VIZ MEDIA ACQUIRES TWO NEW STUDIO GHIBLI LIBRARY DELUXE EDITIONS

This Fall, Studio Ghibli Library Imprint Celebrates Hayao Miyazaki And His Work On The Acclaimed PRINCESS MONONOKE

San Francisco, CA, March 6, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, rounds out a bevy of recent acquisitions news with the latest announcement of a Studio Ghibli imprint expansion. The critically acclaimed imprint will debut a pair of gorgeously illustrated hardcover books relating to Academy Award-winning director Hayao Miyazaki’s celebrated animated film, Princess Mononoke.

The Studio Ghibli Library imprint is exclusively devoted to the work of iconic Japanese film director Hayao Miyazaki and his famed animation studio. The imprint has collected a substantial catalog of full-color art books, film comics, children’s picture books and other releases celebrating Studio Ghibli films such as Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind, and Pocco Rosso.

THE ART OF PRINCESS MONONOKE · MSRP: $34.99 U.S. / $39.99 CAN ·

Hardcover Available August 2014

A rerelease of the popular Studio Ghibli art book, featuring an all new translation and presentation. The hardcover edition features insightful interviews, concept sketches, character art and finished animation cels from the critically acclaimed fantasy action film by Oscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki. Released in 1997, Princess Mononoke was the first Hayao Miyazaki film to break into the American mainstream. The journey from initial idea to the big screen is captured here in stunning detail and also includes a look at Miyazaki’s original concept art and the use of computer graphics technology in the film’s production.

PRINCESS MONONOKE: THE FIRST STORy, by Hayao Miyazaki ·

MSRP: $34.99 U.S. / $39.99 CAN · Hardcover Available October 2014

An oversized, lavishly illustrated storybook featuring original watercolor art by legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, this is the original Princess Mononoke story created by Miyazaki in 1980 while he was first conceptualizing the landmark animated film that would later be released to universal acclaim seventeen years later. As an initial version of the tale, it offers a new and different perspective from the final version presented in the film. After a long, exhausting war, a samurai lost in a forest encounters a giant wildcat – a mononoke. The beast saves his life, but at the price of his daughter's hand in marriage... 

“These beautiful hardcover editions from the Studio Ghibli imprint are guaranteed to delight serious fans and collectors of the work of Hayao Miyazaki,” says Masumi Washington, Senior Editorial Director. “PRINCESS MONONOKE: THE FIRST STORY is an especially noteworthy release as it details the film’s original origin story, interweaved with many of Miyazaki’s own philosophies on the delicate balance that civilization must maintain with nature. Together with the ART OF PRINCESS MONONOKE, these volumes will be a thrilling way to revisit the landmark film and dive into the amazing details and story behind it.”

For more information on Studio Ghibli Library 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 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.

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