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Posts Tagged Viz Media

PR: Viz Media Announces Fall Debut of World Trigger

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, April 22, 2014

A PAIR OF UNLIKELY HEROES ARE EARTH’S LAST LINE OF DEFENSE IN VIZ MEDIA’S MANGA, WORLD TRIGGER, DEBUTING THIS FALL

Gear Up As A Geek And His Peculiar Friend Take On Alien Invaders In Series Straight From The Pages Of WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP

San Francisco, CA, April 21, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, announces the launch of a new manga (graphic novel) series this Fall with the release of WORLD TRIGGER in October. Created by Daisuke Ashihara, it has been thrilling domestic fans with new chapters featured regularly in the company’s WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP digital manga magazine and will captivate even more readers as it begins its release in graphic novel format.

WORLD TRIGGER debuts under its Shonen Jump imprint with the first two volumes releasing simultaneously on October 7th. Vols. 1 and 2 are rated ‘T’ for Teens and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN each. Digital versions will also launch for $6.99 (USD/CAN) each on the same day on VIZManga.com and through the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad®, iPhone® and iPod® touch, Android-powered smart phones, as well as through the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks and GooglePlay stores. New volumes will be released by bi-monthly.

WORLD TRIGGER begins four years after a mysterious portal to another dimension bursts open and invincible monsters called Neighbors invade Earth. Osamu Mikumo may not be the best among the elite warriors who co-opt other-dimensional technology to fight back, but along with his Neighbor friend Yuma, he’ll do whatever it takes to defend life on Earth as we know it.

In the series’ opening volume, upstanding Osamu always does the right thing, whether it means pitching in to save Earth after school or turning the other cheek to bullies. But when he meets a feisty humanoid Neighbor named Yuma, everything that he thinks is right is turned on its head. Can the two natural enemies ever become friends?

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Shonen Jump, Viz Media, World Trigger

PR: Viz Media Releases Weekly Shonen Jump Pack Print Edition

By Lissa Pattillo on Friday, April 18, 2014

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LEAP INTO THE WORLD OF MANGA AS VIZ MEDIA RELEASES NEW WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP PRINT EDITION “JUMP PACK” ISSUE 2

New Print Issue Features 100+ Pages Of Manga Content,
A 3-Month Digital Subscription And An Exclusive
Blue-Eyes White Dragon YU-GI-OH! Collectable Trading Card

VIZ Media’s WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP manga (graphic novel) magazine returns to its roots in print as it gives North American fans a special treat with the release of the WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP Jump Pack 2014, Issue 2 available now. The jam-packed print edition contains more than 100 pages of the world’s most popular featured series and is an ideal way to check out what the digital WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP magazine offers.

The WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP Jump Pack is available in the U.S. and Canada exclusively through retailers serviced by Diamond Comic Distributors and also from leading online anime/manga retailer Right Stuf. The WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP Jump Pack 2014, Issue 2 is rated ‘T’ for Teens and will carry an MSRP of $19.99 U.S. / $22.99 CAN.

The latest Jump Pack issue features the current hit series, ALL YOU NEED IS KILL, by DEATH NOTE and BAKUMAN｡ artist Takeshi Obata, as well as chapters from continuing fan favorites such as BLEACH, NARUTO, ONE PIECE, YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL and much more. The issue also includes a promotional code for a 3-month weekly digital subscription to the magazine along with a limited edition Blue-Eyes White Dragon YU-GI-OH! trading card with exclusive variant art from Kazuki Takahashi, the creator of the YU-GI-OH! series.

WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP is the world’s premiere manga brand and leading weekly manga magazine. The digital version published by VIZ Media features the latest installments of some of the world’s most popular manga series released every week to English readers on the same day as the magazine’s general print release in Japan. Currently serialized titles include the sci-fi action series, ALL YOU NEED IS KILL (based on the novel of the same name which is the source material for the major motion picture, Edge of Tomorrow, starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt!), and the recently launched STEALTH SYMPHONY, with story by Ryohgo Narita (Durarara!!) and bold artwork by Yoichi Amano. These join other popular series such as BLEACH, ONE PIECE, NARUTO, NISEKOI, ONE-PUNCH MAN, SERAPH OF THE END, TORIKO, and WORLD TRIGGER. The latest new chapters of monthly series BLUE EXORCIST and YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL debut on the closest Monday after their Japanese release.

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: All You Need Is Kill, Bleach, Kubo Tite, Naruto, One Piece, Shonen Jump, Viz Media, Yu-Gi-Oh

Viz Media and We Love Fine Team Up for Shirt Design Contest

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, March 27, 2014

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Sharpen your pencils and plug in your tablet – Viz Media and We Love Fine have teamed up to hold a Bleach t-shirt design contest! And it’s awfully cool.

The rules are pretty simple – do an original t-shirt design using Bleach characters or symbols, and submit! You can’t use any official artwork or the Bleach logo, but fanart and snazzy designs are accepted and encouraged.

The grand prize includes a paid-trip to Anime Expo, and multiple cash prizes through the tiers of winners. One design will be chosen to be sold as t-shirts in Hot Topic, while all winning designs will be considered for print and sale through We Love Fine.

The judges for the contest are nothing to sneeze at either – Crunchyroll, Hot Topic, Masashi Kudo (editor of the Bleach manga), Yujiro Hattori (character designer from the anime) and Kubo Tite himself, creator of Bleach!

The deadline to submit is April 8th, 2014. Good luck and much fun to all those who submit!

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Categories: Contests
Tags: Bleach, Tite Kubo, Viz Media

PR: More From Shojo Beat This Fall Incl Time Drama YUKARISM and New Vampire Knight

By Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, March 9, 2014

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VIZ MEDIA ADDS MORE TITLES TO SHOJO BEAT
FALL 2014 PUBLISHING SCHEDULE WITH NEW MANGA RELEASES

North America’s Leading Shojo Manga Imprint Adds BLACK BIRD COMPLETE BOX SET, Multiple Releases For International Bestseller VAMPIRE KNIGHT And The Premiere Of Time Travel Drama YUKARISM

San Francisco, CA, March 7, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, presents magical realms, time travel and gorgeous gothic vampires as it announces the acquisition by its Shojo Beat imprint of new releases for BLACK BIRD, VAMPIRE KNIGHT and a brand new series, YUKARISM, that are scheduled to debut during the Fall of 2014.

Fans can look forward to the time-traveling historical drama of YUKARISM, by esteemed creator Chika Shiomi, and can collect the entirety of the award-winning supernatural adventure BLACK BIRD in a deluxe box set. The final volume of Matsuri Hino’s gothic melodrama, VAMPIRE KNIGHT, will receive a Limited Edition treatment this Fall, and the second half of the series will be collected in a “Night Class” box set. Also of special interest will be VAMPIRE KNIGHT: FLEETING DREAMS, a volume of short stories featuring special illustrations by Matsuri Hino!

YUKARISM and VAMPIRE KNIGHT Volume 19 will debut in print and also digitally on VIZManga.com and the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad®, iPhone® and iPod® touch, Android-powered smart phones. They will also be avaialble on the NOOK, Kindle Fire, and Kobo ereaders, as well as in the iBooks and Google Play Stores.

BLACK BIRD COMPLETE MANGA BOX SET• Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens •
MSRP: $149.99 U.S. / $149.99 CAN • Available October 2014
There is a world of myth and magic that intersects ours, and only a special few can see it. Misao Harada is one such person, and she wants nothing to do with magical realms. She just wants to have a normal high school life and maybe get a boyfriend. But she is the bride of demon prophecy, and her blood grants incredible powers, her flesh immortality. Now the demon realm is fighting over the right to her hand…or her life! Creator Kanoko Sakurakouji won the 54th annual Shogakukan Manga Award for BLACK BIRD. This box set includes volumes 1-18, comprising the entire series, and a mini art book premium.

VAMPIRE KNIGHT LIMITED EDITION VOLUME 19 (SERIES FINALE)
• Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens • MSRP: $15.99 U.S. / $18.99 CAN •
Available October 2014
Catch the final volume of VAMPIRE KNIGHT in a special limited edition featuring an alternate cover and mini art book. In the acclaimed series created by Matsuri Hino, Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy’s dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires! The Volume 19 regular edition will also be available to readers.

VAMPIRE KNIGHT: FLEETING DREAMS • MSRP: $14.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN •
Available December 2014
A collection of short stories by Ayuna Fujisaki, based on the VAMPIRE KNIGHT manga series, featuring special illustrations and a full-color fold out by Matsuri Hino! In “Deranged Love,” a dying Rido reflects on his obsessive love for Juri. Kaname wants to reward Yuki for doing well on her studies with tutor Aido in “Gifts for Yuki.” The story of Sara’s first love is revealed in “Hidden Love.” In “Queen of the Abyss,” after Zero parts ways with Yuki and returns to being a vampire hunter, he encounters a vampire named Shien. “The Melancholy of White Lily” features a tale of the bond between Zero and Cross Academy’s wild horse, and finally the students at Cross Academy find a time capsule on campus in “In a Thousand Years.”

VAMPIRE KNIGHT MANGA BOX SET 2 • Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens • MSRP: $89.99 U.S. / $99.99 CAN • Available November 2014
The second box set completes the acclaimed series, and includes vols. 11-19 along with a premium mini art book.

YUKARISM • Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens • MSRP: $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN • Available in Print & Digital December 2014
Yukari Kobayakawa, an accomplished author at the age of 17, writes with amazingly accurate details about historical Japan. It turns out he has the ability to travel back in time – to his past life as a renowned courtesan in the Edo period! As he goes back and forth between the past and present, he also unravels the karmic relationship he has with his beautiful classmate Mahoro Tachibana… Catch the gorgeously illustrated historical romance from Chika Shiomi, the creator of YURARA and RASETSU (also available from VIZ Media).

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Black Bird, Matsuri Hino, Shojo Beat, Vampire Knight, Viz Media, Yukarism

Viz Media Flies Shonen Jump’s Jaco To Print and Assassins to the Classroom

By Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, March 9, 2014

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Expanding on Viz Media’s recent press release, the company announced a couple new additions to its Shonen Jump imprint, starting with a new license:

Assassination Classroom – Matsui Yuusei

Assassination Classroom sounds like a strange one indeed, but I’ve seen quite a bit of excitement over its announcement. The story is about a classroom of students who are trying to kill their new teacher. Catch number one though – he’s actually an alien with super strength, strange tendril arms and plans to destroy the world. Catch two – they all think he’s a great teacher! Viz Media describes it as “a humorous and action-packed story”.

The first volume of Assassination Classroom will be available in December 2014 for $12.99/CAN, $9.99/US, and will be rated for Older Teens. Pre-orders are currently available on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.

Viz Media also announced the print edition of Akira Toriyama’s Jaco the Galactic Patrolman. This series originally ran in their digital Shonen Jump anthology. Not only was it a really fun series, and a reminder of just how artistically skilled Akira Toriyama is, but also had a chapter that served as a prequel read to Dragonball. Very neat!

The one-shot print edition is scheduled for January 2014 for $12.99/CAN, $9.99/US. Jaco the Galactic Patrolman can be pre-ordered now via Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.

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Categories: Licensing
Tags: Akira Toriyama, Assassination Classroom, Jaco the Galactic Patrolman, Shonen Jump, Viz Media

Viz Media Adds Master Keaton and Resident Evil to Signature Line

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, March 5, 2014

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Viz Media is on a roll with exciting PR. The publisher released another set of press releases yesterday with new licenses to announce, including these two titles for their Viz Signature imprint:

Master Keaton – Hokusei Katsushika/Takashi Nagasaki & Naoki Urasawa
Resident Evil – Naoki Serizawa

Master Keaton follows an archaeology professor with a keen skill at finding the truth, which he utilizes as a part-time insurance investigator. Keaton uses his years of education, military training and upbringing to solve the many mysteries that present themselves before him.

Suffice to say, many of us are thrilled to see a new Naoki Urasawa series coming out in English. Viz Media previously released several of his series – Monster, 20th Century Boys and Pluto – and they’re easily some of the best quality comics on my shelves. While Naoki Urasawa didn’t exclusively write Master Keaton, I’m eager for more of his great comic paneling and sense of story pacing.

Viz Media is releasing Master Keaton in “deluxe” editions that will be on sale for $22.99 CAN/ $19.99 US starting in December of this year. Each book will have 18 pages of full-colour content.

Resident Evil is a series from which its artist I’m not familiar with, but the franchise is certainly a stranger to few ears. This manga series is a prequel to Resident Evil 6, who’s lead character is the muscular, zombie-punching Chris Redfield. This five volume manga series explores where the global outbreak that left the world infected with the C-virus originated. Chris Redfield and his team are called to a high school in Singapore when things begin spiraling out of control for a Professor investigating a student’s sudden transformation.

The first volume of Resident Evil will be released in November for $14.99 CAN / $12.99 US.

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Categories: Licensing
Tags: Master Keaton, Naoki Serizawa, Naoki Urasawa, Resident Evil, Viz Media, Viz Signature

PR: Adventure Awaits With Viz Media’s Fall 2014 Manga Acquistions

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, March 5, 2014

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ADVENTURE AWAITS WITH VIZ MEDIA’S
FALL 2014 MANGA ACQUISITIONS FROM THE SHONEN JUMP AND VIZ SIGNATURE IMPRINTS

Upcoming Releases Include Debuts Of ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM, JACO THE GALACTIC PATROLMAN, RESIDENT EVIL And ONE PIECE BOX SET 2

San Francisco, CA, March 4, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, announces the acquisition of several thrilling new manga (graphic novel) titles that are scheduled for release beginning in Fall 2014 from the company’s popular Shonen Jump and VIZ Signature imprints.

Fans will want to catch the manga volumes collected in ONE PIECE BOX SET 2 in November, followed by the launch of the alien-in-the-homeroom action comedy ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM in December. Manga master Akira Toriyama, widely known for creating DRAGON BALL, will have the North American release of his newest work, JACO THE GALACTIC PATROLMAN, in January 2015. The VIZ Signature imprint will also thrill gaming and horror fans with the launch in November of a tie-in manga series taking place in the world of the smash hit RESIDENT EVIL video game.

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Akira Toriyama, Assassination Classroom, Jaco the Galactic Patrolman, One Piece, Resident Evil, Shonen Jump, Viz Media

PR: Viz Media Acquires Naoki Urasawa’s Thrilling Suspense Series Master Keaton

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, March 5, 2014

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VIZ MEDIA ACQUIRES NAOKI URASAWA’S THRILLING SUSPENSE SERIES MASTER KEATON

Manga Series About An Investigator With An Unorthodox Set Of Skills From The Award-Winning Creator Of MONSTER And 20th CENTURY BOYS Debuts In English In December

San Francisco, CA, March 4, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, has announced it has acquired the North American publishing rights for Naoki Urasawa’s post–Cold War suspense thriller, MASTER KEATON. The 12-volume manga (graphic novel) series has never before been available in English and is scheduled to launch in print in December under the VIZ Signature imprint.

MASTER KEATON was created and drawn by the award-winning manga artist Naoki Urasawa, story coproduced with Hokusei Katsushika and Takashi Nagasaki. MASTER KEATON will be rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens and carry an MSRP of $19.99 U.S. / $22.99 CAN. Each paperback volume will receive a deluxe treatment, including 18 pages of full-color artwork. In addition to publishing MASTER KEATON in North America, VIZ Media will also release it in print in the United Kingdom and Australia.

The riveting detective drama introduces Taichi Hiraga-Keaton, an archeology professor and part-time insurance investigator known for his successful and unorthodox methods of investigation. The son of a Japanese zoologist and an English noblewoman, educated in archaeology at Oxford and a former member of the SAS, Master Keaton uses his knowledge and combat training to uncover buried secrets, thwart would-be villains, and pursue the truth. The manga series was originally published in Japan between 1988 and 1994 in Big Comic Original magazine and also inspired a popular 39-episode anime adaptation.

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Master Keaton, Naoki Urasawa, Viz Media

PR: SuBLime Continues Anniversary Celebration with Special Website Sale…

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, February 18, 2014

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GLOBAL YAOI PUBLISHER SuBLime CONTINUES ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION WITH SPECIAL WEBSITE SALE ON ALL DIGITAL MANGA TITLES

English-Language Yaoi Publisher Celebrates Valentine’s Day With A Limited-Time $1 Discount On All Digital Titles Currently On The SuBLime Website!

San Francisco, CA, February 14, 2014 – SuBLime, the global yaoi manga publishing initiative between VIZ Media and Japan’s Animate, Ltd. (Animate), continues to celebrate its 2 Year Anniversary with the latest announcement of a special discount on all digital titles currently featured on SuBLimeManga.com.

For a limited time, beginning today and running through February 20th, the SuBLime Website Digital Sale will discount every manga volume from over 50 available yaoi series by $1.00 (U.S. / CAN) making most single editions available in a download-to-own format for only $4.99 (U.S. / CAN) each.

Individual volumes are generally rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers and are viewable as a PDF on any enabled eReader device or computer, or also accessed via the online manga viewer found on the SuBLime website.

Among the many digital titles that will be on sale on the SuBLime website are several that are sure to capture the attention and accolades of yaoi fans such as NIGHTS by Kou Yoneda, along with license rescues EMBRACING LOVE by Youka Nitta and LOVE PISTOLS by Tarako Kotobui, in addition to dozens more from a cadre of top yaoi manga creators including Hinako Takanaga, est em, Suzuki Tanaka, Tetuzoh Okadaya, and many more. Please visit www.sublimemanga.com/titles for a complete list of current titles.

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Boys' Love/Yaoi, Digital, SuBLime, Viz Media

PR: Viz Media Delivers Pulse-Pounding Action and Suspense…

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, February 6, 2014

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VIZ MEDIA DELIVERS PULSE-POUNDING ACTION AND SUSPENSE WITH THE LAUNCH OF NEW MANGA SERIES GANGSTA.

New Crime Thriller From The VIZ Signature Imprint Offers A High-Octane Mix Of Drama, Suspense And Comedy

San Francisco, CA, February 6, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, delivers a knockout punch with the launch of the explosive new manga (graphic novel) series – GANGSTA. – on February 18th.

The tense crime thriller by creator Kohske 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. Each print volume features a special two-sided full color frontispiece insert.

In the city of Ergastulum, a shady ville filled with made men and petty thieves, whores on the make and cops on the take, there are some deeds too dirty for even its jaded inhabitants to touch. Enter the “Handymen,” Nic and Worick, who take care of the jobs no one else will handle. Until the day when a cop they know on the force requests their help in taking down a new gang muscling in on the territory of a top Mafia family. It seems like business (and mayhem) as usual, but the Handymen are about to find that this job is a lot more than they bargained for.

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Gangsta, Viz Media