Vampires, Crime Drama, Ghosts, Teenage Angst and More for this Gift Giving Holiday Season
VIZ SIGNATURE, SHONEN SUNDAY, AND SHONEN JUMP IMPRINTS OFFER ACTION-PACKED ADVENTURES
San Francisco, CA, November 12, 2009– VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, spotlights an inventive variety of manga (graphic novels) that are sure to delight both gift givers and recipients this holiday season with adventure, action, mystery, vampires and more.
“We're offering up the best of the best just in time for the holidays,” says Gonzalo Ferreyra, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, VIZ Media. “There are new series from manga heavyweights like Taiyo Matsumoto with GOGO Monster, and Rumiko Takahashi with her newest creation, RIN-NE and many more. For new and familiar fans alike, or perhaps for ones who simply love good stories with exquisite art, any of these titles will make an especially unique gift to fit almost any budget this year.”
VIZ Signature Manga Releases Include:
Children of the sea, Vol. 1 (available now) and Vol. 2 (available December 15) · Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens · MSRP: $14.99 U.S. each / $17.50 CAN each
When Ruka was younger, she saw a ghost in the water at the aquarium where her dad works. Now she feels drawn toward the aquarium and the two mysterious boys she meets there, Umi and Sora. They were raised by dugongs and hear the same strange calls from the sea as she does. Ruka's dad and the other adults who work at the aquarium are only distantly aware of what the children are experiencing as they get caught up in the mystery of the worldwide disappearance of the oceans' fish. CHILDREN OF THE SEA is a surreal and riveting aquatic adventure from Daisuke Igarashi. Igarashi was given the Award of Excellence by the Japan Cartoonists Association in 2009.
GOGO Monster · Rated ‘T’ For Teens · MSRP: $27.99 U.S. / $36.00 CAN
Third grader Yuki Tachibana lives in two worlds. In one world, he is a loner ridiculed by his classmates and reprimanded by his teachers for telling stories of supernatural beings that only he can see. In the other world, the supernatural beings vie for power with malevolent spirits who bring chaos into the school, the students' lives, and even nature itself. This story continues to show creator Taiyo Matsumoto's fascination with youth as he seamlessly blends themes of alienation with the paranormal as a boy in first grade contends with events in both the physical world and the spirit realm. Taiyo Matsumoto's other works, such as BLUE SPRING, NO. 5, and TEKKONKINKREET: BLACK & WHITE (all published in North America by VIZ Media), have won tremendous international acclaim. TEKKONKINKREET won a prestigious Will Eisner Award in 2008, and was also adapted for an animated feature film.
WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD!, Vols. 1-2 · Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens · MSRP: $12.99 each U.S. / $16.00 each CAN
A poignant 2-volume collection of intersecting vignettes depicting twenty-something angst, WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD! explores the various ways that modern life can be at once ridiculous and sublime, terrible and precious, wasted and celebrated. In Volume 1, what begins with a college dropout bored of her mediocre routine soon becomes a fantastic series of stories about the unexpected ways that different lives intersect. Filled with magical realism in the face of the cold reality of daily modern life, at their core these stories are about young people discovering something precious amidst the chaos of existence. Volume 2 continues to explore similar themes including the cruelty of childhood, the delusion of adulthood, the endurance of death and how people find a way to remain resolute and laugh in the face of reality. Fans of everything from Catcher in the Rye to The Breakfast Club will find this series an impressive and heartfelt read!
SHONEN SUNDAY Manga Releases Include:
RIN-NE, Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens · MSRP: $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN
RIN-NE is the brand new series from celebrated manga creator Rumiko Takahashi (INUYASHA). As a child Sakura Mamiya mysteriously disappeared in the woods behind her grandma's home. She returned whole and healthy, but since then she has had the power to see ghosts. Now a teenager, she just wishes the ghosts would leave her alone! At school, the desk next to Sakura's has been empty since the start of the school year, then one day her always-absent classmate shows up, and he's far more than what he seems!
INUYASHA (VIZBIG), Vol. 1· Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens · MSRP: $17.99 US / $24.00 CAN
Rumiko Takahashi's epic manga adventure INUYASHA is given an omnibus VIZBIG treatment that combines the first three volumes of the smash hit series. Pulled back in time to Japan's ancient past, Japanese high school girl Kagome finds her destiny linked to a dog-like half-demon named Inuyasha, who remembers Kagome's previous incarnation as the woman who killed him - and to the Shikon Jewel, or "Jewel of Four Souls," which can fulfill the greatest dreams of any man or monster. Now Kagome and Inuyasha must work together to search for the scattered shards of the jewel before everyone's nightmares are given the power they need to come true.
To learn more about Rumiko Takahashi and her body of work, visit her official website for North America at www.TheRumicWorld.com.
SHONEN JUMP / SHONEN JUMP ADVANCED / SHONEN JUMP FICTON Manga Releases Include:
YU-GO-OH! r, Vol. 1 (available now) and Vol. 2 (available December 1) · Rated ‘T’ for Teens · MSRP: $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN
YU-GI-OH! R is the shocking sequel to Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duelist and the prequel to Yu-Gi-Oh!: Millennium World. When the follower of an old enemy returns to take revenge, Yugi Mutou must duel to save a friend's life. But can he overcome the power of the three "Jashin," the terrifying Evil God Cards? Creator Kazuki Takahashi built an action-packed adventure based on themes of friendship and fighting, and combined lots of weird and imaginative monsters to make YU-GI-OH! The international smash hit that spawned a real-world card game, multiple video games, and three anime series. Bonus trading card in the first print run.
TEGAMI BACHI: LETTER BEE, Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T’ for Teens · MSRP: $7.99 US / $9.50 CAN
In a land of perpetual night, your heart is your light. In this imaginative steampunk adventure, Amberground is locked in darkness. A man-made star casts only a dim light over the land. The pitch-black wilderness is infested with Gaichuu—colossal insects with metal exoskeletons. The Gaichuu make travel between the cities of Amberground extremely dangerous. But thankfully the Letter Bees, a brave corps of messengers, risk their lives in order to keep the hearts of Amberground connected.
ROSARIO+VAMPIRE, Vol. 10 · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens · MSRP: $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN
This is the concluding volume of the hit series that has become a national bestseller! All around teenager Tsukune can't get accepted to any high school, save one… but on his first day, he finds the rest of the rest of the student body doesn't appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can't wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec' – are those her teeth around his neck too? Tsukune's going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in hell of raising his grades at a school where turf war isn't between jocks and nerds, but between vampires and werewolves?
DEATH NOTE: L change the WorLd Novel · MSRP: $19.99 US / $24.00 CAN
DEATH NOTE: L, change the WorLd introduces the unwritten chapter of DEATH NOTE and reveals how the legendary detective “L” (Kenichi Matsuyama) spends the final 23 days of his life. The story begins as L takes on the “Kira” case, in which countless criminals are dying under mysterious circumstances. L successfully solves the case and stops Kira, but only after sacrificing his life, leaving himself with only 23 days left to live. For his final case, L faces down a bio-terrorist group trying to wipe out humanity with a deadly virus ten times more potent than Ebola. As L tries to formulate an antidote with a scientist, he must also save the lives of two children who have no one else to turn to.
The DEATH NOTE novel features the same format as the original Japanese printing with a hardcover and clear acetate jacket with metallic ink. DEATH NOTE is one of VIZ Media's Top 5 bestselling properties, with over 1 million copies of the manga sold in the U.S. The character of L is extremely popular with fans and has inspired various products such as apparel and stationery as well as spinoff novels and two live action DEATH NOTE films (available from VIZ Pictures).
For more information on these titles, and others from VIZ Media, please visit www.Viz.com.
About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan's largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including the popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at www.VIZ.com.
CHILDREN OF THE SEA KAIJU NO KODOMO © Daisuke IGARASHI / Shogakukan
YU-GI-OH! R © 2004 by Kazuki Takahashi, Akira Ito/SHUEISHA Inc.
