VIZ Media Announces Captivating New Shougo Manga Series To Debut In Third Quarter

Five Highly Anticipated New Titles Announced Including TIME STRANGER KYOKO, SHORT-TEMPERED MELANCHOLIC, SUGAR PRINCESS, MIXED VEGETABLES And WANTED

San Francisco, CA, August 21, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced five new shojo manga (graphic novel for girls) titles set to debut throughout the Third Quarter.

Published under the company's popular Shojo Beat imprint, the new series include TIME STRANGER KYOKO, SHORT-TEMPERED MELANCHOLIC AND OTHER STORIES, SUGAR PRINCES: SKATING TO WIN, MIXED VEGETABLES and WANTED.

"The debut of these latest shojo manga series features a variety of romantic stories set against an array of interesting backdrops that range from time travel to ice skating to cooking to pirates!" says Gonzalo Ferreyra, Vice President, Sales & Product Marketing, VIZ Media. "Fans will be excited to explore these intriguing new stories from renowned manga artists such as Arina Tanemura, who created The Gentlemen's Alliance † and FULL MOON, Hisaya Nakajo, the creator of HANA KIMI, and Matsuri Hino, who created the popular gothic drama VAMPIRE KNIGHT. As the popularity of shojo manga continues, readers won't want to miss these exciting new series by some of the genre's most acclaimed and innovative artists and creators."

TIME STRANGER KYOKO - Rated "T+" for Older Teens - MSRP: $8.99 US / $10.50 CAN - Available Now!

Kyoko Suomi is the Princess of Earth in the 30th century but she lives among the commoners, unwilling to reveal her true identity and ascend to the throne. Her father the King will only allow Kyoko to live as she pleases if she can revive her twin sister Ui, who has been trapped in time since birth. To do this Kyoko must find 12 holy stones and 12 telepaths to move the clock that has stopped time for her sister. TIME STRANGER KYOKO was created by Arina Tanemura, who began her manga career in 1996 when her short stories debuted in Japan's Ribon magazine. She first gained fame with the 1997 publication of I•O•N, a high school romance with a supernatural twist that is also published domestically by VIZ Media. Tanemura worked on the popular series Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne, about a young girl who is the reincarnation of Joan of Arc, followed by Time Stranger Kyoko, The Gentlemen's Alliance †, and FULL MOON (all published domestically by VIZ Media). TIME STRANGER KYOKO has also been previewed in SHOJO BEAT magazine.

SHORT-TEMPERED MELANCHOLIC AND OTHER STORIES - Rated "T" for Teens - MSRP: $8.99 US / $10.50 CAN - Available Now!

A new collection of four unique short stories from famed mangaka Arina Tanemura! Kajika Yamano is a female ninja whose job is to protect her family's legendary weapon. But when a boy she has a crush on tells her she should be more ladylike, she vows to give up all her ninja activities. In "This Love is Nonfiction" Yuri sends her pen pal Ryo a picture of herself – but it's really of her best friend Karin, who she feels is much prettier. Now Ryo wants to meet, so she has no choice but to send Karin instead! In "Rainy Afternoons Are for Romantic Heroines" Minori falls in love with Takato, a boy who shared his umbrella with her one rainy afternoon. Now she "forgets" her umbrella every time it rains in hopes of catching the boy's attention. The final story, "The Style of the Second Love" presents a girl named Mana who secretly likes her friend's boyfriend, but Nakamura, a younger boy, is determined to win Mana's heart.

SUGAR PRINCESS: SKATING TO WIN - Rated "A" for ALL AGES - MSRP: $8.99 US / $10.50 CAN - Available Now!

Maya Kurinoki is an 8th grader who has no experience ice-skating but seems to have natural talent. She performs a double axel and impresses a scout named Eishi Todo, who tells her that he can make her a skating "princess." But Todo also tells Maya that she'll have to convince the famous skater Shun Kano to coach her and become her skating partner. But unfortunately for Maya, Shun only wants to skate singles. Will she be able to change his mind? SUGAR PRINCESS: SKATING TO WIN was created by Hisaya Nakajo's who also created the hit manga series HANA KIMI (published domestically by VIZ Media). SUGAR PRINCESS: SKATING TO WIN was recently previewed in the July 2008 issue of Shojo Beat magazine.

MIXED VEGETABLES - Rated "T" for TEENS - MSRP: $8.99 US / $10.50 CAN - Available September 2, 2008

A new culinary manga series by Ayumi Komura, MIXED VEGETABLES introduces readers to Hanayu Ashitaba, daughter of the family that runs the celebrated Patisserie Ashitaba. Despite her famous lineage all she wants to be is a top-notch sushi chef. Meanwhile, Hayato Hyuga is the son of the prestigious Sushi Hyuga, and all he wants to do is be a pastry chef! It's love and leftovers at the Oikawa High School Cooking Department as these star-crossed gourmets do their best to reach their cuisine dreams! Hanayu knows that it will break her parents' hearts if she defects from the bakery to become a sushi chef. But if she marries into a sushi family, they'll have to understand her decision. Now she just has to get Hayato Hyuga interested, and what better way than to wow him with her cooking skills! MIXED VEGTABLES will captivate fans of dramatic cooking shows like Iron Chef and Hell's Kitchen and follows a notable legacy of culinary manga series such as YAKITATE JAPAN! (also published by VIZ Media). The series features clean and energetic artwork and strongly developed characters as well as a comprehensive glossary of interesting cultural and cooking terms and detailed notes by the author. MIXED VEGETABLES was edited for domestic release by noted food writer Stephanie Lucianovic.

WANTED - Rated "T+" for TEENS - MSRP: $8.99 US / $10.50 CAN - Available September 2, 2008

WANTED is the latest series by Matsuri Hino (creator of VAMPIRE KNIGHT and MERU PURI, both published domestically by VIZ Media). In the Mediterranean at end of the 17th century, former songstress Armeria disguises herself as a boy and boards a ship belonging to the pirate Skulls – the evil man who kidnapped Luce, her first love. Captain Skulls is arrogant, violent, and a skirt chaser! And unfortunately for Armeria, he discovers she's really a woman. Now she must fend off his advances while trying to find her beloved. WANTED is previewed in the new August issue of SHOJO BEAT magazine. Artist and creator Matsuri Hino first captured attention with her debut manga, WHEN THIS DREAM IS OVER, which was published in Japan in LaLa DX magazine. With the success of that, and her other popular series CAPTIVE HEARTS (to be published by VIZ Media November 2008), and MERU PURI, Hino has established herself as a major creative force in the world of shojo manga. Her gothic series VAMPIRE KNIGHT is also currently serialized in SHOJO BEAT magazine and published by VIZ Media.

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 (graphic novel) 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-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including magazines such as SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment for audiences and consumers of all ages.