VIZ MEDIA PARTNERS WITH HOT TOPIC
TO SUPPORT DEATH NOTE LIVE-ACTION FILM EVENT

Music And Pop Culture Retailer To Offer Tickets To Attend
North American Premiere Of Film Based On Popular Manga
And Animated Supernatural Crime Thriller

San Francisco, CA, May 15, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced that it will partner with music and pop culture retailer Hot Topic Inc. to promote the upcoming North American film debut of the live-action film, DEATH NOTE, which is based on the popular animated and manga (graphic novel) properties that have swept North America by storm. As part of the special promotion, customers who purchase a DEATH NOTE t-shirt or DVD in select Hot Topic stores will receive a free ticket to attend the film event, while supplies last. More information on the premiere of DEATH NOTE is available at http://www.deathnotefilms.com.

VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has partnered with NCM FATHOM, the entertainment division of National CineMedia, to present the special two-night film event of the DEATH NOTE live-action film at 7:30 pm on May 20 and 21 in 300 cities nationwide. Hot Topic will support the event in nearly 300 stores with in-store signage and special areas in each location offering a variety of DEATH NOTE apparel and related merchandise including DVDs and other accessories. VIZ Media’s SHONEN JUMP magazine will lend additional support with a promo ad in the June issue, which hit stores on May 6, while Hot Topic will highlight the DEATH NOTE film in an article set to appear on its web site at http://community.hottopic.com/buzz/.

“Hot Topic is an ideal strategic retail partner for VIZ Media and we’re extremely excited to deepen our relationship with them to support the U.S. premiere of the DEATH NOTE live-action feature,” says Lauren Rozek, Director, Retail Development, VIZ Media. “Our NARUTO campaign proved extremely successful in helping to cultivate the strong fan base that the NARUTO brand now enjoys. We invite fans to visit Hot Topic and pick up the latest volume of DEATH NOTE on DVD and also get a free ticket to attend this special event.”

DEATH NOTE is based on the hit supernatural action mystery manga written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The live-action film was released in 2006 to wide acclaim in Japan and was directed by Shusuke Kaneko, known as the director of popular “Gamera” monster film series. The film mirrors the manga’s story of Light Yagami, an ace student with great prospects 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 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 investigate, and he is soon hot on the trail of Light, who must now reevaluate his one noble goal. Both Light and L believe themselves to be on the side of justice, and the two match wits trying to show exactly which of them is "good" and which of them is "evil."

The DEATH NOTE manga and animated series have become extremely popular domestically. The 37-episode animated series is seen by millions each week on cable broadcast and the series is also distributed on DVD by VIZ Media. On the print side, the 12-volume manga series, also published domestically by VIZ Media, continues to be a must-read among legions of ardent fans while DEATH NOTE: HOW TO READ 13, a companion volume to the successful manga series, was recently ranked in USA Today's Top 150 list of America's best-selling books. The DEATH NOTE DVDs and manga are rated T+ for older teens.

For more information on this DEATH NOTE event please visit www.FathomEvents.com or deathnotefilms.com. For more information on DEATH NOTE visit www.shonenjump.com.
About Hot Topic
Hot Topic, Inc. is a shopping mall-based specialty retailer. Hot Topic offers music/pop culture licensed and influenced apparel, accessories, music and gift items to young men and women principally between the ages of 12 and 22. As of May 3, 2008 the company operated 686 Hot Topic stores in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, as well as an internet store www.hottopic.com.
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 Production Co., Ltd. (ShoPro Japan), VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America and a global licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including, magazines such as SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, graphic novels, videos, DVDs and audio soundtracks and develops and markets animated entertainment from initial production, television placement and distribution, to merchandise licensing and promotions for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at www.VIZ.com.