VIZ MEDIA SHOWCASES HOT NEW ANIME PROPERTIES AT 2007 MIPCOM SHOW

DEATH NOTE, BLUE DRAGON AND KIRARI AMONG THE UNIQUE NEW TITLES HIGHLIGHTED IN BOOTH AO-12

San Francisco, CA , October 2, 2007 — VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies and VIZ Media Europe (VME), the Paris-based subsidiary of VIZ Media, will showcase a variety of hot anime properties at the 2007 MIPCOM show in Cannes, France, October 8-12 at the Palais Des Festivals. VIZ Media will be located in Booth AO-12

MIPCOM is the premiere global content event for co-producing, buying, selling, financing and distributing entertainment content across all platforms. It provides the key decision-makers in the TV, film, digital and audiovisual content, production and distribution industry with the only market conference and networking forum to discover future trends and trade content rights on a global level.

VIZ Media is a key master licensor of Japanese anime and manga content to a fast growing international audience. The company will offer a diverse selection of exciting new animated properties including action titles for teens and young adults like BLEACH, DEATH NOTE, and the highly anticipated BLUE DRAGON, as well as a new series KIRARI aimed at the new burgeoning market of shojo, or properties aimed at tween and teen girls.

The properties VIZ Media will be highlighting at MIPCOM include:

BLEACH

BLEACH, by creator Tite Kubo, is an animated, hyperkinetic, ghost-busting action series aimed at teens. BLEACH is the story of a 15 year-old named Ichigo Kurosaki who was born with the ability to see ghosts. When his family is attacked by a Hollow – a malevolent lost soul – Ichigo encounters a Soul Reaper and absorbs her powers. Now he is dedicates his life to protecting the innocent and helping the tortured souls find peace. A dedicated website is forthcoming at http://www.viz.com/bleach.

DEATH NOTE

DEATH NOTE is based on the Shueisha manga series of the same name and is currently one of the hottest anime titles in Japan. The series depicts the adventures of Light Yagami, an ace student with great prospects who is bored out of his mind. All of that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a 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 mysteriously begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to investigate, and he is soon hot on the trail of Light, who must now reevaluate his one noble goal.  

BLUE DRAGON 

Based on the popular Microsoft Xbox 360 video game developed by Hironobu Sakaguchi (the creator of Final Fantasy) and featuring character designs by Akira Toriyama (the creator of Dragon Ball), the BLUE DRAGON anime series is a classic adventure story of magical Shadow powers, flying air fortresses, and unbounded heroism! Brought together by fate, Seven Soldiers of Light must awaken the Shadow within themselves in time to overcome a despotic power and bring peace to their land. Their ensuing journey through a rich fantasy world is also an internal journey to awaken the great power within each of them. Journey with them into the world of BLUE DRAGON!

MÄR

MÄR, created by Nobuyuki Anzai, is targeted to kids ages 6-14. Ginta, a 14-year-old boy has his world turned upside down when a mysterious portal suddenly transports him into the fairy tale world he has always dreamed of. This is the World of MÄR, where Ginta acquires superhuman strength and a “strange new travel companion” named Babbo, a talking magical weapon known as an ÄRM. Together, Ginta and Babbo embark on a quest to save the World of MÄR from total domination.

MEGAMAN STAR FORCE  

An extension of the popular MEGAMAN NT WARRIOR series, MEGAMAN STAR FORCE is set in the year 220X in a world that has advanced toward radio-wave technology, and is connected through the Wave Road. Meet Subaru Hoshikawa, a fifth-grade student who lost his father in a space accident. Subaru meets an extraterrestrial radio-wave being named War-Rock, descending from a distant FM planet. War-Rock claims to know about Subaru's father, but many alien beings are after War-Rock. The two work together and merge into Rockman, a radio-wave human capable of traversing the Wave Road and battling the radio-wave viruses and FMs that threaten the Earth.

KIRARI

KIRARI is the story of a cute, 14-year-old girl named Kirari Tsukishima whose main obsession is food. That is, until one day when she falls in love with Seiji, the singer of a pop idol duo, Ships. From then on, to get close to the idol she likes, Kirari announces that she too will become a singer. Swept away in the exciting world of music entertainment and film, Kirari’s adventures take her through the challenge and excitement of becoming a teen idol to win Seiji’s heart!

About VIZ Media Europe, S.A.R.L. (VME)

Headquartered in Paris, France, VIZ Media Europe (VME) is a subsidiary of San Francisco-based VIZ Media, LLC.   VME specializes in the development, marketing and distribution throughout Europe of Japanese animated entertainment and graphic novels (manga).  It handles some of the most popular Japanese manga and animation properties from initial production, through television placement and distribution to merchandise licensing and promotions for consumers of all ages.  VME offers both "shonen" manga (aimed at male readers) and "shôjo" manga (aimed at female readers) properties owned by the largest Japanese publishing houses, Shueisha Inc. and Shogakukan Inc., as well as those properties licensed through animation & merchandising giant ShoPro (Japan).  Current VME animated properties include BLEACH, DEATH NOTE, BLUE DRAGON, HONEY & CLOVER, MÄR, ZOIDS GENESIS and KIRARIN/KIRARIN REVOLUTION.

Contact VIZ Media Europe at 90 avenue des Champs-Elysées, 75008, Paris, France; Phone (33) 1 56 43 50 34; Fax: (33) 1 56 43 50 30; and web site at www.vizeurope.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan's largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan Production Co., Ltd. (ShoPro Japan), VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America and a global licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including, magazines such as SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, graphic novels, videos, DVDs, audio soundtracks and develops and markets animated entertainment from initial production, television placement and distribution, to merchandise licensing and promotions for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at www.VIZ.com.

back to the top