Another energetic, pocky-fueled edition of Anime Expo has wrapped up in Los Angeles, with lots of exciting announcements for the fandom coming from all corners. VIZ Media unveiled multiple acquisitions and announcements for its video and print slate, including the English translation of Junji Ito’s latest artbook and the upcoming Netflix original Seis Manos.
Arriving Fall 2019:
- CASTLEVANIA Season 2 Blu-ray – The continuation of the thrilling animated series!
- SEIS MANOS – VIZ provided a first look at the gritty series (animated by Powerhouse, the team behind Castlevania) and Netflix unveiled the star-studded cast — it includes Aislinn Derbez (La Casa de las Flores), Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Jonny Cruz (Overwatch), Angelica Vale (Jane the Virgin), Vic Chao (Mortal Kombat X) and Danny Trejo (Machete)! Visit seismanos.com to keep up with the latest updates. Check out the trailer below (Content warning: Gore).
Winter 2020:
- DOWNFALL, by Inio Asano – The latest title from the Eisner-nominated, bestselling author of Goodnight PunPun. In this realistic view into the manga industry, selling copies is the only thing that matters. So what if your first series just ended and you have no idea how to start the next one, your marriage is breaking up, your pure love of manga has been destroyed by the cruel reality of the industry and nothing seems to fill the sucking void inside you… Find the secret combo for a new hit manga series and everything will be okay. Right?
- PRINCE FREYA by Keiko Ishihara (Shojo Beat) – The powerful kingdom of Sigurd has slowly been conquering all the lands that share its borders, and now it has turned its voracious attention to the small, resource-rich kingdom of Tyr. Tyr cannot hope to match Sigurd in strength, so in order to survive it must rely on the intelligence, skill, and cunning of its prince and his loyal knights. But when the prince is poisoned, a young village maiden named Freya, who bears a shocking resemblance to the fallen prince, must step into his place to save them all.
- TRANSFORMERS: THE MANGA – This collection of Generation 1 Transformers manga strips ran in Japan’s TV Magazine in the 1980s and will be published in the United States for the first time!
Spring 2020:
- THE ART OF JUNJI ITO: TWISTED VISIONS – See the world through Junji Ito’s eyes and dare to consume his Twisted Visions in this new artbook.
- BLUE FLAG by KAITO – A sweet and heart-wrenching manga about an unlikely love quadrangle and unrequited romance.
- HELL’S PARADISE: JIGOKURAKU by Yuji Kaku – Can an invincible ninja survive the horrors that await in Hell’s Paradise?
- KIRBY: ART & STYLE COLLECTION – A stylish new hardcover book featuring the history of Kirby, the hero of the best-selling video games. Includes 25 years’ worth of sketches, artwork, Japanese video game box art, and merchandise, as well as exclusive notes from creators and artists who’ve brought Kirby to life throughout the years
- LOVE ME, LOVE ME NOT by Io Sakisaka – Prepare to fall in love with this new romantic manga by the creator of Strobe Edge and Ao Haru Ride (Blue Spring Ride).
- POKÉMON ADVENTURES COLLECTOR’S EDITION, story by Hidenori Kusaka, art by Mato and Satoshi Yamamoto – When Pokémon Trainer Red encounters a challenger he can’t fight alone, he must overcome his rivalries and join up with Blue, his former nemesis, and Green, a thief. Together, this unlikely trio and their Pokémon will need to learn the power of teamwork if they’re going to defeat their mutual enemy.
