One of the first projects to benefit from our recent recruitment drive, Shigurui makes its comeback with the first chapter of volume 2. Thanks to the recent release of the anime, the series seems to have won a few more fans, yet I don’t think enough people realize just how amazing this manga really is. Granted, the bloody covers don’t exactly do a great job of attracting readers. However, don’t let the disturbing graphics and the gore scare you away. You are going to miss out on one of the genre’s masterpieces! Filled with an epic story line, unforgettable characters and scenes so powerful they will make you rigid with tension, Shigurui is establishing itself as a modern classic with each new volume released (there are ten out so far). With the help of our new staffers, I hope to scanlate as much of the series as I can, because it’s just that good!

While compiling the project list for our current poll, I realized that we hadn’t picked up any female-oriented project for quite some time. Needless to say, we couldn’t go on like that. After some passionate discussion among the staff, we decided that something had to be done. Fortunately, our translator boke had been secretly working on a manga called Happy-Go-Lucky Days since last year which seemed like the perfect solution for our problem.

Created by none other than Takako Shimura of Hourou Musuko and Sweet Blue Flowers fame, Happy-Go-Lucky Days demonstrates that the author can deliver more than just cute love stories involving adolescents. A collection of short stories originally published in Manga Erotics F, Happy-Go-Lucky Days takes a refreshing and humorous look at relationships between young people in Japan. Yes, it’s got sex and nudity in it, but those scenes are handled quite tastefully. The stories themselves are quirky and interesting, although some of them can be a bit weird. Nevertheless, fans of Takako Shimura who are interested in reading her more mature stories should definitely give this manga a try. You won’t be disappointed. Consider it our follow-up to Please God.

For those of you who like their manga with a bit more testosterone, I give you two exciting new chapters of Historie which bring us close to the end of the Paphlagonia arc (and with it the looong flashback sequence).

Update: Thanks to everyone who applied! We have been able to filled almost all positions. Please check the list below to see which positions are still open. Due to the amount of submitted applications, I haven’t been able to answer everyone yet. I ask for your patience.

After years of understaffing and overworking Kotonoha is now ready to bring in some new blood. Despite our uncertain future we are determined to work on all our projects the best way we can, so I hope you won’t let the little “announcement” further below deter you from applying. Who knows, maybe you will be the one to help us avert our impending doom.

Interested? Please read on.

French-English Translator(s) [Closed]
Who needs moon speakers if you could have them cool traducteurs français? We don’t! However, you’d better be damn good (and hardcore) because translating a translation is not for the faint-hearted!

Here’s what we need: one or two capable French-English translators for two long-term seinen projects (5+ volumes; the genre is modern-day drama and historical action respectively.) The translator should be fluent in both French and English (bilingual and English native speakers are preferred), have a strong sense of commitment and good communication skills. Scans of the books will be provided by us. You are, however, welcome to buy/use your own copies if you want to.

Detailed information about the manga and a translation test will be provided upon application.

Editors/Letterers
The main reason why we are so slow is because we lack editors. Take a look at our staff page if you don’t believe me. So, in order to increase our productivity, we need a few more of those Photoshop wizards to help us with our existing projects. Unfortunately, we can only accept applicants with sufficient experience at the moment.

These are the projects that currently need an editor:

• Hourou Musuko
• Hyougemono
• Girlfriend

Our standard editor’s test can be downloaded here.

Proofreaders/Copy Editors
As a proofreader/copy editor you are not only required to fix grammar and spelling mistakes, but also to rewrite awkward sentences and point out ambiguous or inappropriately worded parts of the dialogs. Basically, we need you to make our translation look good. Although English native speakers with college education are preferred, if you can prove to us you know your English you’re good to go.

At the moment the following projects are available:

• Kiichi
• What a Wonderful World
• Hyougemono
• Shigurui
• Hallucination from the Womb

If you are interested in one of the positions above, please send your application to kotonoha (at) gmx (dot) net with the following information:

• Your online name
• Your contact information (E-mail, IM, IRC etc.)
• Desired position (translator, editor, proofreader)
• Desired project(s)
• Previous scanlation experience (if available)
• Reason why you want to join us

We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Okay, I lied. Except for the fact that 2008 will likely be Kotonoha’s farewell year, there is really nothing much to look forward to from us in the next twelve months. We will be doing the same things we already did last year and the year before that. In our defense, it’s kind of hard to come up with something new and innovative to do when you’ve been so long in this “business.” I wonder if it’s too late for us to switch to the Shōnen Jump route…

Anyway, the good news is we’re not dead yet! Which means you can still expect a few more releases from us, such as these:

• Chokotto Sister Vol 6 Ch 49
• Happiness Ch 5
• Hourou Musuko Vol 4 Ch 30
• Hyougemono Vol 1 Ch 3
• Shigurui Vol 1 Ch 5
• The Hour of the Mice Vol 2 Ch 15

Is it me or has Kotonoha lately developed a penchant for stories set in the past? After Shigurui and Historie we’re adding yet another historical manga to our project list. However, rest assured that we aren’t bringing you just any title from this vast genre.

Nominated for the prestigious Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize and voted the second best manga series in 2007 by Japanese readers, Yoshihiro Yamada’s Hyougemono (lit. odd or funny things) is one of those manga whose covers alone radiate style and class. And that’s exactly what you get… plus much more. Set in Japan’s tumultuous Sengoku (Warring States) period, Hyougemono tells the story of Sasuke Furuta, a Sadō (tea ceremony) addict who also happens to be a messenger in Nobunaga Oda’s army. A bon vivant and art connoisseur, Furuta is more interested in collecting tea ceremony utensils than fighting, a behavior that causes him much trouble and makes for a lot of hilarious situations throughout the series. Don’t get me wrong, Hyougemono is far from being a laugh fest. There are enough epic battles, sword fights and intense drama in this series to satisfy any action fan, but thanks to Furuta and his antics the story never becomes too serious and can be enjoyed even if you’re not interested in the period in question or the subject matter (tea ceremony, famous utensils). Though it does help if you are familiar with the background of real-life personalities such as Nobunaga Oda and Hideyoshi Hashiba (aka Hideyoshi Toyotomi) as well as the basics of Sadō.

To make it short, Hyougemono offers everything you could expect from a great manga: fascinating and memorable characters, an astonishing artwork whose beautiful richness is a treat for the eyes, an elegant story filled with action, humor, drama and pathos that’s simply a blast to read. And read it you should.

Many thanks to richvh who lent us his translation skills for this difficult project and boke who took some time off his busy schedule to make sure the script is up to snuff. Now if only he could give us more Osen to go along with Hyougemono (I would like to think of them as sister projects)!

But I guess that’s life. We can’t get everything we want, though sometimes we get what we need: like new chapters of Historie (today’s batch concludes the 3rd volume), The Hour of the Mice (the tension is mounting) and Seizon - LifE (we’re close to wrapping up the 2nd volume)!