TP OEL to skip print entirely?; PiQ expires, does it mean something for ADV?

Finally gave in and bought a PS3 yesterday.  One, because of the slick MGS4 bundle.  Two, because I can’t get Ninja F#$%! Gaiden 2 to load up past the menu screen on my &*%! Xbox 360.  My third $%&#! Xbox 360.

F^*$&! 

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Japan now requires its entire populace to be fit, or face having to attend the equivalent of fat camp.

No, nothing to do with manga.  I just wanted to share this poster, which I find insufferably cute and devastatingly offensive at the same time.  This, and the Wii Fit telling little girls they’re overweight… from the land of sumo wrestlers.  Do they get some kind of occupational exemption from this new law, I wonder?

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Edit: There was a story here.  Now it’s gone.

In its place… BOOBS!

Edit 2: Originally there was a link to here to news of PiQ magazine’s closure from one freelance writer, although that story was recanted/deleted.  But now another freelance writer has stepped forward to confirm it: Lesley Smith is among those who received emails noting that PiQ issue 4 is the last issue (found via Giapet in comments section).

The first recanted blog entry said that PiQ magazine’s parent, which I suppose is PiQ LLC, is bankrupt.  The closure was initially blamed on the general malaise of the economy, which has reduced demand for €luxury items€ (moreover, everything€™s just so darn more expensive to produce and ship nowadays).  But I€™d still wager the magazine€™s mixed success at converting Newtype USA readers must have played some role in its rather quick demise.  I mean, come on, seriously.  It€™s just too bad that it folded before it was given a fair chance to find its stride.  It took several false starts for Hefner to get Playboy right, after all.

But perhaps more important than the magazine itself, is the question whether this is yet another reflection of the current health of ADV.  PiQ LLC may have been established as a separate entity, but it shared its address with ADV.  What if by “parent company”, the first writer was actually referring to ADV itself?

Edit 3: Now that the story has been corroborated by another, Johanna Draper Carlson has restored her original post, and posted a follow-up.  Ms. Carlson notes she is not referring to ADV, and my apologies if I wasn’t clear the above is purely my own speculation.

That said, the question still stands.  And it’s a reasonable one, I think.  I mean, PiQ LLC and ADV have the same address.  Ya hasta be curious…

Edit 4: In its farewell address, PiQ’s official website blog issues a rebuke of PiQ’s (ADV’s?) management, blaming the magazine’s end on the company’s inability or unwillingness to properly fund the project.

Starting a new magazine is neither easy nor cheap.  I doubt ADV set up PiQ to fail, but they may have banked too much on retaining Newtype USA subscribers, rather than treating PiQ as a new project, and plan/budget accordingly.  4 issues is really not enough time…

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BL is now in Hungary.  WOW.

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Via The Beat… Tokyopop creator Rivkah discovers her original series Steady Beat, and perhaps all of Tokyopop’s original, non-licensed books, may no longer be printed.  Instead, those works will be migrated to the online website (making the reorganization, for all practical purposes, a split was between licensed works and non-licensed original properties, rather than between simply print and multi-media).  Rivka is already seeking legal counsel with the intent of recovering the print rights to her work.

And Japanator’s latest hour-long radio show is about Tokyopop (well, first 15 minutes or so).  That’s it, no more links to Tokyopop stories.

Until something important happens.

Like… if casual dress Friday gets moved to Thursday.