Shonen Jump:

The History of  Shonen Jump in America, from Anime News Network
Free Preview of Shonen Jump Digital

Have you ever wanted to know what it's really like to work as an animator in Japan? The Culture Japan crew visited the headquarters of Production IG to see what goes on behind the scenes of making hit anime titles such as Ghost in the Shell, East of Eden, and Sengoku Basara. Check out the amazing photo set and videos on the Danny Choo blog: How Anime is Made

Inkling is a promising new tool for digital artists that allows you to draw by hand on paper and transfer the image directly to your favorite computer graphics or digital drawing application. If you've ever struggled with a drawing tablet or cannot afford a high-end interactive pen display like the Cintiq, Inkling is a (relatively) affordable alternative.

Click here to visit Inkling at Wacom.com

Do you like to draw? Many of our club's members bring their sketchbooks to our meetings and show each other their work. This drawing of Gaara from Naruto is by Kelsey B.

Do you love to draw? Learn how to draw manga faces with artist Christine Thornton. You'll learn the basics of drawing the popular Japanese art form of manga and you'll have a chance to practice what you've learned. Supplies provided. Registration is required.

Event Type: Teen/Young Adult Programs
Age Group(s): Young Adults - Grades 6-12
Date: 7/13/2012
Start Time: 2:00 PM
End Time: 3:30 PM

Sign up using the Library's Online Calendar

Helen McCarthy, Harvey Award-winning author of The Art of Osamu Tezuka, recently gave a presentation on the history of manga, summing up some 150 years in less than nine minutes. *Phew* If you want to learn more about Helen herself, check out her blog...

If you're interested in learning Japanese, here's a sneak peek at a site called Wanikani that can help you learn Kanji, or the Chinese characters that together with the phonetic syllabaries, hiragana and katakana, make up the written Japanese language. Wanikani, used in conjunction with the Mango Languages Japanese lessons available through the Library, would make for a powerful learning experience! (Don't forget you need a PIN to access Mango Languages from home. To establish a PIN, stop by the Circulation Desk or call the Circulation Department at 630-529-1641, x 222.)

Wanikani Sneak Peek
Mango Languages (follow the link and scroll down)