Read on for the full scoop on Real, Slam Dunk, Solanin, and more of Viz’s summer/fall line-up. –KD

San Francisco, CA, May 30, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, will highlight several notable upcoming manga (graphic novel) releases at the 2008 BookExpo America (BEA) show, taking place May 30-June 1, 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. BEA is the preeminent yearly trade event for publishers and booksellers in North America. VIZ Media will be located in Booth 1647.

VIZ Media will further participate in three roundtable discussions on a variety of important topics central to the burgeoning manga industry in North America. Graphic Novel Distribution, Bookstores, and the Direct Market takes place Saturday, May 31, 9:30am-10:30am in Room 406B and will feature VIZ Media’s Vice President of Sales & Product Marketing Gonzalo Ferreyra. The discussion will review various changes the domestic manga industry has undergone, as well as the risks and rewards of distributing manga in the bookstore arena and what comes next for publishers. (Continued)

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve probably heard that Viz is bringing BLEACH manga-ka Tite Kubo to this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. (Or, as I always call him, Tito Kubo, perhaps in an unconscious nod to the legendary Tito Puente. Someone please tell me that there’s Latin jazz manga!) Below are the details of his visit, as well as tips for getting into the spirit of the proceedings. –KD

San Francisco, CA, May 21, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced that its SHONEN JUMP magazine will welcome prolific manga (graphic novel) creator Tite Kubo for a series of rare in-person appearances beginning on Friday, July 25 at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con International.

Mr. Kubo is the creator of the wildly successful manga series BLEACH and ZOMBIE POWDER. and this is the first time the artist will appear at a North American convention. Both series are published domestically by VIZ Media and BLEACH is currently serialized in SHONEN JUMP Magazine. Comic-Con International is renowned as the nation’s largest comic book and science fiction event and takes place July 24-27 at the Convention Center in San Diego, CA. VIZ Media will be located in Booth 4113.

(Continued)

I went to the cupboard in search of a snappy intro for this month’s Minis, but alas—I came up empty. So I’ll dispense with the opening gambit and simply say that this month’s column looks at two new Tokyopop titles, Dragon Sister! and eV, the second volumes of Love Master A (Go! Comi) and Sakura Ganbaru! (UDON), and the best-selling Naruto handbook (Viz), which has been flying off shelves since its release.

Dragon Sister!, Vol. 1

By Nini
Tokyopop, 192 pp.
Rating: Teen (13+)




Buried beneath the slapstick, speedlines, and extreme mammary close-ups is an intriguing premise: what if ancient China’s greatest warriors were, in fact, women? Dragon Sister! begins around 184 AD, when three brothers—Zhang Jiao, Zhang Bao, and Zhang Liang—acquire a set of magical scrolls capable of granting any wish. In their desire to overthrow the Han Dynasty, the brothers pray that no more heroes will be born, only beautiful women. Their scheme backfires, however, transforming them into a cabal of power-hungry girls. As the country descends further into chaos, young nobleman Liu Bei forms a volunteer army to oppose the Zhang sisters (formerly brothers), recruiting two busty babes, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, to aid his cause. None of this is explained very clearly—we never have a sense of who the various factions are, or why Liu Bei remains faithful to a corrupt emperor. Instead, manga-ka Nini treats us to a seemingly endless parade of costume failures, crude jokes, and scenes of predatory lesbianism, all delivered in speech that vacillates between present-day dudespeak and wuxia film formality. Strictly for the fanservice crowd; others are advised to look elsewhere for more enlightened tales of female empowerment.

–Reviewed by Katherine Dacey

eV, Vol. 1

Created by Roger Mincheff, Written by James Farr, Art by Alfa Robbi and Papillon Studio

Published by Tokyopop, 192 pages
Rating: Teen (13 +)




From the mind that brought us The Covenant comes eV, the tale of a brilliant young woman, Evie, who finds herself injected with über-nanomachines that give her a vast array of physical and mental abilities. Once injected, Evie is taken to the far side of the universe to serve as Earth’s ambassador in a galactic federation.

Farr does a good job with the material and the characters, crafting a fairly fun and fast paced sci-fi adventure story. The whole thing has the feel of a summer blockbuster right down to certain stock characters: a workaholic father who will do anything for his daughter, the daughter who’s bitter and resentful at her father for being away all the time, and a mother who tries to hold the family together the best she can. On the other hand, the book also manages to translate the summer blockbuster feel to the story in terms of the size, scope, and set pieces. You can practically hear the pop rock songs playing at certain parts of the story. On top of that Farr manages to throw in some nifty tweaks to keep things interesting. Evie’s powers aren’t limited to simply amazing physical feats; her subconscious manifests itself in the form of a lil’ flying talking orb, which leads to some comical moments here and there.

Alfa Robbi has some solid story telling abilities but the art style itself just didn’t click. Something about it had me wishing the entire thing had been in color. Maybe it was the various alien life forms, or the moments towards the end when Evie utilizes some energy manipulation abilities, but I really felt that this was a story that would have benefited from some color. Ultimately eV is fluff, but sometimes fluff can be fun.

–Reviewed by Ken Haley

Love Master A, Vol. 2

By Kyoko Hashimoto
Go!Comi, 200pp.
Rating: Teen (13+)

It’s hard to conjure words to describe Love Master A, and it’s certainly not because the title is breathtakingly brilliant. The second installment of Kyoko Hashimoto’s middling school-life romance is so achingly mediocre it’s hard to tell if there’s anything original at all in between all the clichés. The first year school council crew—each easily summed up in three word archetypes—finds itself faced with a healthy plethora of problems, ranging from romantic infighting to the imminent closure of the council itself.

The resolutions are, of course, vaguely heartwarming and grindingly endearing, and with bland shojo everygirl Aria helming the story, it’s hard to find any respite from the standard shojo drudgery. That said, Hashimoto’s attempt to refresh the central love story by reversing the primary perspective is at least moderately novel, and works well to prolong the romantic angst well into the last pages of the book. There’s nothing new here in terms of artistic invention, with Hashimoto bringing out plenty of flowery screentones, sometimes overly so, resulting in visuals that are sufficiently sparkling but occasionally overdone. The dialogue, however, is want to wander more freely into the realm of cheese, resulting in a love confession so unbelievably corny that most other shojo manga would only tackle the same material if they were parodying the genre. With so much else out there on the market, it’s hard to imagine recommending Love Master A to anyone—but if you’ve truly exhausted the offerings, feel free to bide your time with a copy.

–Reviewed by Chloe Ferguson

Naruto: The Official Handbook

By Masashi Kishimoto
Viz, 288 pp.

Looking at ICv2, I can see that Naruto: The Official Fanbook has moved quite a few copies. In fact, it was number fifteen on the best-selling manga list in February. After taking a peek, I’m going to say there aren’t a lot of reasons why it should be selling. The vast majority of the content is plot summary, and the parts that aren’t are generally pretty mundane. There are a ton of quizzes in this, which I found to be inane or largely uninteresting; and even the interviews with Masashi Kishimoto are totally pointless. He reveals nothing, and answers no serious questions.

This is not to say that there weren’t some pleasant surprises in the volume. After opening the book, I found a nifty two-sided color pinup. It’s one of Kishimoto’s more whimsical pictures to, so I was quite pleased to see it. Also, if you don’t feel like picking up the issue of Shonen Jump, this volume has the bonus Naruto pilot story. Despite this material, I don’t recommend buying this volume unless you’re a hardcore completist. If you want the good material (e.g. the full-color art and the pilot story), grab the issue of Shonen Jump which contains it, and grab the Naruto artbook out right now, Uzumaki. You’ll be much more pleased with your purchases.

–Reviewed by Isaac Hale

Sakura Ganbaru!, Vol. 2

By Masahiko Nakahira
UDON Entertainment, 200 pp.

Following the events of the first volume and the conclusion of Kairin’s street fighting tournament, Sakura Ganbaru! continues along the lines of a paint-by-numbers shonen, but with everything compressed into two volumes. The results are wonderful as the fights are fast paced and exciting, and plots aren’t dragged out for dozens upon dozens of volumes. Much like other shonen protagonists (or Ryu from the Street Fighter Alpha manga), Sakura grows and learns more about herself, the nature of fighting and even attempts to discover what it means to be a true fighter. Her encounters with various other characters such as Gen, Chun Li or Zangief serve to illuminate different aspects of her quest and growth, and show the pitfalls of it as well.

Nakahira’s art is as clean and strong as ever, and he does a fantastic job with the various characters and their signature abilities and fighting styles. Unlike the previous volume, this one clearly alludes to the events in the Street Fighter Alpha manga, making some of the character interactions seem a bit odd. I suppose it’s best to think of them as loosely connected. Still, you won’t need to have read the Alpha manga to understand or enjoy Sakura Ganbaru! and doing so might actually leave you scratching your head a few times. At any rate, it’s still a fun and enjoyable series, and it’s great to see a young girl who’s capable of kicking butt and not in need of rescue.

–Reviewed by Ken Haley

San Francisco, CA, March 24, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced that it has secured the license from TV Tokyo Corporation, Shueisha Inc. and Dentsu Inc. for BLEACH THE MOVIE: MEMORIES OF NOBODY in the Americas, Europe and Oceania. The feature film, which will be aimed primarily at teens and older teens, will have a limited theatrical release in major cities throughout North America this summer with the DVD release to follow winter 2008. Subsequent details will be released in coming weeks.

BLEACH THE MOVIE: MEMORIES OF NOBODY is inspired by the successful animated television series BLEACH airing on Adult Swim, which is based on the best-selling manga series (rated ‘T’ for Teens) by Tite Kubo, also published in North America by VIZ Media.

“We are extremely excited to announce the domestic license for BLEACH THE MOVIE: MEMORIES OF NOBODY,” says Liza Coppola, Sr. Vice President, VIZ Media. “BLEACH has emerged as one of the most popular animated, manga and video game properties in North America and the release of this film will no doubt captivate millions of avid fans. Filled with riveting animation and spectacular battle scenes featuring all the major characters, BLEACH THE MOVIE is ideally suited for a theatrical presentation and we look forward to making it a summer filled with epic action as this film makes its way to theatres in major markets throughout North America.”

BLEACH is a tremendously successful multimedia property internationally. The manga has been licensed to more than a dozen countries, and has sold over 50 million copies in Japan alone. In North America the manga has been a sales hit and the popular animated series (both rated ‘T’ for Teens) is viewed weekly by millions in the United States and Canada. This success has further spawned an array of related video games, apparel, action figures, trading cards and other merchandise. For more information on BLEACH and BLEACH THE MOVIE: MEMORIES OF NOBODY please visit the official BLEACH website at bleach.viz.com or www.viz.com.

The sheer quantity and variety of titles shipping this Wednesday list makes it nearly impossible to single out one or two as must-reads; there’s truly something for every taste, from Shakespearean manga to mermaid man-love. (The latter would be Selfish Mr. Mermaid, a DMP series that just begs to be read, if only for the title.) I’m going to let the list speak for itself and skip to the reviews. This week’s column examines two new shonen arrivals: Gun Blaze West (Viz), an oater by Rurouni Kenshin creator Nobuhiro Watsuki, and Mamotte Shugogetten (Tokyopop), a harem fantasy in the not-so-proud tradition of I Dream of Jeanie. Guess which one I liked better?

SHIPPING THIS WEEK:
Arcana, Vol. 8 (Tokyopop)
Baby & Me, Vol. 7 (Viz)
Blazin Barrels, Vol. 10 (Tokyopop)
Can’t Win With You, Vol. 3 (DMP)
Color of Love (DMP)
Dazzle, Vol. 8 (Tokyopop)
Dragon Drive, Vol. 7 (Viz)
Dragon Head, Vol. 10 (Tokyopop)
EV (Tokyopop)
Eyeshield 21, Vol. 19 (Viz)
First Stage of Love (DMP)
Genju no Seiza, Vol. 6 (Tokyopop)
Grenadier, Vol. 6 (Tokyopop)
Gun Blaze West, Vol. 1 (Viz)
Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time, Vol. 1 (Viz)
Heaven, Vol. 3 (Tokyopop)
Hoshin Engi, Vol. 6 (Viz)
Hot Steamy Glasses (DMP)
Hotel Africa, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
I-Doll, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
I-O-N (Viz)
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Vol. 10 (Viz)
La Corda d’Oro, Vol. 7 (Viz)
Lagoon Engine, Vol. 5 (Tokyopop)
Le Chevalier d’Eon, Vol. 4 (Del Rey)
Leader’s High, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Liling Po, Vol. 8 (Tokyopop)
Love Lesson (DMP)
Mamotte Shugogetten, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Missing: Kamikakushi no Monogatari, Vol. 3 (Tokyopop)
Mobile Suit Gundam Ecole du Ciel, Vol. 8 (Tokyopop)
Mujyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation, Vol. 4 (Viz)
Necratoholic (DMP)
Nosatsu Junkie, Vol. 5 (Tokyopop)
Oh! My Goddess, Vol. 8 (Dark Horse)
Path of the Assassin, Vol. 10 (Dark Horse)
Phantom, Vol. 5 (Tokyopop)
Pick of the Litter, Vol. 3 (Tokyopop)
Planet Blood, Vol. 8 (Tokyopop)
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Adventure, Vol. 1 (Viz)
Pretty Face, Vol. 5 (Viz)
Reborn!, Vol. 7 (Viz)
Saver, Vol. 6 (Tokyopop)
Selfish Mr. Mermaid, Vol. 1 (DMP)
Shakespeare’s Hamlet: The Manga Edition (John Wiley & Sons)
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: The Manga Edition (John Wiley & Sons)
Shakespeare’s Macbeth: The Manga Edition (John Wiley & Sons)
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: The Manga Edition (John Wiley & Sons)
Sky Sharks, Vol. 1 (Antarctic Press)
Sorcerer Hunters, Vol. 10 (Tokyopop)
Strawberry 100%, Vol. 4 (Viz)
Tail of the Moon, Vol. 10
Takumi-Kun Series, Vol. 3: Tales Out of Season (BLU Manga)
Tower of the Future, Vol. 10 (CMX)
Tsukoyumi Moon Phase, Vol. 10 (Tokyopop)
Vampire Knight, Vol. 4 (Viz)

Gun Blaze West, Vol. 1

By Nobuhiro Watsuki
Viz, 186 pp.
Rating: Older Teen

Let me begin ths review with a disclaimer: Ken Burns would not approve of the historical liberties taken by Gun Blaze West creator Nobuhiro Watsuki. The dialogue, for example—the characters speak in a distinctly modern patois, filled with phrases never uttered by Sitting Bull or General Custer. The scenery, for another—verdant Eastern forests abut rugged desert canyons, even though the story begins in Illinois. (I particularly liked Watsuki’s rendering of Saint Louis as a kind of Budapest on the Mississippi. But I’m getting ahead of myself.) Even the saloon names feel a little off-kilter, as one group of outlaws patronize a joint called… Bella Donna. Such incongruities may offend Mr. Burns, but they’re just part of this boisterous series’ charm.

Gun Blaze West focuses on a brash young boy named Viu Bannes. Though he lives in a small Midwestern town, Viu dreams of visiting Gun Blaze West, a mythical city populated by the West’s greatest gunslingers. (On the map, it appears to be located in Seattle, making me wonder if Gun Blaze West is, in fact, populated by the West’s most caffeinated gunslingers.) Viu’s life is transformed by the arrival of Marcus Homer, a genial drifter with a checkered past. Marcus reluctantly agrees to show Viu the gunslinging ropes, and the two begin the kind of over-the-top training regimen that, as my colleague Ken pointed out in his recent review of Black Cat, is found only in the pages of Shonen Jump. Before Viu can complete his training, however, the notorious Kenbrown gang arrives in Winston Town, terrorizing the citizens and threatening Viu’s older sister. Viu and Marcus’s standoff with the Kenbrown gang ends with an unexpected turn of events—and one that sets the stage for Viu’s subsequent cross-country odyssey.

If you’re a fan of Buso Renkin or Rurouni Kenshin, you know what to expect from Watsuki’s art: crisp draftsmanship, dynamic fight scenes, villains with memorable mugs and nonstop sight gags. The art’s relentless, antic quality wears a little thin towards the end of volume one; I found myself wishing that Watsuki would pause to savor the landscape or linger at the sight of a lonely gunslinger’s tombstone. That said, Gun Blaze West is solid addition to the Shonen Jump lineup, promising plenty of laughs and gunplay in future volumes.

Volume one of Gun Blaze West will be available on April 2nd.

Mamotte Shugogetten, Vol. 1

By Minene Sakurano
Tokyopop, 440 pp.
Rating: Teen (13+)

I’ve always found I Dream of Jeanie a rather creepy show, and reading Mamotte Shugogetten helped me realize why: there’s something fundamentally disconcerting about a comedy in which an innocent young women is released from prolonged confinement, only to be enslaved by a loser fan boy. In the case of Mamotte Shugogetten, that LFB is Tasuke, a lonely teen whose globe-trotting dad leaves him for months at a time. (No word on what happened to mom, though my guess is that she ran off with the mailman.) While traveling in China, Tasuke’s father mails him a strange gift: a ring with a large black stone. Tasuke peers into the stone and pow! a beautiful young woman in an exotic costume appears, calls him “master,” and vows to protect him from harm. You don’t need to be a genius—or an astronaut, for that matter—to guess what happens over the next four hundred pages: Shaorin the shugogetten turns Tasuke’s world upside down with her kind-hearted but woefully misguided efforts to defend him from perceived threats and cheer him up, all while wearing an assortment of cosplay-friendly outfits. The scenarios are painfully predictable and unfunny, right down to the introduction of a second, trampier shugogetten who dresses like a distant cousin of Elvira, Mistress of the Night. Even the artwork feels tired; though Shaorin and her super-kawaii minions are drawn with loving attention to detail, the rest of the cast is not. Nor are the backgrounds, which are so hastily rendered that every scene appears to take place in the same location. Only the dialogue makes it clear that the characters are, in fact, going to the store or visiting a temple.

I’m not sure why Tokyopop felt this mediocre manga deserved the omnibus treatment (volume one collects the first two volumes of the Japanese edition), as the second half of the story isn’t any more engrossing than the first. If you’re an avid cosplayer, you might find Shaorin’s numerous outfits a source of inspiration for your next con outing. Readers in search of other things—great characters, nifty art, original plotlines—are advised to proceed with caution.

Volume one of Mamotte Shugogetten will be available on April 2nd.

I’m glad to see that manga publishers will be making a stronger showing at this year’s Free Comic Book Day; as I noted in my report on FCBD 2007, Tokyopop was the only manga publisher to actively court comic book fans with its Choose Your Weapon sampler. This year, Gold Sponsor VIZ Media is offering a special 32-page edition of Shonen Jump highlighting Bleach, Naruto, and Slam Dunk. Not to be outdone, other manga publishers will be wooing readers with their own offerings, including:

• Antarctic Press, which will give away copies of Rod Espinosa’s Neotopia;
• Del Rey, which will distribute a sampler featuring In Odd We Trust, the highly anticipated Dean Koontz/Queenie Chan project;
• Drawn & Quarterly, which will circulate a 24-page sampler highlighting their big 2008 manga releases, Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s Good-Bye and Seiichi Hayashi’s Red Colored Elegy; and
• Yen Press, which will be unveiling a short excerpt from James Patterson’s Maxium Ride.

For more information about VIZ’s offering, read on.

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced its participation as a Gold Level Sponsor in the 2008 Free Comic Book Day, taking place May 3rd. VIZ Media is producing a special edition (rated “A” for All Ages) of SHONEN JUMP Magazine (rated ‘T’ for Teens) to be distributed for free at participating stores nationwide.

The annual occasion, developed by Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., the world’s largest distributor of English-language comic books, is designed for comic book retailers across North America and around the world to offer a range of select titles for free to further spread awareness of new and upcoming series and highlight the diversity of the comics and manga (graphic novel) genres.

SHONEN JUMP will publish a special, free condensed issue of the magazine to appeal to new comic book fans as well as established manga readers. The SHONEN JUMP Free Comic Book Day issue will contain 32 action-packed pages including special previews of three of VIZ Media’s most exciting serialized manga: NARUTO, BLEACH and the newly serialized SLAM DUNK as well as coverage of many of the magazine’s other popular series such as ONE PIECE and YU YU HAKUSHO, and introduce new readers to the diverse array of content the magazine offers. Longtime SHONEN JUMP fans will also love the BLEACH poster included in this special edition.

SHONEN JUMP joins a select group of ten other preeminent publishers participating in Free Comic Book Day including Archie, Bongo, Dark Horse, DC, Dynamite, IDW, Image, Marvel and Virgin. For more information on Free Comic Book Day please visit www.freecomicbookday.com.

“Despite the massive popularity of manga in the United States, there is still a huge audience waiting to experience the range of unique art and compelling stories featured in these excellent Japanese comics,” says Marc Weidenbaum, Editor-In- Chief of SHONEN JUMP. “By supporting Free Comic Book Day, we hope to get manga into as many hands as possible, and let American comic readers discover the pleasures of the ninja epic that is Masashi Kishimoto’s NARUTO, the soul-reaper action of Tite Kubo’s BLEACH, and the high-school hijinks of Takehiko Inoue’s SLAM DUNK.”

SHONEN JUMP, which celebrated its 5th anniversary earlier this year, appeals to over 1.9 million readers monthly aged 12-17 - with an average monthly circulation of over 241,000. SHONEN JUMP is the first place fans can read new chapters of the latest hit manga from Japan as titles such as NARUTO, BLEACH and ONE PIECE have two or more chapters regularly serialized each month in addition to product articles on a vast array of related video games, trading cards, animation and toys. Ardent fans appreciate the easy to read and affordable presentations of a notable array of different genres, stories and art styles, yet the magazine still offers new readers the opportunity to test several manga at once. For more information on SHONEN JUMP Magazine please visit www.shonenjump.com.

Here’s the scoop on VIZ Media’s big spring releases, including an example of comeuppance theater, a new series from Kaori “Godchild” Yuki, an old-school classic from Kazuo “Drifting Classroom” Umezu, and two series starring vampires. Yes folks, this spring… THERE WILL BE BLOOD! (Hah! Take that, Daniel Day-Lewis!)

From the VIZ Press Release:
The new releases are aimed primarily at Teen and Older Teen readers, which form the core of the manga market, and encompass a unique selection of genres ranging from action/adventure and shojo romance stories to darker, more twisted tales that exemplify the gothic and horror genres that have become extremely popular. The new series will include GUN BLAZE WEST, HARUKA: BEYOND THE STEAM OF TIME, NIGHTMARE INSPECTOR: YUMEKUI KENBUN, B.O.D.Y, FAIRY CUBE, THE RECORD OF A FALLEN VAMPIRE, ROSARIO+VAMPIRE, GIMMICK! and CAT EYED BOY…

GUN BLAZE WEST
Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $7.99 • Available April 1, 2008
A brand new addition to the SHONEN JUMP imprint from Nobuhiro Watsuki, the creator of the successful samurai manga series RUROUNI KENSHIN and BUSO RENKIN (both published domestically by VIZ Media), GUN BLAZE WEST puts a new twist on the genre as it is set in 19th century America. Legend has it that in the far West lies a sacred land called Gun Blaze West, where only the strong can set foot. Viu Bannes, a cheerful and persistent boy, aspires to become a great gunslinger and yearns to travel to the West and test his strength. He befriends a vagabond, Marcus Homer, and they both decide to set off on a journey to find Gun Blaze West. The new title is VIZ Media’s first Western/Wild West series and will also be previewed in SHONEN JUMP magazine. Nobuhiro Watsuki’s critically acclaimed previous series RUROUNI KENSHIN is a fan favorite that has sold more than 1.1 million copies in North America and his BUSO RENKIN series likewise enjoys a wide and growing following.

HARUKA: BEYOND THE STREAM OF TIME
Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $8.99 • Available April 1, 2008
HARUKA: BEYOND THE STREAM OF TIME is a highly anticipated new series based on a popular PS2 and Nintendo DS video game that is hugely popular in Japan. Akane is your typical teenage girl, until she swallows eight Dragon Jewels and is transported to the Heian period of ancient Japan! There in the Capital City, Akane learns that she has been preordained to lead the people as the Priestess of the Dragon God. But all is not well: Akram, the head of the Demon Clan, has sworn death and destruction on the Capital. So Akane is appointed Eight Guardians to stand by her side as she faces the danger that waits. HARUKA: BEYOND THE STREAM OF TIME is a new addition to VIZ Media’s SHOJO BEAT imprint and is currently being serialized in SHOJO BEAT magazine. The original Haruka video game was created by Ruby Party (aka Ruby Patty), the same group that designed the wildly popular Neoromance video game Angelique, and helped to define the modern Neoromance dating RPG format. Bandai Visual USA is also releasing the anime in April 2008.

NIGHTMARE INSPECTOR: YUMEKUI KENBUN
Rated “T” for Teens • MSRP: $9.99 • Available April 8, 2008
For those who suffer nightmares, help awaits at the Silver Star Tea House, where patrons can order much more than just Darjeeling. Hiruko is a special kind of private investigator, he’s a dream eater, and he’ll rid you of your darkest vision – for a price. Each chapter of NIGHMARE INSPECTOR is a self-contained story that offers a glimpse of mankind’s folly and gradually reveals a little more about Hiruko and his dark past. A highly anticipated new series with a gothic edge, NIGHTMARE INSPECTOR was published in Japan by Square Enix, the publisher of the first manga series from Shin Mashiba. Fan-buzz has abounded on this series and comparisons have been made to Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and DC’s classic House of Mystery/House of Secrets.

B.O.D.Y.
Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $9.99 • Available April 8, 2008
Everyone thinks 16-year-old Sakura has weird taste in guys because she can’t stop drooling over Ryunosuke, the strong silent type who sits next to her in class. When she discovers he works for a host club, where women actually pay men to date them, will she finally wise up? Will he leave his job to be with her? Or will she take a job at the club so he can quit so she can be with him so…? Only one thing’s for sure in B.O.D.Y. - you can’t put a price on love! B.O.D.Y. originally appeared in the Japanese shojo monthly Bessatsu Margaret was created by Ao Mimori. It is her third shojo manga series and is also currently serialized in SHOJO BEAT magazine.

FAIRY CUBE
Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $8.99 • Available May 6, 2008
Ian and Rin used to just see spirits. Now Ian is one. Using the Fairy Cube, Ian must figure out how to stop the lizard spirit Tokage from taking over his life and destroying any chance he has of resurrection. FAIRY CUBE is the long-awaited new series from gothic manga mastermind Kaori Yuki, who created ANGEL SANCTUARY, GODCHILD, and THE CAIN SAGA (all published by VIZ Media). A new addition to VIZ Media’s SHOJO BEAT imprint, FAIRY CUBE will be previewed in the April 2008 issue of SHOJO BEAT magazine.

THE RECORD OF A FALLEN VAMPIRE
Rated “T” for Teens • MSRP: $9.99 • Available May 13, 2008
Thousands of years ago, Vampire King Akabara Rosered Strauss lost both his kingdom and his queen. Since humans were unable to kill the queen, they sealed her away, erecting thousands of fake seals so that the king would never find her true location. Despite being pursued by relentless humans and half-vampires alike, Akabara continues to search for his queen to this day. Akabara’s quest takes a sinister turn when an entity called the Black Swan appears. The Black Swan inhabits the body of a young human girl every 50 years, giving her the power to destroy the Vampire King and his queen. With each incarnation the Black Swan grows stronger –will the 49th Black Swan mean the end of Akabara? THE RECORD OF A FALLEN VAMIRE is illustrated by Yuri Kimura and written by Kyo Shirodaira, the award-winning writer behind the popular mystery manga and animated series SPIRAL – BONDS OF REASONING.

ROSARIO + VAMPIRE
Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $9.99 • Available May 13, 2008
All-around average teenager Tsukune can’t get accepted to any high school save one, but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn’t appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can’t wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec’, are those her teeth around his neck too? Tsukune’s going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in hell of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn’t between the jocks and the nerds but between vampires and the werewolves? Find out in the new series from Akihisa Ikeda.

GIMMICK!
Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $9.99 • Available June 10, 2008
Gimmick! is an interesting new series by Youzaburou Kanari and focuses on Kohei Nagase, a genius in the realm of movie make-up and special effects. With his stuntman buddy Kannazuki, Kohei helps various people in need get out of tough situations through the use of his brilliant make-up skills. This series has action, mystery, and lots of insights about the technical aspects that go into doing really cool movie make-up.

CAT EYED BOY
Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $24.99 • Available June 17, 2008
Cat Eyed Boy is a half-human, half-monster child whose mostly human appearance bans him from the demon world. He lives hidden in the shadows of the human world, hated by humans and demons alike. Wherever he goes, awful events occur as the humans and demons interact. In 11 stories of revenge and retribution full of disturbing images, Cat Eyed Boy acts as a trickster, saving the innocent and helping the wicked receive the punishment that fate metes out. The first volume contains four stories and the first part of a fifth and longer story. CAT EYED BOY was created by Kazuo Umezu, the undisputed master of Japanese horror manga and creator of the critically acclaimed DRIFTING CLASSROOM (also published by VIZ Media). Cat Eyed Boy offers up a concoction of dark vignettes dripping with the macabre and the absurd.

Viz is kicking off 2008 with six new manga titles: Sand Chronicles (January), High School Debut (January), Ral Ω Grad (February), Honey and Clover (March), Monkey High! (March), and Switch (March). I haven’t seen Monkey High! or Switch yet, but I’ve read the first volumes of the other four titles and can state with confidence that they’re well worth seeking out, especially Sand Chronicles and Honey and Clover (both currently serialized in the pages of Shojo Beat). Below is the official Viz press release describing these six titles.

VIZ MEDIA LAUNCHES SIX NEW MANGA SERIES FOR FIRST QUARTER 2008

Diverse New Titles To Kick Off The New Year

San Francisco, CA, January 8, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the launch of six highly anticipated new manga comic series for the First Quarter of 2008.

The new releases are designed for Teen and Older Teen readers and include SAND CHRONICLES, HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT, HONEY AND CLOVER and MONKEY HIGH, to be published under the popular SHOJO BEAT imprint, RAL Ω GRAD, under the SHONEN JUMP ADVANCED imprint, and SWITCH, to be offered by the VIZ Media imprint.

“We open 2008 with an exciting and diverse collection of new manga titles designed for fans of everything from gritty crime dramas and fantasy/action tales to bittersweet romance stories and zany high school comedy,” says Alvin Lu, Vice President, Publishing VIZ Media, “The debut of DEATH NOTE artist Takeshi Obata’s latest manga series RAL Ω GRAD continues to show the versatility of this very talented creator as he tackles the genre of fantasy adventure manga. New teen-oriented series like SAND CHRONICLES and HONEY AND CLOVER present softer but equally intriguing stories about growing up, entering adulthood and dealing with life’s dramas. The unique stories and characters presented in our newest collection of titles should strike a chord among even the most discriminating fan and we look forward to their success in the New Year.”

SAND CHRONICLES • Rated “T” for Teens • MSRP: $8.99 • Available Now!
Twelve-year-old Ann and her divorced mother move from big city Tokyo to her mother’s rural hometown, where the menu consists of mystery meat, the village kids are totally uncool, the cute woodland creatures are not destined to be her faithful companions, and there aren’t even any bookstores! How will she survive her exile from civilization? When Ann’s mother unexpectedly dies, she must grow up fast, relying on the kindness of her new friends—Daigo and aristocratic siblings Fuji and Shika. But after her father reappears and moves her to Tokyo, will Ann be able to maintain a long-distance relationship with Daigo? And do Fuji and Shika harbor romantic feelings for each other that will rip apart these childhood friendships…?

SAND CHRONICLES was created by Hinako Ashihara and won the 50th Shogakukan Manga Award. The ten-volume series sold more than 5.7 million copies in Japan and also spawned a live-action television series and a feature film, set to be released next year. The series currently appears in SHOJO BEAT magazine and also has been published in Italian, German and Spanish.

HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT • Rated “T” for Teens • MSRP: $8.99 • Available Now!
Can a junior high tomboy turn into a high school sweetheart overnight? When Haruna Nagashima was in junior high, her life consisted of playing softball and reading comics. Now in high school, Haruna decides to put all of her energy towards getting a boyfriend and having the high school romance of a lifetime. She enlists the help of a cute upperclassman named Yoh Komiyama to help her transform into the kind of girl who can catch a guy. Yoh agrees to the challenge with one catch – Haruna had better not fall for him!

HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT was created by Kazune Kawahara, who drew her first manga series at age 18. Since then, Kawahara has developed a variety of comics for Shueisha’s Bessatsu Margaret magazine. HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT is also previewed in the December issue of SHOJO BEAT magazine.

RAL Ω GRAD • Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $7.99 • Available Feb. 5, 2008
Renowned manga artist Takeshi Obata, artist of HIKARU NO GO and the wildly popular DEATH NOTE, introduces a new series of fantasy and action set in medieval times. In the midst of a meaningless war, a child named Ral is born during a bloody battle at the cost of his mother’s life. From this baby’s shadow comes forth a huge and powerful dragon named Grad, which lays waste to the landscape within minutes. A quick-thinking knight locks the baby in a cage of darkness, where he grows to be a young man, knowing only the kindness of his young female tutor named Mio, but never seeing her face. One day an army attacks and the people of Sphaein are put under siege by horrendous monsters knows as Shadows. With the castle walls collapsing and their doom within sight, the people are persuaded to set Ral free knowing he also has a Shadow within him—the large blue dragon. Released from his black cell, Ral finally meets his beloved teacher face-to-face and discovers there are differences between men and women… differences he deems worth fighting for!

RAL Ω GRAD artist Takeshi Obata won the 2003 Tezuka Shinsei “New Hope” award and the Shogakukan Manga award for his wildly popular Shonen Jump title HIKARU NO GO. RALΩGRAD is his newest series and the latest addition to the Shonen Jump Advanced imprint and will appeal to fans of fantasy RPGs.

MONKEY HIGH • Rated “T” for Teens • MSRP: $8.99 • Available March 4, 2008
After her politician father is disgraced in a scandal, Haruna Aizawa transfers to a new school where she becomes convinced that school life is like a monkey mountain—all the monkeys form cliques, get into fights, and get back together again. She even meets a boy called Macharu who reminds her of a baby monkey! Will Haruna remain jaded and distance herself from everyone around her, or will Macharu win her over with his monkey magic?

MONKEY HIGH was created by Shouko Akira, who made her manga debut in 1995 with THE SOLAR SYSTEM IS YOURS, which was serialized in Japan’s Deluxe Bessatsu Shojo Comic. Akira is notable for her Betsucomi style art which features rosy cheeks and cute, clean designs. She is also the creator of TIMES TWO, a collection of five romantic short stories that’s currently available from VIZ Media. MONKEY HIGH will be previewed in SHOJO BEAT magazine in February.

HONEY AND CLOVER • Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $7.99 • Available March 4, 2008
Takemoto is a student who lives in a run-down student apartment, where his greatest worries are when he’ll next be able to afford to eat meat and whether he’ll get to class on time. Along with a crazy cast of five friends, Takemoto sets out to discover life and his true self. Set in a Tokyo art college, HONEY AND CLOVER realistically blends comedy and pathos to bring to life a very unique set of individuals. One day, one of the art professors introduces Takemoto to his cousin’s daughter, Hagumi Hanamoto, a first-year art student who has come to live with him. Takemoto is immediately smitten and the plot thickens as Hagumi becomes embroiled in a complicated love triangle that also includes Takemoto’s friend, Shinobu Morita. HONEY AND CLOVER showcases the journey from adolescence into adulthood and the long and challenging road these five young people must navigate to balance the demands of school, work, and love.

Chica Umino is the creator of HONEY AND CLOVER, which debuted in 2000 and received the Kodansha Manga Award in 2003. The series was extremely successful and was also nominated for the Tezuka Culture Prize and an award from the Japan Media Arts Festival. Over 7.8 million copies of the 10-volume series have been sold in Japan and the series inspired both and anime series and live-action film, set for release by VIZ Pictures in 2008. Chica Umino is also a merchandise designer and created an array of HONEY AND CLOVER bags, purses, hats, and clothing available in Japan. There is even a HONEY AND CLOVER café in Tokyo. The series has been translated into Dutch, Korean, Chinese, and German and is also serialized in SHOJO BEAT magazine.

SWITCH • Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $9.99 • Available March 11, 2008
Kai Eto may look like a squeaky clean kid, but the Greater Kanto Narcotics Control Division’s new investigator hides a violent alter ego and a dangerous past. Together with his stoic partner, Hal Kurabayashi, Kai is assigned to track down and stop the distribution of a dangerous new drug called Dragon Speed. But the hard-boiled syndicate trafficking the drug is almost impossible to infiltrate and combined with street violence and a jurisdiction war with the Meguro Police, poor Kai is in for some very long days at the office.

SWITCH was created by the Naked Ape duo, a collaboration of artist Tonomi Nakamura and writer Otoo Saki. The two women also produced an array of posters, album covers, phone cards and manga series such as BLACK TAR and the futuristic crime thriller DOLLS. SWITCH was originally published by Square Enix, the Japanese company behind FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST and FINAL FANTASY, and will appeal to fans of crime dramas such as Miami Vice, CSI, and NCIS.

LIBRARY EDITIONS • MSRP: $15.99 • Available January 2008
In January, the company will also publish new hardcover Library Editions of the first volumes of several popular manga series including BLEACH, DEATH NOTE, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, INUYASHA, NARUTO and RANMA ½. The content of these editions will match their original manga counterparts but now packaged with a rugged hardcover to make the volumes viable for years of library use.

San Francisco, CA, December 3, 2007 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced exciting content for its January 2008 issue of SHONEN JUMP Magazine. The issue is expected to hit retail outlets nationwide tomorrow, December 4th, in plenty of time for the holidays, and offers a host of new surprises and exciting editorial content sure to delight even the most discriminating fan. This issue also marks the 5th anniversary of SHONEN JUMP Magazine, the most popular English-language comics anthology.

The January issue of SHONEN JUMP, rated T for Teens, marks an important turn in the development of anime and manga’s most popular series, the ninja epic, NARUTO! The serialized NARUTO returns to the magazine after a two-month hiatus with a whole new story arc that picks up two full years after the disappearance of one of the manga’s central characters. Everyone is older, stronger and different in many ways from the earlier chapters of the series and readers will delight in noting the developments. A hotshot Naruto returns to the Hidden Leaf Village from training with his new mentor, Jiraiya, to find that everything back home has changed and readers will get to see a side of the character they’ve never seen before.

SHONEN JUMP recently introduced the BLEACH manga to its lineup, and it’s quickly become one of the magazine’s most popular. This issue features three full manga chapters, plus news on the related animation, which airs on Cartoon Network, and the card game.

The January issue of SHONEN JUMP has always included an extra-powerful Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG card, and this one is no exception: newsstand and subscriber copies alike come with the exclusive “The Wicked Dreadroot” card, and two pages of tips from experts.

The issue also delivers an exclusive first look at the new One Piece: Unlimited Adventure video game for the Nintendo Wii from NAMCO BANDAI Games America. Captain Monkey D. Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates embark on wild adventures in this all new original game, set to be released in early 2008. SHONEN JUMP further expands on the pirate theme with a rundown of some of history’s most notorious pirates and a special interview with the directors of the long-running ONE PIECE animated series.

“The dramatic break in NARUTO has been one of the most exciting things to happen in SHONEN JUMP,” says Marc Weidenbaum, the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief. “It capped the SJ Evolution that’s been going on throughout 2007. Now everyone in the manga is older and they’ve changed in many ways. Part of the fun of reading this month’s NARUTO chapter is discovering these differences, combined with learning more about new looming threats to our favorite ninja. That together with the recently introduced BLEACH manga, and the pirate adventures of ONE PIECE make this issue a great way to close 2007 and start 2008 — and the fact that it also debuts in plenty of time for the holidays makes SHONEN JUMP an ideal stocking stuffer!”

From video game advertisers such as Namco Bandai and Sega, to non-endemic partners such as Sara Lee’s Ball Park Franks and the ONDCP anti-drug campaign — advertisers also agree that this January issue is going to be a must-read for hard-to-reach male teens — almost 2 million total readers in all!

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan’s largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan Production Co., Ltd. (ShoPro Japan), VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America and a global licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including, magazines such as SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, graphic novels, videos, DVDs and audio soundtracks and develops and markets animated entertainment from initial production, television placement and distribution, to merchandise licensing and promotions for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at www.VIZ.com.

San Francisco, CA, November 13, 2007 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the ultimate NARUTO manga collection - a special NARUTO Shadow Box Limited Collector Set which bundles all 27 volumes of the hit series’ first story arc. With the 2007 holiday season fast approaching, this set, which is the most extensive and elaborate manga box set the company has published to date, will be a highly desired item among many fans. The NARUTO Shadow Box Limited Collector Set is expected to be released today and has a limited production run of 5,000.

The NARUTO Shadow Box Limited Collector Set contains 27 volumes housed in a special wooden display box that is individually numbered and emblazoned with the NARUTO logo. Included are the final three volumes of the first story arc – available in advance of their December 4 general release date. A special mini-manga of the “proto-chapter” of the first NARUTO story ever published is also included, along with a sneak peek of Vol. 28, an exclusive two-sided color poster, collectible graphic novel cover stickers, and a NARUTO trading card exclusive to VIZ Media. The NARUTO Shadow Box Limited Collector Set, with a suggested retail price of $189.95, will be available at select major book retailers and also thru the VIZ Media online store at store.viz.com. Pre-orders on the VIZ Media website are being accepted now. A limited production run of 5,000 makes this a serious collectible for any NARUTO or manga fan.

NARUTO has emerged as one of the best selling and most popular manga series throughout North America, regularly placing in both Graphic Novel and Overall General Fiction categories on noted literary sales rosters including BookScan and the USA Today Top 150. It was also the first manga to ever win a noted literary Quill Award in 2006. NARUTO has become one of VIZ Media’s most successful manga properties in terms of sales. The series, by creator Masashi Kishimoto, depicts the adventures of a young boy who trains to become a ninja, and has sold more than 80 million copies in Japan since Shueisha Inc. began publishing the manga in 1999.

“The NARUTO Shadow Box Limited Collector Set is probably the most elaborate and comprehensive single manga box set ever published in North America and we are extremely excited to release it in plenty of time for the holidays,” says Liza Coppola, Sr. Vice President, Marketing, VIZ Media. “The massive popularity of the manga shows no signs of slowing and this is the ultimate collection for any serious fan. The set is an ideal way to display the entire run of NARUTO and we’ve also included a host of extras that make this a real must-have this holiday season. We expect it to be a feature on many die-hard fans’ wish lists this year.”

The release of the box set is the culmination of NARUTO NATION, a broad campaign launched by VIZ Media earlier this year that began by bringing an unprecedented increase in the frequency of publication of the series. In order to catch up to the present Japanese release schedule and to prepare readers for upcoming notable changes in the main character and story arc, VIZ Media has offered three new volumes of the NARUTO manga per-month since September – a first for any U.S. manga publisher. The company has also released a variety of other related NARUTO products including the DVD release of NARUTO THE MOVIE: NINJA CLASH IN THE LAND OF SNOW, a gorgeous hardcover UZUMAKI: ART OF NARUTO edition, the NARUTO ANIME PROFILES: HIDEN SHIPPU EMAKI, and NARUTO MISSION: PROTECT THE WATERFALL VILLAGE!, the latest addition to the collection of NARUTO novels under the VIZ Fiction imprint.

VIZ Media also plans to launch the manga with the new NARUTO story arc in March 2008, which depicts the next stage of the saga about a boy training to become a ninja with the main character now three years older. Fans can also get a peek at the new NARUTO story in the January 2008 issue of SHONEN JUMP Magazine, on sale December 4, 2007.

Abut VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan’s largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan Production Co., Ltd. (ShoPro Japan), VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America and a global licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including, magazines such as SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, graphic novels, videos, DVDs and audio soundtracks and develops and markets animated entertainment from initial production, television placement and distribution, to merchandise licensing and promotions for audiences and consumers of all ages.

Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at www.VIZ.com.