News
Shonen Jump Press Release
posted on by Christopher Macdonald
Viz's Official Press Release for the American Release of Shonen Jump
While word came to us about the upcoming release of an American Shonen Jump from a number of different sources Monday, this is the official Viz Press Release that reached us a few hours after the other sources:
VIZ COMMUNICATIONS AND SHUEISHA CREATE PARTNERSHIP New boys' magazine unites anime powerhouses in America
Viz Communications, Inc., the leading U.S. producer of anime and man ga has partnered with Shueisha, Inc. to launch a new mass-market boys' magazine. The venture was announced today by Mr. Seiji Horibuchi, founder and president of Viz Communications, Inc. and Mr. Noritaka Yamaji, executive director of Shueisha Inc., Tokyo, Japan.
Viz currently produces Japanese animation and comics in English with over 20 monthly titles. The new monthly magazine, to be launched in November 2002, will be patterned after Shueisha's Shonen Jump and will feature the manga from which many of the world's most popular anime properties such as Dragon Ball Z and Yu-Gi-Oh! were derived.
Shueisha, the largest manga publisher in the world, has annual sales in excess of $600 million and a 30% share of the sizeable Japanese manga market. “U.S. kids know all about anime due to exposure on television,” says Mr. Yamaji. “They don't know that most of today's most popular anime properties originated as manga in Jump. We are thrilled to be bringing these properties to the U.S. market in their original format, and to be introducing the hottest new properties from Japan.” In Japan, Jump currently has a circulation of over 3.4 million per week making it the largest in the boys' segment and also the leader in advertising in its category. Viz plans to achieve circulation levels of over 1 million within the first three years of operation and, like the Japanese edition, is targeting advertising support as well. The partnership will engage the Cartoon Network, Suncoast, the store for movie lovers, and Diamond Comic Distributors as promotional partners to support the publishing venture.
The growing popularity of anime (Japanese animation) and manga (Japanese comics) in the U.S. has led to a distinct and growing market segment of boys 8-16 who identify with the “anime lifestyle.” “The magazine will serve to define, reflect, and reinforce this lifestyle, to be the unifying authority on what it means to be cool for these boys,” says Mr. Horibuchi. “Further this magazine will be a natural extension of our core business and company vision and we plan to put our hearts, souls, and a multi-million dollar launch budget into making this magazine successful,” he added.
With the current high interest in animation and the world of comics, Viz will rely on a unique launch strategy featuring the strongest brands in anime and manga today. Viz' aggressive cross platform business model will include single-copy sales, subscriptions, advertising and other revenue streams. Further details will be announced in the coming weeks.
Viz Communications, Inc. is the leading U.S. publisher of Japanese animation and comics (anime and manga) for English-speaking audiences, serving a growing market of dedicated fans of all ages. Founded in 1986, Viz publishes over 20 titles every month including Dragon Ball Z, Ranma ½, Pokémon, and Gundam. Viz also offers an integrated product line of consumer entertainment that includes magazines, comics, graphic novels, videos, DVDs and audio soundtracks. Based in San Francisco, Viz is one of the top five comics publishers in the U.S. and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Shogakukan, one of Japan's three largest publishers. With some of the most innovative products in the industry, Viz has expanded its offerings to its loyal fans through Web sites such as www.animerica-mag.com, www.pulp-mag.com, www.j-pop.com and its corporate site, www.viz.com.
Shueisha, Inc. was created in Japan in 1925 as a division of the publishing company SHOGAKUKAN devoted to entertainment magazines. In 1926, SHUEISHA separated from SHOGAKUKAN to become an independent company, and in 1949, the publishing company Shueisha, Inc was established. Since then, SHUEISHA has continued to publish popular magazines one after the other and has become a leading national publisher. “WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP” is the best-known manga magazine for boys in Japan. SHUEISHA publishes 15 other manga magazines in addition to “WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP,” and SHUEISHA's manga have captured the hearts of Japan's young. “WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP” in particular is popular not only in Japan, but also overseas. Many of SHUEISHA's manga magazines enjoy widespread readership on other continents, not limited to Asia and Europe. SHUEISHA also publishes a variety of women's fashion magazines for the teenage to adult market. SHUEISHA's publications are not limited to magazines and include trade books such as bestseller novels, dictionaries, art books and children's books, making SHUEISHA one of the most successful Japanese publishers.
VIZ COMMUNICATIONS AND SHUEISHA CREATE PARTNERSHIP New boys' magazine unites anime powerhouses in America
Viz Communications, Inc., the leading U.S. producer of anime and man ga has partnered with Shueisha, Inc. to launch a new mass-market boys' magazine. The venture was announced today by Mr. Seiji Horibuchi, founder and president of Viz Communications, Inc. and Mr. Noritaka Yamaji, executive director of Shueisha Inc., Tokyo, Japan.
Viz currently produces Japanese animation and comics in English with over 20 monthly titles. The new monthly magazine, to be launched in November 2002, will be patterned after Shueisha's Shonen Jump and will feature the manga from which many of the world's most popular anime properties such as Dragon Ball Z and Yu-Gi-Oh! were derived.
Shueisha, the largest manga publisher in the world, has annual sales in excess of $600 million and a 30% share of the sizeable Japanese manga market. “U.S. kids know all about anime due to exposure on television,” says Mr. Yamaji. “They don't know that most of today's most popular anime properties originated as manga in Jump. We are thrilled to be bringing these properties to the U.S. market in their original format, and to be introducing the hottest new properties from Japan.” In Japan, Jump currently has a circulation of over 3.4 million per week making it the largest in the boys' segment and also the leader in advertising in its category. Viz plans to achieve circulation levels of over 1 million within the first three years of operation and, like the Japanese edition, is targeting advertising support as well. The partnership will engage the Cartoon Network, Suncoast, the store for movie lovers, and Diamond Comic Distributors as promotional partners to support the publishing venture.
The growing popularity of anime (Japanese animation) and manga (Japanese comics) in the U.S. has led to a distinct and growing market segment of boys 8-16 who identify with the “anime lifestyle.” “The magazine will serve to define, reflect, and reinforce this lifestyle, to be the unifying authority on what it means to be cool for these boys,” says Mr. Horibuchi. “Further this magazine will be a natural extension of our core business and company vision and we plan to put our hearts, souls, and a multi-million dollar launch budget into making this magazine successful,” he added.
With the current high interest in animation and the world of comics, Viz will rely on a unique launch strategy featuring the strongest brands in anime and manga today. Viz' aggressive cross platform business model will include single-copy sales, subscriptions, advertising and other revenue streams. Further details will be announced in the coming weeks.
Viz Communications, Inc. is the leading U.S. publisher of Japanese animation and comics (anime and manga) for English-speaking audiences, serving a growing market of dedicated fans of all ages. Founded in 1986, Viz publishes over 20 titles every month including Dragon Ball Z, Ranma ½, Pokémon, and Gundam. Viz also offers an integrated product line of consumer entertainment that includes magazines, comics, graphic novels, videos, DVDs and audio soundtracks. Based in San Francisco, Viz is one of the top five comics publishers in the U.S. and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Shogakukan, one of Japan's three largest publishers. With some of the most innovative products in the industry, Viz has expanded its offerings to its loyal fans through Web sites such as www.animerica-mag.com, www.pulp-mag.com, www.j-pop.com and its corporate site, www.viz.com.
Shueisha, Inc. was created in Japan in 1925 as a division of the publishing company SHOGAKUKAN devoted to entertainment magazines. In 1926, SHUEISHA separated from SHOGAKUKAN to become an independent company, and in 1949, the publishing company Shueisha, Inc was established. Since then, SHUEISHA has continued to publish popular magazines one after the other and has become a leading national publisher. “WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP” is the best-known manga magazine for boys in Japan. SHUEISHA publishes 15 other manga magazines in addition to “WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP,” and SHUEISHA's manga have captured the hearts of Japan's young. “WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP” in particular is popular not only in Japan, but also overseas. Many of SHUEISHA's manga magazines enjoy widespread readership on other continents, not limited to Asia and Europe. SHUEISHA also publishes a variety of women's fashion magazines for the teenage to adult market. SHUEISHA's publications are not limited to magazines and include trade books such as bestseller novels, dictionaries, art books and children's books, making SHUEISHA one of the most successful Japanese publishers.
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