hetalia | Volume 3 to be published!

I'M SO TORN

I want it so bad, SO BAD, but I don't want to encourage TokyoPop to get back on their feet, nor support any more of Stu Levy's shenanigans!

FANGIRL PROBLEMS! OTZ

Ah, wonderful! I already have it in Japanese, but it'll be so nice to have it available in English.

Saying it everywhere else, might as well say it here.

I have NO FREAKING CLUE what to do with this. On the one hand, I'd rather hit Stu Levy over the head with 2P Fem!America's bat than give him ANY more money...

On the other hand.... GOD I want this so much...

I don't understand how the hell this was approved. If Stu truly did give the rights back to Gentosha for this series like he fucking promised, then Gentosha should be allowed to do whatever it wanted with the English translations and could have released it through Right Stuf on their own, but I dont' know if that would have been 100% possible.

Everything is just... so... UGH!!!!!!! FUCK YOU, LEVY! FUCK YOU AND YOUR COMPANY FOR MAKING THIS CHOICE SO FREAKING HARD. I SHOULDN'T EVEN HAVE TO BAT AN EYELASH FOR THIS ONE, BUT YOU HAD TO ATTACH YOUR GODDAMN NAME TO IT, DIDN'T YOU???

This is weird news.
What a plot twist in the life of the Hetalia manga.

>plot twist

Quick! Someone write a manga about the manga!

I'm just glad I know WHY WE HAVEN'T HAD A DECENT RERELEASE YET!

Honestly, I don't want to have to buy it online through an on-demand company if I miss the initial printing (with black and white front pages and possibly pixelised graphics if the previous books are anything to go by). I want to be able to go into the local Dymocks (or local comic shop) and buy it off the shelf. I want other people to be able to go into book shops and pick it up thinking it looks interesting or funny or whatever and get into the series that way.

Despite all this, I really want it but despite how much I want this, I'd rather buy the Japanese version than give Tokyopop a reason to keep hold of the rights.

How long to go before I cave and buy it anyway, though?

Edited 2012-05-01 23:00 (UTC)

... Not to defend Tokyopop or anything, but for whatever it's worth,
the pixelized pages are like that in the Japanese version too. xD

Ugh typical. The site seems to have something against international buyers (well not AGAINST them persay but they like making it awkward).

Is this RightStuf site safe and secure? 'Cause according to this if you're an international buyer and don't have American Express they want personal details (eg. a copy of a bill/passport) and a scanned image of yuor credit/debit card... seriously wut?

I really want to buy this but i won't until I know their site is safe.

Rightstuf is totally safe. I've been using them since '99 and they've always been sweethearts to me.

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austriaxprussia.livejournal.com - 2012-05-03 14:18 (UTC) - Expand

What great timing, it's coming out near my birthday! I hope to hear news about the fourth volume soon!

Volume 3 was basically done and waiting to be published when Tokyopop went under, so what they're doing now is printing off the merchandise they decided not to sell last year because now they have the means to mass produce them.

This also means that as long as this deal is in place, the chance that Hetalia Volume 4 will see an English release is slim to none.

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star-of-heaven.livejournal.com - 2012-05-01 23:13 (UTC) - Expand

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fh14 - 2012-05-01 23:17 (UTC) - Expand

This isn't a DIFFICULT decision... just a very, VERY painful one...

I am NOT buying it. I want it so, so, SOOOOO BADLY! But I didn't even consider buying it for a moment! Not a micro-second!

Not after what Jerkface McCoy did to us! And to so many other manga fans who have been left hanging.

This makes me sick to my stomach. No wonder no other publishing companies haven't happily announced a license for it... he's been holding it hostage so he could milk it, so he could get nice soft dollars to line the bed of thorns he already made for himself, to soften the sting.

Absolutely not. Not a penny from me! I'm so sad, I wanted it sooo much! But no. Even such an amazing, awesome book, is not worth blackening my principles. I refuse to fund a guy who is such a failure, that he quits at quitting!

Hmm. I have no idea what to think about this.

But tokyopop. Where the heck is this money going.

...what's that phrase again? Oh yeh...

"you can't have your cake and eat it too."

It may suck, but it's in English. I'm buying it. Once I get monies.

"Beggers can't be Choosers"

is another phrase that comes to mind after reading all of these comments.

Edited 2012-05-02 00:52 (UTC)

Wait... Does this mean that the rights were not returned to Gentosha? Is that why another company hasn't picked it up yet? What the hell is going on here?

Count me in on the Not Buying list. I'm not giving a penny to Stu Levy at this point.

Nope, not buying it.

~~I still dislike those redone covers, but that's not the reason I'm not getting it.~~

~~To be worse, the brazilian edition of vol1&2 have these same covers, and I'm 99% sure our 3rd volume will get that awful cover as well.~~

Huh. I haven't heard anything about this since back when it was announced they wouldn't be publishing manga, right before volume 3 came out. I have no idea where the hate is coming from. I still wanna get it... I'd had it preordered when it was supposed to come out before, you better believe I've been waiting a long time!

Edited 2012-05-02 01:52 (UTC)

Ah, the hate...

Back after Tokyopop shut down manga publishing, there was a poll on the Tokyopop facebook page, asking if fans wanted the third book to be released. We were all super happy and said "Yes, please!" Then a few weeks later Stu Levy turned around and said "LOL, JK!" So fans were rightly pissed, griped about it, and hoped another company would pick up the licensing for Hetalia so we could get a non-jerk to publish it.

And now a year later it turns out that Tokyopop's held onto the license all that time (or so it would seem, anyway), and are now publishing it again. The hate' coming from the way fans were jerked around back then, got their hopes up for another publisher, and are now being given a (sub-par after initial printing) publication, (probably) by the person who jerked us around back then.

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zacloud.livejournal.com - 2012-05-02 04:01 (UTC) - Expand

No.

Don't for a minute buy into a gimmick. If this d*&#-for-brains is desperately trying to slimeball money into his pocket by luring in fans, I'm just going to sit back, enjoy the lovely yet not quite legal scanlations, and wait for a LEGIT organization to publish the official translation.

I'll join you there :).

VOLUME 3????

I want it so bad, but not from tokyopop...

~~they should be called tokyopoop~~

~~I call it tokyopoop all the time. o3o;~~

I'm so torn.
I'm staring at it, and I want it oh so much. I've been waiting for Volume 3 forever.
But now, I'm not sure if I wish to buy from Tokyopop...

But I'm scared if I don't buy it, I'll never get the chance to own it, done by TP or not.
I'm so conflicted!!

...Sadly enough, I think I will buy it still. I gotta decide. *sigh*
This whole entire thing is just insane.

I want it so bad!

I can´t resist limited edition mangas.

And since there are very few chances of another company publishing the Hetalia manga in English, this might be the only shot we have.

... Ugh, I need a drink. Goddamn it, Stu Levy. I'm sick of your crap.

I might sit by and wait for this to be released by another company...

URGH WHY NO SHIP TO THE UK

I'd been thinking for a long time if I should wait for the English release or just buy the volumes in Japanese even if I won't understand a word. After seeing this, I'm buying in Japanese and reading the online translations.
I want to have the volumes in English, but I really don't want to give my money to Stu Levy, he already has what I paid for volumes 1 and 2. I hope another company gets the license someday, I'll happily buy their editions.

I note there's no mention of volume 4, despite the fact that it came out in Japan nearly a year ago... it almost looks like this is Levy's attempt to raise some money by selling the all-ready translated vol. 3, with no promise that they'll still hold the license after that. Since I have no desire to contribute to Stu Levy's Fire Sale, I'll probably not be buying this volume, and hope that this fails to bring in the income necessary to revive TokyoPop, thus finally relinquishing the English rights to a company that isn't run by a nincompoop. I'm guesstimating (based on Levy's previous business decisions) that they're putting all their eggs into the Hetalia basket, hoping this will be enough to revive the company. I thikn they've got at least a couple other licenses, but I think Hetalia's the best seller of the bunch.

I don't think Tokyopop does have the license anymore. What I read was that Rightstuf worked with Genosha and Tokyopop to put this out, so my guess is that they got the license from Genosha and bought the already finished translation from Tokyopop, because for the right price, it would be cheaper than starting over with the translating. Tokyopop does own their translation, even if the rights to the manga itself reversed.

As much as I'd like the third volume, nup, not buying it. Partly because I'd probably get stuck with the crappy version (I don't live in America and don't care to order it online), but mostly because fucking Tokyopop/Stu Levy. Really good business planning there! I bought the previous volumes (though even then I didn't like their versions) and I'd honestly rather buy the Japanese versions of 3 and 4. If some other company puts them out in English, I'm sure I'd gladly buy it.

Also, is this a reason behind the lack of a re-release? As in, do they still have the rights to it, because it seems like Hetalia would easily be picked up by another company otherwise. :\

I would love to support Tokyopop with getting its feet back on the ground...

...if Levy wasn't at the helm. His approach with everything bothers me. His business sense, how he communicates with people, his vague comments about what he plans to do. It's just... augh.

I know people have been waiting for this for a long time (including myself), so I don't want to be all "NO WTF", but after the whole trainwreck of a collapse that Tokyopop had last year, it bothers me that this is what happens, rather than a more reliable publish picking it up.

Though I agree, it's likely they already had the translation done last year and are just using it now.

ALSO: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2012-05-01/right-stuf-inc-announces-exclusive-deal-with-gentosha-comics-and-tokyopop-to-publish-hetalia-axis-powers-manga-vols-1-3

TOKYOPOP founder Stu Levy added, “The North American publishing market has been changing rapidly, and I am proud to partner with Right Stuf and Gentosha Comics to finally bring the long-awaited latest volume of Hetalia to our fans. Thanks to everyone for your patience!”

The latest volume? Really? At least get your facts straight.

You lost my patience a year ago, Levy, so thanks for nothing.

Yay. A limited color release for fans to fight over, then crappy POD copies. I am so excited. :|

Currently can't decide if I'll get it or not.

Limited color editions, that's it, I'm not buying this, I'd rather wait for the German edition (even though it's also Tokyopop, but with different people and stuff D= but on the other hand wahhh...)

Same here. I'd love to get it in English, but I don't want to support people who seem so bad at doing business and being honest with their customers.

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