VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES NEW DIGITAL MANGA UPDATE FOR MARCH

Catch the Digital-First Premiere Of Battle Cuisine Series

FOOD WARS! And The Return Of Fan Favorites

CHIBI VAMPIRE And D.N. ANGEL

VIZ Media moves into March with the announcement of a brand new digital manga (graphic novel) update. Don’t miss today’s digital-first premiere of the titillating new Shonen Jump culinary battle comedy, FOOD WARS!: SHOKUGEKI NO SOMA (available August in print). Shojo drama TAIL OF THE MOON PREQUEL: THE OTHER HANZO(U) will launch on March 25^th.

Also scheduled to debut during the second-half of month are CHIBI VAMPIRE and D.N. ANGEL, previously released in North America and returning to digitally only on March 25^th at a MSRP of only $4.99 each (U.S. / CAN) from the VIZ Select imprint, dedicated to making select, fan favorite manga titles available in English once again, digitally.

These new releases and 25 other popular series featured on VIZManga.com and the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad^®, iPhone^® and iPod^® touch, Android-powered smart phones and 7” tablets, as well as on the Nook, Kindle, Kobo, iBooks and GooglePlay stores. With these dynamic platforms, fans can explore and enjoy a wide range of new and classic manga series that spans more than 2,100 volumes across 175 different series.

Additional notable updates for March include the exciting series finales for BLACK BIRD, CROSS MANAGE and FUSHIGI YUGI: GENBU KAIDEN, along with newly added volumes for BLUE EXORCIST, ONE PIECE, STROBE EDGE, PHOENIX, X 3-in-1 Edition, WHISTLE and many more. Also don’t miss double-volume updates for BASARA and BOYS OVER FLOWERS and a special triple volume serving of KNIGHTS OF THE ZODIAC.

New Series Now Available:

FOOD WARS!: SHOKUGEKI NO SOMA, Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens ·

MSRP: $6.99 (U.S. / CAN) · Debuting March 18^th (Available August in print)

Soma Yukihira’s old man runs a small family restaurant in the less savory end of town. Aiming to one day surpass his father’s culinary prowess, Soma hones his skills day in and day out until one day, out of the blue, his father decides to enroll Soma in a classy culinary school! Can Soma really cut it in a place that prides itself on a 10 percent graduation rate? And can he convince the beautiful, domineering heiress of the school that he belongs there at all?!

PHANTOM THIEF JEANNE, Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T’ for Teens ·

MSRP: $6.99 (U.S. / CAN) · Available Now!

High school student Maron Kusakabe has a secret: she’s Phantom Thief Jeanne. She sneaks into private art collections to steal paintings in which demons reside. Jeanne’s task is to seal the demons before they can devour human hearts. So far she’s been able to evade the police on her midnight outings, but now another thief has come onto the scene – Phantom Thief Sinbad – and he’s trying to take the paintings before she does! Catch the launch of this new series by acclaimed manga creator Arina Tanemura (FULL MOON, THE GENTLEMEN'S ALLIANCE †, I.O.N., TIME STRANGER KYOKO; all titles also from VIZ Media)

New Titles Available March 25^th

TAIL OF THE MOON PREQUEL: THE OTHER HANZO(U) · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens · MSRP: $6.99 (U.S. / CAN) · Available March 25^th

A romantic ninja adventure! Kaguya doesn't remember who she is or why she has a huge scar on her back. Six months ago, she was found injured and unconscious in a field of bamboo. Now she works as a housekeeper and babysitter at a brothel, living her new life simply as ""Kaguya."" Kaguya's real identity is entwined with two men--Hanzou, a handsome bodyguard of Okazaki Castle, and Hanzo, a leader of the ninja village of Iga. Between amnesia and mistaken identity, no one knows for sure what kind of person Kaguya is. Only her distinctive scar will lead her to the truth...

CHIBI VAMPIRE, Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens ·

MSRP: $4.99 (U.S. / CAN) · Available March 25^th

Karin is a cute little girl who also happens to be a vampire...with a twist. Once a month, she experiences intense bleeding from her nose--we're talking gushers! In other words, she's a vamp with blood to spare, so rather than stealing blood from humans she actually gives her blood to them. If done right, this can be an extremely positive experience that benefits the "victim" as much as the vampire. The problem is that Karin never seems to do things right!

D.N. ANGEL, Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens ·

MSRP: $4.99 (U.S. / CAN) · Available March 25^th

Daisuke Niwa is an ordinary middle school student who has an inherited an interesting family tradition. Upon seeing Risa, the girl he adores, he transforms into a daring phantom thief. When the phantom thief sees his own object of desire, he turns back into Daisuke. The only way to cure this craziness is if Daisuke can get Risa to fall in love with him, but how can she love someone she can't see?

The free VIZ Manga App continues to be the top application for reading digital manga and features a massive library of the most popular series in the world. Through the innovative VIZ Manga digital platform registered users are able to use one account to view their purchased manga across more devices than ever. New series and volumes are added every Tuesday. Fans can also find these titles and more for the NOOK, Kindle Fire, and Kobo ereaders, as well as in the iBooks and GooglePlay Stores.

All manga volumes are generally available for purchase and download in the U.S. and Canada within the VIZ Manga application starting from $6.99 (U.S. / CAN) each and readers can also explore all titles with free Chapter 1 previews of every series. For more information, please visit VIZManga.com or www.VIZ.com/apps.

Download the free VIZ Manga App for Android and iOS devices at www.VIZ.com/apps.

To learn more about VIZ Manga, please visit www.vizmanga.com.

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SHOKUGEKI NO SOMA © 2012 by Yuto Tsukuda, Shun Saeki /SHUEISHA Inc.