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Author Archive for Lissa Pattillo

Viz Media Announces New Vampire Knight and Multiple Princes

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, August 5, 2014

I started a new job! I moved! And the manga world kept on spinning! Bear with me, reader,s as I play catch-up on the past month of manga mayhem and shiny madness over the next few days.

At July’s Anime Expo, Viz Media announced three new manga titles for their Shojo Beat imprint:

The Demon Prince of Momochi House – Aya Shouoto
Meteor Prince – Meca Tanaka
Vampire Knight: Life – Matsuri Hino

The Demon Prince of Momochi House is about a young woman who inherits a home that sits on the border between the human and spirit realm. Now tasked with maintaining that careful balance, she arrives at her new home only to discover that a young man is already there doing her job, and he refuses to leave. Throw in a sexy demon and the fact mr. stranger is eye-candy himself and I’ve no doubt mystery, fluff, flaunts and feelings await us.

This is Aya Shouoto’s third title to be licensed in English, the first being Yen Press’s He’s My Only Vampire, followed by Viz Media’s Kiss of the Rose Princess. I haven’t gotten to read any of her work yet, but I’m smitten by the artwork every time these licenses are announced. This newest one is thus automatically added to my must-try list as well. The first volume of The Demon Prince of Momochi House is scheduled for release in July 2015.

Meteor Prince is another title where I hope I can judge it by its cover, because it looks SO CUTE (pictured top left). The last time I read a book by Meca Tanaka, it was an old CMX title called Omukae Desu. I recall it being a cute story, but nothing especially memorable. It’s fun seeing how much her art has evolved over the years though, and I could never resist a shojo with that cover style. The story sounds as weird as I recall from her however. Meteor Prince is about a young woman whose string of misfortunes have earned her the nickname “The Queen of Bad Luck”. Just when she thinks she can’t get any unluckier, things take a turn when a naked, pretty-boy, alien prince falls out of the sky and proclaims her to be the one and only special someone he’s traveled to Earth to mate with. I suppose that could potentially be considered better fortune?

The first volume of Meteor Prince is scheduled for release in January 2015, and is currently available to pre-order on Amazon CAN|US.

Last but never least for Viz Media is a new short story for Vampire Knight. Vampire Knight: Life takes place directly after the series’ final book, but apparently isn’t something Matsuri Hino wanted included in the actual finale. Because of this the chapter won’t be printed in the last book scheduled for this October, but will be made available to buy digitally in December 2014 from VizManga.com. The bonus chapter further explores the relationship between Zero and Yuki.

Src: Shojo Beat @ Tumblr

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Categories: Licensing
Tags: Anime Expo, Aya Shouoto, Matsuri Hino, Meca Tanaka, Meteor Prince, Shojo Beat, The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vampire Knight, Viz Media

PR: Takeshi Obata To Appear at New York Comic Con

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, July 29, 2014

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TAKESHI OBATA TO APPEAR AT NEW YORK COMIC CON

Wildly Popular Manga Artist and Creative Force Behind Death Note, Bakuman。 and
All You Need Is Kill to participate in Panels and Autographing on October 9 and 10, 2014

NORWALK, CT – July 29, 2014 – New York Comic Con is rolling out power-packed appearances that showcase the hottest talent from around the globe. In continuing its unwavering commitment to celebrate the vast expanse of all things pop culture, ReedPOP, the world’s largest producer of pop culture events and producers of the event, today announced that renowned manga artist Takeshi Obata will be appearing as part of autographing and panels the Thursday and Friday of the show.

Obata is the artist of the wildly popular Shonen Jump title Hikaru no Go, which won the 2003 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize: Shinsei “New Hope” award and the 2000 Shogakukan Manga award. Obata is also the artist of Arabian Majin Bokentan Lamp Lamp, Ayatsuri Sakon, Cyborg Jichan G, and the smash hit manga Death Note. Following the hugely successful series Bakuman。 Obata’s latest work is All You Need Is Kill, a 2-volume adaptation of the novel which was also the basis for this year’s Tom Cruise blockbuster Edge of Tomorrow. Hikaru no Go, Death Note, Bakuman。and All You Need Is Kill are all published in North America by VIZ Media. Takeshi Obata is appearing at New York Comic Con with support of VIZ Media and the Japan Foundation.

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: All You Need Is Kill, Bakuman, Conventions, Death Note, hikaru no go, NYCC, takeshi obata, Viz Media

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Returns to North America!

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, July 8, 2014

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VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE RETURN OF THE CELEBRATED MANGA SERIES JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE TO NORTH AMERICA

First Three Parts Of The Acclaimed Multi-Generational Paranormal Action Adventure Manga Series Set For Digital And Print Release

San Francisco, CA, July 7, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, thrilled a packed audience of fans at the 2014 Anime Expo in Los Angeles this past weekend as it announced the much heralded return of creator Hirohiko Araki’s epic supernatural/action/adventure manga (graphic novel) series, JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE.

Volumes 1 and 2 of JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: PART 3 – STARDUST CRUSADERS are now available digitally on VIZManga.com and the VIZ MANGA App for the iPad®, iPhone® and iPod® touch as well as for Android-powered smart phones and 7” tablets. The digital volumes also may be purchased through the Nook, Kindle, Kobo, iBooks and GooglePlay stores. Subsequent editions will be released every week for a total of 16 volumes. JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens and carries a digital MSRP of $6.99 US/CAN.

VIZ Media originally published the JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE STARDUST CRUSADERS manga story arc in print in 2005. Fans at the Anime Expo panel were further delighted with the news that the company’s SHONEN JUMP imprint also has acquired JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE PART 1 – PHANTOM BLOOD and JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE PART 2 – BATTLE TENDENCY and plans to release them digital as firsts across its proprietary and partner platforms in September 2014 and March 2015 respectively.

The print counterpart for JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE PART 1 – PHANTOM BLOOD will launch in print beginning in February 2015, with JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE PART 2 – BATTLE TENDENCY scheduled to debut Fall 2015.

In JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE, once there was a mighty bloodline of heroes: the Joestars. In the 1880s, Englishman Jonathan Joestar gave his life to defeat Dio, a megalomaniacal vampire. Now, 100 years later, Dio is back, and Jonathan’s descendants must travel to Egypt to destroy their ancestral enemy once and for all.

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Digital, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Shonen Jump, Viz Media

SuBLime Goes Manga-Meta with License of Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi

By Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, July 5, 2014

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SuBLime Manga sent a corner of the internet screeching in collective joy this past June, announcing they’d licensed fan-favourite title, Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi:

The World’s Greatest First Love – Shungiku Nakamura

The complete English title is The World’s Greatest First Love: The Case of Ritsu Onodera and included all eight volumes of the boys’ love series.

This is a title so well known in the boys’ love community that I did a double-take when I read the news. Hadn’t this been licensed already? Hadn’t I seen this already? Nope, but I had watched the anime adaptation on Crunchyroll and the originating series published by BLU Manga, Junjo Romantica (from which this series spins-off from). So, while this is the first time The World’s Greatest First Love has been licensed in English, it certainly had some big stepping stones leading it here! Hopefully that matched with its existing already-read-it fanbase will lead to some good sales.

“Tired of accusations that family connections got him his current position, Ritsu Onodera quits his job as an editor at his father’s company and transfers to Marukawa Publishing. Once there, he is assigned to the shojo manga editorial department—something he has no interest in and no experience with! Having sworn he’d never fall in love again, the last thing he wants to do is work on love stories. To make matters worse, it turns out that his overbearing boss, Masamune Takano, is actually his first love from high school!”

The first volume of The World’s Greatest First Love will be released in print February 2015, with future volumes coming out every two months after that.

SuBLime can count me in for an order of this title. I’m confident I’ll enjoy it based on the anime (even though the Junjo manga was not a winner for me), and I always love a manga about making manga, so this series hits a double-chord. Huzzah!

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Categories: Licensing
Tags: Boys' Love/Yaoi, Junjo Romantica, The World's Greatest First Love

PR: On July 1st, Nice Guys Finish First in the Endearing and Laugh-Out-Loud MY LOVE STORY!! from Viz Media

By Lissa Pattillo on Friday, June 27, 2014

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NICE GUYS FINISH FIRST IN NEW ROMANTIC COMEDY MANGA SERIES MY LOVE STORY!! FROM VIZ MEDIA

Creator Of HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT Offers An Endearing Laugh-Out-Loud Story About An Underdog Who Finally Finds Love

San Francisco, CA, June 26, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, expands the catalog for its popular Shojo Beat imprint with the debut of the manga (graphic novel) series – MY LOVE STORY!! – on July 1st.

The new release, written by the author of the bestselling manga HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT, is rated ‘T’ for Teens and will carry a print MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. Future volumes of the continuing series are scheduled to be published 4 times a year.

A digital version also will launch on July 1st for $6.99 (USD/CAN) on VIZManga.com and through the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad®, iPhone® and iPod® touch, Android-powered smart phones, as well as for the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks and GooglePlay stores.

In MY LOVE STORY!!, Takeo Goda is a giant guy with a giant heart. Too bad the girls don’t want him! (They always go for his good-looking best friend, Sunakawa.) Used to being on the sidelines, Takeo simply stands tall and accepts his fate. But one day when he saves a girl named Yamato from a harasser on the train, his (love!) life suddenly takes an incredible turn! Takeo can hardly believe it when he crosses paths with Yamato again, and he finds himself falling in love with her… But with handsome Sunakawa around, does Takeo even stand a chance?

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: My Love Story!!, Viz Media

PR: VIZ Media Debuts Intense New Manga Of Humanity’s Future Gone Awry in TERRA FORMARS

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, June 25, 2014

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MAN’S COLONIZATION OF MARS GOES SHOCKINGLY AWRY IN THE INTENSE NEW SCI-FI HORROR MANGA SERIES TERRA FORMARS

Off-World Terror Takes A Deadly New Form In A Gripping Sci-Fi Action Series From VIZ Media’s Signature Imprint

San Francisco, CA, June 25, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, administers a spine-tingling dose of sci-fi horror with the launch of the new manga (graphic novel) series – TERRA FORMARS – on July 15th.

The series, illustrated by Kenichi Tachibana with story by Yu Sasuga, will be published under the VIZ Signature imprint, is rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers, and will carry an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $14.99 CAN. Future volumes of TERRA FORMARS, which is continuing in Japan, will be released domestically on a bi-monthly basis.

In the late 26th century, overpopulation on Earth has reached the breaking point and humanity must find new frontiers. The terraforming of Mars has taken centuries but is now complete. The colonization of Mars by humanity is an epoch-making event, but an unintended side effect of the terraforming process unleashes a horror no one could ever have imagined…

In the opening volume, after humanity’s first manned mission to the Red Planet was lost, a second expedition arrives. The explorers prepare to exterminate the cockroaches that were used to transform the Martian environment, but are shocked to discover that the insects have mutated into giant, aggressive humanoids with one overriding goal – to exterminate all humans! However, this crew of explorers has each undergone the “Bugs Procedure,” a terrifying experimental surgery designed to make them more than human…

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Terra Formars, Viz Media, Viz Signature

PR: Naoki Urasawa’s Monster Manga Series Returns to Print In New Perfect Edition

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, June 25, 2014

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NAOKI URASAWA’S MONSTER MANGA SERIES RETURNS TO PRINT IN NEW PERFECT EDITION RELEASE FROM VIZ MEDIA

New Definitive Edition Of The Acclaimed Psychological Manga Thriller Delivers A Tense Crime Drama Filled With Conspiracy, Political Intrigue And Murder

San Francisco, CA, June 24, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, is proud to announce the release of the ultimate collection of creator Naoki Urasawa’s acclaimed manga (graphic novel) suspense masterpiece. MONSTER: THE PERFECT EDITION, Vol. 1 will debut on July 15th. The new print-only oversized release will be published under the VIZ Signature imprint, is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $19.99 U.S. / $22.99 CAN.

MONSTER: THE PERFECT EDITION is the ultimate version of the acclaimed psychological crime thriller. This new release features a new translation, remastered pages, and a generous amount of full-color content. Future volumes of MONSTER: THE PERFECT EDITION will be released four times a year in North America, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand for a total of nine volumes covering the entire series.

In Naoki Urasawa’s MONSTER, Johan is a cold and calculating killer with a mysterious past, and brilliant Dr. Kenzo Tenma is the only one who can stop him! Conspiracy and serial murder open the door to a compelling, intricately woven plot in this masterwork of suspense. In the first volume of the new PERFECT EDITION, everyone faces uncertainty at some point in their lives. Even a brilliant surgeon like Kenzo Tenma is no exception. But there’s no way he could have known that his decision to stop chasing professional success and instead concentrate on his oath to save peoples’ lives would result in the birth of an abomination. The questions of good and evil now take on a terrifyingly real dimension. Years later, in Germany during the tumultuous post-reunification period, middle-aged childless couples are being killed one after another. The serial killer’s identity is known. The reasons why he kills are not. Dr. Tenma sets out on a journey to find the killer’s twin sister, who may hold some clues to solving the enigma of the “Monster.”

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Monster, Naoki Urasawa, Viz Media

Supernatural and Swimming – Seven Seas Licenses Four New Manga Series

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, June 24, 2014

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Convention season may be upon us, but Twitter is more and more becoming the only publisher panel you need to be present for – and you certainly won’t hear me complaining about the convenience! Seven Seas took to the social media platform last week to announce four new manga licenses:

Clay Lord: Master of Golems – Jun Suzumoto
Dance in the Vampire Bund 2: Scarlet Order – Nozomu Tamaki
Evergreen – Yuyuko Takemiya & Akira Kasukabe
Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary – Shake O

Clay Lord is a fun looking fantasy adventure. It follows a young man named Clay, who with abilities to create, control and befriend magical golems, enters competitions and travels the globe to further his skills and connection with them. The first volume of Clay Lord is scheduled from Seven Seas in April 2015, and is currently available to pre-order via Amazon CAN | US.

Dance in the Vampire Bund 2: Scarlet Order is the sequel series to Dance in the Vampire Bund, which it seems safe to say is one of Seven Seas’ most popular titles including several spin-off series. Taking off after the events of the first, this sequel follows its lead Queen of vampires as she attends the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, only to find herself a target for terrorists and embroiled amidst a new threat against her kind.

The first volume of Dance in the Vampire Bund 2: Scarlet Order is scheduled for December 2014, with pre-orders now available via Amazon CAN | US.

Evergreen seems like a well-suited summer announcement, telling the tale of a manga club president and the ace of his school’s swim team who become friends during a swim test, and perhaps something more. Seven Seas describes it as a romantic comedy, with the first volume scheduled for May 2015. Yuyuko Takemiya, the author of Evergreen, was also the author of another Seven Seas’ title, Toradora!.

Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary adds another to Seven Seas’ growing collection of monster girl stories. The story is about a one-eyed nurse who treats an assortment of unique students who come through her school office door. The first volume of Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary is scheduled for February 2015, and can be pre-ordered now at Amazon CAN | US.

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Categories: Licensing
Tags: Clay Lord, Dance in the Vampire Bund, Evergreen, Nurse Hitomi's Monster Infirmary, Seven Seas

Yen Press Beats the Bad Luck With Four New Manga Licenses

By Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, June 22, 2014

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This past Friday the 13th wasn’t unlucky for Yen Press, who made a post about some on-going title updates, and four new manga licenses:

Akame Ga Kill! – Takahiro & Tetsuya Tashiro
Kagerou Daze – Jin & Shidu
Secret – Yoshiki Tonogai
Sword Art Online: Progressive – Reki Kawahara & abec

Akame Ga Kill! is about a young man who leaves his village in order to earn money in his country’s Capital City. Though robbed halfway there, he finds himself taken in by a generous upperclasswoman. Things aren’t always what they seem however, when a band of assassins attack her mansion, yet don’t seem to be the bad-guys in the situation. The first volume of Akame Ga Kill! is scheduled for January 2015, and is available to pre-order on Amazon CAN | US.

Kagerou Daze is a double-dip license, including both the manga and light novel versions of the story. The series follows a shut-in forced to leave his home after his computer crashes, only to walk right into a dangerous hostage situation. Volume one of both the manga and light novel will be released in early 2015, while the manga can already be pre-ordered via Amazon CAN | US.

Sword Art Online: Progressive is also two licenses, the manga and the light novel versions of the same name. The title is “a retelling and expansion on the events that took place during Sword Art Online: Aincrad“. Volume one of the manga version is scheduled for January 2015, and is currently available to order via Amazon CAN | US.

Secret is a new title from the creator of JUDGE and Doubt, bringing English readers more creepy imagery of people in bloody bunny headgear:

“These are the ominous words given to the six survivors of a tragic bus accident, followed by an ultimatum. Within one week, the three murderers must anguish over their crimes and find some way to answer for them, or the evidence of their sins will be given to the police. But when every person has a secret, who can you trust…?”

The first volume of Secret is scheduled for January 2015 and is also available to order via Amazon CAN | US.

Along with the four new titles, Yen Press also noted that new volumes of both Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and Kingdom Hearts II are on the way. Since announcing their acquisition of the Kingdom Hearts series, Yen Press has released new editions of all previously published material by Tokyopop. This is first time the new content will be released in English, which we’re told will be late 2014.

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Categories: Licensing
Tags: Akame Ga Kill, Kagerou Daze, Kingdom Hearts, Secret, Sword Art Online

Manga Minis: Captain Ken Reaches Kickstarter Goal, More Tsubasa from CLAMP, Rescuse from Viz, and CNN Doesn’t Get It

By Lissa Pattillo on Friday, June 20, 2014

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CNN released a video report about manga and anime this week, in response to a recent bill being passed in Japan that bans child pornography. To little surprise, but plenty of outrage, CNN’s take on the subject was a pretty big over-simplification and make sweeping generalizations about entire mediums of entertainment. Fun!

I find the whole thing exhausting, as I generally do with these painful outsiders-looking-in reports that are just looking for a dramatic angle. It’s some relief knowing this sort of stuff always just blows over and away, but for those curious the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund did a good overview.

Digital Manga’s Kickstarter for Captain Ken reached its goal of $13000 this past Wednesday. The fundraising campaign still has twelve days to go, with additional pledges going towards its stretch goals for bonus material. The book is scheduled for release to backers in February 2015, with remaining volumes out to the public in March.

Viz Media announced two more ‘license rescues’ from Tokyopop’s expired library – Fate/Stay Night and Trinity Blood. Both titles are currently being released in digital editions under their Viz Select imprint. The books are available to read onViz’s website, or by downloading via their mobile apps.

Fate/Stay Night was never entirely finished by Tokyopop, though presumably we will see the end of the manga released by Viz. A new anime based on the original game of the same name is scheduled to start this Fall. Viz Media currently has the first three volumes available.

Trinity Blood was also an originally incomplete series. It had twelve of its currently seventeen (and on-going) volumes released by Tokyopop. Digital volumes will be made available on June 24th starting with volume one.

The manga-making team CLAMP announced that they’re creating a new Reservoir Chronicles Tsubasa series. The title will begin in Japan this summer and will connect to the already running, XXXHolic Rei. Each title acts as a semi-sequel to their original parent series, Reservoir Chronicle Tsubasa and XXXHolic. It’s CLAMP, so it’s complicated. Both originals have already been released in full in English, along with their anime adaptations.

Dark Horse is currently releasing XXXHolic Rei and has been re-releasing most of CLAMP’s previously published titles in shiny new omnibus editions. I imagine it’s only a matter of time until we see them pick up this new Tsubasa series as well.

After a seven year pause between releases, Viz Media was pleased to announce that they’re publishing the third volume of Bisco Hatori’s Millenium Snow this week. The previous two volumes of the vampire series were released back in 2007. Viz Media also released a handy 2-in-1 omnibus edition of Millenium Snow this week (Amazon CAN | US), making it easy for readers who don’t have the original singles to purchase the complete series to date. Bisso Hatori is best known for their previous series, Ouran High School Host Club.

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