Suncoast manga move clears shelves

In this modern age of plenty for the manga industry, when titles are clogging shelves of ever-expanding space at major bookstores, it can be jarring when a retailer goes in the opposite direction and cuts display space.

So I was rather surprised when I stopped by Suncoast Motion Picture Co. in Pearlridge on Jan. 4 and found that the store's entire manga inventory had vanished from the sales floor, leaving behind nothing but empty shelves. A visit to Suncoast's Windward Mall branch revealed the same situation.

The salesclerks I spoke to told me that the removal came earlier that week as a result of a conflict with the distributor. They indicated that the manga would return to the shelves once the dispute was resolved, but did not know when it would happen.

In a story that could be related to this conflict, Bloomberg News reported Thursday that Musicland Holding Corp., the parent of Suncoast as well as Sam Goody music stores, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New York. The reorganization is not expected to affect business, although layoffs are expected.

For the time being, it looks like manga fans will have to get their fix elsewhere ...

DVD pick of the week

"Urusei Yatsura" box set No. 10: Toss the confetti and rattle those noisemakers: It's taken more than 10 years of releases across VHS and DVD formats, but AnimEigo is finally releasing the final episodes in this 195-episode series for the first time stateside.

In Sunday's 'D&Q'

It's a magical mystery tour in the Today section as Wilma J. explores the adventures of adult-turned-child detective Conan Edogawa in the long-running series "Case Closed," as well as the sexy, crime-filled thriller "Remote."

Cel Shaded, a look at the world of Japanese anime and manga, appears every Monday. Reach Jason S. Yadao at jyadao@starbulletin.com