It takes a lot to impress a scanlator. Today, I am not only impressed, I stand in awe. This evening, Viz finally put their scanlation ('digital chapter' sounds lame) up online at their new "The Rumic World" site. The chapter is extremely well done: Good translation, preserved honorifics, preserved sound effects, page stitching, and most importantly…

CLEAN, TANKOUBON-QUALITY PAGES!

I wouldn't be able to compete with that even if I wanted to.

Also, I'm not gonna spoil the chapter.

• Flash viewer (Medium Quality)
  
• Image directory (High Quality) *Kikyou, thanks for the tip!

Note: If you reside in a country other than the United States or Canada, you will not be able to read the chapter. If you use a U.S. or Canadian proxy, you may be able to. Edit: Some people are recommending Hotspot Shield or IPMask. It works with Windows and Mac. As for my fellow Linux users, I'll find something for you too. :3

As for the Inuyasha announcement, just read on and try not to wet yourself.

(Read on …)

Before I forget, the expanded summary that I managed to miss:

As a child Sakura Mamiya mysteriously disappeared in the woods behind her grandma's home. She returned whole and healthy, but since then she has had the power to see ghosts. Now a teenager, she just wishes the ghosts would leave her alone! At school, the desk next to Sakura's has been empty since the start of the school year, then one day her always-absent classmate shows up, and he's far more than what he seems!

NOW, IF YOU WANT TO BE SLIGHTLY SPOILED, READ ON TO SEE THE IMAGES!

1 revision since publication

(Read on …)

Yesterday, I learned that Shogakukan and Viz is pulling a rather stunning move: Simultaneous releases of Kyoukai no Rinne in Japan and North America. The English title is apparently just "RIN-NE" or "Rin-ne" or even "Rin-Ne". No explanation of the significance of the title has been made yet.

While the two companies have been good friends for a number of years, this is something I was not expecting. When Viz first announced that they were aiming for a volume 1 release in 2009 for Kyoukai no Rinne, I admittedly scoffed at the idea. I had deduced that Viz was only going to just make it by the end of November or December simply due to the nature of how it takes roughly 6 months for a tankoubon to get released after a magazine publication.

Needless to say, I and others were dead wrong. But what does this mean for scanlations?

(RANT INCOMING! Also, 1 edit added.)

(Read on …)

At long last we have Rumiko's next title:

Kyokai no Rinne (also spelled Kyoukai no Rinne or Kyōkai no Rinne)
境界のRINNE (境界のりんね)  lit. Boundary of Rinne or The Reincarnation of The Border

Image, title, and information courtesy of 2ch.net, Heiji-sama, and IIFJ

Edit 2: Sakura Mamiya. (Courtesy of Shogakukan)

Edit 1: Harley Acres of Rumic World has translated a transcription of the summary posted online.

"A short time ago, a girl named Sakura Mamiya had a chance encounter with a ghost. One day will this girl have a mysterious rendezvous!?"