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StoneBot Comics Provides Statement on Kamen Rider Kuuga Manga's Translation Differences from Initial Preview
posted on by Alex Mateo
StoneBot Comics, the licensee of Shōtarō Ishinomori, Toshiki Inoue, and Hitotsu Yokoshima's Kamen Rider Kuuga manga, gave a statement on Twitter on Thursday regarding the differences between preview pages from the first two volumes from April 2022 and the final product.
StoneBot Comics stated that it partnered with Titan Comics' new imprint Titan Manga for the manga release. For preproduction in early 2022, it designed promotional pages for distributors and social media through its Argentinian sister company OVNI Press. OVNI translated the promotional pages from Japanese to English using the style of the Argentinian release. However, StoneBot Comics decided to go in a different direction with the actual English release to "make the book look more similar to current manga localizations." The company stated that it and Titan Comics will work on "delivering an edition the fans can be happy with."
In response to fan discussion online regarding the recent manga releases of Kamen Rider Kuuga Volumes 1 and 2, we wanted to address some points that have been raised and provide clarity. We appreciate the fans bringing this to our attention.In April 2022, early draft pages (three pages for Volume 1 and four pages for Volume 2) were translated for marketing purposes, as we wanted to get the artwork out as soon as possible for the fans. These may still be circulating on the web. The actual translation for the printed books (approved by Titan and licensors) were worked on by two highly respected translators in the business.
We're thrilled to be releasing such a beloved franchise as Kamen Rider Kuuga to English-language audiences, and value the fans' comments.
Titan Manga licensed the manga and revealed preview pages for Kamen Rider Kuuga and Osamu Tezuka, Tetsuro Kasahara, and Masami Yuuki's ATOM: The Beginning manga in April 2022.
Titan Comics launched its new Titan Manga imprint in March 2022 when it announced a release of a director's cut edition of Takashi Okazaki's 1999 Afro Samurai seinen manga on July 26.
Penguin Random House describes Kamen Rider Kuuga:
Kamen Rider Kuuga is a manga adaptation of the famous Japanese TV drama series of the same name, centered around the first incarnation of the Kamen Rider hero for the Heisei Era (the beginning of the 21st century). This manga goes beyond the bounds of a normal adaptation and redefines its hero for modern audiences, expanding its universe and connecting it to other incarnations of the bug-eyed hero in a completely approachable way for new readers who haven't encountered a Kamen Rider story before. It's a perfect starting point for anyone who wants to know why Kamen Rider is so beloved by people around the world.
Artist Hitotsu Yokoshima launched the manga, the third one based on the live-action Kamen Rider Kuuga television series, in Hero's Inc.'s Monthly Hero's magazine in November 2014. Toshiki Inoue, one of the scriptwriters for the live-action series, writes the scripts for the manga, and producer Shinichiro Shirakura (Gekijōban Kamen Rider 555: Paradise Lost) plans the series.
The manga moved to the Comiplex website when Monthly Hero's ended publication in October 2020. The 20th compiled book volume in the series shipped in Japan on September 29.
The "Kamen Rider 50th Anniversary and Beyond" panel at the Comic-Con Special Edition event last November had announced that StoneBot Studios would be publishing the manga in English.
The Kamen Rider Kuuga television series aired from 2000 to 2001. The series was Toei's first new Kamen Rider series following the passing of creator Shōtarō Ishinomori, and it marked the beginning of the Heisei-era Kamen Rider series. Shout! Factory TV is streaming the series online.
Source: StoneBot Comics' Twitter account
