Viz Media to Distribute Anime Through Warner Home Video
Viz Media LLC and Warner Home Video have reached an agreement under which WHV will distribute all new and catalog DVD releases from Viz Media starting on April 1st. The first new titles that WHV will handle are Naruto Uncut Box Set 13 and Hunter vs. Hunter Box Set, Vol.2, which are slated for release on April 7th. On April 1st Warner Home Video will begin distributing the entire Viz Media catalog backlist, which also includes other potent anime properties such as Pokemon, Bleach, Death Note and Inuyasha.
Warner Home Video is distribution powerhouse that not only distributes home entertainment from Warner Bros. studios, but has also signed agreements with the owners of a number of major brands including BBC, National Geographic, Peanuts, Dr. Seuss, Cartoon Network, Popeye, American Girl, plus the NFL, the NBA, and the NHL.
Hidemi Fukuhara, the President and CEO of Viz Media, commented “We look forward to joining forces with Warner Home Video and are confident that in working with their strength in sales and distribution, we will continue to grow the anime category even more effectively than we have over the last several years.”
While Viz Media does not have a huge number of anime properties, the titles it does have rank among the best performers in the North American market and, thanks to the popularity of Naruto, Death Note, Bleach and Pokemon, Viz Media has been able to expand its market share during the past two years in spite of rough conditions in the U.S. anime market.
Source: icv2.com
Manga Review – ‘Wanted’
August 26, 2008 by tcgames · Leave a Comment
The Comic Book Bin has a review of the shoujo manga ‘Wanted’ by Viz Media…
Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
Wanted is a stand alone book collection of the shoujo (girls’ comics) pirate manga by Matsuri Hino (the creator of Vampire Knight). It focuses on Armeria, a young woman who boards a pirate ship disguised as a boy named “Arto.”
When she was a child, Armeria (named after a flower) saw her first love, Luce Lanceman, kidnapped by a group known as the Pirate Skulls. Eight years later, she’s aboard their ship, but Captain Skulls, a violent, arrogant, womanizer, has discovered Arto’s secret. How will Armeria fare in the hands of the skirt chasing pirate captain, and how is he connected to the lost Luce? Read more
Former Dreamworks Exec To Run Viz’s Hollywood Office
July 18, 2008 by tcgames · Leave a Comment
Anime News Network has a piece on the change of command…
The Variety entertainment news source has provided more information on Viz Prods., the production company that North American manga publisher Viz Media established in Hollywood last month. The company will be headed by Jason Hoffs (The Terminal), a former Amblin and DreamWorks production executive who also produced for Sony. Read more
