Viz Media announces new Anime Releases

By: Karl Schneider
Date: Saturday, March 03, 2007

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, announced a bevy of new anime offerings for hot properties at this year’s New York Comic-Con.  These exciting titles include NARUTO, MÄR and the highly anticipated debut of DEATH NOTE.

Further expanding VIZ Media’s successful NARUTO franchise, the highly anticipated DVD release of the NARUTO - THE LOST STORY “Mission: Protect The Waterfall Village!” - will debut May 22. As a special premium, VIZ Media will offer an exclusive Bandai CCG NARUTO trading card and a special, never-before-seen extended trailer for the upcoming NARUTO MOVIE, set to debut theatrically this summer.

VIZ Media also drew fans’ attention at New York Comic-Con with a special at-show-only preview of the long-awaited domestic debut of DEATH NOTE, which the company recently announced will be made available this spring in an innovative Download Own format. New York Comic-Con visitors to the VIZ Media booth were invited to download two exclusive previews to their cell phones. The DVD release of DEATH NOTE is also scheduled for fall 2007 release and will include an English dub as well as subtitles, special packaging and collectable premiums.

VIZ Media also announced the debut of MÄR on DVD due out on June 12.  MÄR is based on a manga by Nobiyuki Anzai (FLAME OF RECCA), which is also published in North America by VIZ Media. The anime series focuses on Ginta Toramizu, a 14-year-old boy in junior high school who doesn’t have a lot going for him: he’s near-sighted, doesn’t do well in school, he’s not good at sports, and to top it off, he’s short! But Ginta is a dreamer and he’s had the same dream 102 times. It’s always in the same fantasy world where he is a hero blessed with all the special abilities he lacks in real life. Then one day a supernatural figure appears at his school and summons him to the world of his dreams! In this strange universe filled with magic and wonder, Ginta is strong, tough, agile, and he can finally see without his glasses. He begins a quest in search for magical items known as Arms, one of which may have the power to send him home. Joining him on this epic journey are his companion Jack and the valuable living, talking, mustachioed iron-ball weapon known as “Babbo,” which everybody wants but, it seems, only Ginta can possess!


“The expansion of our anime library will raise the anticipation by fans for these releases and we look forward to their success,” states Gonzalo Ferreyra, vice president, sales, VIZ Media.  “Anime is becoming an ever larger segment of the entertainment market in North America and VIZ Media is pleased to continue to play a major role with proven titles like NARUTO and emerging ones like MÄR.”