There were a decent amount of entries but deciding who deserved to call themselves Viewfinder's BIGGEST fan wasn't easy. Let me start by saying that illegally downloaded materials did not qualify as proving you are the biggest fan. Sorry. Once I weeded those entries out, I chose 4 that I felt deserved a copy even though I did have 5 copies to give away. So without further adieu, here they are!

This entry stood out above all others. Now THIS is dedication!

I'm such a big fan of The Finder series that I immediately purchased all three released volumes from BeBeautiful on the days they became available for purchase from their website.  I then packed the books in a ziplock bag, with the air squeezed out, and placed them in a fireproof safe for safe keeping. ~Jukebox

Awesome!

This next entry was short but sweet and I chose it for two reasons. One because they were the first to submit an entry and did so days before anyone else did showing they are an eager fan, and two because I love their creativity. I think you'll see what I mean.

Away for so long
Finder blooms in hot summer

An old friend in view

 

– Rowan McBride

Hello,

Here's my entry. The story is a tribute to a special person that just passed away and it was fitting to use the Finder series characters as I truly just love them and their stories and adventures. Only the Ring Finger Knows was my introduction to this genre but the Finder series was when I fully began to appreciate Yaoi. It's when I realized that Yaoi had depth and character and it wasn't just about 2 guys having sex-which is hot even if sometimes there seems to lack any sort of plot. I love how Takaba's gentleness just seems so in sync to Asami's stoic and tough personality. For me they are the ultimate yin and yang, not to mention the hottest yaoi couple ever.

I didn't know whether to attach the file or paste the link to my journal, so I'll do both. In case fics aren't valid entries at least I tried and was able to show my love for these characters. If not the above love and praise could be my entry. (it couldn't hurt, right?)

Below is the link to the journal entry: http://goldfinch3.livejournal.com/30557.html

PS: To be on the safe side I have placed a disclaimer at the bottom of my story.

Submitted by: Goldfinch3

Here are two ficlets. These have been previously posted on my own LiveJournal accounts & cross posted to Yamane Ayano LJ & Club_Sion under my usernames Ferishia/MsSupafan.

 

Story: He Sleeps (Part 1 of 2)

Pairing: Asami & Akihito

Author: MsSupaFan /Ferishia

Rating: G-PG

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Yamane Ayano, story belongs to me.

Summary: A short Viewfinder Ficlet. Asami has insomnia and needs to sleep. He Sleeps…

 

It is two a.m. Asami tosses and turns in his king-sized bed. You would think after working for three days straight without sleep conducting business meetings, confirming product distributions, and taking care of a few who thought they could take over some of his turf, sleep should come easy to him right? His mind tells his body to relax, but it is no use. Sleep eludes him. Stretching out again on the large bed, he feels that something is missing. “Kirishima, bring him here,” he commands into his cell phone. “And be careful not to wake him if he’s asleep.” He closes the phone. Fifteen minutes later a faint knock at his front door. He opens the door and sees both Suoh and Kirishima, who is holding his sleeping beauty. Asami opens his arms and Kirishima gently places the unconscious young man there. The hand-off complete, Suoh and Kirishima bow and Akira closes the door behind them. Asami glances down at his slumbering kitten who is wearing a white t-shirt much too large for him that he recognizes as one of his own and striped boxers. Akihito shivers slightly. Asami hurries to the bedroom and covers him with the soft silk sheets and down comforter. He gets in on the other side, pulling Akihito close to his chest. He pushes his nose against the neck of his sleeping lover and breathes in his unique scent. Content at last, he sleeps.

 

Story: I miss you too… (Part 2 of 2)

Pairing: Asami & Akihito

Author: MsSupaFan/Ferishia

Rating: G-PG

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Yamane Ayano, story belongs to me.

Summary: A short Viewfinder Ficlet. What happens when Akihito wakes? I missed you too…

 

Akihito was dog tired. He literally dragged himself into his apartment. He slipped off his shoes, gently placed his camera on the table, and headed to his bedroom to take off his clothes. He'd taken a high-paying fashion photo job that had him working almost non-stop for a diva-like couture designer. She wanted early morning shots, late evening shots, as well as regular day shots of the models in her designs. Several days of intense photography had finally yielded the shots she wanted. Impressed with Akihito's work, she even paid him a bonus. Akihito let the hot water from the shower relaxed him as he sighed heavily. He hadn't heard from Asami in a few days. It wasn't uncommon not to hear from him for days on end, or sometimes weeks. Akihito exited the shower to the bedroom. He pulled on a pair of striped boxers and rummaged around for a t-shirt before finding one of Asami’s that he left on his last visit. Akihito pulled it over his head and crawled into his bed. The faint smell of Asami wafted from the shirt comforting him as he fell into a deep sleep. The sensation…felt like being carried, held gently. Shifted into arms that were bigger, stronger. Being held tightly. A cold breeze…then warmth. Strong arms again…something moist on my neck… Akihito tried to shift and is met with resistance. He felt heat against his back and arms around his waist. They loosened but did not let go. Sleepily he turned his body toward the heat source. He peeked from under heavy lids to see a solid chest. Moving his eyes upward, he took in the sleeping face of Asami. His disheveled raven locks, relaxed face and full lips make him seem like an exotic sleeping prince. Akihito snuggled into Asami’s broad chest and smiled. “I missed you too…” he whispered softly as sleep reclaimed him.

 

I want to say a big thank you to all who entered and an even bigger thank you to Digital Manga for providing the copies of Viewfinder and mailing them to the winners! Stay tuned for my totally biased review of Viewfinder!

ANN reported yesterday that there is now a second promo for the new Togainu no Chi boys' love game anime as well as a commercial (links provided in their original post). They also reported that the anime itself will begin airing in October! Here is a post I did previously that has a really hot AMV about the boys' love game if you want to take a look.

~Jennifer LeBlanc

As a follow-up to my review of Incubus Master and to continue Global Boys' Love Month (which is now Global Boys' Love Summer!) I decided to interview the publisher of Incubus Master, Yaoi Prose. The mastermind behind Yaoi Prose, Yamila Abraham, was gracious enough to answer my questions:

What is Yaoi Prose?

 

Yaoi Prose publishes illustrated erotic eBooks in the male/male romance genre.  We started off with two serialized titles, Incubus Master and Saihoshi: REDEMPTION.  I’m writing Incubus Master and having it illustrated by Italian artist Barbara Apostolico, who produced art as one half of studio Le Peruggine in the past.  It stars Figaru, a prominent character from my Winter Demon graphic novel series.  Saihoshi: REDEMPTION is by the popular studio KOSEN of Spain.  Other eBooks have featured erotic spanking, and have followed up fan-favorite stories in Yaoi Press books.

 

What made you want to start this company?

 

Like most publishers right now, Yaoi Press is suffering due to the bad economy and collapse of Borders books.  We needed a new strategy if we were going to be able to continue publishing graphic novels.  Printing costs are our biggest expense.  No matter what creative ways we found to keep costs low the prices would always catch up.  We want our greatest expense to be payment for our creators.  Unfortunately printing costs was eating into that payment far too much. 

 

A strictly digital business solves this problem and brings a new revenue stream into the company.  We’ve seen great results with our other digital venture with Netcomics.  Now we’re ready to dive into the eBook arena. 

 

Yaoi Prose is giving us a chance to continue with the stories and characters people love in an economical way.  It’s also allowing us to reach a new audience with our best properties.  There are other projects that I’ve been dying to bring to light, but just don’t have the resources.  I’ve been telling our creators to keep an eye on Yaoi Prose.  If it’s a viable revenue source it will become a way for them to keep earning with us.  There’s a lot of exciting things that could open up.

 

You talk about bringing other Yaoi Press creators into Yaoi Prose.  What about taking new submissions?

 

Submissions should open in 2011 I hope.  I need to make sure the company is on solid footing before I can hire an editor.  We shouldn’t be considered as an outlet for submissions until the call goes out.

 

What kind of response have you seen so far?

 

Yaoi Prose is a great success!  We had tremendous support from the yaoi community, and male/male erotica fans.  I’m extremely excited about the future.

 

Tell us about the Bastard King funding goal.

 

Yaoi Prose is to support Yaoi Press.  Bastard King is the sequel to the Dark Prince series.  It’s well underway, but work has stalled due to budget shortfalls.  Incubus Master has been earmarked to support Bastard King.  Up to $1 of each sale is going to a Smarty Pig savings account to earn the amount needed to pay the artist.  This account has a visual tool that allows people to see how we’re progressing on our goal.  I’ve put this graphic on the main Incubus Master page for people to watch it grow.  We’ve met 87% of our funding goal already.  Every sale of Incubus Master and the sequel Captured brings us closer.

 

Was Barbara Apostolico your first artist choice for Incubus Master?

 

We did a Twitter survey showing how she draws Figaru compared to others and she was the top pick hands down.  I love her art.  Her men are masculine and muscular, but still beautiful.  I think she’s perfect for male/male erotica and yaoi.

 

What can people expect to pay?

 

A lengthy installment with a color illustration is $2.99.  It works out to be similar pricing if you were part of a subscription site with weekly updates.  With our model you only pay for what you want to read, and get a quality color illustration every time.

 

Where can people learn more?

 

The Yaoi Prose web site is http://www.yaoiprose.com.  If you read books on the Kindle or Kindle for PC you should check out http://www.yaoipress.com/kindle.htm.  People should also follow the Yaoi Press twitter for updates throughout the day:  http://www.twitter.com/yaoipress .

 

If you think you're Finder's biggest fan, here is your chance to prove it and win an ADVANCED COPY of volume 1 releasing in September! How do you prove it? You decide! I'm leaving it totally up to you. Write a poem, photograph your collection, do a video of yourself squeeing over its upcoming release… it's up to you! Whatever you choose, do it fast! This contest ends at midnight PST on August 31st, 2010.

Oh, did I mention I have FIVE COPIES to give away AND that this contest is open to ALL countries? No excuses! Now show some love to Digital Manga who has graciously agreed to provide the five advanced copies AND were nice enough to agree to ship them international when I asked. You know me, always looking out for my international readers. Feel free to comment here, thank them on twitter or visit them on their site.

All contest entries must be submitted by midnight PST on 8/31/10 via email to:

info AT theyaoireview DOT com

If you have questions about the contest, please post them below in comments so all can see the answer. Have fun with it and I look forward to what you crazy fans come up with!

~Jennifer LeBlanc

From TOKYOPOP's Facebook page:

HETALIA fans: There are two ways to read HETALIA AXIS POWERS right now!

(1) You can buy a digital edition through TOKYOPOP's digital manga store, hosted by our friend at Zinio right here: http://bit.ly/d8iSKG

(2) We have made (*free*) digital editions of HETALIA available to all US public libraries–get your library car…d (also *free*) & go to your public library's web site. If they don't have a copy, ask them to order it through the "OverDrive Digital Library Reserve" program.

The manga will also be available at bookstores everywhere on Sept 21 — we just couldn't wait that long! Enjoy! Paaaaastaaaaa!

Your thoughts? Are you interested in a digital version or will you wait for the print copy to be released September 21st? Comment below!

~Jennifer LeBlanc

No, I did not fall off the face of the earth these last two months. What started off as a short hiatus to move into a new apartment turned into a long hiatus to have emergency surgery and buy a new damn computer 'cause my other one died a horrendous death causing me to lose a lot of stuff I didn't want to. (let's not even discuss that external hard-drive that did NOT do its job >_> ) Anywayz, I almost have my new laptop functional enough to get back into updating the site on a regular(ish) basis so let's celebrate with a new banner!

If you remember, we had a banner contest at the beginning of the year and this was our 2nd place winner. It was supposed to go up July 1st but yeah, life happened. Well, it's up now and it will get its time to shine! I've got something REALLY exciting coming up but I'm keeping it hush hush for right now. *cough* Viewfinder related *cough*  Yep, totally hush hush.

~Jennifer LeBlanc

Clearly the recent topic of Digital Manga wanting to hire scanlators has struck a nerve with some and struck up great conversation with others. As a follow up to the discussion, I forwarded a link to the post as well as a link to the thread on the AarinFantasy forum that started the entire thing to Hikaru Sasahara, Digital Manga's President to see if he wished to address any of the concerns or to clarify his project. I'm posting his response, with permission, below:

Hi Jenny,

 

Thanks you for sending us the feedback. Reading some of them, I feel that they are missing an important aspect of this special venture. That is they are not the only people that don’t get paid upfront on this project. Neither the contents providers (publishers in Japan) nor we (Digital Manga) would get paid upfront. This is the venture where all 3 parties involved  share the “risk” and “revenue”  although the level of the share varies meaning it won’t be that translators get the 1/3 of the revenue. That is something I would have to figure out based on a level of the contribution that each party makes to the overall venture.

 

We are not looking for a cheap labor but looking for the people who have  passion to read more manga titles and this venture may be the only way to make that happen.

 

Hikaru

 

Hikaru Sasahara
hikaru@emanga.com
President 
———————————-
Digital Manga, Inc. – http://www.digitalmanga.com
1487 West 178th Street, Suite 300
Gardena, CA 90248
Tel: 310.817.8010 x100
Fax: 310.817.8018

So what do you think? Does this change how you feel about his project or merely add more questions/concerns? He's listening so if you want to be heard, speak up! You've all been doing great so far! Keep the wank to a minimum though. You know who you are.

~Jennifer LeBlanc

As a continuation of Global Boys' Love Month, I recently interviewed HamletMachine from the webcomic and recently self-published  Starfighter (which I just reviewed). Enjoy!

Since I’m currently featuring “GloBL” artists, can you share with us what country you’re from?

 

-Sure! I'm from the United States. Born and raised in NYC. 

 

Why HamletMachine?

-Years and years ago, a friend of mine told me about a theater production she had seen of Die Hamletmaschine, by Heiner Müller and I think my brain nearly exploded from the pleasure of hearing those words together. I'm a big fan of Shakespeare and robots, so I kept the handle, as it embodies so much of what I love!  

 

Your current project is Starfighter. Are you both the writer and the artist for it?

-Yes. 

 

What inspired you to write it?

-For a while, I had been kicking around the idea of two characters in a military space setting, but it was just something sitting on the backburner until my good friend from DeviantArt, Kippery, mentioned that I should draw some hot guys for her. I decided to try and fulfill her request while trying out some character designs in the process and this happened.  I love sci-fi and I love erotica, so the pieces of the story came together pretty quickly for me.  

 

Do you consider Starfighter to be ‘yaoi/boys’ love’ or do you feel it’s more of a gay comic? Do you yourself read a lot of ‘yaoi/boys’ love’?

 

-Haha, I have seen some incendiary debates about this topic and it's all way too intense for me. When I draw the pages, I just concentrate on drawing what gives me the greatest pleasure and hope that someone else in the world can derive similar enjoyment from it.. Um, also, how I'm going to pay my rent.    

I think I've read a fair amount of boy's love.. But at the same time, you could probably school my ass on a conversation about mangaka. 

Now for the controversial question, do you consider what you write to be manga or a comic? Either way, what inspired you to produce a webcomic and what influenced you as an artist and writer?

-It seems that the etiquette is, Japanese-made comics are referred to as manga and all else are referred to as comics. Even if a "Western" comic has some Japanese influence, it's still considered a comic, which I think is where Starfigher might fall.. I'm not entirely sure what I'm getting at, but I usually refer to Starfighter as a webcomic/comic.  

As for inspiration for producing a webcomic, Starfighter kinda started online, since I first posted the character design on DevianArt, so it seemed natural to keep it in that realm! It wasn't predetermined or planned out to specifically evolve into a webcomic.. it just sorta became one! That is really because of the support and encouragement of friends on DeviantArt.. they really inspired me to continue with the story!

 

Oh man, I have a lot of influences! Movies and music have always been a big contributor to my drawings and interests.. I try to listen to songs that matches the mood of the subject I'm trying to draw.

 

Do you have a schedule for when you post Starfighter updates or is it just when you are able to complete a new page?

-Since I can only draw after work or on weekends, it's definitely the latter! As soon as I get a page done, I post it! 

 

You’ve already completed the first chapter and put it up for sale. Do you have an idea of how many chapters Starfighter will be or are you still determining where the story will go?

 

 -Hmm, I don't know how many chapters it will be.. but I hope I can draw it for however long I can! It's my wish to finish the story.

 

Is there anything you’d really like your fans to know?

-Even though we are far apart and we are strangers, I want you to know in your heart that I love you. You, my sweetheart, for you are my master and I am your servant. Thank you so, so much.. You are so beautiful.

I hope you enjoyed the interview! HamletMachine has been nice enough to agree to answer some fan questions so feel free to ask your questions in the comments below. Please keep them professional!

It looks like Ai no Kotodama by Keiko Konno will be getting a second live-action remake. Ai no Kotodama, also known as Words of Devotion was published by June in 2007 and was two volumes. This new live action will be called Ai no Kotodama: Sekai no Hate Made or Words of Devotion: To the End of the World and will focus on two new characters. The director will be Satoshi Kanedo, who is also directing a live-action remake of Hyouta Fijuyama's Pure Heart, also known as Junjo. So much live-action boys' love, so little time!

SOURCE

In other news, Gakuen Hakkenden by Ko Amami and Aki Kuruwa will not only be produced as a 2nd stage play but will also get an anime adaptation. This is a fantasy manga based on samurai and the play will be in the Kabuki style featuring men in all gender roles. Sounds hot to me!

SOURCE

~Jennifer LeBlanc