VIZ Media Brings Popular Manga Properties To 2008 Frankfurt Book Fair

Unique Titles To Be Highlighted In Hall 3.0 Booth H801 Including - DEATH NOTE, NARUTO, MÄR, KEKKAISHI, KILARI And BLEACH

San Francisco, CA, October 15, 2008 - VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, will bring some of the hottest manga titles gaining international attention to the 2008 Frankfurt Book Fair, taking place in Frankfurt, Germany October 15-19. VIZ Media will be located in Hall 3.0, Booth H801.

The Frankfurt Book Fair is the world's largest trade show for the publishing industry and is the preeminent venue for publishers, agents, booksellers, librarians, translators, authors and suppliers dealing with publishing rights, licenses and international property rights. VIZ Media will showcase a variety of manga titles that are available for international license which have received critical acclaim and have captivated millions of fans in North America and beyond. Last year's Book Fair saw more than 283,000 attendees over the five-day period of the show.

Some of the titles VIZ Media will be highlighting at this years show will include:

DEATH NOTE:
The series depicts the adventures of Light Yagami, an ace student with great prospects but 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.

NARUTO:
NARUTO has become one of VIZ Media's most successful manga properties in terms of sales and has emerged as one of the best selling and most popular manga series throughout North America, regularly placing in both Graphic Novel and Overall General Fiction categories on noted literary sales rosters including BookScan and the USA Today Top 150. It was also the first manga to ever win a noted Quill Award. Created by Masashi Kishimoto, the series depicts the adventures of a young boy named Uzumaki Naruto who trains to become a ninja. But the boy is cursed with the spirit of a nine-tailed fox demon and is forced to live a bullied life discriminated against by his fellow villagers. But Naruto is resilient and undaunted in his quest to become a master ninja and his determination often inspires those around him. Through amazing adventures, the young ninja learns the importance of friendship, teamwork, loyalty, hard work, creativity, ingenuity, and right vs. wrong.

BLEACH:
Ichigo Kurosaki is an ordinary 15-year-old boy who happens to be able to see ghosts. His fate takes an extraordinary turn when he meets Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper who shows up at Ichigo's house on the trail of a Hollow, a malevolent lost soul. Drawn to Ichigo's high level of spiritual energy, the Hollow attacks Ichigo and his family, and Rukia steps in to help but is injured and unable to fight. As a last resort, Rukia decides to transfer part of her Soul Reaper powers to Ichigo. Ichigo, now a full-fledged Soul Reaper, and Rukia, minus her powers, join together to face the challenges that lie ahead. Find out why Tite Kubo's BLEACH has become an international manga smash-hit!

MÄR:
MÄR is the latest manga title to hit North American shores from Nobuyuki Anzai, who also created the popular FLAME OF RECCA series. MÄR tells the story of Ginta Toramizu, an impish 14-year-old kid in junior high school who doesn't have a lot going for him. He is near-sighted, doesn't do well in school, fails at sports, and to top it off, he's short! But Ginta is a dreamer and he has had the same dream 102 times – a vivid fantasy world where he is a hero. One day a supernatural figure appears at his school and transports him to the fabulous fantasy world of his dreams. In this strange universe filled with magic and wonder, Ginta is now strong, tough, agile, and he can finally see without his glasses! The boy begins a quest in search for the magical items known as ÄRMs, one of which may have the power to send him home. Joining him on this epic journey are his companion Jack and a valuable living, talking, mustachioed iron-ball weapon known as "Babbo," which everybody wants but, it seems, only Ginta can possess!

KEKKAISHI:
By night, junior high student Yoshimori Sumimura is a "kekkaishi" – a demon-hunter who specializes in creating magical barriers around his prey. By day, Yoshimori's has some other demons to battle including an addiction to sweets and a seriously crotchety grandfather! Yoshimori's pretty 16-year-old neighbor and childhood friend, Tokine Yukimura, is also a kekkaishi, but their families are feuding over who is the true practitioner of the art. Yoshimori couldn't care less about catching demons...until he realizes that his apathetic attitude is taking a toll on his friendship with Tokine. Just as he decides to take matters into his own hands, a couple of amphibious demons and the pesky ghost of a pastry-chef show up to complicate matters!

KILARI:
Kilari is the story of a cute, 14-year-old girl named Kilari 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, Kilari announces that she too will become a singer. Swept away in the exciting world of music entertainment and film, Kilari'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 managing the development, marketing and distribution throughout Europe of Japanese animated entertainment and graphic novels (manga). VME 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. Current VME animated properties include BLEACH, DEATH NOTE, BLUE DRAGON, HONEY & CLOVER, M.A.R, ZOIDS GENESIS and KILARI.

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.