Manga-ka: Yoshiki Nakamura
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: March 2010
Synopsis: “It’s the season of giving in Tokyo, but Lory’s granddaughter Maria is in no mood to celebrate. Kyoko, never one to sit out a challenge, finally gets Maria to admit what has her so soured on the holidays. It turns out December 24 is Maria’s birthday–and the anniversary of her mother’s death! Can Kyoko work a Christmas miracle and give this little girl a happy birthday?”
Does it seem to anyone else that Kyoko has lost most of what made her interesting originally? It’s easy not to notice when spread out over twenty progressing volumes, but a volume like this really hits it home when having recently reread the earlier books. Where’s the chaos? The bull-headed-ness? The unadulterated spite? Well, at least we have love, friendship and smiles trying to fill that void – for better or worse.
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Manga-ka: Fumi Yoshinaga
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: August 2009
Synopsis: “In Edo period Japan, a strange new disease called the Redface Pox has begun to prey on the country’s men. Within eighty years of the first outbreak, the male population has fallen by seventy-five percent. Women have taken on all the roles traditionally granted to men, even that of the shogun. The men, precious providers of life, are carefully protected. And the most beautiful of the men are sent to serve in the shogun’s Inner Chamber…”
Ooku begins with the first victim of a deadly plague to hit feudal Japan. This disease, spreading quickly over the entire country, affects only young men and swiftly sees the death of over seventy-five percent of the male population. Little time is spent dwelling on this progression period and the story fast forwards almost a century ahead. Here readers are introduced to a world where women have taken over roles originally held by men, including a country under rule by a female Shogun with a house of well-bred men at her service.
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SAVOR A TASTY MANGA TREAT WITH NATSUME ONO’S
RISTORANTE PARADISO NEW FROM VIZ MEDIA
New VIZ Signature Release Comes From The Talented Creator of
HOUSE OF FIVE LEAVES And not simple
San Francisco, CA, March 11, 2010 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the release on March 16th of the manga -Natsume Ono’s RISTORANTE PARADISO. The story, a romance among the staff at a bistro in Rome, is offered in a single volume and will be published under the VIZ Signature imprint. RISTORANTE PARADISO is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens and will carry an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN.
At the age of 21, Nicoletta travels to Rome to find her mother, Olga, who abandoned her long ago. Nicoletta finds her at Casetta dell’Orso, a charming little restaurant owned by Olga’s husband. The staff of bespectacled gentlemen welcomes Nicoletta warmly, but Olga’s reception is not so pleasant. Olga has never told her husband that she had a child – and he must never know.
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Manga-ka: Natsume Ono
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: March 2010
Synopsis: “At the age of 21, Nicoletta travels to Rome to find her mother, Olga, who abandoned her long ago. Nicoletta finds her at Casetta dell’Orso, a charming little restaurant owned by Olga’s husband. The staff of bespectacled gentlemen welcomes Nicoletta warmly, but Olga’s reception is not so pleasant. Olga has never told her husband that she ever had children–and he must never know.”
Seeking to reveal her existence to her Mother’s new husband, Nicoletta has travelled to Rome for an impromptu visit with her wayward parent. Soon finding her spiteful plans on hiatus, Nicoletta finds herself welcomed into the fold of the Casetta dell’Orso, a popular restaurant where older men serve as the eye-candy for their patrons.
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VIZ MEDIA DEBUTS DOROHEDORO
A BATTLE BETWEEN DIABOLICAL SORCERERS AND THE MONSTERS THEY CREATED
San Francisco, CA, March 9, 2010 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, will publish manga creator, Q Hayashida’s gritty urban sci-fi/horror series, DOROHEDORO on March 16th. The new series under the company’s VIZ Signature imprint, is rated ‘M’ for Mature Audiences and will carry and MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN.
In a city so dismal it’s known only as “the Hole,” an underground group of Sorcerers have been abducting people off the streets to use as guinea pigs for atrocious “experiments” in the black arts. In a dark alley, Nikaido found Caiman, a mutant man with a reptile head and a bad case of amnesia. To undo the spell, Nikaido and Caiman hunt and kill the Sorcerers in the Hole, hoping that eventually they’ll kill the right one. But when En, the head Sorcerer, gets word of a lizard-man slaughtering his people, he sends a crew of “cleaners” into the Hole, igniting a war between two worlds.
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Manga-ka: Rinko Ueda
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: April 2010
Synopsis: “Poor Sumi Kitamura… Her irresponsible older brother Eisuke keeps bringing home orphans for her to take care of even though they can barely afford their own basic needs! Just when Sumi’s financial problems become dire, wealthy Soichiro Aside enters her life wih a bizarre proposition: he’ll provide her with the money she so desperately needs if she agrees to marry him. But can Sumi fool high society into thinking she’s a proper lady? Moreover, is it worth giving up everything for this sham of a marriage?”
Life isn’t easy for Sumi Kitamura. Poor and left to care for a group of enfants, she struggles each day just to find food to feed them and another excuse for their landlady. To make matters worse, the number of children keeps growing when her gambling-addicted older brother keeps bringing home stray children with debt-collectors close on his heels. Not to be taken half as seriously as the plot would suggest however, Stepping on Roses is a frolicsome shoujo story that mixes societal clashing with unbelievable scenarios in this opening volume of a “rags-to-riches romance”.
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Manga-ka: Kubo Tite
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: March 2010
Synopsis: “Ichigo and his friends are moving ever closer to the center of Hueco Mundo and rescuing Orihime. But their battles against the Arrancars are testing them in ways they never thought possible. Can they keep their honor in a world where it doesn’t exist, or will Hueco Mundo leave an indelible mark on their souls?!”
With a split-off cast and an unknown amount of bad-guys around every corner, it’s apparent that things are well in place for a string of confrontational battles. This shonen-standard does spell potential disaster in terms of being repetitive but thus far Bleach is keeping this Heuco Mundo arc engaging with fast-paced, overlapping battles that play off the traits of each character.
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VIZ MEDIA TO RELEASE NEW FANTASY ADVENTURE SERIES ARATA: THE LEGEND FROM RENOWNED MANGA CREATOR YUU WATASE
For Two Boys Called Arata,
Switching Places Means an Adventure of a Lifetime!
San Francisco, CA, March 3, 2010 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, brings famed manga creator Yuu Watase’s potent blend of mythical fantasy adventure and lavish artwork for the North American debut of ARATA: THE LEGEND on March 9th. The new series is published under the SHONEN SUNDAY imprint, rated ‘T’ for Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.
In a world where humans and gods coexist, Arata is the unfortunate successor to the matriarchal Hime Clan–unfortunate because if he’s not cross-dressing to hide his gender one minute, he’s fleeing for his life the next! When Arata winds up in the modern world and switches places with a boy named Arata Hinohara, it’s a wonder which Arata is actually better off…
In Volume 1, Hinohara is the spitting image of Arata, so he suddenly finds himself fighting people after his life! As he navigates through this foreign world filled with power-hungry warriors, who will come to his aid? One thing’s for sure–it’s not easy being Arata!
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Author: Hidenori Kusaka
Manga-ka: Mato
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: All Ages
Release Date: February 2010
Synopsis: “Pokémon trainer Red has vanished… Trainer Yellow Caballero and Red’s faithful Pikachu are off to rescue him. But it will take smarts, skills, and a lot of help from friends and other Pokémon to find and rescue Red! And watch out for the Elite Four, Yellow Caballero… Are you a strong enough Pokémon trainer to defeat all of them?”
Yellow continues to be the best thing about this series since trailer causality (what can I say- it adds an appreciated new level of suspense!). Thanks to Yellow we’re never just threaded along by over-simplified fights; Yellow’s empathy and creativity always makes their methods and the exact outcome of their Pokemon battles a surprise. To the series’ credit, you could say the same for nearly all of its confrontations, but Yellow takes Pokemon ingenuity to inspiring new levels.
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Manga-ka: Tsutomu Nihei
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Mature (18+)
Release Date: February 2010
Synopsis: “Searching for the key to save a world beyond hope. Zoichi Kanoe plunges into the depths of 9JO-an island city in the middle of the Pacific Ocean-in search of Eon Green, a girl with the power to transmute the N5S virus. He’s not the only one looking for her, though… Agents of the Public Health Service’s Compulsory Execution Unit are also in hot pursuit. Zoichi and his transhuman allies have no time to waste; the countdown to the zombie apocalypse has begun!!”
Biomega makes for a different kind of a read. Light on the words and heavy on the tone, it’s refreshing in itself to read a story about an apocalyptic-future that doesn’t stop to monologue its own back-story every five panels. The story flourishes in this break from tradition and does so with enough style that readers will feel they’ve found something well worth its shiny production values, even in light of a fairly shallow plot.
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Manga-ka: Aya Kanno
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: February 2010
Synopsis: “Ryo is chosen to participate in a contest where flower arrangement and tea ceremony skills are tested – but she sucks at those things! To top things off, the previous champion wants Asuka for herself! Does Ryo have a fighting chance?”
The way the characters act in Otomen is always good for a laugh, in the good well intended way mind you. They all feel like they intentionally overact at times, as if they know they’re being watched and are acting just that slightest bit over the top to entertain. Their personalities are just exaggerated enough to be distinct and memorable while not enough to suffocate their ability to grow.
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VIZ MEDIA DEBUTS THE PRICKLY YET
ROMANTIC MANGA
CACTUS’S SECRET
Bristling Romance Between Two High School Students In New Shojo Manga From Nana Haruta
San Francisco, CA, FEBRUARY 9, 2009 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, will debut the fun shojo manga CACTUS’S SECRET on March 2nd. The new series, by Nana Haruta, will be published under the Shojo Beat imprint, is rated ‘T’ for Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.
Miku Yamada has a longtime crush on classmate Kyohei Fujioka. But no matter how many times she tries to show him how she feels, clueless Kyohei just doesn’t get it. Frustrated, Miku gives up on him, only to have him start calling her “Cactus” for being prickly when he’s around. In the opening volume, Miku decides to try telling Kyohei her feelings by giving him chocolates for Valentine’s Day. But Kyohei, unaware that he’s the object of her affection, offers himself up as a practice partner for her love confession. Can Miku get through to him that he’s the one she loves?
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SAVING THE WORLD IS HARD…
SAVING YOURSELF IS EVEN HARDER
IN EXCITING NEW MANGA SERIES
BOKURANO: OURS
An Innocent Game Turns Deadly In New Sci-Fi Manga
San Francisco, CA, February 3, 2010 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, will delight fans with the release of Mohiro Kitoh’s manga series, BOKURANO: OURS on February 16th. The manga is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens and will be published under the VIZ Signature imprint and carry an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN.
One summer, fifteen kids innocently wander into a nearby seaside cave. There they meet a strange man who invites them to play an exciting new video game. This game, he explains, pits one lone giant robot against a horde of alien invaders. To play the game, all they have to do is sign a simple contract. The game stops being fun when the kids find out the true purpose of their pact.
“This release continues to demonstrate the success of our innovative partnership with Japan’s IKKI magazine, and sci-fi fans and manga connoisseurs won’t want to miss the debut of this addictive series,” says Leyla Aker, Senior Editorial Manager, VIZ Media. “Fans of Mohiro Kitoh already know that he’s a master at blending psychological suspense with amazing action, and we’re excited to introduce his work to a whole new readership.”
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MAN AND MACHINE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST
THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE
IN SCI-FI ACTION MANGA
BIOMEGA
San Francisco, CA, JANUARY 26, 2010 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, will debut the cyberpunk action manga series BIOMEGA on February 2nd. The new series, rated ‘M’ for Mature Audiences, will be published under the VIZ Signature imprint and will carry a MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN.
Zoichi Kanoe plunges into the depths of 9JO, a sprawling island city in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, in search of Eon Green, a girl with the power to transmute the N5S virus. The deadly contagion is spreading across the world, turning humans into disfigured, zombie-like “drones.” But he’s not the only one looking for her. Agents of the Public Health Service’s Compulsory Execution Unit are also in hot pursuit, with sinister designs of their own. Zoichi and his trans-human allies have no time to waste; the countdown to the apocalypse has begun!
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Manga-ka: Rumiko Takahashi
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: January 2010
Synopsis: “Sakura and Rinne deal with the ghosts of an ancient warrior and a girl who drowned in the school swimming pool, but that’s just a warm-up! A wandering spirit leads them to a surprising confrontation, one that takes Sakura and Rinne on an even more amazing chase!”
A dead samurai longing for love, a troublesome school pool and a trip to the oddly corporate-looking hell are all in-store for Sakura and Rinne in this second volume of Rumiko Takahashi’s newest series. But while some fun scenes make for giggles, a lack of originality bogs it down under some deliveries that feel too formulaic to succeed at being forgivably nostalgic.
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