Kuriousity | manga reviews and news

Posts Tagged Viz Media

PR: Viz Announces Epilogue to Boys Over Flowers Manga

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, October 8, 2009

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE CAPTIVATING EPILOGUE TO BOYS OVER FLOWERS MANGA

Acclaimed Series That Helped Define The Shojo Manga Genre Concludes With A New Release That Contains Two Short Stories

San Francisco, CA, October 8, 2009 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, delights fans of shojo manga (graphic novels for girls) with the announcement of the upcoming release of BOYS OVER FLOWERS: JEWELRY BOX on October 13th. The new volume is rated ‘T’ for Teens and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.

BOYS OVER FLOWERS: JEWELRY BOX is a collection of two new short stories by Yoko Kamio, the creator of the acclaimed BOYS OVER FLOWERS series. The new epilogue takes place one year after the end of the original BOYS OVER FLOWERS story, which concluded with Volume 36. It also contains a section with some of the important events in the series that show the characters maturing, plus a special bonus strip!

Share on Tumblr

PR: Viz Media To Publish The Poignant What A Wonderful World

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, October 6, 2009

No Comments »

VIZ MEDIA TO PUBLISH THE POIGNANT NEW MANGA SERIES WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD!

Series Offers A Powerful Collection Of Realistic Vignettes That Explore The Angst-Ridden Lives Of Young People
On The Brink Of Adulthood

San Francisco, CA, October 6, 2009– VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, expands its notable VIZ Signature manga imprint with the publication of Inio Asano’s WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD! on October 20th. The 2-volume series (each sold separately but launch simultaneously) is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens and will carry an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN.

A poignant 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 explores similar themes including the cruelty of childhood, the delusion of adulthood, the permanence of death, and how people find a way to remain resolute and laugh in the face of reality.

Share on Tumblr

Review: Red River (Vol. 25)

By Shannon Fay on Saturday, October 3, 2009

1 Comment »

Reviewer: Shannon Fay

Manga-ka: Chie Shinohara
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: April 2009

Synopsis: “Charged with treason, Nakia is interrogated by the Hittite council of ministers. Nakia denies her guilt and, despite being confined, uses her magic to free her henchman Urhi, who is then suspected of launching a campaign of murderous retaliation against Kail and Yuri. Nakia, however, seems to have made one mistake that could undo all her schemes–overlooking the devastating effect all the intrigue and treachery has had on Juda, her son and intended heir to the Hittite throne!”

Red River is a series that manages to mix political intrigue with shoujo romance. The characters all strike a nice balance between being idealistic reformers and shrewd politicians. As in any good shoujo manga, the relationships between the characters are always at the forefront of the action. The series is at its best when it pits the strong bonds between the cast against what’s best for the Hittite Empire, making the characters choose between helping their friends or helping the country. Luckily, that is exactly what volume 25 of Red River does.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manga, Shoujo Beat, Viz Media

Review: Cowa!

By Shannon Fay on Friday, October 2, 2009

1 Comment »

Reviewer: Shannon Fay

Manga-ka: Akira Toriyama
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: All Ages
Release Date: July 2008

Synopsis: “Paifu, a half-vampire half-were-koala, is always getting into trouble with his best buddy, José the ghost. But when the Monster Flu sweeps through town, the fun and games are over. If the monsters don’t get the medicine soon, everyone will die! With all the adults sick, it’s up to the kids to save the day! Paifu and José are off on a big adventure, but will they get the medicine in time… or will they become victims themselves?!”

Sometimes it’s hard to remember that the creator of the ultra-violent Dragon Ball Z can also do cute and funny. What’s really surprising is how well he does it. Cowa! Is basically Yotsuba&! If the kids were monsters, and if that doesn’t sound great than I don’t know what else to tell you.

Share on Tumblr

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

NYAF 2009: Viz Media

By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, September 29, 2009

2 Comments »

Wrapping up the manga-centric news of this past weekend’s New York Anime Fest, Sunday saw Viz Media staff take the panel stand with some fun new announcements.

New Licenses:

Gente ~Ristorante no Hitobito~ by Natsume Ono
What’s the Answer by Tondabayashi
Grand Guignol Orchestra by Kaori Yuki
Nice to Meet You, Kamisama by Julietta Suzuki
Library Wars by Kiiro Yumi
What’s the Answer? (Creator unknown)
Bob and His Funky Crew (Creator unknown)

The previously announced series Bakuman (by the same creators as Death Note which premiere in the May 2010 issue of Shonen Jump, and before that in February Shonen Jump readers will get to read the first chapter of Toriko with its first volume due out in June. A reminder also that the big One Piece speed-up will begin in January which will see a whopping 4 volumes a month until June. A big yikes to fans’ wallets but a yay to their eager eyes!

For Rumiko Takahashi fans, Rin-Ne volume one comes out on October 20th and Inu-Yasha anime fans can look forward to a simulcast of the upcoming Inu-Yasha anime finale. I have to admit, as much Rumiko Takahashi’s tendacy to overstretch her series gets a tad on my nerves, I still have a big soft spot for her stories and I think an anime adaptation of Inu-Yasha‘s finale is pretty neat and all the more spiffy that we’ll get to watch it so soon.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Licensing
Tags: Bakuman, Conventions, Manga, One Piece, Rumiko Takahashi, Toriko, Viz Media

Review: Bleach (Vol. 28)

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, September 24, 2009

2 Comments »

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Kubo Tite
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: September 2009

Synopsis: “Ichigo, Chad and Uryû are determined to rescue Orihime from Aizen’s vile machinations. But though the Arrancars’ fortress is in sight, the would-be heroes must first pass Tres Cifras–the land of the disgraced Arrancars, who see destroying Ichigo and his friends as a way to redeem their honor!”

Cue the next damsel-rescue quest. Ichigo, Chad and Ishida have made their way into the world of the Hollows and their volumes of training are finally being put to the test. With new powers requiring exposition, and an entire world of potential new characters, the lead cast takes their official plunge into Bleach’s next giant battle arc.

Share on Tumblr

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

Review: Black Bird (Vol. 01)

By Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, September 20, 2009

1 Comment »

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Kanoko Sakurakoji
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: August 2009

Synopsis: “Everything changes one day when Misao is attacked by a demon. Her childhood friend Kyo suddenly returns to save her and tend to her cuts–with his tongue! It turns out Misao is the bride of prophecy, whose blood gives power to the demon clan who claims her. But most demons want to keep her power for themselves–by eating her! Now Misao is just trying to stay alive…and decide if she likes it when Kyo licks her wounds.”

Waiting for the day when her childhood Prince Charming will return, high school student’s Misao’s life is flipped upside down when a demon attack leads her to learn that she is a ‘bride of prophecy’. Now demons of every shape and size are after her, seeking her special blood which will imbue them with great power, and though she thankfully finds herself rescued by a familiar face from her past, Misao unfortunately realizes his intentions don’t seem entirely pure either.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Reviews
Tags: Black Bird, Manga, Shoujo Beat, Viz Media

Review: Boys Over Flowers (Vol. 32)

By Shannon Fay on Thursday, September 17, 2009

1 Comment »

Reviewer: Shannon Fay

Manga-ka: Yoko Kamio
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: October 2008

Synopsis: “Although Tsukushi Makino is from a poor family, she attends an elite school for the super rich, where her life has become intertwined with the “F4,” the ruling boys of the school, in a whirlwind of love and confusion! Tsukushi’s on-and-off boyfriend Tsukasa is hospitalized after a gruesome head injury! While his life hangs in the balance his devious mother shows no emotion at all! Could a mother really be so heartless?! Even if Tsukasa is able to survive, he may never be the same again…”

This volume of Boys Over Flowers (or Hana Yori Dango for you purists out there) ties up one cliché plotline and moves onto another: out with the controlling family and in with the amnesia. It’s not surprising that the manga pulls out such a tried and true trope: it’s used just about every other rom-com road block to keep the two leads from getting together. Heck, it’s more surprising that it took 31 volumes before one of the leads lost their memory. Yet despite being a cliché and a half, this new arc manages to be funny and heart-touching.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manga, Shoujo Beat, Viz Media

Review: Legend of Zelda – Four Swords (Part One)

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, September 16, 2009

1 Comment »

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Akira Himekawa
Publisher: VizKids
Rating: All Ages
Release Date: August 2009

Synopsis: “Link, a Hylian Knight, serves Princess Zelda at Hyrule Castle. When Shadow Link kidnaps Princess Zelda, Link once again must prepare himself to defeat the forces of evil. To do so, he needs the legendary Four Sword, but getting it means battling the ancient evil power Vaati. The Four Sword also splits Link into four different versions of himself, and these new Links aren’t team players! Rescuing Zelda, beating Vaati, and getting his wild alter-egos under control isn’t going to be easy!”

It’s the start of another Link incarnation here in the sixth book of the Legend of Zelda series. Link, now the son of a Hyrulian knight, is also a knight himself but to the dismay of those around him is arrogant and impetuous. However he soon learns the hard way that that’s not the kind of person that makes a hero, and when a dark sorcerer kidnaps the Princess Zelda, he draws a legendary sword that splits its wielder in four people.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Reviews
Tags: Legend of Zelda, Manga, Viz Media

Review: Pokemon Adventures (Vol. 01)

By Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, August 23, 2009

1 Comment »

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Author: Hidenori Kusaka
Manga-ka: Mato
Publisher: Viz Kids
Rating: All Ages
Release Date: June 2009

Synopsis: “Red doesn’t just want to train Pokemon, he wants to be their friend too. Bulbasaur and Poliwhirl seem game. But independent Pikachu won’t be so easy to win over! And watch out for Team Rocket, Red… They only want to be your enemy!”

Red has always loved Pokemon, creatures with remarkable powers who come in nearly every shape and size. After an accident turns out beneficial for him, Red sets out on the adventure he’s always dreamed of: to see and capture every Pokemon in the world! With his Pokemon-friends and partners at his side, and a sparky new addition to their team who is notably far less apt to cooperate, the group leaves their home of Pallet Town to traverse the big wide world and live all there is to experience about the multitude of Pokemon out there.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manga, Pokemon Adventures, Viz Media