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Posts Tagged Rumiko Takahashi

PR: New Manga for the New Year! INUYASHA Final Vol on Jan 11th!

FATES ARE SEALED IN A FINAL SHOWDOWN AS EPIC MANGA ADVENTURE INUYASHA CONCLUDES

VIZ Media has announced the release of the final installment of Rumiko Takahashi’s longtime bestselling manga (graphic novel) series, INUYASHA, on January 11th. Fans won’t want to miss even a single page of the action in Volume 56, Curtain of Time, which is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens and carries an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. INUYASHA is published under VIZ Media’s Shonen Sunday imprint.

Kagome, a modern-day high school girl, is pulled into Japan’s ancient past! There, her destiny is linked to a dog-eared half demon named Inuyasha. Together, they battle evil demons who seek to acquire the shards of the legendary Shikon Jewel and wield its incredible power. But can Kagome and Inuyasha stop feuding with each other long enough to save the feudal or modern world–let alone both?

In the climactic showdown, the demon Naraku’s true intentions are finally revealed! Then, Kagome is swallowed up by the Meido. Is she finally beyond her friends’ reach? And will the final battle over the Shikon Jewel draw Inuyasha and Kagome together…or pull them apart forever?! Find out in the exciting concluding volume!

The spotlight on manga creator Rumiko Takahashi began in 1978 when she won an honorable mention in Shogakukan’s annual New Comic Artist Contest for Those Selfish Aliens. Later that same year, her boy-meets-alien comedy series, Urusei Yatsura, was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday. This phenomenally successful manga series was adapted into anime format and spawned a TV series and half a dozen theatrical-release movies, all incredibly popular in their own right. Takahashi followed up the success of her debut series with one blockbuster hit after another – MAISON IKKOKU ran from 1980 to 1987, RANMA ½ from 1987 to 1996, and INUYASHA from 1996 to 2008. Other notable works include MERMAID SAGA, RUMIC THEATRE, and ONE-POUND GOSPEL. These, as well as her newest manga series, RIN-NE, are also published in North America by VIZ Media.

Also catch INUYASHA anime episodes – for free – on VIZAnime.com.

More information on INUYASHA, or other Shonen Sunday titles from VIZ Media, is available at www.ShonenSunday.com.


Year in Brief Review – Manga Favourites of 2010

It’s New Years Day! And that means the end of 2010 has come and gone – the end of the first decade of the 2000s’, the end of another year of fantastic comics (upon other many wonderful things).

Just for a little living in the past on this first day of 2011, what better time to look back at 2010 with some favourites, surprises, disappointments and neat website tidbits. Sure it would’ve made more sense to have posted yesterday but who has time with all those celebrations going on… right?

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Big Changes Coming to Viz Media? Let the Theories Fly!

Staffers at Viz Media used Twitter for some teasing today, posting the following on their different imprint accounts:

“Keep your eyes peeled, HUGE news from VIZ coming next week. This changes everything! Any guesses?”

And guesses there were, as Twitter was quickly full of theories and ideas of what this could be all for good fun and curiousity. For a fairly good overview of who’s saying what and the various ideas brought to the table, I recommend a Viz_Media Twitter search.

A move to digital distribution of some kind was and remains the most seriously presumed of the theories. Will Viz Media be following the recent wave of digital distribution for comics on the iPad/iPhone? Will they begin to offer some multi-device eBook options? Will they reveal an online portal site to read their series via browsers? Old series? New series? All series?

Then there was the thoughts of more simultaneous releases such as what Viz Media has been doing with Rumiko Takahashi’s Rinne. Will we be seeing more simultaneous releases? Single series or multiple magazine-style? Could their existing Shonen Jump start accommodating such releases via subscription service online? Could Shonen Jump go completely digital all together such as Yen Press’s Yen Plus has?

Other theories, hopeful-wishes and amusing-WTFeries included new license announcements, a speed-up of another popular series such as what was done with One Piece and Naruto or Viz Media announcing it’s first boys’ love title (couldn’t help but toss this one in the ring myself).

So what do you think it could be? (Or think would be the most entertaining but improbable!)


PR: Viz Media Launches Cross Game Manga Series

VIZ MEDIA SET TO SCORE A HOME RUN WITH THE LAUNCH OF NEW CROSS GAME MANGA

Celebrated Manga Artist Mitsuru Adachi’s Much Anticipated Series Begins In October; Anime Counterpart Streams On VIZAnime.com

San Francisco, CA, October 5, 2010 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, brings manga legend Mitsuru Adachi’s celebrated series about the game of life and baseball – CROSS GAME – to North American readers on October 12th. The poignant drama will be published in a hefty expanded edition under the Shonen Sunday imprint, is rated ‘T’ for Teens, and the first volume, containing the first three volumes as originally released in Japan, will carry an MSRP of $19.99 U.S. / $27.00 CAN. Subsequent volumes will retail for $14.99 U.S. / $19.99 CAN, and will contain two complete volumes from the Japanese release.

The CROSS GAME anime series also streams – for free – on VIZ Media’s own VIZAnime web site (www.VIZAnime.com). To celebrate the launch of the manga, a special double-episode installment of new anime episodes (subtitled) will be available on the site the week of October 11th. CROSS GAME anime episodes are also available from streaming content provider HULU (www.Hulu.com).

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Swag Bag – Vast Volumes of Viz, Swords, Books and Zombies

It’s the beginning of the month which means Viz’s new books are out! And wow, what a Viz haul there was to get this week (and I only got about half I think?). Lots of books I can’t wait to read!

Bleach (Vol. 32)From local comic shop Strange Adventures I picked up a handful of new titles out this week. The first title I picked up was the one non-Viz Media title I purchased this week: the third volume of Vertical’s Twin Spica (Vol. 03). The series hasn’t blown me away, mostly because it’s a very subtle sort of story, but it’s so sweet and so charming that I find myself recommending it wholeheartedly to many people. Hopefully volume three won’t break the trend.

Continuing to be the longest running series I’ve collected, Bleach (Vol. 32) was quick to go into my stack. Looks like another roaring battle but I’ve been looking forward to seeing Ichigo and Grimmjow fight, even if means an entire book of no Uryuu (boo!). I also bought Rin-Ne (Vol. 04) after being impressed with the third book following some lacklustre introductory volumes. Still, flipping through this fourth book it’s hard not to feel like I’ve read it a million times before – Rumiko Takahashi is definitely showing you can have too much of a good thing, especially when it’s the same thing again… and again… and again.

Legend of Zelda: Phantom HourglassThe sad purchase of the week was Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass because I believe it’s the last Zelda book Viz will be putting out. It’s a shame because I really, really like them – though I also can’t imagine they’ve been hugely popular and I don’t know if there even is anymore past this. I’m eager to read this one so I can finally learn who this Linebeck character is so many friends have raved about (so far he looks like a skuzzy pirate?). Lastly from that trip I picked up Library Wars (Vol. 02) – hopefully more action, less talk about action! I want to see some sleeves rolled-up and some books being defended.

FedEx had a delivery for me this week as well, delivering a bunch more Viz Media titles to go through with gusto. First was Seiho Boys High School (Vol. 02), which I read straight away after Deb Aoki‘s praise for the series after doing so herself (I was notably underwhelmed by volume one). Well, volume two has definitely ensured I’ll be picking up volume three, I can say that. Huge improvement and hopefully one I’ll get to in a full review later.

Some more volumes of continuing favourites include Cactus Secret (Vol. 03) – a charming little shoujo-comedy, and Stepping on Roses (Vol. 03) which I’m sure will be as much a guilty pleasure as it’s been all along. Continuing with the trend of volume three’s comes the third volume of Yuu Watase’s Arata, which took self-control not to start reading as soon as I opened the package. Why I exercised that self-control, I’m not sure but I’m sure the wait will just make it all the better.

Topping it all off is the beginning of a new series but one of my favourite manga artists, Kaori Yuki – Grand Guignol Orchestra (Vol. 01)

“Lucille and the orchestra encounter a town overrun with the worst kind of audience: the living dead! Well, not really. They’re people who have been turned into doll-like zombies. And they are definitely not a crowd to take lightly. Can a group of roving musicians use their skills to calm the beasts? Or is this curtains for the Grand Orchestra?!”

Lots to look forward to reading – but what to read first? Otherworldly fantasy, musicians battling zombies, librarians weilding guns, a Shinigami battling a giant cat-man or a midget in a green tunic, to ponder a few. Hmm…


Review: Rin-Ne (Vol. 03)

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Rumiko Takahashi
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: April 2010

Synopsis: “A boy from Sakura’s past appears, hoping to win a date with her. But the ghost of another lovelorn boy leads to an unexpected triple date. Can an exorcism take place at an amusement park? Does Rinne have feelings for Sakura? Compared to playing the dating game, dealing with angry ghosts and rogue shinigami may be less frightening!”

Rumiko Takahashi really feels like she’s finally found her footing with Rinne here in the third volume. With the lead introductions and spiritual-mythos in practice explained in the first book, and a gaggle of jokes tested and frankly flopped in volume two, this third volume comes on the heels of that less than blow away material to present a new reason for on the fence readers to give this witty supernatural series another run for Rinne’s money.

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Scanlation Sentiments: My Answers to Your Statements

The recent press release regarding the manga coalition, which saw a slew of companies finally banding together to battle the evil that is manga aggregator sites, was met with the excepted amount of drama, assumption and protest. While the number of fans cheering the decision and understanding the positive implications of it came out in healthy force, the nay-sayers remained as always the prevalently loudest.

With the resulting week or so of virtual fandom butt-hurt across various forums and sites, I was finally compelled to finish my rough manifesto of why so many of those arguments are completely nutso. Some are sympathizable, many are wildly shared and all have been corrected a hundred times long before I decided to step into the ring of legality and logic. But, to try and take the edge off that voice in my head that constantly screams ‘do they even know what the heck they’re talking about?!’, I’ve conglomerated my brain-responses to hundreds of people’s emotionally-charged internet responses into one post of fairly-frank, honest and thus likely offensive-to-those-who-take-it-all-as-personally responses to those statements you never meant to be taken as a question.

And here we go…
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Review: Rin-Ne (Vol. 02)

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo
Rin-Ne (Vol. 02)

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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PR: More Manga for Holiday Gift Ideas from VIZ Media!

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.”

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PR: VIZ Media manga releases for Q4 2009!

VIZ MEDIA SERVES UP SCIENCE FICTION, ACTION FANTASY, ROMANCE AND JAPANESE CUISINE FOR NEW FOURTH QUARTER MANGA RELEASES

New Titles Span A Variety Of Genres To Delight Fans Of All Ages And Interests

San Francisco, CA, November 2, 2009 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has previewed an array of new manga (graphic novel) releases scheduled to debut throughout the Fourth Quarter of 2009. The new titles span a diverse range of genres everywhere from science fiction, fantasy/adventure, and crime thrillers to shojo (comics for girls) and teenage coming-of-age stories.

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