A Certain Around 30's Delusions c1-2

Here's two chapters (or a two-part oneshot? I'm not really sure if there will be more or not) of an ecchi series by Kuon Makoto that were in Dragon Age over the summer. It was so refreshing seeing something in the magazine that didn't involve teenage girls accidentally showing their boobs and panties that I had to scanlate it.

Warning: Both chapters contain adult material (including borderline bestiality, sort of). I think the picture should speak for itself. Nothing too 18+, but I wouldn't read it with your mom/significant other in the room. Just picture if one of the girls in tentacle-rape hentai (oh come on, you know what I'm talking about) really liked the tentacles... Enjoy!

Chapter 1
DDL
Batoto

Chapter 2
DDL
Batoto

A special thanks to DEUS, the translator who was so kind as to lend me his skills for these. He will be helping me out now, so hopefully I'll be able to get releases out just a bit more frequently than before.

October Raws and Announcement

Big-boob Glasses-san got the food and is all ready to serve her boss-chan. Too bad M-sama needs a new toy.

Triage X c39 raw

It really doesn't look like this series will be picked up, so to continue reading I would suggest you go buy Volume 5 on Amazon. It may or may not ship early (official release is Jan. 2014).

Remember that time back in high school when you slept over at your young, hot teacher's apartment for private lessons and you accidentally saw her panties a lot and accidentally made her rather large breasts pop out? Me neither. Takeru, you lucky bastard...

Maken-Ki! c63 raw


I've been anticipating this for a while and have thus been hinting at it, but it's time to make the official announcement: I will no longer be getting Monthly Dragon Age each month. This means I will no longer be posting raws of Maken-Ki! and Triage X. I hope you will all understand. I'll still try to keep up with any relevant news and post it here, but it won't be quite the same when I don't have the original source. This was a necessary move for me, so please don't hold it against me.

Necro;Chronicle will hopefully be done soon.

Monthly Dragon Age - October (9/9/2013)

No HOTD news. Nope. Nothing. Not this time. (I'm running out of ways to say this.)

So straight on to other things: A staggering three different series ended this month. The first one, Full Metal Panic! Sigma isn't a big surprise since it has been rather sporadic lately. It ends it's long run (for a DA series) on its 88th chapter with color pages. Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai (So, I can't be H) also ended, which is also not too surprising considering series that rely heavily on ecchi and fanservice don't usually last too long.

A little more surprising is the third series to meet its end, Omamori Himari. The series got the honor of the front cover and the opening spot with color pages for its farewell to the manga world. I didn't expect this, but then again 75 chapters is a pretty good run for a monthly DA series. I actually stopped reading around c50, but it was a fun series with a nice balance of ecchi and action. The scanlation (by Vortex) is still about 10 chapters behind, so readers will have to wait a bit to see who Yuuto ends up with.

Vito asked me to scan this:

I'm not sure what series it's from, but there you go.

Necro;Chronicle c4 is coming, though I'm not sure when. I have everything done, just waiting on the translations. Chapter 5 was out this month, but the series is taking a one-month break; so c6 will be out in November. It'll probably be tomorrow before I get the monthly raws up.


Surprisingly enough, this issue was quite clean by Dragon Age standards. For your smut of the month, I just chose the picture with the most nude girls. I guess this also works as a farewell salute to Omamori Himari.

How all harem manga should end.

HOTD and Triage X: Answering Questions

Over the last year or so I've been getting a lot of questions that have increased in frequency of late as to when/if I will continue the Triage X (and HOTD to an increasingly lesser extent) scanlations. I think my answers have been a little vague, but the truth is I wasn't really sure what I was going to do until recently. It's time to bring you some clarity.

First off, I've been saying this more or less for a while, but I guess I can make it official: I will no longer be involved in scanlating HOTD or providing related raw scans--that is, aside from illustrations and stuff that appear in Dragon Age. Now that Yen Press will be releasing chapters right away and even selling their versions of other material like the art book, there is no reason for me to continue. I'll continue to give you links to new chapters and of course updates on any news out of Japan, but I will not allow any link to free pirated versions of Yen Press' published material on this site.

That was an easy decision; Triage X, on the other hand, gave me a lot more trouble. As some of you know, I've been struggling to find a translator for the series for some time now with no luck. All the while Yen Press has been slowly catching up on their releases. Since YP releases a volume every 3 months or so and a new Japanese volume comes out every 5 months roughly, I think it's safe to assume the official translations will catch up to the Japanese at some point and simultaneous monthly chapters are a logical step after that. Because of this, my inability to find interested translators, and my general desire to move away from licensed series I have decided to officially drop Triage X. I will still give you monthly raws (for a while at least), but scanlation will not continue as far as I'm concerned.

So to make it clear: I will no longer be involved in scanlating HOTD or Triage X. I have officially dropped both series. I will continue to bring you news and announcements about both series, though.

I'm not closing shop just yet. I still have Necro;Chronicle and Maken-Ki! Kai!! and I have a few things that I may get to in the future (even one for HOTD fans). And of course, monthly Dragon Age updates will continue as long as I can afford it or enough donations come in. Really not much has changed except that I took a few links down and I can now give a definite answer to the questions I'm getting.

For good measure I've decided to start helping English-speaking fans find official material and support the series, so I'll be providing links to the products. Here are the latest releases for each series on Amazon:

Triage X Volume 3 (latest release)
Triage X Volume 5 (pre-order)

HOTD Act.30
HOTD Color Omnibus 2 (pre-order)

I know some of you will be disappointed, but please try to keep comments civil. I am a human being living in the real world, and I'm doing my best to balance this hobby from my college days with real life.

Monthly Raws - September

The astute Star Wars fan will notice that Mikoto is wearing the famous Slave Leia outfit (sans loincloth). That must mean the tentacle monster she's being raped by is the Sarlacc?

Triage X c38 raw

Ouken's grandchildren are back, and they brought reinforcements. It's not exactly clear if this is the beginning of a new arc or a continuation of the last one. We'll see.

Maken-Ki! c62 raw

Monthly Dragon Age - September (8/9/2013)

It's so refreshing to see Shouji Sato art on the cover again. Too bad it's not for a different series... That's right, no news on HOTD this month. It definitely won't be back next month.

There was this ad, though, that was also kind of refreshing. If nothing else, it's the first proper mention of anything related to HOTD since April. Before you get excited, this is just an advertisement for the PS Vita adaptation of the new Highschool of the Dead pachi-slot game that has appearing in adult arcades across Japan. The Vita version will be out this October.

 

Dragon Age has been starting new series at an alarming rate over the last six months or so. I usually talk about those that look like they may be interesting enough to get picked up by a group someday. Well, I looked into some of these and discovered that Japanzai has recently started scanlating D.Y.N. Freaks and Inaba Rabbits, two series I've talked about. If you thought they sounded interesting, you can get them on their site, along with others I haven't mentioned (ex: The Day Haru-nee Did XX to Me). Now if only they will pick up Dolls Fall and Regards to Black Wife...

Just so you know, the dynamic of the Necro;Chronicle scanlation has changed a bit, which means it could take longer than usual to release c4 or it could take less time. The point is, I won't know how it's going to be until after we get this month's chapter done. Your monthly raws should be out by tomorrow.

Now that I've committed to the "monthly smut" I think it's time to explain it a bit. As many of you know, Japan's adult industry is more heavily regulated in some ways than in many Western countries. Namely, male and female sex organs must be subjected to varying degrees of censorship because they are considered obscene. I don't want to sound like I'm culturally narrow-minded, because I'm not, but I find it hilarious that in Japan you can't buy an adults-only movie without mosaics over the genitals but you can open up a manga magazine marketed towards teenagers and see an underage girl masturbating with a bidet. I understand the Western world has it's own brand of sexual hypocrisy rooted in orthodox Christianity, but this site is about Japanese manga, which is why I've committed to finding the lewdest, dirtiest scene (from an American perspective) in each issue and posting it. Think of it as my own private joke I'm sharing with all of you.

That being said, this month's winner (tentacle rape) will be in the new Triage X chapter, so I decided to go with the runner-up instead, even though it is relatively tame.

When you gotta go, you gotta go!

 

 

Donation Drive: SOTD Needs Your Help!

UPDATE: Thanks to some very generous contributors (Tuan in particular) I met my goal for this month and almost met it for next month as well. I will now encourage you not to donate any more for at least another month or so. I'm all set for now. Thanks again!


Regular readers here know I don't do this a lot, but sometimes money is tight. Due to unforeseen personal expenses coming up, I've decided to give in and ask you guys to help me out on the next issue of Dragon Age. Just go to the top right and click Donate if you would like to help. As you will notice at the very top of the right sidebar, I have $20 of the roughly $55 I need to cover the next issue. If I could get the $35 more I need, that would help me out a lot.

Going over this month's goal is totally okay, so feel free to contribute to next month after the goal is reached. Money is generally short right now for me even without extra expenses, so the more months I can count entirely on donations, the better.

Oh and what do your donations contribute to? I'm glad you asked:

• Raw scans of the latest Triage X and Maken-Ki! chapters and related materials.
• Any available news and announcements regarding HOTD (there may not be any).
• Ensures the next chapter of Necro;Chronicle is scanlated (by me and Madman) in a timely manner.
• And of course your monthly update of whatever I feel like is important enough to talk about.

All donations will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
By the way, here's the second chapter of Black Sword, Shouji Sato's Fire Fire Fire sequel.

Necro;Chronicle c3

The new chapter is out faster than ever thanks to the cooperation of Madman Scans, as always. This chapter is a lot more like what I expected this series to be. Enjoy!

DDL
Batoto

So it turns out Emma the necromancer is only 13. Sort of makes me feel weird for having read the last chapter. In a series like this, though, she could very well be 200 years old and just taking the form of a young girl. Still...

Monthly Raws - August

The thing we were all expecting to happen didn't happen after all, and something none of us thought would happen happened. Nice job, Inazuma!

http://www.mediafire.com/?i4i067hzz3tyqal

Takeda-sensei overdosed on boner pills. This is what came from it.

http://www.mediafire.com/download/t6b3la41cic3wl9/Maken-Ki!_c61.5_raw.rar

Possible Highschool of the Dead News

First of all, thank you to Hammiam for bringing this to my attention.

I just wanted to give you my opinion on this so it doesn't get misconstrued and I hopefully don't get bombarded with questions. Go ahead and read this if you haven't already and please read the rest of this post after:

http://tinyurl.com/q5vnvp3

I am not considering this real news. It certainly is NOT an official announcement of any kind. There are no official sources for some points (those about Daisuke Sato's health and the earthquake are true and appeared in his recent interview for the FCE volumes). To save time, I'm going to copy what I said in a comment in another post:

Some of the things on that list I knew from the Daisuke Sato interview in the new FCE volumes. Some of it is logical conclusion. A few points (namely the ones that talk about what they're doing to work towards a return), though, I simply can't accept as fact without viable sources. I want to believe it, but this has to fall in the likely-but-unverifiable category. I believe that this person did research and dug up some facts, but then connected them through his own inferences and speculation.

There is too much here that goes beyond any official word I have heard for me to treat this as real news. I'll keep my eyes and ears open, and hopefully we can start confirming some of these points. I think the real proof will come in an announcement when the next chapter is ready.

The part about buying new chapters is absolutely true and actually makes me suspect someone under Yen Press' payroll is behind this, in which case it would be absolutely true. We'll see!

I know this won't do much good, but PLEASE don't go around the internet touting this as absolute fact. This is interesting and very believable, but it's a lot like investigative journalism: When you take some disjointed facts and connect the dots in a logical way, people tend to believe it.

So there you have it. I will, at the very least, use this information as a sort of checklist when I look for official, source-supported info in the future. Until then, buy the manga to support the authors, be happy that someone somewhere is doing something, and keep checking back for more information.

Monthly Dragon Age - August (7/9/2013)

I actually got this issue the same day it came out in Japan for the first time ever, but I was out of town until today. Sort of funny, in a way.

Anyway, there's no news about HOTD. The next issue, however, is set to feature Triage X front and center. That could be a good time for some news or something. Or it could be that Volume 7 will be announced. We'll see in a month.

I'm tired from traveling all day, so I won't say much else in this post. This was an unusually thick issue, but there's really no particularly exciting news or new series. Monthly raws of Maken-ki! and Triage X will be coming sometime in the next few days. Chapter 3 of Necro;Chronicle will come a bit later. That's all for now.



Oh and since I committed to this two months ago, here's your monthly smut/stinger. It was a hard decision this month. (There was bestiality in this issue.)

The funny thing is it actually looks dirtier when her panties are intact.

 

Monthly Raws (July 2013)

I apologize for the lateness. Because of how late they already are and because I have other things to do, I did absolute minimal editing. These are as fresh off the scanner as anything you will ever see from me. I might actually do it this way from now on to save time.

How many months is this fight going to drag on for!?

TriageX c36 raw

I knew they should have killed big-boob glasses-lady!

Maken-Ki! c61 raw

Necro;Chronicle Chapter 2

Here is the second chapter of my new joint project with Madman Scans. Like I said before, this series took a quick turn this month that left me a bit surprised that I was reading it in a mainstream magazine. Then again, Dragon Age is the magazine that published Inari Aibration. My guess is a few of you will be done with this series after this one.

DDL
Batoto

Let's just say Emma-chan finds an...interesting...use for the bidet. Here's hoping for some plot next month!

Raws for Triage X and Maken-Ki! are coming within the next day or two. Stay close.

Maken-Ki! Kai!! c2-3

Stuff really piled up while I was on vacation, so I need to get caught up. Here's a double release as a result of that. As with the first chapter, this is a joint with Madman Scans. I apologize for the low image quality, but these were only available in online magazine format, which you really can't do much with. Enjoy!

Chapter 2:
DDL
Batoto

Chapter 3:
DDL
Batoto

We have now scanlated all available chapters of this series. Now if only the scanlation of the main series could catch up as well...

Anyway, I'm working on getting you your monthly raws, but it will have to wait a bit longer. I want to get Necro:Chronicle c2 out first. Look for that in (hopefully) a few days. See you then!

Monthly Dragon Age - July (6/9/2013)

Nothing in this issue about new Highschool of the Dead. This isn't that surprising since Shouji Sato just kicked off a sequel to Fire Fire Fire at the end of May with a new chapter coming out in a couple weeks.

By the way, in case you missed it, here is Black Sword c1 (raw):

http://mangabroadcast.jp/preview.php?cid=08000000HMSMPL3153A5

Gringe of XLG gave a quick synopsis for those of us non-Japanese readers:

http://myanimelist.net/clubs.php?id=17406&action=view&t=comments

The series is published by the online magazine Garaku no Mori. There doesn't seem to be a good way to get raws right now, but hopefully XLG will climb out of the abyss and pick it up when it is collected in tankoubon form.

Two new series in this issue. Firstly, the latest iteration of the BlazBlue manga adaptations, Calamity Trigger. I'm not sure where in the BlazBlue universe this fits in, but I'm pretty sure this is directly related to the anime adaptation coming later this year. The other is Dolls Fall, a sort of gritty psychological horror in the vein of Higanbana or Bloody Maiden that I would love to see picked up sometime (I'm talking to you, Village Idiot!).

The new chapter of Necro;Chronicle took a new direction, to say the least. When you see it you'll either be a loyal fan or done for good with this series. Look for it sometime this month. Unfortunately, I won't be posting raws for Maken-Ki! and Triage X for a little over a week. I'm going on vacation, and there's simply no time.


Oh, and just so you know, the iron-fisted censors at Dragon Age were on break this month:

This is exactly what it looks like...

 

Necro;Chronicle Chapter 1

I mentioned this series in my last Dragon Age update, and Madman Scans, with whom I'm working on Maken-Ki! Kai!!, approached me about it right away. We decided to work together on this one, though they did a lot more than me on this particular chapter. Anyway, here's the brand new series, Necro;Chronicle:

DDL
Batoto

I'm not sure if an actual zombie apocalypse will play out in future chapters, but some foreshadowing seems to hint at something of the sort. For now it seems more like Korewa Zombie Desuka than HOTD, though the mood is more like the latter. It will be interesting to see where this series goes in the future.

We should have the next chapter out sometime this month.

Credits:
Turambar - raws, QC
Reiko - translation
Madman Freak - cleaning, typesetting, proofreading

Maken-Ki! Kai!!

Here's a surprise for you Maken-Ki! fans. It's the first (only?) chapter of the prequel to the main series, taking place when Minori, Aki, and the other teachers were students at Tenbi.

This is a joint with Madman Scans. I was sitting on it for about a year waiting for someone to translate, so a special thanks to them for helping to finally get this released.

DDL
Batoto

I'm not really sure if there were any more Kai chapters released. There definitely haven't been any in Dragon Age, but I'm not sure about Age Premium. If anyone knows, let me know so we can hopefully scanlate the others.

By the way, since most of the groups I do joints with use Batoto, I've decided to give in and start officially using it. Maybe I can prevent some of those stupid kids from ravaging my work and uploading to other readers, or maybe not. In any case, it gives people another way to read the chapters I release that I can be happy with.

Triage X and Maken-Ki! Monthly Raws

Each month there is an advertisement on the title page of this series for the available volumes on sale, and each month the ad is in Japanese. This month, for some strange reason, the ad is in English. This just seems like a risky business decision since you have no way of knowing how many readers know enough English to read it. It makes me wonder if someone is keeping an eye on what I do here...

In case I'm not just paranoid: Hey Sato-sensei! I really love your work.

http://www.mediafire.com/?g6e367qfi6ua6ba

Don't forget to support the artist and buy the volumes.

If you're wondering why this is labeled c35, I was off on my numbering and I decided it was time to correct it. Sorry for any inconvenience it causes you.

On the extreme improbability that anybody visiting this site is a mother, happy Mother's Day. For the rest of you deviants, honor the woman who brought you into this world today by looking at these drawings of scantily-clad high school girls:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?44dk43bt4j3u816

I believe the translator for Maken-Ki! will soon be back in business, so the scanlation should get back under way soon. I'm not sure yet how much I will be involved, but whatever the case I'll keep you updated. See you.

Monthly Dragon Age - June (5/9/2013)

No word in this issue about the status of Highschool of the Dead. It's as if last month was just some collective dream, teasing us all with a taste before slinking slyly back to the abyss of speculative hype. As of now, it there does not seem to be any plan to release Act.31 next month. That could change between now and then, but don't hold out too much hope.

In any case, it seems like Yen Press has officially announced they are locked in to simultaneous releases for all new HOTD chapters. The way they handled Act.30 left a lot of room for improvement, which is something I'm confident they will do as they get more settled into what I'm choosing to call "official scanlation."

Two new series premiered in this issue. One is a shounen trope-heavy, high school romance moe-fest featuring rabbit girls aptly titled "Inaba Rabbits." Nothing special there. The other is one I may be a little excited about. It's called "Necro Chronicle," and it's another post-apocalyptic zombie series (could it be the replacement for HOTD?). After glancing through it, it appears to use the zombie apocalypse to guide the plot rather than put focus on a societal and infrastructural collapse like HOTD. The characters are younger and it obviously integrates more supernatural elements. Of course the most glaring difference from HOTD is that it seems to be more classically shounen, whereas HOTD isn't limited by the conventions of the genre. Anyway, this looks like it has a good deal of intrigue and readability for a magazine like Dragon Age, and I would like to pick it up see it get picked up by some other group.

I honestly wasn't expecting to get this issue until Monday. As such I need to get some other things done (including a bit of a surprise for you Maken-Ki! fans) before I can get Triage X and Maken-Ki! raws scanned and posted. It could be two or three days. Stay close.

This month, Matome x Saito continues to deliver the deepest camel toes this side of the Sahara.

The story's heroine is seen here sporting the too-cute Shimapan Frontthong from the new CervixHugger line:

Maken-Ki! c59 raw

This is a really uneventful chapter if you can't read it. If/when you can, there's lots of interesting back story. Hopefully Takeda-sensei isn't just answering lingering questions because he plans to end the series soon.

There's a new chapter next month, so maybe we'll find out then if there's going to be another arc. It seems like this one is still successful enough to keep going for a while.

http://www.mediafire.com/?p4625z03qe7mhq6

I'll post an update when HOTD c30 is done and released over at Renzokusei.

Triage X c36 raw

We get a lot of panty shots and breast shots in this series, but I find myself wishing for more bare-ass-under-billowing-hospital-gown shots. Well, Shouji Sato must be telepathic because he delivered in this chapter.

http://www.mediafire.com/?apxqy9axsdx2w7i

It looks like he may be delving into the supernatural a bit now. Nothing wrong with that.

By the way, if you want the scanlation of this series to resume, you can help by aiding me in my quest for a translator. Ask around any manga/anime forums you frequent, and even talk to other groups on their sites. If you see my requests on various recruitment boards, bump them or share the links with known translators. I can't do this alone.

Maken-Ki! won't be done until tomorrow probably. Thank you in advance for waiting patiently.

Highschool of the Dead Act.30 Thoughts

After a two year hiatus that has had fans hanging in perpetual darkness since April 2011, Highschool of the Dead Act.30 "intellect, emotion, and DEAD" is here.

The fan response I've seen has been overwhelmingly positive, probably thanks to the fact that the long wait is finally over, but I have also seen some negative feelings, perhaps aided by the news that there is no definite date for the next chapter. Of course, fans are perfectly justified in being apprehensive. They just endured a bitter two-year drought of new material after all. For this reason, I want to give my opinion on this apparent ambiguity before I discuss the actual chapter. First, here is what's causing the stir:

The top message is something I'm not sure there is a good English translation for. I've seen it translated as "To be continued" (like the Yen Press version of this chapter) as well as things like "coming soon" and "till next time." This message commonly appears at the end of Dragon Age chapters. In my experience, it usually means a series will take a one-month break. Sometimes it could mean more than a month, or rarely the series even returns the next month. It simply means that the next chapter is not currently in next month's Dragon Age lineup, and the creator(s) and publisher haven't set a definite time yet. This is further shown by the smaller text below, which says something like "The next chapter's release date has not yet been determined. The date will be announced later." (I don't read Japanese, so please don't take this as a literal translation). It seems likely to me that the reason for this message at the end of the chapter is one or all of the parties involved weren't prepared to commit to another chapter so soon after this chapter. A few possible, and very speculative, reasons for this may be that Shouji Sato is busy drawing for Triage X and doesn't want to rush the art, the publisher wants Triage X to continue as a monthly series and doesn't want to overload Shouji, there are two new series already scheduled to appear in Dragon Age next month and there was simply no room for HOTD, or everyone just wants to measure the fan response to this chapter before they decide how often to release new chapters and how much longer the series should continue. I think each is just as likely a reason as the next, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was some combination of these and more reasons I haven't though of. Just so you know, this month's Triage X was half the normal length, which makes me suspect Shouji had trouble getting full chapters of both series done.

I am confident the series will return in June at latest. I just can't believe there would have been such a big deal made for a single chapter. They would have announced that it was only one chapter if that was the case. After all, what reason would they have for tricking people into believing it was a full return while secretly only planning one chapter? It wouldn't make sense.

Now that I've (hopefully) put some fears to rest, or at least increased some fans' understandings of the situation, I can move on to the actual contents of the chapter. If you haven't read it yet and don't want anything spoiled, stop reading here. Otherwise, see more after the jump.

Monthly Dragon Age - May (4/9/2013)

As I'm sure everyone knows by now, Highschool of the Dead makes its long-awaited return in this issue. Chapter 30 is available for purchase now from Yen Press and will be scanlated by Renzokusei Scans probably within the next few days. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like there will be a new chapter next month, and there isn't any clear indication as to when Chapter 31 will be released. The last page features the "To be continued" message in place of a date. Don't worry, though, because there is no reason to think the series will go on another hiatus. It likely just means they haven't decided when to release the next chapter yet.

Yen Press left out a page in their release that wasn't part of the chapter, and it just happened to be the page with the chapters title on it. For those of you wondering, the title is "Act.30 intellect, emotion, and DEAD". The page is below.

I'm planning on doing a post with my thoughts on the new chapter later. I'll include a few pages for those of you who are waiting for the scanlation.

As a huge fan of the works of H. P. Lovecraft, I was excited when I learned this month's new series, "D.Y.N. Freaks", is based on Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos (the stories focusing on cosmic horror and his invented pantheon of gods). Upon further investigation, it seems the series is actually based on a card game and interactive novel called Cthulhu Mythos that is loosely based on the works of Lovecraft. I was a bit disappointed, especially after seeing how it is not remotely reminiscent of anything I read in Lovecraft. Still, it could be a nice horror replacement for Higanbana, which ended a few months ago. Lots of blood and darkness. I'll be interested to see if it gets picked up.

After a 13-chapter run (an appropriate number for this next series), "Aimane - Akuma na Kanojo o Produce" ends this month. It was a good series for ecchi, but I guess there wasn't enough interest in the talent-agent-meets-devil-girl-and-helps-her-become-idol scenario to keep it going. If you're looking for a quick read with plenty of panty shots, Japanzai has been scanlating it.

This doesn't really relate to this issue, but I need to clarify a mistake I made last month. I told you the
Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi anime was starting March 31, but that was actually the date for the first trailer. These things happen when don't read Japanese and try to guess what thing say. The anime is really starting in July.

I probably won't have the raws for Triage X and Maken-Ki! up until tomorrow. I may have my thoughts on Act.30 later today, but it'll more likely be tomorrow.

Oh and here's that poster:

 

Yen Press Releases Act.30 (Updated)

UPDATE 4:

(The Google Play version doesn't seem to have an option for purchase yet, but I'll go ahead with this post since my Dragon Age update is coming soon.)

At last, the new chapter is available on Google Play. Now you can finally read it on your PC or non-Android device. It's also now available on Barnes & Noble, which means it is available in all retailers and everyone should be able to read it now. Google's version works on everything.

If you simply have to read it for free or live outside the US, I want to urge you to wait for the scanlation. There is no good reason to read an illegally shared chapter that is an exact copy of something easily accessible and relatively cheap. The scanlation will be an alternative for those who want one; piracy is not.

I ended up reading the Kindle version yesterday on my Android phone, and I would recommend not reading it on a phone if you have the option. Buy it from Google and read on your PC or at the very least a tablet. I must say, though, I'm overall pretty happy with the chapter. Yen Press has definitely improved vastly since the first few printed volumes, both in translations and editing quality. Of course, I won't be able to judge for sure until I see the original (later today).

The only real problem I have with Yen Press is how they handled the release. They seem to have gotten ahead of themselves by promising a simultaneous release because they apparently did so without a final agreement with the ebook retailers. Furthermore, they put their focus on Apple products, making sure that version went active first. I know a lot of people have an iphone, but most people don't own an Apple device. If they're going to focus on getting one retailer active first, it needs to be Google Play since they make the file available across platforms, even on Apple devices. Someone at YP must be an Apple fanboy because those are the people who tend to think everyone in the world is like them.

I also find it unfortunate that YP isn't making it available internationally. If you live in the U.K., Australia, or pretty much anywhere outside North America, you'll have to wait for the scanlation.

Hopefully Yen Press will learn from this release and improve in the future, that is, if they continue these releases, which according to this post is the plan. This was the first one, so it's obviously not going to be perfect. The best thing you can do to make sure they improve is to let them know how they can make the next one better.

UPDATE 3:

Those of you with a Kindle can now buy the chapter through Amazon. I imagine many people (myself included) will still be waiting patiently. I thing Google Play is the only one of the retailers that will sell a version you can read on your PC.

Actually, if you have an Android device and don't mind reading the chapter on your phone, you can get Amazon's free Kindle for Android app. Personally, I think I'll wait just a bit longer to read it on a bigger and better screen.

UPDATE 2: 

Yen Press said on Twitter that the chapter has been made available to Android markets as well as iOS markets, but they have not gone live with it yet. Markets waiting to release the chapter include Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Google Play. You can get the chapter if you have an iOS device at the link below.


UPDATE 1:

Yen Press released Highschool of the Dead Act.30 through iBooks. As of now, it looks like you either need an Apple device or iTunes with a computer running iBooks and iOS. This is extremely frustrating, but hopefully they will make it more widely available in time. They're ignoring a HUGE part of their market by favoring Apple users. I'll keep you updated periodically.

ORIGINAL POST:

Yen Press has issues with Act.30 Release

Are we surprised?

First off, I should tell you I don't think the new Highschool of the Dead chapter is being released in the Yen Plus online magazine. I wouldn't buy a subscription. Not that you could anyway, because it seems their payment system isn't working properly. What a surprise...

It seems the new chapter is actually being sold through the Yen Press parent company Hachette Book Group. The product page for the regular ebook is here. They list myriad retailers through which to buy the chapter, but it doesn't seem to be available anywhere. It looks like the promise of a "simultaneous" release was a lie. They could have released it as early as 9 AM EST yesterday, when it was officially April 9 in Japan. Now it is April 10 in Japan and we have no chapter. Nice job Yen Press or Hachette or whoever is responsible for this feeble attempt at bringing the fans what they want.

So I'd like to know from people if/when they are able to buy the chapter. The good thing in all of this is that it will only cost $1.99 now, so you save a dollar and don't have to deal with a renewing subscription. I'll keep trying to access the chapter and update you if I get it.

HOTD Not Returning Next Month

A sentence I've grown tired of typing: there will be no new Highschool of the Dead next month.

As you can see in the image above, the new chapter ends with the ambiguous message that essentially means there is no chapter planned for next month's issue. According to Sankaku Complex, this chapter is a "special publication" and the full resumption of the series is "undetermined." Make of this what you will. It certainly does not guarantee another long hiatus, but it doesn't sound very hopeful either.

I wrote this post to inform you all, but I also wanted to stifle any outrage or despair before it starts. I've been getting Dragon Age for almost two years now, and sometimes when this message appears the series returns after a month off. It's not the worst thing you can see at the end of a chapter. I think a likely reason for this one-off is that Fujimi Shobo is perhaps using the fan response to this chapter to determine if they should bring it back monthly or bi-monthly. It could also tell Shouji Sato and Daisuke Sato if they should end after a few more chapters or stretch the story out for a ninth volume. We can't really be sure, but we can be sure this does not mean we should prepare for two more years of nothing.

I'll see if I can figure out anything else in the next day or two and pass on the info. Maybe Yen Press will say something in their release. Speaking of which, for those of you who want to wait for the scanlation, I'm thinking about doing a spoiler post with a few pages and a summary when I get my magazine. Would you be interested?

Yen Press to Release HOTD Act.30 (Updated)

In a series of tweets, Yen Press, publisher of the official English translations of HOTD and Triage X, announced today that they will release a digital version of Highschool of the Dead Act.30 on April 9, the date the chapter will be released in Japan. As far as I know, they haven't been clear yet as to the method of release. I'm not familiar with their online magazine, but I would guess it would be in that, or at least available to subscribers. They also have not made it clear whether they will release all future chapters like this or if this is a one-time thing.

This came as a major surprise to me. It makes me rather nervous as a scanlator, especially after what happened to Mangastream after Viz decided to start releasing weekly Shounen Jump chapters. I've decided not to take part in scanlating this chapter. As unhappy as I've been with Yen Press, and as sure as I am they are trying to exploit manga fans and force subscriptions on innocent readers, I have to keep in mind that some of the money goes to the author and artist, and that's a good thing. (Then there's the legal ramifications I want to avoid at all cost). Sorry for the inconvenience, but the most you will have to pay is $2.99 for a one-month subscription, and you get to read it a few days earlier.

If I am right and they don't do any more chapters after 30, I will resume the scanlation, so don't worry. I know plenty of you will be groaning and complaining about not getting a free version, but you'll get over it. Remember, by spending the $3 you're supporting the author and artist and maybe keeping this series alive a little longer.

I'll still have my regular Dragon Age update and monthly raws. Plus I'll scan any of the extra stuff (covers, maybe the poster) that Yen Press doesn't include. See you soon.

UPDATE:
I've spoken with Renzokusei, and it looks like they will continue with the scanlation. Scans of the Dead will have no association with the chapter, but I fully support what they're doing. That being said, if you do choose to pay for the Yen Press version, you will get to read the chapter at least a few days earlier. Those of you who read the bigger shounen series know how this works. You can read the speedlation for a quick fix or you can wait a few days for higher quality. The important thing is you have a choice.

Translator Needed

I've decided the time has come to publicly seek a Japanese to English translator for Triage X and Highschool of the Dead. Ideally, a single translator would do both series, but if someone only wants to do one or the other, I'm okay with that. I may be getting translation help from Renzokusei Scans for HOTD if I can't find someone willing to do it.

My primary concern right now is Triage X because I would like to get started right away. If you agree to help, you can get started using my monthly raws to start translating Volume 5 chapters as soon as you are ready. I expect this project to be pretty laid-back, with no real deadlines or anything. The scans are super high quality, so the translations likewise shouldn't be rushed. Since the scanlation is already so far behind, I'm not concerned about catching up.

I suppose more people will be interested in helping with Highschool of the Dead. I've already talked with Renzokusei, and I'm pretty sure I can get translation help from them. What I'm unsure about is if they will be able to get it done as fast as I would like. HOTDcups used to get new chapters done by himself (meaning scanning, editing, and translating) more or less within a day of receiving the magazine. I'm not going to ask more than a translator is comfortable with, but I would at least like to get close to his speed. At the very least, I need a translator who will put HOTD before any other translation projects until it is done, preferably getting me a script within a day or two (figuring in time zone differences) of my sending the raws. (Note: I'll make an obvious exception here if the chapter is well over 40 pages, which I expect the next one to be). I know this is a lot to ask, but if I can't find someone who can do this, I can work with Renzokusei.

Probably what would be best is if you start by translating a few Triage X chapters, then if you think you can meet the above stipulations, I'll have you translate the new HOTD chapter (out April 9). If it doesn't work out as smoothly as I hope, then I might consider going to Renzokusei for future chapters, and you would continue with Triage X.

Please contact me about translating only if you are serious. I am open to doing joints with other groups; just let me know when you contact me. Emails to turambar1@yahoo.com are preferred, but feel free to leave a comment below if you want.

One more thing: if you can't translate but know someone who can and may be interested, please send them here. Thanks.

FCE Volume 7 Covers

I told you I would at least give you the covers of Volume 7, so here you go.

DDL

The full picture the three back covers make was included as a pullout in this volume, so I scanned that to give you better quality over all. I think many of you will enjoy it.

Like Volumes 5 and 6, this one really didn't have anything else of note, except for the beautiful full color manga, that is. It is highly unlikely I will work on any full color chapters. I would advise either importing them from Japan or saving some money and waiting for the Yen Press version that will include the art book.

Monthly Raws - Triage X c35 & Maken-Ki! c58

Himegami-senpai!!! P- Pantsu!?

Maken-Ki! c58 raw


Looks like either a new arc will be starting soon or fake Ouken will be back bigger and badder than before. In any case, it appears the story is going back to Tenbi Academy.

Hipster-san wears those glasses ironically...but he did it before it was cool, so it's okay. Molester-san wears that tie sincerely...does that mean he's cooler?

Triage X c35 raw

I'll put a little something together with the full color Volume 7 covers and stuff tomorrow. See you then.

Monthly Dragon Age - April (3/9/2013)

Nearly two years of these monthly updates, over $1000 spent importing the magazines, numerous false leads and hopeful speculating, months of darkness where not even a single ray of light broke through the despair, all leading to this moment in time, this long-awaited instant when I can type these beautiful words for all of your eyes to drink up and savor in sweet anticipation: there will be a new Highschool of the Dead chapter next month.

I announced the news before, but it's so much more exciting now that I've seen it with my own eyes. HOTD Act. 30, the next chapter in the thrilling horror manga that has become an international sensation, will appear in the May issue of Monthly Dragon Age, available April 9. There's not too much more information than that right now. The official announcement, of which I have included a much better version below, has some text that I was curious about, but it appears to just say something about it making its return after a two year hiatus. Nothing we didn't already know.

Something I find a little interesting is that HOTD is not listed in next month's lineup. It's not necessarily worrying; Triage X isn't listed either and this month's chapter clearly says the next chapter will be out next month. It makes me wonder if the two series will be presented in a special way next month, like maybe in an extra booklet or as part of the Dragon Age 10th anniversary next month. I guess we'll have to wait until the release is a bit closer to see. One thing we can be almost sure of is that HOTD will finally have a place on the cover again next month. The last time that happened was May 2011 (not including ads/announcements).

Two new anime adaptations of Dragon Age series were just announced, though this may not be news to a lot of people. Both were originally light novel series and both will air during the spring 2013 anime season. The first is Date A Live (the monthly serialized version is Date Ast Like). I've never read it, but it looks decent from the raws. It will begin airing April 5. The other is Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi, which I am excited about. I really like the manga, though the scanlation is way behind. I will definitely be watching this one, which is saying a lot because I rarely watch anime anymore. It begins airing on March 31.

That's about it as far as this issue goes. There are no remarkable new series beginning, nothing is ending, and there are no incredibly lewd oneshots to talk about. I'll try to have raws of Maken-Ki! and Triage X out later today.  

Maken-Ki! Volume 9 c50

With Oppai-Scans, as usual. Unlike usual, this is a brand new chapter. Enjoy.

DDL

Unfortunately, this might be the last new chapter for about two months at least. Until then, you'll have high quality versions of the Volume 9 chapters we skipped over. Also Oppai is doing high quality versions of Blade Play right now.

See you tomorrow (probably) with my Dragon Age update and hopefully more information on the HOTD return.

Highschool of the Dead Returning Next Month

As you can see in the image above, HOTD is scheduled to return in the May issue of Monthly Dragon Age on April 9. I'll have more information for you on Monday when I get my own copy of this month's issue. See you then.

Shouji Sato Oneshots - Unreal Sundown and Unreal Sunshine

 

You have no idea how long we've been waiting to release these. 

They are both oneshots by Shouji Sato, and both are some of his earliest non-hentai work. The first, Unreal Sundown, is sort of an early concept for what would become Fire Fire Fire set in the Wild West. The second, Unreal Sunshine (no relation despite title similarities), is a gag manga based partly on Shouji's own experience working at a convenience store. Both provide an interesting look at his work before HOTD.

Unreal Sundown - DDL

Unreal Sunshine - DDL

Both of these are very rare, even though they were reprinted in separate Monthly Dragon Age booklets a few years after their original publication. HOTDcups was fortunate enough to find the raws, though.

I guess now is as good a time as any to announce that HOTDcups is leaving Scans of the Dead and the scanlation scene in general. He's decided he would like to focus all of his time and effort on real life from now on. I hate to see him go, but the time has come for him to move on. I have really enjoyed working together for the last two years, and I know his future will be bright and prosperous. Thank you for everything.

Don't worry, I'm already looking for a replacement translator for HOTD and possibly Triage X. If it comes down to it, I'll put out some public requests for a translator, and I'm sure someone will help out. Both of these series are in high demand, and I know there's no lack of people willing to help.

Maken-Ki! Volume 9 c49

I was just finishing up my joint release of this chapter with Oppai-Scans when Imperial Scans released their version. It looks like they won't be taking a long time between chapters after all. Let's hope this continues.

Since we already had this basically done and we don't like to throw away or set aside hours of hard work here at Scans of the Dead and over at Oppai, we decided to release it anyway. If you want to read it online, go do so at Imperial Scans. Our version is much higher quality and huge, like most of the releases here used to be. If you want to see the art in the highest possible quality, get this version. I know it's weird to have a volume release so soon after the magazine translation, but this way you have options.

Mediafire DDL

By the way, we got permission from the translator to use his scripts, so for Volume 9 the releases will be added to Manga Updates whether they're out first or not. We're no longer just borrowing from another group's scanlation.

We'll probably do Chapter 50 next, and then go back and do the rest of Volume 9 in high quality. The next thing you see here, though, will be my Monthly Dragon Age update. Let's hope for some more good news this time. See you. 

Fundraiser Successful - Thank You

UPDATE: The fundraiser was successful and is now over. Thanks to those who donated for helping out. I really appreciate it. Any further donations will go toward April expenses. Thanks again.

As most of you know, I don't usually beg for money. I leave the donation button up and hope I get a little bit of help every now and then, but usually I'm able to take care of things by myself all right. Cash is short, though, and this month's expenses are higher than normal. That is why I would like to hold the first ever Scans of the Dead fundraiser.

I'm going to set a target amount, which is the month's expenses for this blog and nothing more. If you like this site and want to help, you should consider donating to help me reach the goal. Just click on the "Donate" button on the top right. You don't have to give a lot. If enough people just gave $1 each, we would reach the goal. I won't stop you giving more, though.

Here is a breakdown of the monthly costs, and what you get out of each one. All amounts are in USD and rounded to the nearest dollar.

Monthly Dragon Age April - $43 (with shipping) - Monthly update with news and information (possibly on HOTD) followed by monthly raws of Triage X and Maken-Ki! (MK raws eventually used for the scanlation).

HOTD Full Color Edition 7 - $21 - At the very least, I'll scan the covers again. If there are any new illustrations, I'll share those as well. Not sure if I'll do a chapter yet.

DDL Hosting - $9 - Continue to see DDL links on all downloads. Also, be able to download large files like volumes in one part.

Total - $73

Funds Collected - $73

Goal reached! Thank you to those who helped.

Jorge, you are awesome! Thank you! Almost there!


If donations go over that amount, the extra funds will first go to buying Maken-Ki! Volume 10 for future scanlation ($12). Any further funding will roll over to April's expenses.

The Future of Maken-Ki!

I thought you guys deserved to know what's going on right now since the scanlation of this series has been plagued with a lack of information in the past. Imperial Scans, a group that is in the process of shutting down, had been apparently working on Maken-Ki! chapters up to Chapter 53. Kiss Scans decided to let them use their translations and take over the scanlation of the series until they release all chapters they have been working on.

Imperial released the next new chapter, Chapter 48, yesterday. You can read it on their site.

I can't really say I fully approve of this. Imperial doesn't give the option to download [apparently I need to get my vision checked], and their site and online reader are full of ads. Not to mention their releases are sized to fit a reader, meaning the quality is low. Another thing that makes me nervous is the time between releases. There were nearly two months between their last two releases. Yes, the last one was a double release, but they pretty much had to do that since we had already released Chapter 47. If they are about to disband, what motivation do they have to get through all the chapters at all? Let alone getting them done in a timely manner.

I'm going to continue my collaboration with Oppai Scans to release high quality volume scanlations. DeathsUncleBob actually bought and scanned Volume 9 himself, so the quality will be much much higher than any of his previous releases or Imperial's releases. At the very least, we will put chapters out a short time after Imperial, giving readers a high quality option. If Imperial lags and the translations are made available to us, we may just release before them. As much as I would hate to "steal" another group's project, I think you guys deserve to read new chapters as often as possible. After all, there is a long way to go still to catch up to the Japanese releases.

For now, we'll wait and see if Imperial Scans is really serious.