VIZ MEDIA DEBUTS WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP IN THE U.K., IRELAND, SOUTH AFRICA, AUSTRALIA

AND NEW ZEALAND 

The Home Of NARUTO, ONE PIECE, BLEACH And More Expands Global Audience For Acclaimed Weekly Digital Manga Magazine Featuring The Latest Chapters Released The Same Day As Japan Starting This Month!

San Francisco, CA, July 8, 2013 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, significantly expands the global English audience for WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP as it debuts the innovative digital manga (graphic novel) magazine in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa starting on July 4^th. WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP is VIZ Media’s weekly digital serial anthology that features the latest chapters from a variety of popular manga (graphic novel) series on the same day they appear in the Japanese Weekly Shonen Jump magazine.

Issues in the new territories will be available every Monday at 10 am Pacific Standard Time through the WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP Newsstand App available for the Apple iPad^®, iPhone and iPod touch. WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP currently features the latest installments of some of the world’s most popular manga series including ONE PIECE, NARUTO, NISEKOI, BLEACH, TORIKO, WORLD TRIGGER and coming soon, JACO THE GALACTIC PATROLMAN by Akira Toriyama, released each week to English readers on the same day as their general release in Japan. Monthly series such as BLUE EXORCIST and YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL debut on the closest Monday after the Japanese release. Also serialized in the anthology is ONE-PUNCH MAN as well as a new color version of DRAGON BALL.

WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP International Subscription Pricing:

o    UK - £1.99 / month

o    Ireland - 2,69 € / month

o    Australia - $2.99 (AUD) / month

o    New Zealand - $4.19 (NZD) / month

o    South Africa - R24.99 / month

“The launch of WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP in these new territories is an important milestone for international manga publishing, and will give English reading fans in these countries access to the same award winning content contained the Japanese edition appearing on newsstands the same day,” says Andy Nakatani, Editor-in-Chief. “VIZ Media is committed to the global growth of the Shonen Jump brand and to utilizing digital technology and innovation to deliver manga content in the best possible way to readers everywhere. We look forward international fans joining the global WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP movement!”

In North America, WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP is available as both an annual subscription (for $25.99/year) and monthly subscription (for $2.99/month). Annual subscriptions are available from vizmanga.com and in the VIZ Manga App for the Apple iPad^®, iPhone^® or iPod^® touch, Android-enabled tablets, as well as the Kindle Fire. Annual members receive exclusive YU-GI-OH! promotional trading cards throughout the year (cards are not available to iPad Newsstand subscribers or in overseas territories), and access to additional magazine content, including creator interviews and insightful promotional videos. Current subscribers can also access their account via the Newsstand App.

For more information on WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and exclusive subscriber offers, please visit shonenjump.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 digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP 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.

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AO NO EXORCIST © 2009 by Kazue Kato/SHUEISHA Inc.