Category: Multimedia

VIZ Manga App Presents Four New Manga Titles for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media has announced four new manga (graphic novel) series that will be offered for digital download within the VIZ Manga App for the Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. The latest update offers two acclaimed works from celebrated manga creator Natsume Ono — House of Five Leaves and not simple — that are available now. Two additional new series — Maou: Juvenile Remix and Hyde & Closer — will debut for digital download on May 9th and May 16th respectively. Updates for the first half of May to 17 other popular manga series have also been announced.

The VIZ Manga App is now available for free for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch through the iTunes Store, and all manga volumes are generally available for purchase and download in the U.S. and Canada from within the application for only $4.99 (U.S. / CAN) per volume.

In Natsume Ono’s House of Five Leaves (rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens), a wandering samurai, Akitsu Masanosuke, is a skilled and loyal swordsman, but his naïve and diffident nature has time and again caused him to be let go by the lords who have employed him. Hungry and desperate, he becomes a bodyguard for Yaichi, the charismatic leader of a gang called “Five Leaves.” Although disturbed by the gang’s sinister activities, Masa begins to suspect that Yaichi’s motivations are not what they seem. And despite his misgivings, the deeper he’s drawn into the world of the Five Leaves, the more he finds himself fascinated by these devious, mysterious outlaws.

Natusume Ono’s not simple (rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens) tells the story of Ian, a young man with a fractured family history, who travels from Australia to England to America in the hope of realizing his dreams and reuniting with his beloved sister. His story unfolds backwards through the framing narrative of Jim, a reporter driven to capture Ian’s experiences in a novel titled not simple.

Don’t miss Natsume Ono’s rare U.S. personal appearance at Kinokuniya Books in New York City on Tuesday, May 10th starting at 7:00pm.

Manga creator Megumi Osuga’s Maou: Juvenile Remix (rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens) features a boy with special powers who may be the key to stopping the spread of crime, big money and urban sprawl in a story of confrontation and determination. Ando is a high school student who has the power to make others say out loud what he’s thinking. Inukai is the mysterious leader of a vigilante group called Grasshopper, which is at odds with the city’s redevelopment plan. In this chaotic city, these two will come together to weave a story of courage.

The fantasy driven action of creator Haro Aso’s Hyde & Closer introduces readers to Shunpei Closer, your average… well, slightly below average kid in junior high who finds himself in the middle of a great battle of dark sorcery. With cursed dolls coming after him one after another, Shunpei Closer’s life is in danger! If that weren’t enough, Hyde, the teddy bear given to him by his grandfather, suddenly comes alive to rescue him. With Hyde’s help, can Shunpei save himself and live to see another day?

Additional new VIZ Media manga volumes available the weeks of May 2nd, May 9th and May 16th include:

May 2nd:
Absolute Boyfriend Vol. 3
Captive Hearts Vol. 5
Death Note Vol. 12
Dragon Ball Z Vol. 7
Kekkaishi Vol. 3
Naruto Vol. 24
One Piece Vol. 24
Rosario + Vampire Vol. 5
Rurouni Kenshin Vol. 12

May 9th:
Black Bird Vol. 3
Bleach Vol. 14
Claymore Vol. 9
D.Gray-man Vol. 10
Dragon Ball Z Vol. 8
Fushigi Yûgi Genbu Kaiden Vol. 2
Naruto Vol. 25
One Piece Vol. 25
Ouran High School Host Club Vol. 6

May 16th:
Absolute Boyfriend Vol. 4
Dragon Ball Z Vol. 9
Kekkaishi Vol. 4
Naruto Vol. 26
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan Vol. 2
One Piece Vol. 26
Otomen Vol. 6
Rosario + Vampire Vol. 6
Rurouni Kenshin Vol. 13

The VIZ Manga App is the leading application to read Japanese manga on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, with an extensive downloadable library of the most popular manga series in the world. The app now offers almost 200 volumes available for download. Readers are encouraged to check the app regularly, as new additions to the store and free Chapter 1 previews of other forthcoming manga series are featured.

For more information on the VIZ Manga App, please visit VIZ.com/apps/.

VIZ Media Launches VIZ Manga App for the iPhone and iPod Touch

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, continues the digital integration of its vast library of manga (graphic novel) properties with the latest announcement of the availability of the VIZ Manga App for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch mobile devices. The expansion will be compatible with the VIZ Manga App on the iPad, and adds cross-platform features.

To support the launch, the publisher has also kicked off a special 7-day digital promotion that offers select Volume 1 titles for only $2.99 — 40% off the regular price! This is for a limited time only and runs until midnight PST May 9th.

Manga titles for the iPhone and iPod Touch are available via the VIZ Manga App, which is free through the iTunes Store. Volumes are generally available for purchase and download in the U.S. and Canada for only $4.99 (U.S. / CAN) each. Twenty-eight series and almost 200 volumes are available now, including popular series such as Bleach, Blue Exorcist, Death Note, Naruto and One Piece and dozens more from VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump, Shojo Beat, and VIZ Signature imprints. Readers should check the app regularly, as new additions (including House of Five Leaves and not simple released today) and free Chapter 1 previews of forthcoming manga series are also featured.

“The VIZ Manga App is a unique proprietary platform that will become one of the leading digital applications to read manga on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch,” says Alvin Lu, SVP and General Manager of VIZ Media. “The technology allows readers to download, store and enjoy their favorite manga with easy access to a substantial and ongoing downloadable library. Now you can take hundreds of manga in your pocket anytime, anywhere on a mobile device with the VIZ Manga App!”

The VIZ Manga App also includes a new software upgrade for the iPad (Version 4.0), which delivers better functionality including bookmarks, improved storage, navigation, and the ability to browse-by-series in the “My Manga” library. Manga purchases can now be shared seamlessly between iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad and bookmarked for easy updates. Push notifications will also automatically notify users when new volumes of favorite bookmarked titles are added.

For more information on the VIZ Manga App and a list of all available titles, please visit VIZ.com/apps/.

J!NX: “EVE Online” Shirts by the Fans

from J!NX:

Back in January, we opened the gates to allow you, the fans, to design and decide the next wave of EVE Online shirts. It is with great pleasure that we present to you the winning designs, as crafted by DIGI, a newbie, and Fury.

Mother’s Day is right around the corner. Now, you wouldn’t want to disappoint your mom by not getting her a WINSAUCE tee that shows her love for gaming and geekdom. You’re not that kind of child. You’re the loving kind, that expresses gratitude through gifts.

$10 off your order of $30+
Use Promotion Code: BOOMSTICK
This offer expires Monday, May 02, 2011 at 11:59PM PST, so don’t wait!
*can’t be combined with any other offers, sale prices, or discounts

VIZ Media Brings the Edgy Psychological Suspense of “Death Note” to Netflix

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media has announced the premiere of the entire uncut and subtitled Death Note anime series on Netflix, Inc., the world’s leading Internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV shows. The supernatural suspense thriller will be available to watch instantly for subscribers in the U.S. beginning today.

A unique storyline and complex characters, combined with visually stunning animation by Madhouse, made Death Note one of the most popular anime series to ever be released in Japan and North America. The complete 37 episode series joins several other VIZ Media anime titles such as Bleach, Naruto, and InuYasha, which can now be instantly streamed from Netflix.

Death Note (rated TV-14, subtitled) was inspired by a 12-volume manga counterpart (published in North America by VIZ Media) written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The anime series follows 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 strange notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god named Ryuk. 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 track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal — or his life?

More information on Death Note is available at: DeathNote.viz.com.

New “Weird Al” Album Announced! Single on iTunes!

from “Weird Al” Yankovic:

In case you haven’t heard, Weird Al and Lady Gaga recently made a big splash in the news — it seems there was some kind of misunderstanding over Al’s parody of “Born This Way” (which he retitled “Perform This Way.”)

We’ll spare you all the gory details and just give you the happy ending: Gaga loves the parody, and the single is on iTunes right NOW!

This means that Al’s 13th studio album — his first in nearly 5 years — is finally complete.

“ALPOCALYPSE” drops on June 21.

J!NX: Surviving the Undead since ’99 & $10 off orders $30+

from J!NX:

-Select Designs now $5 off for 1 week

–Recently Restocked Designs

-Vote on Design Arcade Submissions for J!NX EXP

$10 off your order of $30+
Use Promotion Code: BOOMSTICK
This offer expires Monday, May 02, 2011 at 11:59PM PST, so don’t wait!
*can’t be combined with any other offers, sale prices, or discounts

Crazy AJ’s Boomsticks T-Shirt
The beloved Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Speak softly, but carry a big stick.” Sticks are nice, but if a malevolent force escapes the bowels of hell and eats your friend for second breakfast, then you might want to upgrade to the ‘boom’ variety. Or maybe a chainsaw. And also start talking in cheesy one-liners. Come to Crazy AJ’s Boomsticks Emporium to find the walnut stock, hair trigger, and cobalt blue steel that are right for you.

“Spellfury” Update

from Spellfury:

Hello Everyone!
Time for a Spellfury update:

-The director is currently busy working on Spellfury Season 2, and episode 1 of Season 2 will be out soon!!

-We also wanted to let you know that Spellfury Season 1 is now available to buy on DVD. Now you can watch all of Season 1 with no interruptions and it also includes some cool behind the scenes stuff! (Audio Commentary and Behind the Scenes Footage)
Just follow the link below to the Spellfury website and click on the Spellfury Season One “buy now button” (On the Left) to get your copy today!!

spellfury.com

Thanks for your support of the show!!

The Spellfury Team

The “Star Wars” Fan Movie Challenge Deadline Approaches

from Atom.com:

2011 Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge
Deadline is 6/6/11
Submit to Win a Brush with George Lucas Greatness

Move quickly, young Jedi — time is quickly dwindling in the 2011 Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge!

You have until 12 noon PST on 6/6/11 to submit to the Challenge. Just upload your fan movie with “Star Wars” in the title, and add it to the Star Wars category to be considered for a number of awards. One entry will be picked to air on Spike TV and one lucky submission will be crowned the “George Lucas Selects” recipient by Mr. Lucas himself!

For all the official details check out the Star Wars info page, and for more up-to-the-minute details, keep up with the blog.