Time for another round of web links:

MANGA

• Vertical has licensed another Moyoco Anno title: the beautiful courtesan manga Sakuran (above left).

• Johanna Draper-Carlson parses the newest bit of Tokyopop weirdness.

• Yen Press will publish the OEL manga versions of two YA bestselling series: Cassandra Clare’s Infernal Devices trilogy (above center) & Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Chronicles of Nick.

• In January 2012, Viz will cease printing Shonen Jump magazine, and replace it with Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha, a digital-only publication. There’s a lot to like about this: Viz has a decent pricing model (a yearly subscription costs $25.99; access to one issue costs $0.99); translations will be almost simultaneous with Japanese releases (only two weeks behind); there’s a faint possibility of a Shojo Beat resurrection (okay, I just made that up). That said, fans of the big three (Naruto, Bleach, & One Piece) are used to scanlations that come out 24-48 hours after release in Japan. Maybe Viz should step up translations of those titles only? People be entitled, yo.

• Matt Alt has some quick figures on the economic reality of being a manga artist.

• CLAMP’s latest title, Gate 7 (above right), arrives in stores October 23rd. So. Pretty.

DRAMAS

• I’m so excited for Flower Boy Ramyun Shop (above), which starts Oct. 31st, that it’s a little sad. I guess I’ve been searching for another great trendy romcom for awhile now, and keep getting disappointed (see: Oh My Lady!, Boys Before Flowers, My Princess, Coffee House, etc.).

• Also on my to-watch list: Vampire Prosecutor (which is simulcast at Dramafever).

• I love the Skip Beat manga, but didn’t have high hopes for the Taiwanese drama adaptation. Then they announced that ab-flasher/self-fondler (kinda NSFW) Siwon would play Ren, and I was like “Heck yeah!” Annnd…then they released a drama trailer, and I’m back to meh. We’ll see. Retitled “Extravagant Challenge,” the drama will air every Sunday starting December 18th.

• A 2-hour live-action adaptation of Ranma 1/2? Really?

HALLYU

• What happened to Kim Hyun-joong’s face? He looks totally different.

• I came across not one, but two mainstream media pieces on how K-pop has invaded Japan (at The Atlantic & at The Guardian). According to the articles, K-pop has taken off due to sexier choreography & personas, as well as a more modern or “Westernized” sound. Total shitstorm in the comments, of course.

• Please enjoy this Harper’s Bazaar Gong Yoo photoshoot.

RANDOM

• Japanese model Hikari Kamikawa named her new baby after One Piece‘s Ace, controversy ensued.

• Positive reviews are trickling out for the new Tintin movie.

• I rarely watch anime, but the news that Funimation has partnered with “Japanese Youtube” Nico Nico is intriguing.

• When you’ve finished with your pirate dating sim, you can move on to ninjas. Hussy.

Finally, another PKK links round-up! Heads-up that I’m still processing a huge backlog, so some of these links are old, and some new stuff is missing. I’m still trying to balance two blogs plus freelance work (my day job), but I’ll tentatively say: expect new posts here Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from here on out. They may be short posts, and I may miss a few days here and there, but that’s my plan. Now, for the links:

MANGA

• Deal alert: Anna over Manga Report is selling her old manga for $5 a volume (plus free shipping). She’s a great seller: I ordered four books from her, and they arrived quickly and in like new condition.

• Lianne of Sleep Is For the Weak defends her former employer Tokyopop from the haters.

• Manga Critic has a first look at the manga adaptation for Gail Carriger’s Soulless (at right). I had mixed feelings about the original book, but seeing these previews, I think the manga adaptation might be cool.

• Another Moto Hagio title licensed! Fantagraphics will publish Heart of Thomas in 2012, as a single 480-page volume.

DRAMAS

• I can’t handle the tragic storyline of The Princess’s Man, but I love Dangermousie’s TPM screencaps.

• City Hunter co-stars Lee Min Ho & Park Min Young are dating (the comments are funny/scary–”I’m so happy! But sad. But happy! But sooooo depressed.”).

• My current to-watch list consists of one title: Protect the Boss.

RANDOM

• A big thank you to @MagicalEmi for tweeting about Pirates in Love, a popular Japanese love simulation game. It is available now in English, for free from the iTunes store (here is a preview). I don’t even know, you guys.

• Brian Ruh posted an Amazon guide for “Hayao Miyazaki’s 50 Recommended Children’s Books.”

• Soy sauce can make a dead squid move. I saw this three days ago, and I’m still freaked out.