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.

BUY

March Story is a new Manga series released in Fall of 2010 by VIZ, which is author Hyung Min Kim’s first piece of work as a Mangaka. Illustrated by the brilliant Kyung Il Yang, who also works on the on going series Defense Devil, his work is very reminiscent of Takeshi Obata’s work, the artist behind Death Note. Rated “M” for Mature, March Story is very dark and not intended for younger readers.

“Things that should not be touched by humans somehow find their way into this world. That’s why you should never, ever touch anything that is foreign.”

In March Story, we are introduced to our titular character, March, a somber yet kind and remorseful young man who hunts demon’s known as “Ill.” As an Ill hunter, also known as a “Ciste Vihad,” March searches for beautiful relics and artifacts in which Ill reside. Ill hide away within these items, awaiting a human to find and touch them. They can then possess the human who found the item through entering their eye, and take control of them [permanently when they take a human life.] Becoming privy to the desires and fears of their host, these demons callous cause harm and destruction for whomever they encounter.

Our main character is someone who actually fell prey to this (a Ciste Vihad as mentioned above), but in a unique twist, learned to control/master the Ill within him, utilizing the abilities gained to destroy said artifacts, and subsequently the Ill inside of them before they can harm humans. He bears the distinct Ill horns all of these demons sport, but wears a hood to conceal this through his travels. When an Ill’s horns become stained with blood, they’ve taken over their host permanently, and it’s too late for March to salvage the soul of the human the Ill compromised.

Chapter 1 opens in 18th century Europe, with March’s arrival to track down an Ill contaminated artifact–albeit too late to save the human who came into contact with it. As indicated by March, the human possessed by the Ill can no longer be recovered after the Ill has taken a life, staining their horns with blood. The center panel on the first page will immediately catch your eye, a scantily clad, blood covered Ill sittings amongst the bodies of those she just murdered. The beautiful item containing the Ill is a crescent moon shaped earring. After dealing with it’s inhabitant, March sets out to track down the other earring before the same thing happens again.
The earring winds up in the hands of a young circus performer, giving us more insight as to how the Ill bond with the humans they come into contact with. Tapping into the girls’ insecurities, the Ill complacently guides the girl into a dangerous situation, that could be fatal, but thanks to March’s intervening along with the girls’ father, our chapter ends on a happy note.

“Once they are touched, there is no turning back. And yet somehow, people cannot resist the temptation of their sweet words.”

Our second chapter begins with March somewhat forced into service by a young woman who makes masks. The young mask maker pleads with March to save her friend from the Ill who has consumed him; This particular Ill whisks anyone in their town not wearing a mask into the air, dancing with them, before dropping them to their death below. I found this story particularly striking in terms of writing quality and illustration. The imagery is particularly haunting, too—the splash introduction page opening with a beautiful young woman falling to her death, her body impaled on the spoke of a roof. And in accordance to the rules, since our Ill has taken a human life, he is beyond saving. In a very touching, yet heart wrenching ending, we see March—who inherited the mask contaminated by the Ill moving on to his next destination.

Chapter 3 begins to round out the deeper elements of the story more nicely, whilst introducing us to a comedic side of this very dark series as well. We meet Rodin, a handsome and clever antique shop owner, and Jayque, a fellow Ciste Vihad who looks like she came straight out of a Miyazaki film with her comedic, exaggerated appearance. This section of the story is a bit different, and we discover something very important about March. It has a light hearted, comedic tone to it exemplified by the ridiculous drawings of the characters it surrounds, while also showing us that not all Ills are malevolent—a select few are more benign in nature. This specific, forgetful-in-nature Ill requests March to help him fulfill a promise.

“Beautifully crafted items give birth to small creatures called Ills. Ills crave everything that belongs to humans. He said he came here to hunt them… and identified himself as a Ciste Vihad—an Ill hunter.”

In Chapter 4, we learn a great deal about March’s origins, in lieu of what we discovered during Chapter 3. This particular section is incredibly dark. We discover how March became a Ciste Vihad, in an extremely cryptic, Elizabeth Báthory styled chapter. We discover what an unchecked Ill is really capable of over a long span of time, the story is deeply gut wrenching and sad, which is all I can really say without spoiling much.

When I started March Story, I honestly didn’t expect much from it. But I was thoroughly impressed by not only the writing, and the quality of the art, but by it’s unique approach to demon’s—a concept pretty overused now in anime and manga in general. You really can’t judge a book, or in this case, a manga by it’s cover, and I would definitely encourage manga fans looking for a refreshing, yet dark experience to pick up March Story. You will not be disappointed. This VIZ Signature volume will not do you wrong.

February is the month of love, and what better way to celebrate than with two shojo manga debuts on the VIZ Manga App for the iPad: fantasy fairytale Merupuri, and supernatural adventure Natsume’s Book of Friends!

In Merupuri, by Matsuri Hino (creator of Vampire Knight), an occurence of fairytale proportions threatens good girl Airi’s dreams of a cozy home and a loving husband!

In Natsume’s Book of Friends (on the YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens booklist!), Takashi has learned to hide his gift of sight from other people… But when he moves back to the small town his grandmother grew up in, he discovers that he’s inherited more than just the Sight from the mysterious Reiko – a book of power containing the names of spirits & demons, many of who now want to reclaim their names… by force if necessary!

For more information, check out www.vizmedia.com.

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 Mediahas announced the release of Death Note Black Edition, an oversized version of the acclaimed supernatural crime thriller. Volume 1 hits stores on December 28th and includes the first two editions of the popular manga (graphic novel) series as well as added full-color pages. The Death Note Black Edition ill be offered under the Shonen Jump Advanced imprint for $14.99.

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects—and he’s bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal…or his life?

Death Note took the manga world by storm and became an international bestseller with its sinister plot and captivating artwork,” says Beth Kawasaki, Sr. Editorial Director. “The Black Edition is an ideal way for those who never read the original series to finally see what the buzz is all about in six volumes versus the original 12-volume run. For established fans or anyone that might have missed later Death Note volumes, the new version also presents a great opportunity to revisit the series with its larger trade paperback size, new cover design, and bonus color pages.”

The original Death Note series, a 12-volume mystery created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and artist Takeshi Obata, continues to be a must-read among legions of ardent fans, having sold over 1.2 million copies in the U.S. to date. DEATH NOTE has spawned not only a fanbook (Death Note: How to Read 13) and two novels (Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases and Death Note: L, Change the World), all published by VIZ Media, but also a 37-episode animated series (available streamed online for free at VIZAnime.com and on DVD from VIZ Media), three live-action feature films and a plethora of related posters, toys and action figures.

VIZ Media has just released a new manga series, Kurozakuro, by award winning artist Yoshinori Natsume, under their Shonen Sunday imprint.

“Be Careful Who You Bully Because They Might Be An Ogre!”

Mikito Sakurai is tired of being a punching bag for all the delinquents on campus. But what can he do? By nature he’s a gentle and easygoing high school student. That all changes the night he swallows a mysterious orb and meets Zakuro, a strange kid who promises to grant his most heartfelt desire. “When you wake up,” says the pint-sized apparition, “you’ll be stronger and better than a human.”

“The kids who bully Mikito are in for a rude awakening when he starts displaying new, violent instincts after he swallows the orb,” says Andy Nakatani, Editorial Director and Editor-in-Chief, Shonen Sunday. “Anyone who has ever been bullied will be able to relate to Mikito and will enjoy the wild and unpredictable adventure in Kurozakuro. But beware, because becoming the new strongest boy on campus isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, especially when you might be turning into an ogre with a taste for human flesh!“

Artist Yoshinori Natsume is also the creator of Togari, and of Batman: Death Mask by DC Comics.

For more information, check out www.vizmedia.com

VIZ Media brings the artistic styling of creator Usamaru Furuya’s manga (graphic novel) series, GENKAKU PICASSO, available to domestic readers now. The new property will be published in North America under the Shonen Jump imprint.

Hikaru “Picasso” Hamura, a grouchy teenager with a talent for drawing, dies in a freak accident. The gods decide to revive him, but only on the condition that he use his artistic gift for the good of humanity. Picasso discovers that sketching a person’s aura yields a surreal portrait of their psyche. Stranger still, Picasso can dive into these dreamscapes and help people by exploring their deepest emotions, memories and perceptions.

Genkaku Picasso blends mind-bending artwork with the teenage drama of a talented adolescent who gets a second chance at life,” says Daniel Gillespie, Editor, Shonen Jump. “Using his artistic skill, Picasso is able to draw a picture symbolizing a person’s subconscious, and then enter that portrait and manipulate the symbols in order to help them recover from past traumas. The series’ unique plot and multi-faceted characters are sure to engage readers on many levels. We recommend Genkaku Picasso to any fan of M.C Escher!”

Creator Usamaru Furuya made a splash with his 1994 manga debut in the legendary “underground” manga magazine Garo with his innovative four-panel series Palepoli. He also created a gag series called Short Cuts for Young Sunday magazine, which was later serialized in the English-language manga magazine Pulp and published as a graphic novel by VIZ Media. His other works include Jisatsu Circle, a manga adaptation of the film, Suicide Club, The Chronicles of the Clueless Age, a collaboration with the writer Otsuichi, and Happiness, a series of shorts that ran in IKKI magazine. Genkaku Picasso is Furuya’s first series for Shonen Jump.

For more information, check out www.vizmedia.com

Viz Media has a great anime streaming website, but now they are taking another tech step forward. Viz Media is launching a new iPad app that is a free download at the iTunes store. The Viz Manga App is an app where you can read manga on the iPad.

The app will launch with the following manga series:
Bleach Vol. 1-2
Death Note Vol 1-2
Dragon Ball Vol 1
Naruto vol 1-2
One Piece Vol 1-2
Bakuman Vol 1

On week 2 Ouran High School Club vol 1 is released.

The volumes are $4.99 each, which is cheaper than purchasing the volume manga at the bookstore.

“Fans have been clamoring for an official manga-dedicated app from the moment they heard of the iPad’s existence,” says Alvin Lu, Senior Vice President and General Manager of VIZ Media. “It’s easy to see how manga and the iPad make for a perfect and natural fit. The VIZ MANGA APP is a great start, and this is just the beginning of manga’s brave new world. Look for plenty more developments to come.”

Death Note 1 will be available as a free download for a limited time. So try it out for free!

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.

VIZ Media will deliver out-of-this-world summer science fiction and fantasy reading with the release of three new novels under its Haikasoru imprint this summer – Harmony by Project Itoh, Rocket Girls by Housuke Nojiri and Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse by Otsuichi.

Haikasoru is a unique imprint with a dedicated focus on publishing some of the most compelling contemporary Japanese science fiction and fantasy for English-speaking audiences.

Harmony by Project Itoh

Price: $14.99 U.S. / CAN $19.99
Available July 20th

In the distant future, Utopia has finally been achieved thanks to medical nanotechnology and a powerful ethic of social welfare and mutual consideration. But this perfect world isn’t that perfect, and three young girls stand up to totalitarian kindness and super-medicine by attempting suicide via starvation. It doesn’t work, but one of the girls – Tuan Kirie – grows up to be a member of the World Health Organization. As a crisis threatens the harmony of the new world, Tuan rediscovers another member of
her suicide pact, and together they must help save the planet … from itself.

000000;">Keikaku (Project) Itoh was born in Tokyo in 1974 and graduated from Musashino Art University. In 2007, he debuted with Genocidal Organs and took first prize in the “Best SF of 2007″ in Japan’s SF Magazine. Itoh is also the author of Metal Gear Solid: Guns of the Patriots, a Japanese-language novel based on the popular video game series. After a long battle with cancer, Itoh passed away in March 2009. He wrote HARMONY while in the hospital receiving treatment for the disease.

ROCKET GIRLS by Housuke Nojiri

Price: $13.99 U.S. / CAN $18.99
Available September 21st

Yukari Morita is a high school girl on a quest to find her missing father.  While searching for him in the Solomon Islands, she receives the offer of a lifetime. She’ll receive the help she needs to find her father, and all she must do in return is become the world’s youngest, lightest astronaut. Yukari and her half sister Matsuri, both petite, are the perfect crew and *payload*for the Solomon Space Association’s rocket launches, or they *will* be once they complete some rigorous and sometimes dangerous training.

000000;">Housuke Nojiri was born in Mie, Japan, in 1961. After working in instrumentation control, CAD programming and video game design, he published his first work in 1992, The Blind Spot of Veis, based on the video game Creguian. He gained further popularity with his subsequent works including the Creguian series and the Rocket Girl series.  In 2002, he published  USURPER OF THE SUN (published in English by Haikasoru in 2009) and ushered in a new era of science fiction in Japan. After first appearing as a series of short stories, USURPER went on to win the prestigious Seiun Award for Best Japanese Science Fiction Novel of 2002. Nojiri’s other works include Pendulum of Pinieru and Fuwa-Fuwa no Izumi.

Summer, Fireworks and My Corpse by Otsuichi

Price: $14.99 U.S. / CAN $19.99
Available September 21st

Two short novels, including the title story and Black Fairy Tale, plus a bonus short story. Summer is the simple story of a nine-year-old girl who dies while on summer vacation. While her youthful killers try to hide her body, she tells us the story–from the point of view of her dead body–of the children’s attempt to get away with murder. Black Fairy Tale is classic J-horror: a young girl loses an eye in an accident but receives a transplant. Now she can see again, but what she sees out of her new left eye is the experiences and memories of its previous owner. Its previous deceased owner.

000000;">Born 1978 in Fukuoka, Japan, Otsuichi won the Sixth Jump Short Fiction/Nonfiction Prize when he was seventeen with his debut story “Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse.” Now recognized as one of the most talented young fantasy/horror writers in Japan, his other English-language works include the short story collection Calling You and the Honkaku Mystery Prize-winning novel Goth.

666699;">000000;">For more information, check out VIZMedia.com!