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Posts Tagged Viz Media

Review: Rin-Ne (Vol. 02)

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, January 26, 2010

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Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

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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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manga, Rin-Ne, Rumiko Takahashi, Viz Media

Review: Sand Chronicles (Vol. 07)

By Shannon Fay on Monday, January 25, 2010

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Reviewer: Shannon Fay

Manga-ka: Hinako Ashihara
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: January 2009

Synopsis: “Ann’s junior high school reunion is coming up, and she hasn’t seen Daigo in two years. How will their reunion go? Then, finally, the story behind Ann’s engagement. Who is her fiancé…?”

One thing that impresses me about Sand Chronicles, especially in this volume, is how consistent that tone has been throughout. Ann might grow older and her life change, but the series always maintains its bittersweet atmosphere. It really is a slice-of-life drama – the characters go through good times and bad, and a happy ending isn’t guaranteed.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manga, Viz Media

PR: Viz Media Announces the Release of Dinosaur King

By Lissa Pattillo on Monday, January 25, 2010

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VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF
DINOSAUR KING

New Manga From VIZ KIDS Imprint Will Delight With Imaginative Characters And Fun Storyline

San Francisco, CA, January 25, 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 of Volume 1 and 2 of the new VIZ Kids series DINOSAUR KING. This manga is rated ‘A’ for All Ages and will carry a MSRP of $7.99 U.S. / $9.99 CAN.

DINOSAUR KING by creator Yohei Sakai tells the story of Max who is obsessed with dinosaurs. He knows his Tapejara from his Pteranodon and can find fossils better than a trained paleontologist. When he discovers a stone tablet that transports him to the age of dinosaurs, it’s a dream come true—until it becomes a nightmare. From King, his new dinosaur friend, Max learns that an evil genius named Dr. Z has enslaved the dinosaurs so he can use their hidden powers to take over the world! Now Max has to defeat Dr. Z and his Alpha Gang to save the ancient beasts and life as we know it. Volume 1 will release February 2, 2010.

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Viz Media

Review: Pluto (Vol. 07)

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, January 21, 2010

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Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Naoki Urasawa
Publisher: Viz Signature
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: January 2010

Synopsis: “Pluto has destroyed six out of the seven great robots of the world, and the pacifist robot Epsilon is the only one that remains. Will Epsilon, who refused to participate in the 39th central Asian war, leave behind his war-orphaned charges to step onto the battlefield? It just might be that kindly Epsilon, who wields the limitless power of photon energy, will be Pluto’s greatest opponent of all!”

Reading Pluto has always been a predominantly emotional-journey. The suspense and mystery is there. The action and drama is near seamless. But among all this, it’s the characters who really pull you in and keep you there. Even the most seemingly unimportant character can look just so in one panel and steal your heart, or in most cases break it. This ninth volume is no exception to the consistent hold the series has held on many a reader. It delivers what could perhaps be the most brilliantly executed moment to date – and in turn easily the most devestating.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manga, Naoki Urasawa, Viz Media

PR: Viz Media Announces Stan Lee and Hiroyuki Takei’s Ultimo

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, January 20, 2010

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VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED RELEASE OF
STAN LEE AND HIROYUKI TAKEI’S ULTIMO

Historic Collaboration Comes To Life In New Manga Release

San Francisco, CA, JANUARY 20, 2010 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, in conjunction with Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment (PK:POWN) has announced the highly anticipated release of the new manga ULTIMO on February 2nd. ULTIMO is the result of a historic collaboration between comics legend Stan Lee, co-creator of many iconic superheroes including Spider-Man™, the Fantastic Four™, and the X-Men™, and Hiroyuki Takei, the creator of the popular SHAMAN KING manga series. ULTIMO, rated ‘T’ for teens will carry a MSRP of $9.99 US/$12.99 CAN.

With girl and money troubles, life is hard enough for high school student Yamato, but then he stumbles upon Ultimo, a peculiar-looking puppet. Things only get stranger when Ultimo awakens and his archenemy, Vice shows up. Ultimo and Vice are Karakuri Dôji, the mechanical embodiment of pure good and pure evil, devoid of human emotions that can cloud one’s judgment. Their purpose: to battle to the death to prove once and for all whether good or evil is the most powerful force in the universe.

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Stan Lee, Viz Media

Review: GoGo Monster

By Lissa Pattillo on Friday, January 15, 2010

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Reviewer: Shannon Fay

Manga-ka: Taiyo Matsumoto
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: December 2009

Synopsis: “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 nature itself.”

Taiyo Matsumoto isn’t the easiest manga-ka to get into. His style is a strange blend of Japanese and European, of cartoony and realistic. Even his stories, set in mundane places like elementary or high school, have a surrealistic quality to them, making it seem like they take place in a dream world rather than the real world. Gogo Monster manages to bring out all of Matsumoto’s best qualities – his unique art and strange plots – while still being more coherent than some of his earlier works. It is also very, very good.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manga, Viz Media

PR: Viz Media’s New Shojo Title – Crown of Love

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, January 14, 2010

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HOW FAR WILL A BOY GO FOR LOVE?
FIND OUT IN NEW MANGA SERIES
CROWN OF LOVE

The Story of a Teenage Boy Who Becomes a Pop Idol
To Get Close To The Pop Idol Girl He Adores

San Francisco, CA, January 14, 2010 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the debut of Yun Kouga’s shojo manga (graphic novels for female readers) CROWN OF LOVE on February 2nd. CROWN OF LOVE is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens, will be published by the Shojo Beat imprint, and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.

Sixteen-year-old Hisayoshi “Kumi” Tajima wasn’t looking for love. But after he accidentally bumps into teen idol Rima Fujio, he can’t stop thinking about her. Living worlds apart, he’ll never have a chance to meet her again. Until Rima’s former agent Ikeshiba gives him the perfect opportunity – by turning Hisayoshi into an idol himself! Too bad Rima only sees him as competition for Ikeshiba’s attention.

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Viz Media

PR: Viz Media 2010 Publishing Highlights

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, January 12, 2010

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VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES
EXCITING NEW MANGA RELEASES
SCHEDULED FOR THE FIRST HALF OF 2010

San Francisco, CA, JANUARY 11, 2010 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, announces some of the exciting new manga set for release throughout the first half of 2010.

The new releases will be published by VIZ Media under its best-known imprints including VIZ Signature, Shojo Beat, Shonen Sunday, Shonen Jump and Shonen Jump Advanced.

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Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Shonen Sunday, Stan Lee, Viz Media, Yuu Watase

Kuriousity Holiday Cards 2009

By Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, January 10, 2010

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This past holiday season I sent out holiday cards to a number of publishers – my little way of showing my appreciation to those companies who helped make 2009 a real treat for both me and my readers here on Kuriousity.

I created custom Christmas cards for Yen Press, Vertical, Viz Media, Digital Manga and Yaoi Press, and since then a couple have asked me to share the artwork. I put it off a couple weeks to ensure everyone had time to receive their cards and maintain some charm to the surprise ;)

The curious can now check out my five manga-holiday images under the cut. All pre-existing characters belong to their respective copyright holders/companies/people-of-greatness.

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Categories: Misc
Tags: DMP, Vertical Inc, Viz Media, Yaoi Press, Yen Press

Review: Yu-Gi-Oh! R (Vol. 01)

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, January 7, 2010

1 Comment »

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Akira Ito
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: October 2009

Synopsis: “It’s been many duels since Yugi defeated Maxmilion Pegasus, the super-rich designer of the collectible card game “Duel Monsters.” But Yako Tenma, Pegasus’ protégé, has never forgiven Yugi for his master’s horrible fate. To draw Yugi out, Yako kidnaps Anzu Mazaki and takes her to the heart of the Kaibacorp building, guarded by dozens of the world’s most dangerous gamers! But Yako’s true plan for Anzu is much worse than mere revenge…”

There’s a very classic overtone to this entire story, emphasized by the constant character reinforcement. Friendship, loyalty, honesty and hard work are all pushed hard. The repetitive nature leaves the characters feeling a little flat but the innocence of the message and the straightforward nature of its delivery makes it pretty empowering. It’s classic shonen strength at its best – promoting all that good moral stuff as the good guys fight the bad guys in a predominantly black and white structure.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manga, Shonen Jump, Viz Media