Viz Media has announced that their new free-to-download manga app is now available for the iPad. Vampire Knight, Ouran High School Club, Otomen and Rurouni Kenshin are all available for the iPad now. The episodes are $4.99 per volume but the app is free.

There are free chapter 1 previews on the app and the download library will be growing. Previously available were Bleach, Bakuman, Death Note, Dragon Ball, Naruto and One Piece.

I highly recommend Vampire Knight or Ouran High School Club!

Viz Media has announced that the second season of Vampire Knight is available now on VizAnime.com. I used VizAnime.com to watch the entire first season of Vampire Knight and really enjoyed it.

The anime is rated T for Teens and maybe it’s my fascination of Vampires combined with the love story that tugs at my heart. The Cross Academy has day and night students (guess which ones are the vampires). In Vampire Knight Guilty, Yuki has to answer questions about her past to figure out what is happening now.

The service at VizAnime.com is great and I highly recommend it for catching up on anime.

Vampires are the new hotness when it comes to pop culture. Just when pirates and ninjas were fighting for first place in our hearts, vampires prove that they have stronger staying power.

Now you can find vampires in the animated series, Vampire Knight. The series launches this weekend on VizAnime.com.

Here is what the series is about:
“Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorms, they cross paths with the mysterious Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy’s dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires! Yuki Cross has no memory of her past prior to the moment she was saved from a vampire attack ten years ago. She was adopted by the headmaster of Cross Academy, and now works alongside Zero to guard the Academy’s secret. Yuki believes that vampires and humans can coexist peacefully, but her partner has different ideas…”

“With its cast of edgy and engaging characters combined with a dark sexy storyline, VAMPIRE KNIGHT is destined to be one of the most exciting anime releases of 2010,” says Brian Ige, Director of Sales, Home Entertainment. “Fans can also look forward to the release of VAMPIRE KNIGHT on DVD, under the Shojo Beat imprint, on July 20th. Stay tuned for more details coming soon on some hot VIZ Media anime summer releases!”

On Viz Anime, anime fans can watch over 400 episodes for free all the time. I’ve never been on VizAnime before so I logged in to check it out. I love that they have all the anime listed but also have the following sections: Shonen Jump, Shojo Beat, and Shonen Sunday. As a shojo fan, I went straight to Shojo Beat where Honey and Clover I and II, Nana, and Vampire Knight are listed. I started by just watching one episode of Vampire Knight and ended up watching all five that are listed. New episodes are out every Friday.

Here is the first episode of Vampire Knight:

“Vampire Knights” takes us to Cross Academy, a school that has two student classes – the Day Class and the Night class. Twilight sees the Day Class students return to their dorm, crossing paths with the Night Class students as they emerge. The Day Class has two Guardians in the form of Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu who protect them from those attending the Night class. Why? Because the Night Class students are vampires, that’s why!

Let me introduce you to some of the cast, and the parts that they play:

Mela Lee as Yuki Cross

Mela has been voice acting for the last 7 years. Some of her work can be witnessed in such animes as Fate Stay Night, Rozen Maiden, When They Cry, and Blade of the Immortal. Her character in Vampire Knight is Yuki Cross, who is the adoptive daughter of the headmaster of Cross Academy and one of the schools Guardians for the Day Class.

Vic Mignogna as Zero Kiryu

Most Anime fans would know Vic. He’s been an actor since the age of 8, and has been voicing anime characters for the past 10 years. Out of the 100+ roles in Anime and Video Games he has taken, some of them include voicing Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist, Fai in Tsubasa Chronicles, and my personal favourite Tamaki Suou in Ouran High School Host Club – just to name a few. As well as his acting, Vic has a degree in film and regularly writes, produces and directs on productions. He has also lent his vocal skills to sing theme songs for One Piece & DBGT and has even got some of his original work available on CD. As for the character he plays in this production, Vic performs as Zero Kiryu. Kiryu is a year older than Yuki and comes from a family of vampire hunters. He is also a Guardian for the Day Class.

Ethan Murray as Kaname Kuran

Ethan has been a in acting since 1994. He was approached while doing a stage production to voice monsters in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and has been voice acting ever since. Some of the productions he has taken part in include Arc the Lad, Gankutsuou, Blade the Immortal, Tenjo Tenge, and Rurouni Kenshin. In Vampire Knight, Ethan plays Kaname Kuran. Kuran is a pure blooded vampire and the current Head of the Kuran Clan. He also saved Yuki from an attack by another vampire when she was 7, and is president of the Night Class and the dorm leader. The students of the Night Class both fear and respect him.

And that’s only a few actors and their characters – I wonder what other excellent talent they will have in store for us!

William Germain, Director, Programming & Music Sales, VIZ Media:

“VAMPIRE KNIGHT is an important series that demanded skilled actors who could portray these complex characters without sacrificing any of the intensity and emotional drama each one exudes,” says William. “We also know there are a lot of fans of the manga that have been waiting for this series so we wanted to bring in some very talented people who we know will take VAMPIRE KNIGHT to a whole new level. Look for more news coming soon about the North American debut!”

There’s no word as to when we might actually be able to view their efforts, but we’ll try to do our best in keeping you informed here at GamingAngels!

VIZ Media are helping us get there by bringing out plenty of Shojo manga ideas for our bewildered loved ones to choose from. So I hope you have room on your wishlist – this could get ugly otherwise!

If you’re a fan of Arina Tanemura then you’ll probably be after THE ART OF GENTLEMEN’S ALLIANCE † – a collection of lavish drawings and designs from the hit series. There is a new manga title out by the name of BEAST MASTER, as well as the most recent volume of VAMPIRE KNIGHT, and the VIZBIG omnibus editions of FUSHIGI YUGI and HOT GIMMICK.

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

“Shojo manga fans have much to look forward to during this year’s holiday season, with a variety of selections that make wonderful gift ideas to suit any budget,” says Gonzalo. “Many of these series have dramatically expanded the core Shojo audience, receiving universal renown and acclaim. From VAMPIRE KNIGHT, which has become a national bestseller, to the launch of the wild new manga, BEAST MASTER, and gorgeous new omnibus editions of other shojo favorites, bookstore shelves have never been stocked with so much must-read Shojo manga!!”

Each of the VIZBIG editions are composed of 3 volumes from the original series, and are sized at 5-3/4 x 8-5/8 (as compared to the usual size of 5 x 7-1/2). They are loaded with extra goodies which includes new cover art, bonus colour pages, author interviews, updated text and character art!

Here is your list (with story synopsis for reference):

BEAST Master Vol. 1

Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens – $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN – Available November 3rd

Leo Aoi looks like a crazy animal with wild eyes – and no one at his new high school will go near him! He does seem to have a special connection with animals, which intrigues overzealous animal lover, Yuiko Kubozuka. In reality, Leo isn’t nearly as frightening as he appears, but Yuiko finds out that he goes berserk whenever he sees blood! Will Yuiko be able to get through to Leo during one of these violent fits? Or will his ferocious side eventually devour her? The debut volume also includes a special bonus short story called FLY.

VAMPIRE KNIGHT Vol. 8

Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens – $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN – Available Now!

Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorms, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy’s dark secret – the Night Class is composed of vampires!

In Volume 8, after trying to recall her past, Yuki’s hallucinations become more vivid and she tries to strangle Zero during a fit of temporary madness. Locked in her room, all she can see is a world dyed in blood, but things will become really dangerous when the vampire Kaname comes for her and tells her it’s time to wake up and sinks his fangs into her neck!

THE ART OF GENTLEMEN’S ALLIANCE † (pictured, top right)

$19.99 US / $27.00 CAN – Available November 17th

Renowned manga artist Arina Tanemura exemplifies the shojo style with this collection of highly stylized artwork presented with a swirl of billowing ribbons, romance and heartbreak. The glossy illustrated edition features designs for all the major characters from THE GENTLEMEN’S ALLIANCE † and includes exclusive art for the North American edition and a full color double-sided, fold-out poster.

HOT GIMMICK VIZBIG Edition, Vol. 3

Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens – $17.99 US / $24.00 CAN – Available December 15th

Miki Aihara turned the manga world upside down with her salacious, outrageous, and funny hit series which concludes in this final VIZBIG omnibus edition. If you think being a teenager in America is hard, wait until you read HOT GIMMICK These Tokyo boys and girls are really messed up!

FUSHIGI YUGI VIZBIG Edition, Vol. 4

Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens – $17.99 US / $24.00 CAN – Available December 15th

Fifteen-year-old Miaka Yuki is transported back to an ancient Chinese kingdom by an old library book called The Universe of the Four Gods. Following the legend of the book, Miaka becomes the Priestess of Suzaku and must find her seven Celestial Warriors before she can save the kingdom and return home. In the latest VIZBIG volume, with one of the Celestial Warriors lost forever, Miaka and her men are more desperate than ever to obtain the two Shentso-Paos in order to summon Suzaku. But once Miaka has one in her grasp, it’s stolen away by the Seiryu Warrior Nakago. Miaka goes to Nakago to get it back, but he assaults her. Believing she is no longer worthy of becoming Tamahome’s bride, Miaka flees on her own, only to be saved by a man whom she initially thought was her enemy. Meanwhile, Tamahome falls under the Seiryu Warrior Tomo’s power of illusions.

If you would like more information on these (or any other) titles, be sure to visit www.viz.com.

News from VIZ Media today tells us that they are now the “Master Licensors” in North America for the Vampire Knight anime series, and they now hold the TV (including IPTV and VOD) and Home Video (all platforms including Blu-ray), Streaming, DTO and Merchandising (including digital Merchandise and mobile) rights as well.

If you would like any more information on Hino Matsuri’s creation Vampire Knights, be sure to visit http://www.shojobeat.com/manga/vk for information on the manga which the animated series is based.