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 Manga Bulletin: May 21 2008
Written by Park Cooper
Hello, Park Cooper here, and welcome to Manga Bulletin, a new feature in which, among other things, will give you the manga/anime/industry news of the week and comment on it, perhaps snarkily (perhaps not). Indeed it’ll be a place for all sorts of shameless plugging, but let’s jump right into things with some professionals of hype with this new press release I got from Viz:
VIZ MEDIA’S SHONEN JUMP WELCOMES BLEACH MANGA CREATOR TITE KUBO
FOR ULTRA-RARE APPEARANCE AT
2008 SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL
Creator Of BLEACH And ZOMBIEPOWDER Manga To Appear On Special Panel and For Signings At VIZ Media Booth #4113
San Francisco, CA, May 21, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced that its SHONEN JUMP magazine will welcome prolific manga (graphic novel) creator Tite Kubo for a series of rare in-person appearances beginning on Friday, July 25 at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con International.
Mr. Kubo is the creator of the wildly successful manga series BLEACH and ZOMBIE POWDER. and this is the first time the artist will appear at a North American convention. Both series are published domestically by VIZ Media and BLEACH is currently serialized in SHONEN JUMP Magazine. Comic-Con International is renowned as the nation’s largest comic book and science fiction event and takes place July 24-27 at the Convention Center in San Diego, CA. VIZ Media will be located in Booth 4113.
Mr. Kubo is scheduled to appear throughout Comic-Con and to provide insight regarding his past, current and future projects on SHONEN JUMP magazine’s panel discussion and to further greet fans at VIZ Media’s booth and sign autographs twice on Saturday, July 26. Details will be issued shortly as times are still to be determined, but fans are also encouraged to regularly check http://www.shonenjump.com for updates.
Tite Kubo made his debut in 1999 with ZOMBIEPOWDER., a four-volume series serialized in Japan’s Weekly Shonen Jump until 2000. His second series, BLEACH, firmly established Mr. Kubo as major manga talent. Beginning its serialization in 2001, BLEACH remains a mainstay in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump and has spawned more than 300 chapters to-date. BLEACH was further named a winner of the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award in 2005. Published domestically by VIZ Media, BLEACH manga volumes have sold over 1.2 million copies to-date in the United States and the series is serialized monthly in SHONEN JUMP magazine. The title was further developed into a popular animated series that is distributed domestically by VIZ Media and seen weekly by millions on Cartoon Network.
Mr. Kubo begins his appearances on Friday evening at 8 p.m., when he is scheduled to make opening remarks at VIZ Media’s theatrical screening of the first BLEACH feature film, BLEACH THE MOVIE: MEMORIES OF NOBODY, scheduled to take place in a theatre in downtown San Diego. Seating is limited and convention attendees are encouraged to stop by the VIZ Media booth prior to the event to secure tickets, which will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
BLEACH, rated T for Teens, follows the adventures of Ichigo, a fifteen-year-old student with the ability to see ghosts. When his family is attacked by a Hollow—a malevolent lost soul—Ichigo encounters Rukia, a Soul Reaper, and inadvertently absorbs her powers. Now, he’s dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping tortured souls find peace. The pair encounters plenty of action as they investigate an intriguing range of spiritual mysteries and frequently run into all manner of malevolent and usually violent spirits and demons that are reluctant to return to their own world peacefully.
“VIZ Media and SHONEN JUMP magazine are privileged and extremely excited to welcome Tite Kubo to the 2008 Comic-Con International,” says Marc Weidenbaum, Editor-in-Chief of Shonen Jump Magazine and Vice President, Original Publishing, at VIZ. “His BLEACH and ZOMBIEPOWDER. manga series have set new benchmarks in the field. BLEACH holds the attention of millions of fans internationally, and we look forward to offering those fans this very rare opportunity to interact with him personally. This is an incredibly rare situation when the manga creator of a weekly-serialized title is taking time apart from his busy work to visit with his fans outside Japan. I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate SHONEN JUMP’s 5th anniversary and the 40th anniversary of Weekly Shonen Jump, the Japanese magazine in which BLEACH is originally serialized. The enormous audience of manga fans at Comic-Con this year will truly have a hero around whom to rally.”
Ten lucky winners of a contest held by VIZ Media's parent company Shueisha, Inc., are also being flown from Japan to attend the Comic-Con Festivities as ambassadors from Shueisha and will participate in welcoming Mr. Kubo. Fans are encouraged to support BLEACH Day (Saturday) in their best BLEACH gear and will even have the opportunity to win great prizes if spotted in official BLEACH attire.
--PC: Personally, Bleach doesn’t grab me as an anime—I tried it on Cartoon Network. I think it’s the content/genre that’s grabbing young people. Perhaps the manga is better. However, I remember that it was a pretty big deal when the creator of GTO came to San Diego a few years back as I recall... and my wife and I saw Rumiko Takahashi at San Diego one year, and while we really didn’t learn anything we didn’t already know, it was cool to bask in the glow of the woman who arguably started it all (and wasn’t Osamu Tezuka).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
VIZ PICTURES ANNOUNCES DVD RELEASE OF LIVE ACTION FEATURE FILM - HONEY & CLOVER
Romantic Comedy Based On Popular Manga Series Depicts Five Art Students And Their Transformations From Adolescence To Adulthood
San Francisco, CA, May 12, 2008 – VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced the DVD release of HONEY AND CLOVER today. The live-action film, directed by Masahiro Takata and based on a best-selling manga series by Chica Umino, features English subtitles and will carry an estimated retail price of $24.98. Special bonus features on the disc include cast interviews, and a dedicated website about the film is available at www.honeyandclover.us.
HONEY AND CLOVER is a romantic comedy that focuses on five college students and the art school they attend. Mayama, Morita and Takemoto (played by J-Pop star Sho Sakurai, who also appeared in HULA GIRLS) aren't necessarily living fancy lives, but they always manage to have fun. When a talented and pretty painter named Hagumi Hanamoto (played by HULA GIRLS star Yu Aoi) enrolls in the program, her presence and unique approach to art affects the entire school and her new friends, especially Takamoto. The plot thickens as Hagumi becomes embroiled in a complicated love triangle as she struggles to find her artistic voice. Takemoto has a deft touch with his art, but he's not at his best with relationships, while Mayama is calm and gentle, and Morita is an eccentric genius and a rootless wanderer. Five one-sided feelings are tangling, with no answer in sight. HONEY AND CLOVER showcases the journey that everyone must take to transform from adolescence into adulthood and the long and challenging road these five young people must navigate to balance the demands of school, work, and love.
HONEY AND CLOVER is based on a bestselling manga (graphic novel) series created by Chica Umino which has sold more than 5 million copies to-date in Japan. In 2003 the popular series won the 27th Kodansha Manga Hagu Award, Japan's most prestigious comics award. The manga series was also adapted into an animated series in 2005 and finally into the live-action film released in Japan in 2006. HONEY AND CLOVER is currently serialized in SHOJO BEAT Magazine and the graphic novel is available in the U.S., both published domestically by VIZ Media.
“HONEY AND CLOVER won widespread critical acclaim upon its initial release in Japan for the faithful representation of the manga’s original story,” said Seiji Horibuchi, President and CEO, VIZ Pictures. “The film also reunites J-Pop star and actor Sho Sakurai with actress Yu Aoi, who won the prestigious Japan Academy Prize for Best Supporting Actress in 2007 for her portrayal of Kimiko Tanigawa in HULA GIRLS. We are confident that the compelling cast and poignant story that is HONEY AND CLOVER will touch audiences of all stripes."
For more information on HONEY AND CLOVER and other VIZ Pictures films, please visit www.viz-pictures.com. For more information on other DVDs from VIZ Media please go to www.viz.com.
--PC: I have little to say about this, except perhaps that in light of the American remakes of THE RING, THE GRUDGE, PULSE, ONE MISSED CALL, and so on, that it’s nice to see that someone is working to make people understand that the suckiness of those movies is entirely America’s fault.
So when you don't hardly know her, but you think you could love her, over and over, Honey and Clover...
POKÉMON ANNOUNCES
VIDEO GAME SHOWDOWN BETWEEN U.S. AND JAPAN
The Most Talented Pokémon Players Will Compete in Los Angeles and New York for a Chance to Battle the Best Players from Japan
Bellevue, WA – May 15, 2008 – Pokémon USA, Inc., has announced the first-ever Video Game Showdown, pitting the most skilled Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl players from the United States and Japan in a battle to determine the ultimate champion. The Pokémon Video Game Showdown will take place August 16 in Orlando, Florida and will feature 32 of the most talented players from each nation.
To win a seat in the Pokémon Video Game Showdown, players must compete and win at one of two Qualifier Tournaments taking place in Los Angeles and New York on July 12 and July 19, respectively. A total of 256 players in each city will battle for sixteen paid trips for two to Orlando to compete in the Pokémon Video Game Showdown. To enter for a chance to play in the Qualifier Tournaments, players must register and complete a Pokémon online quiz at http://showdown.pokemon.com.
“Pokémon strives to create fun products and events for players of all skill levels and interests,” said J.C. Smith, director of marketing for Pokémon USA, Inc. “The Pokémon Video Game Showdown provides the most skilled Pokémon players an opportunity to determine who is truly the best.”
More information, including prizes, tournament locations, times, and rules, can be found by visiting http://showdown.pokemon.com.
--PC: Whom do you suppose is the best in America/Japan at playing Pokemon? Please, please let it be a nine-year-old. Please don’t let it be some huge 43-year-old chain-smoking guy from Albany. Please.
Next time: More news, more plugging...
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