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VIZ Adds Unedited Tenjo Tenge School Fighting Manga

Viz Media has announced that it has acquired the license to the manga Tenjo Tenge by Oh! great (Ito Ōgure). The manga follows the violent brawls that ensue at Todo High, a school dedicated to training its students in the art of combat. The series was a launch title for DC Comics' CMX Manga line and was released with edits through volume 18 before the imprint was closed this past July.

The Viz release will be unedited and rated "M" for mature as part of the Viz Signature line, helmed by Editor-in-Chief Leyla Aker. Beginning on June 21, 2011, Viz will publish the series in "2-in-1" volumes starting with the first and continuing on a bimonthly schedule. The no-edit policy will carry over to volume covers; because of the 2-in-1 release format, only one cover can be used per volume, and the cover not used will be included as a color insert.

Asked whether there would be a way for fans who had followed CMX's releases to pick up the series where it was left off with volume 19, Aker told ANN that Viz had considered several options, but decided to only release the manga from the beginning. The reasoning, Aker said, is that the differences between the two versions will be so significant that it may be confusing to readers, "especially for readers who aren't already familiar with the series." The entire series will be released in the double-volume format, meaning that the 22 Japanese volumes will be 11 volumes from Viz.

Aker added that she and Viz Senior Vice-President Alvin Lu "are longtime fans of Tenjo Tenge" and that they carried on a running joke that they would someday publish it "no holds barred." Aker said that excitement at the availability of Tenjo Tenge was her second reaction to the closure of CMX, the first being "dismay."