VIZ MEDIA OFFERS ANIME TO COMPLETE DISCERNING FANS’ HOLIDAY WISH LISTS

Animate The Holidays With New PROFESSOR LAYTON, BLEACH, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, POKÉMON, VAMPIRE KNIGHT And More!

San Francisco, CA, November 15, 2011 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, offers fans and holiday shoppers a variety of new anime releases for some of the company’s hottest properties.

Holiday wish lists and shopping guides won’t be complete without BLEACH THE MOVIE: FADE TO BLACK (also offered in Blu-ray edition), NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: BONDS (Blu-ray also available), and VAMPIRE KNIGHT GUILTY: THE COMPLETE SERIES, as well as the newest episodic DVD releases for each of these popular series. 

Kids and the young at heart can also look forward to VIZ Media’s launch of PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE ETERNAL DIVA, based on the popular video game, as well as the new POKÉMON – ZOROARK: MASTER OF ILLUSIONS feature film and the latest Pokemon DP Galactic Battles Gift Set.

BLEACH THE MOVIE: FADE TO BLACK · Rated “T” for Teens ·

MSRP: $19.98 for DVD (U.S. / CAN) & $24.98 for Blu-ray (U.S / CAN) · Available Now!  

A strange disturbance in the World of the Living sends Ichigo and Kon to the Soul Society, where the Seireitei has been devastated by an explosion of reishi and Rukia is missing. Stranger still, none of the Soul Reapers remember Ichigo, and they think he’s the one responsible for the destruction. Now on the run, Ichigo is forced into a lonely battle in order to find Rukia and stop the real culprits!

BLEACH UNCUT DVD BOX SET, Vol. 11 · Rated “T” for Teens ·

MSRP: $49.95 U.S. / CAN · Available December 13^th   

Ichigo and Rukia take responsibility for looking after Rurichiyo, a girl of noble birth who one day appears in the World of the Living. She and her two bodyguards transfer into Ichigo’s class at school, and Rukia decides to show her how to have fun. But the fun stops when first Rurichiyo disappears and then a group of assassins arrives and challenges Ichigo and friends to a fight!

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN UNCUT DVD BOX SET, Vol. 8 · Rated “T+” for Older Teens · MSRP: $49.95 U.S. / $43.24 CAN ·

Available Now!   

Naruto’s new jutsuRasen Shuriken is unbelievably powerful—but because of the risks to the user, Tsunade forbids Naruto to use it! When Jiraiya returns to the village, Naruto seeks his guidance, and the two head off to a hot springs resort to work on a solution. Meanwhile, Kakashi leads a team in search of Orochimaru’s hideout, and when Naruto hears about it, he begs to join them. Set includes special "Kakashi Chronicles" story, featuring a young Kakashi on one of his early missions!

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: BONDS · Rated “T+” for Older Teens · MSRP: $19.98 for DVD (U.S. / CAN) & $24.98 for Blu-ray (U.S / CAN)· Available Now!   

A group of mysterious flying ninja have arrived from overseas to launch a sudden attack against the Hidden Leaf Village, leaving behind a wake of destruction. The group is revealed to be the “Sky Ninja” from the Land of Sky, a nation thought to have been destroyed by the Hidden Leaf Village long ago. To save their village, Naruto and his friends set out to stop this new threat. During the course of the mission, Naruto crosses paths with Sasuke, his friend who has parted ways from the Leaf Village.

POKEMON – ZOROARK: MASTER OF ILLUSIONS · Rated “A” for All Ages · MSRP: $19.88 U.S. / CAN · Available Now!   

As Ash and his friends journey to Crown City to join the crowds watching the Pokémon Baccer World Cup, mysterious forces are in motion that could bring untold misfortune to them all! What secrets does Zorua, a Pokémon they befriend along the way, hide? Why is the powerful Zoroark rampaging through the city, and what does the appearance of the Legendary Pokémon Raikou, Entei, and Suicune mean? What has brought Celebi back to the city at this precise moment in time for the first time in 20 years? And what will happen when the paths of all of them come together in one time and place?

 

POKEMON DP GALACTIC BATTLES GIFT SET, Vol. 4 · Rated “A” for All Ages · MSRP: $24.97 U.S. / $24.98 CAN · Available November 22^nd    

When it comes to Pokémon, the more, the merrier:  two new friends have joined Ash, Dawn, and Brock on their Sinnoh journey! Together, they’ll chase a rogue Gible and face off in a tag battle. Before long, however, things take a turn for the worse as Team Galactic and Pokémon Hunter J return with a vengeance. Now Team Galactic is poised to achieve its ultimate goal: summoning the Legendary Dialga and Palkia in order to destroy the world! Are Ash and his friends ready to face the biggest Galactic battle of all? Set contains PokÉmon DP Galactic Battles Vols. 7-8!

VAMPIRE KNIGHT GUILTY: THE COMPLETE SERIES · Rated “T+” for Older Teens · MSRP: $49.95 U.S. / $43.24 CAN · Available Now!    

Zero is accused of Shizuka Hio's murder and becomes the target of the Senate. When Kaname refuses to attest to Zero's innocence, Yuki's loyalties are torn between the two. Then Yuki meets a mysterious little boy whose seemingly innocent kiss on the cheek draws her deeper into the world of vampires. Zero, seeing Yuki struggle to recall her past, tries to help. Do the archives of the Hunter's Society headquarters hold the key that will unlock Yuki's memories? Set contains episodes 1-13, original & uncut!

For more information on VIZ Media anime titles, please visit: www.VIZ.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine and blockbuster properties like Naruto, Bleach and InuYasha, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.