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Viz Offers Smile Quake Charity Art by Vagabond's Inoue

The North American manga publisher Viz Media announced on Monday that it is offering the "Smile" series of art by Slam Dunk and Vagabond manga creator Takehiko Inoue on its Viz Manga iOS app for charity. All of Viz Media's proceeds from the two volumes will go to the Japanese Red Cross Society, which is working on relief efforts after the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake disaster (Higashi Nihon Daishinsai).

Inoue began drawing a series of art pieces using the Zen Brush app to offer his prayers for Japan on the same day that the earthquake struck. He has since drawn over 160 pieces. The first US$9.99 volume contains the first 100, and the second US$1.99 volume contains the next 20. Viz Media will add more volumes with sets of 20 illustrations.

P Softhouse, the developer of Zen Brush, is offering its own Zen Brush Art Book for charity. Its book features dozens of artists such as character designer Akemi Takada (Patlabor, Kimagure Orange Road, Urusei Yatsura).