Tag Archives: manga

NYCC 2012 – VIZ Media Announces Their Show Plan

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VIZ Media, LLC returns to New York City for the 2012 New York Comic Con with an array of events, special booth appearances, insightful panel discussions and promotional giveaways. VIZ Media will be located in Booth 2042.

VIZ Media is bringing Masakazu Katsura, Tiger & Bunny character designer and creator of manga hits Video Girl AI, I”S, Zetman and more. Mr. Katsura will appear at a special signing session at the VIZ Media booth on Saturday, October 13th, at 4:30PM, along with Sunrise Studio Producer Yasuo Miyakawa. Mr. Katsura and Mr. Miyakawa will speak on the Tiger & Bunny: Insider’s Panel, held in at 6:30PM the same day in Room 1A23, where fans can find out what it was like to make the anime.

Folks that visit their booth can check out the VIZ Manga digital manga platform on a laptop through VIZManga.com, as well as through the VIZ Manga App for iPad, iPod touch, Android Nexus 7 tablet and Android smartphone. Fans that download the FREE VIZ Manga App will receive an exclusive full-color 27”x39” Bleach poster!

Attendees that sign-up for a Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha annual membership will receive a rare Slifer the Sky Dragon YU-GI-OH! trading card.

The Shonen Jump Alpha team will also host two additional events. A special offsite will be held on Friday, October 12th from 5:00pm-8:00pm at the Kinokuniya Bookstore, located at 1073 Avenue of the Americas (between 40th & 41st Streets). Mingle with other fans of Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha, catch the debut of the SJ Alpha 2013 yearbook, and meet special guest Masakazu Katsura and the staff of SJ Alpha. Finally, the team will speak on the Shonen Jump Alpha Panel on Saturday October 13th, from 7:45pm-8:45pm, in Room 1A23. TEAMJUMP will have awesome announcements, and Katsura-sensei will again make a special appearance.

Viz Media is also promoting the recent launch of Neon Alley. Fans that sign up for a Neon Alley subscription during the show (limited time one week free offer, and only $6.99 per month thereafter) will receive a special Neon Alley tote bag.

VIZ Media invites younger anime and manga fans to join in the fun at the booth for special guest appearances and VIZ Kids giveaways! On Friday, October 12th, meet some of the creative staff behind the new Voltron Force original graphic novel, series writer Brian Smith and artist Jacob Chabot, at 10:30am to meet fans and sign posters. Fans can also meet the creative staff behind the recently debuted Redakai graphic novel. Writer Mike Raicht will appear at the booth on Friday October 12th at 3:30pm, and artist Zach Turner will appear at Sunday October 14th at 1:30pm to meet fans and sign posters of the graphic novel.

Finally, the annual VIZ Media Panel will be on Sunday October 14th at 12:15pm in Room 1A12. Get the scoop on Neon Alley, VIZ Manga, and your favorite manga and anime! Also get the latest updates and exciting news on new acquisitions, upcoming releases, and upcoming projects.

VIZ Media Announces Digital Debut of Barrage

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VIZ Media brings Barrage to VIZManga.com and the VIZ Manga App on October 4th. Volume 1 of the action series, created by Kouhei Horikoshi, is rated ‘T’ for Teens and debuts today, the same day the graphic novel launches in Japan. Digital MSRP will be $4.99; the print edition is scheduled to debut in March 2013.

Barrage is a space battle fantasy series set on a planet called Industria, which is in a state of chaos, and its fate lays in the hands of Astro, a kid from the slums! You can visit VIZManga.com/barrage for a free chapter 1 preview of Barrage, as well as to purchase and view Volume 1.

VIZ Media’s innovative digital manga platform allows for universal access to read manga from your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Android smart phones and tablets, as well as on VIZManga.com on your desktop and laptop computers. The free VIZ Manga App is the top application for reading manga and features a rapidly growing library of the most popular manga series in the world.

The VIZ Manga App is available for free through the iTunes Store and Google Play Store, and all manga volumes are generally available for purchase and download in the U.S. and Canada within the application for $4.99 (U.S. / CAN) per volume. More than 100 series and 800 volumes are currently available for download with new series and volumes added every Tuesday.

Neon Alley Debuts and Anime Won’t Ever Be the Same

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VIZ Media has announced the launch of Neon Alley, a 24-hour anime channel featuring the world’s best titles (dubbed in English and uncut), exclusively on the PlayStationNetwork and the PlayStation3 (PS3) system.

Ken Sasaki, President and Chief Executive Officer for Viz Media looks at the launch as a landmark event for fans of anime.

Neon Alley combines the appointment viewing and joy of discovery of traditional broadcast TV with the ease of subscribing to a dedicated anime channel. Fans will find all of their favorite series alongside the best of the best new series they didn’t even know they were missing!

The channel laucnhed this week and the Neon Alley application can be downloaded from PlayStation Network. The subscription-based service will be available for $6.99 per month.  For a limited time only, a one-week free trial will be available for fans who sign up at NeonAlley.com.

Neon Alley’s schedule includes a mix of action, adventure, sci-fi, supernatural, fantasy, and horror anime, uncut and dubbed into English, and presented in HD when it’s available. At launch, Neon Alley will premiere weekly exclusive episodes of Blue Exorcist, Inuyasha: The Final Act, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, and Tiger & Bunny. Fans can catch their favorite blockbuster anime from the beginning, including Death Note, Naruto Shippuden, One Piece, Vampire Knight and more. The critically acclaimed Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I – The Egg of The King will also debut in October. Future premieres include Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-Ne and Zetman. Viewers can easily find out what’s showing on Neon Alley with an electronic program guide showing the schedule for the week ahead.

Neon Alley is the first platform designed to be studio agnostic, featuring titles from other anime producers and content distributors, including Aniplex, FUNimation, NTV, Taiseng, Anime News Network, and Empire Distribution. Members can also share real-time thoughts and status updates using social media technology from Tout (Tout.com), some of which will air on the network. Neon Alley will continue to unveil more of its programming lineup, special offers, new acquisitions and other partnerships throughout the next several months.

VIZ Media Launches New Redakai Graphic Novel Series

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VIZ Media, the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, thrills action fans of all ages with the launch of the original graphic novel series Redakai, inspired by the innovative trading card game developed by Spin Master and corresponding Cartoon Network animated series. Redakai Volume 1 joins the VIZ Kids imprint with its debut on October 2nd, is rated ‘A’ for All Ages, and will carry an MSRP of $7.99 U.S. / $9.99 CAN.

Redakai Volume 1 has stories by Aubrey Sitterson and Mike Raicht, with artwork by Write Height Media, Zack Turner and Dan Ciurczak, and follows the adventures of Team Stax as they race against competitors searching the world for mystical Kairu energy, the primal power of the universe.  In the hands of good, Kairu is a living energy that guides the universe. But in the hands of evil, Kairu is the most destructive power in the world. Those who can harness it can eventually obtain the highest rank of Kairu warrior: Redakai. Ky, Maya and Boomer are Team Stax. Together they plan to conquer the Kairu!

In the first feature length adventure, “Invasion of the Gilfreem” by Aubrey Sitterson, Ky, Maya and Boomer investigate a mysterious source of Kairu and land smack in the middle of an alien invasion! But not everything is always as it seems. Is it really all up to Team Stax to save Earth from the Gilfreem? Then, in the second story, “Home, Kairu, Home” by Mike Raicht, there’s trouble on Boomer’s family farm. Is a rival team stealing animals to extract Kairu energy?!

NYCC 2012 – VIZ Media Announces Shonen Jump Alpha Meet-Up

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VIZ Media invites manga and anime fans of all ages to join the company for a very special Shonen Jump Alpha Meet-Up, taking place Friday, October 12th from 5:00pm – 8:00pm at the Kinokuniya Bookstore, located at 1073 Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue between 40th & 41st Streets). The meet-up is FREE to attend, and coincides with VIZ Media’s appearance at the 2012 New York Comic Con taking place October 11th-14th at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. VIZ Media will be located in Booth 2042.

Making a special in-person appearance at Kinokuniya will be legendary creator and character designer Masakazu Katsura, who will meet fans and sign autographs from 7:00pm-8:00pm. A variety of door prizes will be given away, and visitors are also encouraged to take advantage of many Kinokuniya manga and anime products that will be specially discounted during the duration of the meet-up event.

Meet and mingle with other fans and the editors of Shonen Jump Alpha and be among the first to get the Shonen Jump Alpha Yearbook 2013. This is a very special premium, available only at New York Comic Con.

VIZ Media Releases Loveless Manga Series

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VIZ Media, LLC is rebooting the English-language publication of Loveless, the hit fantasy manga series from creator Yun Kouga. Volume 9 is available now and is rated ‘T’ for Teens, with an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN / £6.99 UK.

VIZ Media has also announced plans to publish the earlier volumes of Loveless as new 2-in-1 omnibus editions beginning in October. These releases will feature updated translations, new lettering, retouched sound effects, and a fresh cover design. Volume 1 debuts on October 9th and includes 6 full-color pages, as well as 50 pages of bonus comics and insightful artist commentary from Yun Kouga previously not published in North America. MSRP for the 2-in-1 editions will be $14.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN / £9.99 UK.

In Loveless, Ritsuka Aoyagi is alone in the world – never fitting in at school and alienated from his own past by a fragmented memory. When his beloved older brother Seimei is brutally murdered, Ritsuka is heartbroken but determined to find answers. His only lead is Soubi, a mysterious, handsome college student who offers him an intimate link to his brother’s other life: a dark and vibrant world of spell battles and secret names.

You can check out Loveless, and other manga titles from VIZ Media, at www.VIZ.com.

VIZ Media Brings High Seas Anime Pirate Series One Piece To Neon Alley

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VIZ Media continues the digital anime convergence as it announces that Toei Animation has licensed the celebrated pirate anime action/adventure series, One Piece, for broadcast on Neon Alley, the new 24-hour anime channel VIZ Media is launching this Fall exclusively to the Playstation Network and the PS3 game console. Episodes to air on Neon Alley will be presented uncut and with dubbed English dialogue.

Neon Alley, featuring the world’s best anime titles all dubbed and uncut in English and presented in HD (when available), is the first platform designed to be studio agnostic, with a diverse array of titles from other leading anime producers and distributors. Programming will include weekly exclusive premieres of hit titles fans love, alongside a mix of new, cutting edge titles they didn’t know they were missing. Neon Alley will be a subscription-based service, subsidized with limited commercial advertising to keep the launch price to consumers at a low $6.99 per month.

One Piece is based on a massively popular manga series created by Eiichiro Oda, that is also published in North America by VIZ Media.

In the venerable anime adventure, Monkey D. Luffy refuses to let anyone or anything stand in the way of his quest to become king of all pirates. With a course charted for the treacherous waters of the Grand Line, this is one captain who’ll never drop anchor until he’s claimed the greatest treasure on Earth – the Legendary One Piece!

J-POP Summit Festival Celebrates Japanese Pop Culture In San Francisco This Weekend

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The colorful sights, styles, sounds and flavors of Japanese pop culture returns to the Bay Area as the 2012 J-POP Summit Festival commences this weekend – Saturday and Sunday, August 25th and 26th. The annual Festival, now in its fourth year, is organized by New People, San Francisco’s dynamic Japanese pop culture entertainment venue, and presented in association with the Japantown Merchant Association. You can find details on participants and a comprehensive schedule of events at www.J-Pop.com.

The theme for 2012 is “Cyberpop Overload!,” and the all-day, weekend-long celebration will offer many unique attractions that have made the J-POP Summit Festival a fun yearly gathering for the Bay Area’s pop culture savvy. In addition to two full days of music, film, fashion and other events, a contingent of 8 of the city’s premiere gourmet food trucks will offer delectable treats to complement approximately 100 local vendors and merchants.

Adult attendees over 21 may also enjoy a new Tokyo-Style sparkling sho-chu cocktail as J-POP Summit sponsor, Takara Sake USA, will offer its Takara Can Chu-Hi JPOP, a refreshing carbonated alcohol beverage available in white peach and grapefruit. Valid ID is required. Takara Can Chu-Hi is a popular brand of summertime sparkling sho-chu cocktail in Japan.

Attendees are also invited to stop by J-POP Summit Main Sponsor UNIQLO and its photo shooting booth, UNIQLOOKS, located in the heart of Japantown Peace Plaza. UNIQLOOKS is a fun social and global fashion community to share fashion style featuring UNIQLO clothing worn by individuals around the world. Attendees can show up in their best J-POP outfit and UNICLOOK’s professional styling team will take a great picture in coordination with UNICLO clothing on site.

More fashion events are also scheduled including a Shibuya Girls Fashion Contest by Liz Lisa, GRAMM & FRILL fashion show by h.NAOTO, and a Lolita fashion contest by BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT. Details can be found at www.J-POP.com.

At the festival’s main outdoor stage in Peace Plaza, join the 2012 J-POP Summit Festival’s lively MC Steve C, as he leads off this year’s extensive roster of events! A veteran San Francisco talk radio personality, Steve C is also a popular health and fitness radio show talk host with RadioSlot.com.

Celebrating the Festival’s theme of “Cyberpop Overload,” will be a dynamic array of video game-inspired artists and DJs that will produce mesmerizing and danceable sets from Random Encounters, The Glowing Stars, SpacEKrafT, DJ Amaya, DJ REViSE and Vex Mode. Live rock and pop sets will also take place on the main stage of Japantown’s spacious Peace Plaza with FREE live sets for “J-Pop Lovers” by Kylee (Sony Music), The Akabane Vulgars, All Ages, Capital, and the Bay Area Girls. Band information and scheduled set times are available at www.J-Pop.com.

Anime fans can celebrate Evangelion, one of Japan’s most successful and revered sci-fi properties, throughout the 2012 J-POP Summit with several attractions and events inspired by the venerable property. The Festival is proud to present the U.S. premiere of the EVANGELION POP-UP MUSEUM, a very special, time-limited exhibit, to be staged inside the venue’s 3rd Floor SUPERFROG Gallery for the duration of the Festival. General admission to The EVANGELION POP-UP MUSEUM is $5 with re-entry stamp. The EVANGELION POP-UP MUSEUM will offer an extensive collection of original concept and production art, character drawings and other key artifacts from the famed Evangelion:1.0 You Are (Not) Alone. and Evangelion:2.0 You Can (Not) Advance. film series. Both of these feature films will be also screened in the NEW PEOPLE Cinema on Sunday, August 25th. Evangelion: 1.11 will play at 5:15pm; Evangelion: 2.22 will screen at 7:30pm.

The Evangelion-themed activities continue with “Real Escape Game x Evangelion: Escape from an Angel,” which takes a variety of cues and imagery from the smash hit sci-fi anime series. “The Real Escape Game,” is an inventive puzzle solving interactive game event, originally created in Japan, which requires players to cooperate and use their intuition and detective skills to solve multiple mysteries within a limited time. Multiple game sessions will be held throughout the weekend. Advance tickets are $25 if purchased 6 hours before event; Tickets at the door (subject to availability) are $30. Each game session lasts about 90 minutes. Advance tickets and complete game details and game times are available at: http://realescapegame.com/.

The technology-inspired dance and music events continue as Vocalekt Visions presents a special Vocaloid holographic live event, featuring virtual pop star Hatsune Miku. Vocalekt Visions is a unique concert troupe, which composes music using Vocaloid software and presents it as a “concert” using a unique HD projection system and special screen to give a smooth, lifelike holographic appearance to Vocaloid singers, as they would normally appear on stage. Also complementing the Vocalekt Visions concert with a live on-stage performance will be distinguished Vocaloid dancers from the Bay Area. Two shows will be held, inside the NEW PEOPLE Cinema on Saturday, August 25th, at 7:30pm and at 9:00pm; tickets are $15.00. Advance tickets and more information are available at:

www.j-pop.com/2012/vocalekt-visions.

Rome Kanda Comes to the J-POP Summit

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The 2012 J-POP Summit Festival has announced that it will welcome Japanese actor/comedian Rome Kanda for a special in-person appearance on Saturday, August 25th and Sunday, August 26th.

Kanda, who is known for his quirky 2008 comedy reality show, MAJIDE! : I Survived a Japanese Game Show, comes to the J-POP Summit for a stage appearance and autograph session to promote his new biographical digital manga series, Samurai Spirit: The Story of Rome Kanda, which will be soon available in English for the Apple iPhone®, iPad® and iPod® touch as well as Android-enabled devices.

Rome Kanda is scheduled to appear on the Main Pagoda Stage, located in Japantown’s Peace Plaza, at the 2012 J-POP Summit Festival on Saturday, August 25th at 2:30pm, and Sunday August 26th at 1:00pm, to be followed by an autograph session at the NEW PEOPLE Tent. Rome will also do a fun samurai performance on the stage with audience members. J-POP Summit attendees that are interested in joining him for the live performance should check in at backstage with Festival staff 30 minutes prior to the performance.

For more details, head to www.j-pop.com.

J-POP 2012 Music Acts

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New People has announced the dynamic musical line-up designed for “J-Pop Lovers” as part of the live programming for the 2012 J-POP Summit Festival. The annual cultural event, now in its fourth year and presented in association with the Japantown Merchants Association, will be held across San Francisco’s Japantown district on Saturday, August 25th and Sunday, August 26th.

J-POP Summit Festival 2012 will feature FREE live performances for “J-Pop Lovers” by Kylee, The Akabane Vulgars, All Ages, Capital, and the Bay Area Girls. These live sets will take place on the main stage of Japantown’s spacious Peace Plaza, located across the street from the New People venue which is at 1746 Post St. Check the dates below for each performance. Additional live performers will be announced in coming days.

THE AKABANE VULGARS – Saturday, August 25th

The 2012 J-POP Summit Festival is pleased to welcome the first-ever West Coast appearance by The Akabane Vulgars On Strong Bypass, a bluesy, all-girl power trio hailing from Tokyo, Japan. The group, composed of sisters Yumi Uchizono on guitar and vocals and Miki Uchizono on bass, is joined by drummer Kei Sofue. The Akabane Vulgars formed while the members were still in high school and have gone on to enjoy a wide following in Japan with its unique brand of bluesy-rock vocals and soulful lyrics. The band is heavily influenced by Green Day, Joan Jett, The Beatles, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Japanese groups such as Blankey Jet City and Thee Michelle Gun Elephant. The Akabane Vulgars have released a self-produced CD, “The Rumps Smolder at the Gloom” as well as a 3-song EP, “We Need The Riot, Our Riot, Your Riot.” The band is preparing to record and release their full length debut on a U.S.-based record label later this year. More information on the band is available at: www.akabane-vulgars.com

 

Kylee – Sunday, August 26th

Kylee is an upbeat 18 year-old pop singer/songwriter born to an American father and Japanese mother. She is currently signed to Sony Music Japan and has become a fast-rising multi-cultural star that is developing a major following in both the U.S. and Japan. Kylee has been featured in the U.S. on the Today Show, and her second single, “missing/IT’S YOU,” released in 2010, was featured heavily in a commercial for online apparel retailer NISSEN. In 2011 she performed for an audience of more than 50,000 people at an official Major League Baseball game and also sang for President Barack Obama during a visit to her home state of Arizona earlier this year.  More information on Kylee is available at: www.facebook.com/kyleeofficialfanpage.

 

ALL AGES – Sunday, August 26th

The San Francisco-based rock band, All Ages, formed in 2005 and has thrived as a national and international live touring musical act. The band is heavily influenced by J-rock and has performed in Japan with preeminent acts such as The Pillows, Noodles, Red Bacteria Vacuum and many more. In 2008 All Ages was featured in the documentary “Pop! How Japanese Culture Took Over My Life”. All Ages opened The Pillows’ 2011 NAP TOUR and Red Bacteria Vacuums’ California tour in June of 2012. All Ages recently released the single “42 Sub Machine Guns,” now available on iTunes. More information on All Ages is available at: www.iloveallages.com

 

CAPITAL – Sunday, August 26th

Capital is a prolific artist/scholar from Los Angeles, already featured on over 20 albums ranging from rock to Japanese hip-hop to Brazilian electronica alongside artists such as Marco Bosco, Airto Moreira, Paulo Calasans, Swing Out Sister, Del the Funky Homosapien, DJ Nozawa and more. His latest release, FLOATS ON FLAT TIRES, combines Brazilian overtones with electronic beats. Capital has a master’s degree in J-Pop music research, and also speaks and sings fluent Japanese.  He has toured extensively in the U.S., Canada, Japan and Brazil and has performed at numerous music festivals including Japan’s massive Fuji Rock Festival. Capital’s performances also have been broadcast in Japan on Space Shower TV, and he recently performed live on KTLA’s “Good Day L.A.” More information on Capital is available at: http://www.capitalguitar.com

 

BAY AREA GIRLS – Sunday, August 26th

The Bay Area Girls are a dynamic all-girl rock band consisting of five talented 12 and 13 year olds. The girls first got together to perform at their school talent show, which then inspired them to take things to the next level to entertain people of all ages as a band. Their musical repertoire ranges from the likes of Joan Jett to Avril Lavine, Miley Cirus, Journey and Bob Markey. Among their notable gigs, the Bay Area Girls have performed a “Tribute to Armando Peraza” (the notable former Santana percussionist), as well as a performance at Yoshi’s in San Francisco with Pete Escovedo and Sheila E. Last year the girls performed at the 2011 J-POP Summit where they covered “Four Seasons,” by Japanese pop diva Namie Amuro! Catch their inspired set this year as they return to rock the 2012 J-POP Summit! More information on the Bay Area Girls is available at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bay-Area-Girls/139005686184005

A variety of other pop-inspired attractions including fashion shows, theatrical film premieres,  live art performances, celebrity appearances, and mini-concerts by some of Japan’s hottest bands are planned for the 2012 J-POP Summit both inside the NEW PEOPLE complex, and outdoors at the adjacent Peace Plaza. Innovative artists from Japan will join a variety of product merchants and food vendors from the Bay Area to offer an array of pop-inspired products and delicacies for sale in open air displays on both sides of Post Street, the main Japantown thoroughfare.

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