An extra-detailed shigoto update!

[slr2moons]

Because I feel like it and suspect this topic wins the popular vote, a shigoto update. </pouty s2m>

Claymore - I finished letting volume 11 a few days ago, so now I'm awaiting corrections. This volume is rather climatic, but then, all the Clay volumes are important. We're really learning more about the Organization; yet another on one of my favorite Clay characters bites the dust. Seriously, I'm getting paranoid. If I really like someone--bam! Yagi kills 'em off!!! >< Nuffair... I'm behind on the anime, but I think it hasn't quite caught up to where I am in the story yet. It's likely close, though. The manga is loads better, BTW. Unless you only care about action, in which case, the anime's perfect for you. Clay vol 10 should be in stores in a few weeks. The date in my advance copy is Oct  07. Oho, and interestingly, completion of volume 12 will catch us up to the Japanese release. And apparently, many months will go by before I begin volume 13, as in almost a year. I've never had a title caught up to the Japanese release before, so this will be interesting. But I have to begin and finish 12 first. ^^

 

Honey & Clover - I'm about 2/3rds of the way through volume 4. I've said it before, but it's amazing how quickly time passes in this title. In Nana and Skip, a single hour can last for 10 or more chapters. Particularly in Nana. But in Honey--an entire month quite often passes in a measly 5 pages or so. Here I am in vol 4, and already two years has gone by in the timeline. In both Nana and Honey--at 13 and 12 volumes so far respectively--it's been about 9 months in both. Whoa. Oh yes, and you can now read my Honey IRL! XD It finally debuted in the September issue of Shojo Beat, and two chapters will appear in each issue from now on. If you don't have a subscription, you can pick it up and read for free inside any chain bookstore. Or you can grab it at Wal-Mart. Even my town's Wal-Mart carries Shojo Beat now. If I hadn't been frustrated from my fruitless aforementioned search for Twilight, I'd have been shocked. You can buy me at Wal-Mart. Sugee na....But if you prefer to wait for the GN, then volume 1 should be out around...*counts on fingers* ...February '08, or thereabouts. That's me guessing, though.

 

Nana - I've finally, finally begun lettering Nana again, and have just begun volume 13. If you recall, we had to stop after vol 12 in February b/c of lack of page files. But now we're back in business! It's so strange to be lettering Nana...I mean...it's so....simple. D= I only have two regular fonts for the title (I have about 10 for Skip and Honey, and even Clay has 4) and the touchup is almost always easy. And for the first time, I have narrative text-less Nana tiffs. The only other time I've had tiffs like this was for Naruto 21. XD This saves me even more time, since I don't have to patch in the background over the original Japanese text, b/c the text isn't there! Sweet!!! Though I'm very glad I bought the tanko for this volume so I know where to place my equivalent narrative English. But unfortunately, the pre-letting for Nana is taking twice as long anyway. I'm having to do extreme rotating to make the images straight, 13 to 14 degrees. And it's never the same amount, so each page much be dealt with individually. Wheee! At least I can deal with this during pre-lettering, so it doesn't slow down actual lettering at all. Story-wise, Hachi is finally realizing exactly what her life will be like thanks to her...decision. That is a rant all of its own, though. Stupid Hachi... Nana GN #6 has been available since June, and we have to wait until January '08 for vol 7. O.o Remember, Honey replaced Nana in SB, so we're stuck waiting. Unless you want to be bad and read scanlations. If you do, don't tell me about it. Scanlations of my titles kinda...irk me.

 

Naruto - As mentioned several posts ago, I finished vol 29 before I left on my trip. And at the moment, I'm going through corrections. Oog. Naruto Editor swears these corrections aren't bad at all for a Shonen Jump mag title...which scares me. I've detailed the content of my Naruto volumes before, so no need to do so again. And also previously mentioned, I have my copies of my Naruto vols 21 and 25, which are direct-to-GN. 21 will be on the shelf for everyone in October, and vol 25 in December. (Of the three volumes, vol 25 is my favorite. I mean, it has the beginning of the Naruto Sasuke fight, and the complete back history of Sasuke and Itachi. One of the most important volumes of the series! So glad it was entrusted to meeeeeee. *giddy giggles* Oho, and interesting Naruto news. It seems Naruto isn't over for me. Naruto Editor requested I sign on for another volume, which I should begin lettering around this time next year. *blink blink* I guess he really does like my lettering technique, to sign me up a year in advance!! I don't want to say the volume number, so I'll keep quiet on that for a while. Apparently it has lots of Akatsuki, though. *hoping for some Gaara-sama time as well...*

 

New Title 2 - The script for this shoujo one-shot is finished but not sent to me yet. Shoujo Editor 3 is still tweaking it, no doubt. She wanted to see some different lettering fonts for the narrative text, so I made up 6 different versions of the same page--using Shakespeare for the text--and sent them to her earlier today. We'll see which fonts she picks for me to use. ^^ I like Dolphin, myself. Anyway, this title will be a bit of a challenge, since the mangaka loves her gradient tone. I'll probably begin lettering Clay 12 while I'm still finishing up New title 2, so things could get...interesting. I foresee Work Hell in my future, but at least it will be Work Hell filled with lovely bishounen. And yoma. Can't forget the yoma. It's a complete guess on my part, but the first chapter of this title will likely appear in Shojo Beat in the summer next year, and the GN will follow a month or two later.

 

New Title 3 - Yes, you heard me! New Title 3!! "ZOMG, s2m you're insane!!!" No I'm not. :P I wouldn't have signed on for a third new title if I didn't have the time. I'll be beginning this series in January of '08. It is complete at 5 volumes long. And with two months per volume, I'll be finishing up around the time Clay 13 kicks in. So you see, it fits quite nicely into the gaping hole left by Clay's impending absence. Honey will be winding down around this time next year, too. So what is New Title 3???? Obviously I can't tell you, since it's New Title 3!!! *biiiiiiii* I can tell you it's shoujo, and by the same mangaka as New Title 2. So this time next year I'll have lots and lots of bishounen--don't forget my 4th Naruto volume! XD Though the Akatsuki men aren't very attractive, are they...none but the Rat Bastard, so far. And he's ruined b/c he's the Rat Bastard. Meh. I'll be working with yet another editor for New Title 3, so I hereby dub her the incredibly original name of--Shoujo Editor #4. My guesstimate for the preview of the first chapter is around December of next year, again with the GN following a month or two later.

 

Skip Beat! - Ahhhh yes, my own personal manga fave. XD I'm just over half-way through volume 12. Which I'm delighted to say is overflowing with Mr. Tsuruga. *happy sigh* Things are really heating up in Skip!!!! This title is made of win and awesome, I wish more people would read it. If only that preview last year in Shojo Beat had been longer!! X| I know Skip isn't for everyone, but I do hope more people give it a try. Skip really deserves a huge fan base in NA. But Skip has finally earned it's own category at fanfiction.net. I haven't ventured inside, I'm too afraid to see what horrors I've helped bring upon the world. D= Volume 8 of Skip will be out this month!! And even if you don't care for the story, you must check out the title page right inside the book. Holy tattooed bishounen glory, Batman!!! *swoons* It's even better than the cover for Skip vol 7!!! XD XD XD Oh, and the desire to resume my Hana to Yume Skip translation is resuming. I think I'm finally over the translation burnout. It lasted a long time...

And with that, the extra-detailed shigoto update is finished. *bows out*