A very special manga celebrity arrived at eManga this week… I’m sure you all noticed, but in case you missed it, give a warm welcome to Astro Boy, the star of Weekly Astro Boy Magazine! Astro Boy and countless other members of Tezuka’s famous Star System appear in over 80 volumes of this fine publication, more than enough to sate a classic manga fan’s hunger for Tezuka! Haven’t read any Tezuka before? Maybe you should change that — he isn’t hailed as the “God of Manga” for nothing. Tezuka’s work is charming, insightful, and surprisingly relevant even today! You can grab the first 10 issues of Weekly Astro Boy Magazine now, available to stream via our online reader anywhere you have an internet connection!

In other digital news, we’re happy to release a number of old June and 801 titles digitally, including I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone and Sensitive Pornograph! And if you couldn’t join us at Yaoi-Con 2012, Uki Ogasawara, our esteemed guest of honor, was kind enough to give fans everywhere a unique glimpse of the event with her short manga, My Yaoi-Con Report 2012!

Finally, if you’re a hentai fan looking to pick up something new to read, we’re offering double the reward points with every purchase at Project-H’s online store (18+ link) on June 9th… that’s 6/9, you see. Happy “Hentai Day”!

I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone: Sakai Kazuya is a 23 year-old man in love. Unfortunately, the object of his affection is a woman who’s only interested in well-educated men. Sakai never finished high school-he’s been living off his brawn, not his brains-so he enlists the aid of the woman’s younger brother, Ezumi Masashi, to help him pass the high school entrance exam. Ezumi is happy to assist, but his services come with a very steep fee; he isn’t interested in money-he has his sights set on Sakai’s other assets…

Maybe I’m Your Steppin’ Stone:Kousei seems pretty popular with everyone-the other construction workers, the clerk at the convenience store-just about everyone except his ex-wife. Kenji Hirose, the clerk at the convenience store, has become a doting uncle ever since he realized that his niece and Kousei’s son attend the same nursery school. When the school’s sports tournament leaves Kenji injured, Kenji’s more than willing to take advantage of Kousei’s nursing ability and wait for the opportunity to pounce!

My Yaoi-Con 2012 Report: Uki Ogasawara (Black Sun) was the special guest for 2012′s Yaoicon. It was her first con attendance located in a hotel, and DMP’s first year as the event’s hosts. So, what did she think and how did it all go? Come on and find out!!

Sensitive Pornograph: Seiji-kun is a novice manga artist. A long time fan of the works of Sono-san, a famous manga-ka, he’s surprised to learn that Sono-san is a guy! A chance meeting leads to a night in bed and Seiji-kun becomes completely addicted to the body of the incredibly beautiful Sono-san. Is this love or is Seiji-kun taking his admiration for Sono’s work just a little too far? The manga on which the hit OVA of the same name is based is finally available in English!

Taimashin: The Red Spider Exorcist, vol. 4: Believing the immediate threat from Laughing Face is over, Midori returns to school and faces her more mundane opponents. Akamushi doesn’t take well to his bride being bullied and steps in, but the real terror comes from unexpected quarters for the pair in separate incidents. Was their love doomed from the start and is Midori fated to never find peace and happiness?

Weekly Astroboy Magazine: Often hailed as the “God of Manga”, Osamu Tezuka draws stories of life, death, and morality His compilation of stories touch upon sci-fi, history, crime, politics, romance, but always raises questions on the human condition and reflects the ambiguity of morality. The invincible Pluto sets out to kill the seven strongest robots in the world and become king of the robots. It’s the duty of Astro Boy, Japan’s resident boy robot, to stop Pluto from wreaking havoc and killing more robots. In Phoenix: Karma, the crippled bandit Gao meets a mysterious old man who tells him he will die in three years…by a nose disease of all things! And Dororo opens up with a story of a power-starved man who sacrifices his son for infinite power. Also included is the story of Black Jack, the most infamously expensive and morally ambiguous doctor around.

June is here, and what better way to welcome it than with, well… June books! Now at Akadot Retail, all June titles have been marked down – some as much as 50%! Head on over and scoop up any books you’ve been waiting to get!

Gardena, CA (June 5, 2013) Digital Manga Inc. is proud to announce the release of Weekly Astro Boy Magazine on eManga.com in collaboration with Tezuka Productions. A collection of Osamu Tezuka’s works spanning over 80 issues, Weekly Astro Boy Magazine features chapters from Astro Boy, his most acclaimed manga (first printed in Japan in 1951), as well as selections from the beloved manga classicsPhoenix (1967), Buddha (1972), Black Jack (1973), Dororo (1967), Adolf (1983), and Ode to Kirihito (1970). Originally translated into English by Viz Media, Vertical, and Dark Horse Comics, eManga now brings you a new way to read classic manga wherever you have an internet connection!

Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989), often called the “God of Manga” and the “Godfather of Anime,” was instrumental in the development of the early manga and anime industries. A prolific creator during his career, Tezuka created and penned over 700 manga titles made up of over 15,000 individual pages. His original style featuring characters with “large eyes” is now a characteristic of most Japanese comics and cartoons. Although he completed a medical degree, he never practiced medicine and instead chose to become a mangaka: a risky and controversial decision that manga and anime lovers now thank him for.

Who knew robots could be so lovable… In this futuristic “Pinocchio gone wrong” where robots co-exist with humans, Astro is rejected by his creator and sold to the circus. Only later does he become the legendary defender of justice when Professor Ochanomizu, Japan’s new head of the Ministry of Science, discovers him and becomes his legal guardian. Don’t miss this classic manga with all its crime fighting, robot battles, and alien invaders. How close to a ‘real’ boy can a robot become…?

The first ten issues of Weekly Astro Boy Magazine are now available for $4.99 per issue on eManga.com. Each week we’ll be adding 5 more issues, providing Tezuka fans with a constant stream of Astro Boy adventure!

To find out more about eManga or to begin reading right away, visit http://emanga.com/

We’d like to extend a big thank-you to everyone who came out to the DMI and Project-H panels last weekend at Fanime! Wow, there were more of you than we expected, and it was great to see all the Fanime energy we’ve grown to love.

For those of you who weren’t there, we rolled out a bunch of exciting announcements. If you haven’t heard yet:

Castle Mango, Muku Ogura and Narise Konohara’s surprisingly sweet BL about love hotels and AV directors (of all things!) is slated to continue with volume 2! The book is scheduled for a print release at a future date — we’ll let you know when that is!

We also have three new yaoi licenses for you! Wolf Magic (Ookami wa Mahou wo) by Natsuki Zippo and Hideyoshico’s Apple and Honey (Ringo to Hachimitsu) and Apple and Honey: His Rose Colored Life (Kare no Barairo no Jinsei), pictured above. All three books will be headed to the printing presses, with release dates TBA.

On the hentai front, Project-H announced six new licenses from fan favorite artists and fresh faces alike: Holy Knight by Maya Miyazaki, Not Enough Time to Pull it Out by Jouji Manabe, Fetishism with Dignity by Yuzuki N’ Dash, Love Story of a Kinky Girl by Ryuu Shinonome, You’re Too Hot for Me by Taira Azuma, and Pretty Please by Moral Anzaki. And if you’re not happy just looking at the titles in text, you can head over to the Project-H Twitter or Tumblr [18+ LINKS] to catch all, and we mean all the Project-H news!

Finally, and most exciting for the con goers amongst you, we’re proud to announce that Yaoi-Con will be returning to its home in the San Francisco Bay Area in Fall 2014! Our convention chairs are working hard to get the dates and venues squared away, so stay tuned and keep an eye on our Yaoi-Con Twitter feed and Facebook page for all the latest updates!

Phew! Lots of exciting stuff, but we’ve got one last thing to share: a beautiful new josei title on eManga.com from the ever-talented Lily Hoshino: Romance of an Ancient Dreaming City!

Romance of an Ancient Dreaming City: Princess Olga lives inside a gilded cage. Denied the right to choose her future or even whom she may love, she seeks solace and escape in magic and the collection of magical artifacts. Through the enchantment of a golden circlet, she is transported to an exotic land very different and yet so very similar to hers, where she meets Abed, a young woman in similar circumstances. Between them lies a mysterious box with magic to grant them power over their destinies — but how high is the price for Olga’s freedom?

We’re happy to announce that print edition yaoi is making an early comeback on Akadot! Next week, both Ze vol. 7 and The Tyrant Falls in Love vol. 8 will be available for purchase! As an added bonus, any Akadot customer who orders Tyrant vol. 8 will receive a limited postcard featuring Morinaga, Tatsumi, and a special omake comic! Thank you for the patience, everyone, the wait is over!

Get 45% off any purchase of $60 or more with the coupon code Memorial2013, Friday May 24 to Tuesday May 28 on Akadot Retail!

Have you heard? You probably have — we’re headed to Fanime this coming Memorial Day weekend… that’s in one week! Everyone prepared yet? …no?

…yeah, that’s how things tend to go with conventions, huh? Never fear, there’s plenty in store to look forward to, including two fabulous DMP panels! Saturday, May 25 at 12PM we’ll be presenting our DMI and eManga panel and covering the features of eManga.com, print book announcements, classic manga news, and a very exciting Yaoi-Con announcement. Into the more ecchi side of things? Head on over to the Project-H panel on Saturday at 9PM in Panels 2, where our fabulous Project-H rep will answer all your questions about the hentai industry and give away fabulous prizes, including a full collection of every Project-H book we’ve released so far! Don’t miss it!

(And Yaoi-Con fans… don’t worry! We’ll be hitting “POST” on the Yaoi-Con news the moment the panel wraps up in San Jose – you’ll be in the know too!)

Phew, that’s a lot of real life news! On the digital front, eManga is proud to present our growing indie comic selection! A curated selection of the best web comics, indie comics, and fan submissions, all our digital indie comics are 100% home-grown and sure to please everyone from American comic fans to the most die-hard fujoshi. Take a spin through our launch titles and keep an eye out for more new releases!

Lovers’ Licentious Nights: My boyfriend’s a little on the sadistic side, and he takes pictures of me while he’s taking me from behind… I know it’s wrong, but it gets me going so much that I shiver and cry. These are five stories about lovers’ licentious experiences.

Seiwa High School Bento Club!: During lunch at school, Sayoko is always receiving odd stares from her peers as she gorges herself with pastries. She can’t help it, she has a wormhole of a stomach! And it doesn’t help that she skips meals at home. Even she sees her behavior as weird and dreams of having a real bento for lunch; mere leftovers from work are never enough. But one day while stalking the kitchens of the neighboring culinary school, Sayoko’s hunger overwhelms her and she passes out, awakening in the presence of the Bento Club boys, who offer her a taste of their bentos. If only Sayoko was a member of a club like this, she’d be able to eat her fill of delicious meals everyday. But she’s a horrible cook, what skill could she possibly possess that would get her in? And how would the Bento Club fair with a monstrous appetite like hers?

A Spiritual Boy:One day at school, Kiyora Kotonoha receives a fortune about a guy she’s destined to meet. However, her heart has long since been closed off due to the mysterious disappearance of her parents; she no longer believes in the spiritual power of God. Her skepticism doesn’t get her very far when she accidently bumps into the popular and handsome Kazumi Tenjin , the chairman of her high school’s highly rated Spi-Search Team: a group of attractive boys specializing in spiritual investigations! Suddenly and with great reluctance, she finds herself roped into their odd and eccentric world with no hope of having an ordinary life again. Will Kiyora’s involvement with Kenjin and the elusive Spi-Search team be enough to renew her faith and open her heart once more? Or will she continue to close herself off and walk further away from this thing called destiny?

Welcome to Nyan Café!: Welcome to Nyan Café, a host club where all the hosts are cats! Who would you like your host to be today? There’s the big, fluffy Norwegian Forest Cat, Nor, who’s handsome and suave but a bit of a show-off. Or maybe Curl the tsundere American Curl is more to your tastes? If not, then there’s always Scotch, the Scottish Fold. His flirty and gentlemanly nature is sure to win you over—just watch out for his sadistic streak. Oh, and let’s not forgot our newest member: Shiro, the mixed breed! He’s the youngest and most adorable of the group. Have you decided? Good! Have a seat and join in the fun! If you’re lucky, something special might happen today!

Gardena, CA. (May 15, 2013) Digital Manga, Inc., one of the manga industry’s most progressive and innovative publishers, is proud to announce the addition of published works by independent authors to the eManga library. As eManga continues to offer the latest and hottest titles from Digital Manga’s line of imprints and other featured publishers, eManga has been soliciting and reviewing creator submitted works, including web and underground comics, for distribution on its digital storefront. Go directly to our Indie Comics section at eManga.com (https://www.emanga.com/indie).

A fabulous variety of web comics, American manga, novels, and more from talented independent authors and artists is now available on eManga. Choose from over 50 newly launched indie titles! Chapter One Special Edition of Madeleine Holly-Rosing and Emily Hu’s steampunk mini-series, Boston Metaphysical Society, begins the thrilling tale of an ex-Pinkerton detective and his new spirit photography partner in the backdrop of late 1800s Boston. Madison Hawthorne and Bryan Golden bring an intriguing tale of high stakes and royal bloodlines with their comic series, King of Sweden: Last Bloodline. In the charming comic One-Shot!, Rejena Smiley tells the story of an author struggling to find her way out of writer’s block. In A Soldier’s Choice, D.L. Warner writes a tender novel about two “Altered” soldiers battling the militaristic system they live in and their forbidden love for one another.

In addition to these creator submitted works, eManga is excited to offer Abril Espinosa’s vampiric drama, Natura Morta, from eigoManga, long time publisher of Original English Language manga. Seven more eigoManga titles are now available on eManga.

The fun doesn’t stop there. Emanga now also boasts seventeen FREE titles from CE Publishing, including several Lightning Comics revivals like Catfight: Escape from Limbo and Megabook, a 450+ page comic anthology.

With eManga’s seven distinct downloadable ebook types and smooth Javascript online reader, explore the exciting, new stories and worlds from our indie creators. Digital downloadable files that you can keep forever eliminate the hassle of renting restrictions found on other digital storefronts, making eManga an ideal platform for independent content creators to get their works into as many eager hands as possible.

eManga is still on the look-out for new works from independent content creators. If you are an author or creator interested in distributing your work on eManga.com, please consult our Submissions Guidelines (https://www.emanga.com/submission) or contact us at customerservice@emanga.com.