Rock-n-Roll Drama LINDA LINDA LINDA Kicks Off A New Series Of Monthly Film Screenings To Benefit Reconstruction And Recovery Efforts

New People continues to drive Bay Area fundraising efforts for ongoing Japanese disaster relief and reconstruction. The venue has just announced the kick-off off a summer-long series of monthly benefit film screenings that launches on Friday, June 24th at 7:00pm with the critically acclaimed teenage rock-and-roll drama, LINDA LINDA LINDA.

Come sing, come dance, and come help Japan! Suggested donation is $10.00. Tickets and more information are available at: http://www.newpeopleworld.com/films. NEW PEOPLE is located in the heart of San Francisco’s Japantown at 1746 Post St.

100% of net proceeds will be donated to Earth Dat Tokyo Tower of Japan. Earth Day Tokyo Tower Volunteer Center began its activities in response to tremendous tsunami and earthquake devastation that ravaged Northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011. The group sends organized groups of volunteers into devastated areas to assist with clean-up, make food, hold events for children, sets up food courts, and more.

LINDA LINDA LINDA was directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita and follows an all-girl high school rock band after an untimely break-up. Only three days before their high school festival, guitarist Kei (Yu Kashii), drummer Kyoto (Aki Maeda of Battle Royale), and bassist Nozumi (Shiori Sekine) must recruit a new lead vocalist for their band. They choose an unlikely Korean exchange student Son (Doona Bae of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance), even though her comprehension of Japanese is a bit rough! It’s a race against time as the group struggles to learn three tunes for the festival’s rock concert — including a classic ’80s punk-pop song by the famous Japanese group The Blue Hearts called “Linda Linda.” The film notably offers a soundtrack by ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha and a cameo by punk rock legends The Ramones. LINDA LINDA LINDA is also available on DVD from NEW PEOPLE Entertainment.

VIZ Media Releases The Face-Crushing Action Of Tenjo Tenge Manga Series in June

Welcome to Todo High – Home of the Toughest Student Brawlers and Sexiest Badass Babes in High School History

VIZ Media brings gnarly, knuckle-busting action to readers with the release of the manga (graphic novel) series, Tenjo Tenge, on June 21st, created by Oh!great. The debut volume features 16 full-color pages and a selection of alternate color cover images. Tenjo Tenge will be published by the VIZ Signature imprint, is rated ‘M’ for Mature Audiences, and will carry an MSRP of $17.99 U.S. / $21.00 CAN.

Welcome to Todo High, where the only rule is: get strong or get schooled.

Soichiro Nagi and Bob Makihara have always been the meanest street brawlers around. When they enter Todo High they plan on carving out a reputation as the strongest fighters in their new school – easier said than done in a place that’s dedicated to training its students in the art of combat! After realizing they’re the new fish swimming in a tank full of sharks, Soichiro and Bob enter the Juken fight club as rookie members. However, the Executive Council – the archrival of the Juken Club – soon launches a surprise attack. Soichiro and Bob have a chance to show their stuff, as long as they don’t get curb-kicked in the process!

“Our new release of Oh!great’s Tenjo Tenge will be published as hefty 2-in-1 editions that remains 100% faithful to the original version published in Japan,” says Mike Montesa, Editor. “Soichiro Nagi and Bob Makihara have their work cut out for them as they try to carve out a reputation as the most dangerous pair of badasses at Todo High. But that may be easier said than done at a school that’s dedicated to training its students in the art of combat!”

Oh!great began his career as a professional manga creator in 1995. In 1997 his hit series Tenjo Tenge debuted in UltraJump magazine, and in 2004, it was further adapted into a popular anime TV series. His other series, Air Gear, began serialization in Weekly Shonen Magazine in 2002, received a Kodansha Manga Award in 2006, and was also adapted into a successful anime TV series.

For more information on Tenjo Tenge, or others titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.viz.com.

VIZ Media Unleashes The Gripping Hunt For A Serial Killer As Monster Launches On Netflix

Acclaimed Anime Thriller Presents A Psychological Crime Drama Of Conspiracy, Political Intrigue And Murder

VIZ Media continues to expand its anime offerings as it announces the launch of Naoki Urasawa’s Monster on Netflix, the world’s leading Internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV shows. The complete 74-episode psychological suspense series will be available to watch instantly for members in the U.S. beginning June 20th.

Naoki Urasawa’s Monster (rated TV-MA, subtitled) is based on the critically acclaimed manga (graphic novel) series, also published in North America by VIZ Media, and will be presented uncut. The series joins several other popular VIZ Media anime titles such as Bleach, Death Note, Naruto, Inuyasha, and MÄR, which can now be instantly streamed from Netflix.

What would you do if a child you once saved grew up to be a monster? An ice-cold killer is on the loose, and Dr. Kenzo Tenma is the only one who can stop him! Tenma, a brilliant neurosurgeon with a promising future, risks his career to save a critically wounded young boy named Johan. When the boy, now a coldhearted and charismatic young man, reappears nine years later in the midst of a string of unusual serial murders, Tenma goes on the run from the police, who suspect him to be the killer, to find Johan and stop the monster he set loose upon the world.

Conspiracies, serial murders, and secret government experiments set against the grim backdrop of the formerly communist Eastern Europe are masterfully woven together in this compelling work of suspense. The critically acclaimed Naoki Urasawa’s Monster manga series is also published in North America by VIZ Media and was nominated for the prestigious Eisner Award.

For more information on Naoki Urasawa’s Monster manga series (rated ‘T+’ for Teens) please visit www.VIZSignature.com/monster.

VIZ Media Debuts A Snapshot of Life in La Quinta Camera Manga Series

Fast-Rising Manga Star Offers A Collection Of Slice-Of-Life Short Stories About The Unique Tenants Of An Italian Apartment

VIZ will delight fans and readers with the release of Natsume Ono’s single-volume manga (graphic novel), La Quinta Camera, on July 19th. The title is highly anticipated as accolades for Ono’s works continues to grow across North America. La Quinta Camera will be published under VIZ Media’s Signature imprint, is rated ‘T’ for Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $14.99 CAN.

La Quinta Camera revolves around the tenants of an apartment in Italy. In four of the rooms live four single men with singular personalities. Into this peculiar ménage steps an exchange student, the new tenant of the fifth room. Brought together by chance, friends by choice, they pursue their dreams together as the days drift gently by.

“Natsume Ono first drew acclaim in Japan in 2003 with La Quinta Camera, which marked her professional debut,” says Amy Yu, Editor. “Ono thrilled North American audiences with her recent live appearances in New York City and also at the 2011 Toronto Comics Art Festival, and her fame continues to grow among domestic readers. La Quinta Camera wonderfully exhibits Ono’s unconventional artistic style and skillful storytelling abilities, and we hope that her fan base will expand even more with the release of this inspiring manga.”

Natsume Ono’s work is characterized by a minimalist yet sensual art style and composed psychological portraits that explore the relationships and dramas of everyday life. Ono made her professional debut in 2003, and her subsequent works including not simple, Ristorante Paradiso, Gente and House of Five Leaves (all published under VIZ Media’s Signature imprint) have pushed the manga genre in intriguing new directions. Ristorante Paradiso and House of Five Leaves have also been adapted into animated TV series.

Ono’s House of Five Leaves, a many-sided tale of drama and intrigue set in the world of old Edo, was also recently nominated for a 2011 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia.

For more information on Natsume Ono or to check out other VIZ Signature titles, please visit www.SigIKKI.com.

Threadless and Disney are teaming up together to launch a design challenge. It’s time to make it work because the prizes are amazing!

The Threadless Loves Tron: Legacy design challenge asks you to create your best interpretation of Tron before the film comes out on December 17.

The prizes are pretty amazing. The grand prize winner will be awarded a pair of TRON: Legacy-inspired Oakley sunglasses, a $500 gift certificate to Threadless, Monster headphones, $3,000 from Threadless, and most importantly, a custom Tron motorcycle suit from UD Replicas. Runner-ups will also have the chance to have their designs printed on other super secret opportunities coming up. If you remember, we tried the Monster headsets quickly at SDCC this year and they are amazing. Very comfortable and work great as headphones. The suits from UD Replicas are amazing too! So if you have the skill, definitely go for it! You have until October 17 to enter.

Use of the CleanTouch spray on your touchscreen devices can help you use your device 5-10% longer without fingerprint residue (for normal iPhone users, this could be an hour to an hour and a half longer) and the more you use the product, the better the protection becomes. The product build-up is similar to something like Rain-X that many people use for their car windshields. The spray is not anti-microbial (there is no alcohol or products that could do damage to the screen) but the cloth that comes with it is. The antimicrobial protection provided by the microfiber cloth is provided by technology from AEGIS, a company that’s been working on Microbe shield technology since the 1970s.

CleanTouch sounds like a miracle product for those of us touchscreen phone users that are always complaining about the face gunk that transfers to our phones after we’ve spent some time talking. Or, maybe for those gamers that spend a lot of time playing games on their shiny new iPads.  I’ll admit I was skeptical that this was a product that would actually work. I’m the type of person that’s wiping my iPhone down after every conversation, every twitter check, email checked or game played.

But, this stuff works. They’re not promising a super long life free of scratches or fingerprints, but it’s clear even with just one use of CleanTouch, that Monster is delivering touchscreen protection. I’ve been using it pretty heavily since I first tried it out and every time I use my phone and there’s no fingerprints or face smudges left behind, I have to smile. After application, the screen feels like it has some sort of coating on it, a tiny bit of resistance between my fingers and the screen. The screen feels more responsive to the touch and it takes a longer usage time before fingerprints start appearing and I have to break the spray out again. Of course, it’s not complete protection against smudges from your face if you spend a lot of time with the phone to your face. Face smudges appear faster than fingerprints after use; and the screen is less protected against them.

I took the spray and cloth in their handy carrying bag with me to PAX this past weekend and was thrilled at how well it kept the screen clean. I passed it around to the other GA girls there with me: @violetzombie, @stealthyslyth and @rachelzg and all of them were pretty happy to see the effects. I think Rachel applied it to pretty much every portable touchscreen device she had laying around, including her DS.

I’m not thrilled about the $19.95 (US) price tag but after I’ve used it all up, I might change my tune on that. It definitely lives up to it’s claims and is probably worth the long term use (and price) especially if in the future, I can buy just the spray instead of the whole kit. If you want to check out the new CleanTouch product for yourself, check the MonsterCable.com website for a place near you where you can pick up the kit.

A small vain note about the packaging. CleanTouch does come in clamshell packaging – which by it’s very nature is a turn-off. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the packaging had a perforated opening, so the clamshell opened easily. No muss, no fuss packaging; just the way I like it.

Check out the video about CleanTouch from Monster below:

CleanTouch was provided for review by Monster and did affect the outcome of this review.

Don’t know the story? Here’s a synopsis:

What would you do if a child you saved grew up to be a Monster? An ice-cold killer is on the loose, and Dr. Kenzo Tenma is the only one who can stop him! Tenma, a brilliant neurosurgeon with a promising future, risks his career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy named Johan. When the boy, now a coldhearted and charismatic young man, reappears nine years later in the midst of a string of unusual serial murders, Tenma must go on the run to uncover the story of Johan and stop the Monster he set loose upon the world. Conspiracies, serial murders, and secret government experiments set against the grim backdrop of the former East Germany are masterfully woven together in this compelling psychological drama.

The series has also been nominated for a 2009 Eisner Award, and  you can still catch it on SyFy‘s Ani-Monday block or a week later on the Chiller channel. Just to be safe though, check your TV listings rather than take my word for it.

If you’d like info on the anime series be sure to visit monster.viz.com, and don’t forget that there is also a manga series which you can check out at www.vizsignature.com/monster.

The 1st DVD box set of Naoki Urasawa’s “Monster” contains 3 DVDs (episodes 1-15), is rated “M” for Mature Audiences, and is expected to cost about $59.90 U.S. / $85.99 CAN. This edition will also include an exclusive digital booklet – which is a digital version of the original Japanese booklet.

Honey and Clover © 2005 CHICA UMINO/SHUEISHA • Honey and Clover committee

The Viz HQ is up and running again this week after some flooding shut down the office for a couple days. There are some great DVD sets and movies coming out in December that they would like to make sure you keep in mind for your holiday wishlists.

Naoki Urasawa’s Monster Box Set 1 (Episodes 1-15) on December 1st

Hunter X Hunter Box Set 4 (Episodes47-62) on December 1st

Naruto Shippuden Volume 4 (Episodes 14-17) on December 8th

Honey & Clover Box Set 2 (13 Uncut Episodes) on December 15th

Bleach Volume 23 (Episodes 92-95) on December 15th

20th Century Boys 1: Beginning of the End Movie on December 15th

I had no idea that SyFy has an anime Monday block. Starting tonight on the SyFy Ani-Monday block is the premier of Naoki Urasawa’s Monster.

The title is definitely one for Halloween month! It’s a psychological suspense thriller that will air each Monday night and then be re-broadcast on channel Chiller the week after.

Here is some information on Monster:

What would you do if a child you saved grew up to be a monster? An ice-cold killer is on the loose, and Dr. Kenzo Tenma is the only one who can stop him! Tenma, a brilliant neurosurgeon with a promising future, risks his career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy named Johan. When the boy, now a coldhearted and charismatic young man, reappears nine years later in the midst of a string of unusual serial murders, Tenma must go on the run from the police who suspect him to be the killer to find Johan and stop the monster he set loose upon the world. Conspiracies, serial murders, and secret government experiments set against the grim backdrop of the formerly communist Eastern Europe are masterfully woven together in this compelling work of suspense.

Also tonight is Street Fighter Motion Comic (series) and Voltron Motion Comic (series).

The writing style varies with each author and this in turn keeps the book refreshing and making you want to come back for more. The characters in most of the stories are well developed, and it does make you care to a degree about their welfare in the fight against the unknown, or in one case a crazy ex girlfriend. Some of the monsters we have seen before (like the giant bugs or a massive sea serpent) but each of the authors manages to work a new story around them that makes the monsters just as intimidating and scary.

These are graphic stories, and definitely not for the faint of heart. I admittedly had to stop midway through a couple of stories involving giant bugs since I really do not like bugs, and giant ones are even worse. And there was at least one story that had me laughing out loud, even though the implications of what was going on was pretty unsettling. All in all this is a great book for those who love the horror genre and want to take a break from vampires and zombies and sit back to read about some good monsters.

You can find Monstrous on Permuted Press’ bookstore here.