ACF 1041: VIZ Media is offering libraries free "Heroes of Manga" kits

VIZ MEDIA OFFERS LIBRARIANS FREE
HEROES OF MANGA LIBRARY KITS

New Kits Highlight Popular VIZ Media Manga Properties
And Help Foster Literacy And A Love Of Japanese Pop Culture
Among Library Patrons Of All Ages

VIZ Media has given librarians across the country a useful new tool to promote reading, literacy and love of manga (graphic novels). The company has made available Heroes of Manga Library Kits, full of items to entice patrons to explore the exciting world of Japanese pop culture and comics.

Manga is one of the most requested categories in libraries today. The Heroes of Manga Library Kit features some of VIZ Media’s most popular properties, such as NARUTO, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, NURA: RISE OF THE YOKAI CLAN and POKÉMON, designed for a range of readers from All Ages to Young Adult. Each library kit contains 50 book covers, 300 bookmarks, 50 buttons, 5 assorted VIZ Media bags, and a full-color poster featuring NARUTO, and is available for FREE to library professionals. For more information, or to receive a kit, please submit information here before June 8, 2011. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.

“VIZ Media celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year and throughout our history, we have made it our mission to help fans of all ages foster a love of reading through manga,” says Candice Uyloan, Director of Marketing. “Our latest campaign provides librarians with a free Heroes of Manga Library Kit that contains a variety of fun premiums that highlight some of our most popular properties. Our first efforts to promote the kits resulted in such an enthusiastic response that we have decided to extend the program and increase the number of kits produced. We invite librarians to send in for their free kit today and use the goodies exclusively created for them to inspire their patrons to explore the exciting world of comics from Japan!”

VIZ Media manga titles are regularly recognized by leading library associations for their imaginative stories and high quality. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) recently recognized several notable VIZ Media manga titles recommended for those ages 12-18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teen readers. For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the U.S. leader in selecting books, videos, and audio books for teens.

For more information on VIZ Media manga titles, visit www.viz.com/manga.

ACF 846: 10 VIZ manga titles on Yalsa's 2011 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list

DOSEI MANSION © 2006 Hisae IWAOKA/Shogakukan

YALSA NAMES TEN VIZ MEDIA MANGA TITLES TO ITS
2011 GREAT GRAPHIC NOVELS FOR TEENS LIST

VIZ Media has announced that ten of its manga (graphic novel) titles have been selected by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) as among 2011’s Great Graphic Novels for Teens. The annual list highlights titles that exemplify the quality and range of graphic novels appropriate for teen audiences. The books, recommended by the association for those aged 12-18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens.

Among these, SATURN APARTMENTS, which is published by VIZ Media’s Signature imprint, was ranked among YALSA’s 2011 Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens. For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the U.S. leader in selecting books, videos and audio books for teens.

VIZ Media titles featured on the 2011 YALSA Graphic Novel list include:

AFTERSCHOOL CHARISMA Vol. 1 • by Kumiko Sukane • Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens

At St. Kleio Academy, all of the students are clones of famous historical figures. Are the clones doomed to repeat the fate of their genetic progenitors, or can they create their own destinies?

BIOMEGA Vol. 1 • by Tsutomu Nihei • Rated ‘M’ for Mature

In a nightmare vision of the future, the N5S virus has swept across the earth, turning most of the population into zombie-like drones! Zoichi Kanoe is humanity’s last hope, and he’s not even human!

BOKURANO: OURS Vol. 1 • by Mohiro Kitoh • Rated ‘M’ for Mature

Saving the world is hard. Saving yourself is even harder.

CROSS GAME Vol. 1 • by Mitsuru Adachi • Rated ‘T’ for Teens

A poignant coming-of-age centered around a boy named Ko, the family of four sisters who live down the street, and the game of baseball!

HOUSE OF FIVE LEAVES Vol. 1 • by Natsume Ono • Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens

An out-of-work samurai finds himself drawn into a mysterious gang known as the Five Leaves.

LIBRARY WARS: LOVE & WAR Vol. 1 • Original concept by Hiro Arikawa; manga story and art by Kiiro Yumi • Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens

In the near future, the federal government creates a committee to rid society of books it deems unsuitable. The libraries vow to protect their collections, and form a military group to defend themselves – the Library Forces!

MAOH: JUVENILE REMIX Vol. 1 • Original story by Kotara Isaka; manga story and art by Megumi Osuga • Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens

What do you do when the city's savior is actually a devil in disguise...?

NATSUME’S BOOK OF FRIENDS Vol. 1 • by Yuki Midorikawa • Rated ‘T’ for Teens

Natsume can see the spirits and demons that hide from the rest of humanity. Moving to the small town where his grandmother grew up, he discovers that he has inherited more than just the Sight from the mysterious Rieko.

not simple • by Natsume Ono • Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens

A young man with a fractured family history travels from Australia to England to America in the hope of realizing his dreams and reuniting with his beloved sister.

SATURN APARTMENTS Vol. 1 • by Hisae Iwaoka • Rated ‘T’ for Teens • A Top 10 Selection

A touching, character-rich vision of an intriguing new world. Mitsu takes on his late father's dangerous job as a window washer on the Ring circling the earth where all humans have been relocated…

The complete list of YALSA 2011 selections is available at: www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/.

“YALSA is the leader in recommending high-quality literature, including books and media, and we are very gratified to have so many of our titles featured on the organization’s latest list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens,” says Brian Piech, Senior Director, Marketing, VIZ Media. “Millions of teens read manga from their local school and public libraries each week, and we hope these selections give librarians and their patrons a trusted resource for some of the best and latest from the exciting world of manga.”

More information on these and other VIZ Media manga titles is available at www.viz.com.