VIZ releasing new shôjo manga titles
by Kit

Thursday, September 30 2004

Dolls, From Far Away, and W Juliet among others.

VIZ, LLC, one of the leading publishers and distributors of manga and anime for North American audiences, has announced five new shôjo manga titles that will hit store shelves in November 2004. These titles include DOLLS, FROM FAR AWAY, W JULIET, HERE IS GREENWOOD and WILD COM.

The following new VIZ titles are rated ‘T’ for Teens:

W JULIET · MSRP: $9.99 · Available November 9, 2004

This shôjo manga series has an interesting title because the "W" in Japanese sounds like "double," so one can also read the title as "Double Juliet.” The reason for this will quickly become obvious. Sixteen-year-old tomboy Ito Miura has been chosen to play Romeo in a school production of Romeo and Juliet. The problem is she doesn’t want the male role. So, who will play Juliet? The favorite for the part, the beautiful and vain Tsugumi, must compete for the role against a cute new transfer student named Makoto Amano. Makoto not only has the looks, but her audition proves that she also has the acting capability to play any role. Makoto and Ito become friends in drama class, but Makoto has a devastating secret and if rival Tsugumi, or the rest of the school, discover what it is, it could ruin Makoto’s life, and drag Ito down as well.

DOLLS · MSRP: $9.99 · Available November 9, 2004

When you live inside a dollhouse, it’s sometimes hard to tell who the puppet is, and who the master is. Artist Yumiko Kawahara presents an intriguing short story about the strange and co-dependent world of dolls and the obsessive people who own them. Both quirky and unsettling, DOLLS is a science fiction morality fable that questions the dark side of love and pride.

FROM FAR AWAY · MSRP: $9.99 · Available November 9, 2004

Noriko is unexpectedly plunged into a strange and extraordinary fantasy world while on her way home from school one day. Her troubles are magnified when she is rescued by a handsome young man named Izark. He may be brave and courageous, but inside Izark lurks the darkest evil imaginable. According to ancient prophecy, Noriko possesses the power to unleash that evil. Now, inexorably bound together, these two unlikely allies must navigate a world both wondrous and hostile.

The following new VIZ titles are rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens.

HERE IS GREENWOOD · MSRP: $9.99 · Available November 9, 2004

Meet Kazuya Hasukawa - a regular teenager who wants to live a normal, peaceful life, but when his first love marries his older brother and moves into their house, Kazuya decides that he has to move out to preserve his sanity. Starting his first year at an exclusive all-male boarding school, things go from bad to worse when he discovers he's been assigned to the strangest college dorm on campus - an asylum called "Greenwood" - where all the weirdoes, outcasts, and lunatics reside. But hope may lie in the fact that Kazuya’s roommate happens to also be the cutest girl in an otherwise all-male dorm.

WILD COM · MSRP: $9.95 · Available November 23, 2004

Yumi Tamura, the creator of the popular BASARA manga, presents this suspenseful trio of short stories. The first tale, Psychic Squad Wild Com finds its lead character struggling with the denial of her psychic abilities – powers that could spell life of death for those around her. The Beasts of June is a poetic tale of urban violence depicting the adventures of two free spirits caught up in corruption’s heartless grasp. Finally, The Eye of the Needle presents a shocking thriller wrapped in the guise of a fame twisted romance. Tough, intense and thrilling, WILD COM offers three distinct and compelling tales from a master of shôjo action.

--- Kit