This time we have vampires, ghosts, crime drama and teenage angst awaiting us. I won’t hold back – so what’s in store?

VIZ Signature releases include:

Children of the sea, Vol. 1 (available now) and Vol. 2 (available December 15, pictured – top right)

Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens – $14.99 US / $17.50 CAN each

When Ruka was younger, she saw a ghost in the water at the aquarium where her dad works. Now she feels drawn toward the aquarium and the two mysterious boys she meets there, Umi and Sora. They were raised by dugongs and hear the same strange calls from the sea as she does. Ruka’s dad and the other adults who work at the aquarium are only distantly aware of what the children are experiencing as they get caught up in the mystery of the worldwide disappearance of the oceans’ fish. CHILDREN OF THE SEA is a surreal and riveting aquatic adventure from Daisuke Igarashi. Igarashi was given the Award of Excellence by the Japan Cartoonists Association in 2009.

GOGO Monster

Rated ‘T’ For Teens – $27.99 US / $36.00 CAN

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 even nature itself.

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD!, Vols. 1-2

Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens – $12.99 US / $16.00 CAN each

A poignant 2-volume 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 continues to explore similar themes including the cruelty of childhood, the delusion of adulthood, the endurance of death and how people find a way to remain resolute and laugh in the face of reality.

SHONEN SUNDAY, SHONEN JUMP, SHONEN JUMP ADVANCED and SHONEN JUMP FICTON goodies include:

RIN-NE, Vol. 1

Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens – $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN

RIN-NE is the brand new series from celebrated manga creator Rumiko Takahashi (INUYASHA). As a child Sakura Mamiya mysteriously disappeared in the woods behind her grandma’s home. She returned whole and healthy, but since then she has had the power to see ghosts. Now a teenager, she just wishes the ghosts would leave her alone! At school, the desk next to Sakura’s has been empty since the start of the school year, then one day her always-absent classmate shows up, and he’s far more than what he seems!

INUYASHA (VIZBIG), Vol. 1

Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens – $17.99 US / $24.00 CAN

Rumiko Takahashi’s epic manga adventure INUYASHA is given an omnibus VIZBIG treatment that combines the first three volumes of the smash hit series. Pulled back in time to Japan’s ancient past, Japanese high school girl Kagome finds her destiny linked to a dog-like half-demon named Inuyasha, who remembers Kagome’s previous incarnation as the woman who killed him – and to the Shikon Jewel, or “Jewel of Four Souls,” which can fulfill the greatest dreams of any man or monster. Now Kagome and Inuyasha must work together to search for the scattered shards of the jewel before everyone’s nightmares are given the power they need to come true.

YU-GI-OH! r, Vol. 1 (available now) and Vol. 2 (available December 1)

Rated ‘T’ for Teens – $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN

YU-GI-OH! R is the shocking sequel to Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duelist and the prequel to Yu-Gi-Oh!: Millennium World. When the follower of an old enemy returns to take revenge, Yugi Mutou must duel to save a friend’s life. But can he overcome the power of the three “Jashin,” the terrifying Evil God Cards? Bonus trading card in the first print run.

TEGAMI BACHI: LETTER BEE, Vol. 1

Rated ‘T’ for Teens – $7.99 US / $9.50 CAN

In a land of perpetual night, your heart is your light. In this imaginative steampunk adventure, Amberground is locked in darkness. A man-made star casts only a dim light over the land. The pitch-black wilderness is infested with Gaichuu—colossal insects with metal exoskeletons. The Gaichuu make travel between the cities of Amberground extremely dangerous. But thankfully the Letter Bees, a brave corps of messengers, risk their lives in order to keep the hearts of Amberground connected.

ROSARIO+VAMPIRE, Vol. 10

Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens – $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN

All around teenager Tsukune can’t get accepted to any high school, save one… but on his first day, he finds the rest of the rest of the student body doesn’t appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can’t wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec’ – are those her teeth around his neck too? Tsukune’s going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster Hugh! But does he have a chance in hell of raising his grades at a school where turf war isn’t between jocks and nerds, but between vampires and werewolves?

DEATH NOTE: L change the WorLd Novel

$19.99 US / $24.00 CAN

DEATH NOTE: L, change the WorLd introduces the unwritten chapter of DEATH NOTE and reveals how the legendary detective “L” (Kenichi Matsuyama) spends the final 23 days of his life. The story begins as L takes on the “Kira” case, in which countless criminals are dying under mysterious circumstances. L successfully solves the case and stops Kira, but only after sacrificing his life, leaving himself with only 23 days left to live. For his final case, L faces down a bio-terrorist group trying to wipe out humanity with a deadly virus ten times more potent than Ebola. As L tries to formulate an antidote with a scientist, he must also save the lives of two children who have no one else to turn to. The DEATH NOTE novel features the same format as the original Japanese printing with a hardcover and clear acetate jacket with metallic ink.

Gonzalo Ferreyra, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, VIZ Media:

“We’re offering up the best of the best just in time for the holidays,” says Gonzalo. “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.”

If you need more information on any of these items, make a visit to www.Viz.com.

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

Bowling played Morandice Black in the final round after two days of working his way up the ranks. Both competitors were ready for an intense match, bringing their best game and their best deck. In the end, Bowling came out on top. Both competitors took home very nice prize back, and Bowling won a paid trip to the National Championships, while the top 16 finalists qualified to participate in their countries’ 2010 National Championships.

“Letter Bee” first made an appearance in Japan’s monthly Shonen Jump magazine, and is now featuring in Jump SQ. It is also being featured in VIZ’s Shonen Jump magazine at the moment, and there is mention of the animated version being debuted in Japan at the annual Jump Super Anime Tour!

The story introduces us to the world of Amberground – a lplace where its wilderness is infested with Gaichuu (large insects with metal exoskeletons). Travelling is risky business thanks to these creatures, but luckily there is the the Letter Bees (a messenger corp) who are intent on keeping the cities of Amberground connected while risking their lives to do so.

Gonzalo Ferreyra, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, at VIZ Media:

“Hiroyuki Asada is a widely known and loved manga creator in Japan and we’re very excited to debut his newest series TEGAMI BACHI: LETTER BEE,” says Gonzalo. “This unique story blends visually captivating motifs of steampunk, an inventive mix of antique and futuristic technology, with the adventures of a boy who runs deliveries across a strange fantasy world. This manga has already captivated readers in the pages of SHONEN JUMP and we invite everyone to explore the manga’s debut volume in September!”

“Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee” will be available from September 1st. The series is rated ‘T’ for Teens and will be published under the company’s SHONEN JUMP imprint. It is expected to carry an MSRP of $7.99 U.S. or $9.50 CAN. Alternatively, Australian and New Zealand fans can expect to see it available on September 10th thanks to Madman Entertainment, for around $12.95AUS!

Of course you could always purchase it from RightStuf!

TEGAMI BACHI  © 2006 by Hiroyuki Asada/SHUEISHA Inc.

More than 460 duelists showed up at Gen Con, ready to try their best to win the top spot and be crowned the 70th Shonen Jump Champion. Fili Luna, from Arlington, TX, outplayed every other competitor to claim this title and qualify for the 2010 National Championship.

He went head-to-head against Matt Hoey from Kenosha, WI. for the title. They both worked hard to get to this stage, spending the past 2 days dueling other players. Both were prepared with their decks and set for a grueling, intense match. In the end, Fili Luna won. Both received an impressive list of prizes that includes a 32 GB media player, subscriptions to Shonen Jump, and Luna won a paid trip to the National Championship.

In addition to these two, the top 16 finalists from the tournament, along with the top eight from the Sunday Regional, qualify to participate in the National Championship.

Gen Con (August 15-16) will be the second stop in the Shonen Jump Championship series. Players can sign up for a Player ID and a COSSY number at the event if they don’t have one already. It costs $20 to entry, and all players will get five booster packs just for signing up. Any participant with a standard Gen Con badge will also get five extra packs from the Crimson Crisis expansion.

Registration for the tournament will start at 8:00 a.m. on August 15. Round One will start at 10 a.m.

The first place winner will win paid travel and accommodations to the 2010 National Championship as well as a trophy, cards, and a year subscription to the Shonen Jump Magazine. Places 2-16 will also recieve prizes.

For more information on Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game or the Shonen Jump Championship series, please visit: www.yugioh-card.com

San Diego Comic Con by GamingAngels

One of the few panels I was able to make was the Women in Manga panel at San Diego Comic Con. The panel was aoderated by Eva Volin, and featured Leyla Aker (Viz Media), Deb Aoki (About.com), Robin Brenner, Becky Cloonan, Lillian Diaz-Przybyl (Tokyopop), and JuYoun Lee. The original aim of the panel was to discuss women in the manga business, how to keep manga readers as they get older, and what are some thoughts on the future of manga in the United States.

Women in Manga Panel at SDCC

The panel was pretty early Saturday morning yet the room was full of women eager to hear advice from other women about starting a career in manga. The first topic that Eva brought up to the panel was the fact that teenage girls have been credited with the success of manga in the United States. Now that those teenagers are growing up, how do we help them follow a career in manga. Leyla mentioned that a common problem in any publishing house is the lack of women in executive positions. JuYunn explained that in Korea much of the editorial staff is female. This can be because the companies are smaller and that creates more opportunity for women to move up.

Becky Cloonan will be starting to sell her own manga soon and she explained how she was a comic book fan at a very young age but felt that she could never work in the comic book industry. When she first found manga, Becky immediately knew that was what she wanted to do.

The panel then went into a discussion about how manga can appeal to women fans as they get older. Personally, I enjoy Shojo manga but I can also see how certain titles no longer appeal to me. Josei Manga, (pronounced “joe-say”), refers to manga who’s target audience is women or girls in their late teens. The themes of these manga are more complex, the characters may be in college or working and have problems that older women can relate to. A few examples of titles in this genre of manga are Nana and Tramps like Us. I hope to feature more Josei Manga here on GamingAngels.com through research. Both Leyla and Lillian discussed that it can be a difficult fight to bring these Josei titles to United States because the sales numbers aren’t there yet. While 40% of Shonen Jump readers are female, only 5% of Shojo Beat readers are male. Because of these stats, many publishing houses feel that women will read manga that appeals to men and that is where their focus lies. But every once in awhile they test the waters and hope to be able to do that more in the future. Robin mentioned that it’s up to us as fans, readers, and press to bring more attention to these novels. People react to personal recommendations and we will work harder on GamingAngels.com to help expose you to more choices.

Comiket is known for Doujinshis. But what are they? The Japanese definition is “magazines published as a cooperative effort by a group of individuals who share a common ideology or goals with the aim of establishing a medium through which their works can be presented”.

A huge part of Comiket is the Doujinshi marketplace. At some conferences they can be just a few dozen circles, but at Comiket, there are over 35,000 circles of doujinshi publishing groups. That’s a lot of independant comic artists.

Comiket started in 1975 with just 32 doujinshi circles and about 7000 attendees. In the time period between 1975 and 1981, (before many of you were born!), trends started happening in manga. The emergence of Shojo Manga or young girl’s comics started. Mobile Suit Gundam became popular amongst men and women. Men started to enjoy comics in the Lolicon genre which was comics featuring girls specifically for male readers.

From 1981 – 1986 Comiket struggled to keep up with the rapid expansion of the con. A move caused alot of change in secuity, and doujinshi circles grew to 7,000 by 1986.

1986-1990 saw a very large boom in interest from women. Saint Seiya was an instant hit along with Samurai Troopers. But with the increase in popularity, comes the criticizing. Otakus were criticized because as a serial killer incident highlights the otaku culture and the themes you find in comics.

Jump ahead to now and you have a rise of Shonen Jump titles that are popular amongst women. Gundam Seed starts to get a boom in 2003 along with the very popular Fullmetal Alchemist. Now the number of doujinshi circles are at 35,000 and it’s a madhouse to get around. People wait in line for hours for the opportunity to buy a doujinshi. Both Cosplay and Corporate booths are added, as corporations try to capitalize on having a dedicated audience. There is no charge to attend Comiket, but they encourage attendees to buy the catalogue. If you wanted to participate in a doujinshi circle it can cost $65 for the space and $8 forthe application form. Much cheaper than artist alleys at American anime conventions.

Comiket also now has panels. There are handshaking sessions, talk shows, autograph sessions and the most unique con activity…Rock, Paper, Scissors contests.

Cosplay is serious business at Comiket. Many of the cosplay magazines features girls and guys that visit Comiket. In America, you can ask a cosplayer for a picture at any time throughout the con (always remember to ask first. It’s rude not to!). At Comiket, participants have a dedicated dressing room to change in. There are also lockers for them to keep stuff in. Cosplay is regulated to one area or cosplay circle where photographers have a chance to ask for pictures. It’s considered rude at Comiket to ask for a picture of a cosplayer outside of cosplay circle.

Comiket is actually attended by more women than men. 57% of visitors are women with the average age being 25. While Manga is the main thrust of the con, interest in video games is growing.

Comiket continues to be volunteer based and probably will only continue to grow. Anime and manga are increasing in popularity in the United States. So much so that Traveling agencies in America now sell travel packages that include a trip to Comiket. If do you ever go, remember this article and bring me back something cute. ^_^

- The Shonen Jump Experience Sweepstakes -
With a Grand Prize of a six-day trip for two to attend Jump Festa in Japan (one Japan’s largest animation and comics conventions)

Jump Festa is awesome. I wish I could go but I’ll probably be leaving before it happens. They haven’t announced a date for it yet. So I’ll keep my eyes peeled.

Anyway read the press release below for details:
The August issue of Shonen Jump magazine will kick off the celebration of these anniversaries by announcing the Shonen Jump Experience sweepstakes and offering a limited-edition poster featuring spaces to collect six character sticker designs from Naruto, Bleach, Slam Dunk and Death Note. These character stickers can be found in select new Shonen Jump manga and DVDs released between August and October 2008. Over one million units of product will contain the stickers, as well as entry forms for the Shonen Jump Experience Sweepstakes. The Grand Prize is a six-day trip for two to attend Jump Festa in Japan, one of that country’s largest and most respected animation and comics conventions. For complete sweepstakes rules and information, please visit www.shonenjump.com/wsj40

VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump imprint will further publish an array of new Collector’s Editions beginning this summer that feature jacketed, hardcover, larger-sized presentations of much-loved manga series such as Naruto, Bleach, Death Note and Dragonball Z as well as a special Shonen Jump Fifth Anniversary Collector’s Edition that compiles some of the best manga series, articles and interviews from the magazine’s past 5 years.

“These two anniversaries are important benchmarks in the history of manga in both Japan and North America,” says Marc Weidenbaum, Editor-in-Chief, Shonen Jump magazine. “Weekly Shonen Jump has played a vital role in Japan’s manga culture for over four decades and gave birth to some of the genre’s most beloved titles. In North America, Shonen Jump magazine has played an important role in spreading manga fandom across the country, and it will continue to be a leading vehicle to present new series to the ever-expanding domestic audience. We look forward to fans enjoying the upcoming August issue that celebrates these anniversaries and also exploring the array of new Collector’s Editions that present some of manga’s and SHONEN JUMP magazine’s best work in an exciting new way!”

SHONEN JUMP FIFTH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTOR’S EDITION • Rated “T” for Teens • MSRP: $24.99 • Available August 5, 2008
SHONEN JUMP America’s most successful comics and celebrates its 5th anniversary with this special edition. Each month, SHONEN JUMP publishes more than 300 pages of the world’s most popular manga—Japanese comics that range from the ninja action of NARUTO to the soul-reaping epic that is BLEACH to the ocean-faring adventures of ONE PIECE. Gathered in this collectible edition is all the manga from the very first issue of Shonen Jump, published in December 2002—plus the first chapter of NARUTO, now one of the most successful manga series, which originally appeared in the second issue of the magazine. Also included are feature stories from the first five years of SHONEN JUMP, including Japanese lessons, manga sudoku and rare interviews with great manga creators such as Masashi Kishimoto (NARUTO), Akira Toriyama (DRAGON BALL Z), Tite Kubo (BLEACH) and Eiichiro Oda (ONE PIECE)—over a dozen in all. This hardcover edition also comes with a full-color dust jacket with new cover art, a manga-history timeline, a valuable YU-GI-OH! trading card, and essays by SHONEN JUMP’s American and Japanese editors.

COLLECTOR’S EDITIONS • Rated “T” for Teens • MSRP: $19.99 each
VIZ Media Shonen Jump Collector’s Editions celebrate some of manga’s most notable series in gorgeous hardcover with full-color dust jackets, heavier paper stock and larger-sized presentations (5 ¾ x 8 ¼ inches), that include several new color pages not featured in the original volumes. These editions are an attractive way to collect, preserve and display these unique and original titles in a way befitting the serious fan.

SHONEN JUMP COLLECTOR’S EDITIONS INCLUDE:
BLEACH Volume 1, Available: August 5, 2008
NARUTO Volume 1, Available: September 2, 2008
YU-GI-OH! Volume 1, Available September 2, 2008
DEATH NOTE Volume 1, Available: September 2, 2008
DRAGON BALL Volume 1, Available: October 7, 2008
DRAGON BALL Z Volume 1, Available: October 7, 2008

Launched by VIZ Media’s parent company Shueisha, Inc. in 1968, Weekly Shonen Jump is one of the longest running manga magazines in Japan and boasts more than 3 million readers. Many of the most popular and successful manga series such as NARUTO, BLEACH, and YU-GI-OH! premiered in the magazine’s pages and the publication continues to be a leading platform for new artists. Weekly Shonen Jump, in association with Shueisha, is also the sponsor of the prestigious Tezuka Award, named for manga pioneer Osamu Tezuka, and an annual manga competition where work from emerging artists is judged by a panel of top manga creators. Winners often go on to become successful creators whose work is published by the magazine.