New York Anime Festival 2009

Viz Media

Although the crowd thinned on Sunday for New York Anime Fest, there was still a solid turnout for the Viz Media panel. Dotting the presentation with various giveaways, the panelists spent the hour talking about upcoming anime and manga releases, as well as some new acquisitions.

Starting with their Haikasoru imprint, which focuses on science fiction and fantasy novels, they confirmed that they would be releasing Book of Heroes, a fantasy story by Miyuki Miyabe (Brave Story) about a girl who has to travel into a book to rescue her brother. Viz is also releasing Natsuhiko Kyōgoku's Loups-Garous, a werewolf thriller about people who can't communicate face to face, and are faced with a string of mysterious deaths. Other titles include Slum Online by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, and The Next Continent, by Issui Ogawa.

The Viz Kids line will be releasing a special Pokémon book, with 11 full-color posters featuring characters from Pokémon Platinum. Not available online, the book will only be shipped to newsstands and retailers. In other Pokémon news, fans will soon be able to read the Pokémon: Giratina & The Sky Warrior, an “ani-manga” adaptation of the 11th movie. Viz will also be releasing a Kirby animanga, inspired by the video game.

Regarding upcoming anime releases, Naruto Shippūden will be aired on Disney XD starting this fall. It will also be available on DVD and iTunes, while the movie will be available in November. Also, fans who buy a copy of the special edition of Ninja Revolution III will also get a copy of the Shippuden movie. Other upcoming anime releases include the Bleach movie 2: The Diamond Dust Rebellion.

Starting in January 2010, Viz will be releasing five volumes of One Piece every month for six months. Starting with volume 24, the “speed up” plan aims to catch up with the Japanese release by the end of June. Shonen Jump fans can also look forward to Bakuman. (created by Death Note team Tsugumi Ooba and Takeshi Obata), which will premiere in the May issue of Shonen Jump magazine; the February issue will have the premiere of Toriko, by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro. Fans will also be able to check out Ultimo, a collaborative project between Stan Lee and Hiroyuki Takei.

The Viz Signature imprint will be releasing several new titles, including What's the Answer (Kotae ha Mittsu) by Tondabayashi, and Gente (Gente - Ristorante no Hitobito), Natsume Ono's follow-up to Ristorante Paradiso. Shojo Beat will have new licenses under its imprint as well, including Kaori Yuki's Grand Guignol Orchestra, and Julietta Suzuki's Nice to Meet You, Kamisama (Hajimemashite, Kamisama). Viz is also releasing Rin-Ne, by Rumiko Takahashi.

In anime news, Monster, based on Naoki Urasawa's manga, will be premiering on October 12 on Syfy. Also, Viz confirmed that InuYasha: The Final Act will be simulcast at ShonenSunday.com and Hulu on October 3.