VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES A TRIO OF EXCITING NEW MANGA AND ART BOOK ACQUISITIONS

GOODNIGHT PUNPUN, BLANC ET NOIR Art Book, And New Shojo Manga Series THE HEIRESS AND THE CHAUFFEUR Announced For Spring 2016 Release

San Francisco, CA, July 27, 2015 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America continues to expand its extensive manga (graphic novel) catalog and gives fans and readers a sneak peek at a trio of notable new titles scheduled to launch during the Spring of 2016.

The company’s newest publishing acquisitions were detailed this past weekend at Otakon 2015, one of the biggest anime/pop culture conventions on the East Coast.

The forthcoming releases include the BLANC ET NOIR art book, a special high-end volume to be published under the Art of Shonen Jump imprint collecting the work of the famed manga artist Takeshi Obata (DEATH NOTE) and set to be released in a limited print run of only 10,000 copies. Also launching in the Spring of 2016 will be GOODNIGHT PUNPUN, a dark and edgy coming-of-age tale from the Eisner- and Harvey Award-nominated creator Inio Asano. Shojo manga fans also can look forward to the Spring 2016 debut of creator Keiko Ishihara’s series about a wealthy girl’s relationship with her handsome driver in THE HEIRESS AND THE CHAUFFEUR.

“These upcoming new VIZ Media titles are sure to become highlights for scores of manga fans next spring,” says Hope Donovan, Managing Editor. “From Takeshi Obata’s beautiful artwork presented in the lavish BLANC ET NOIR art book, to the teenage angst of GOODNIGHT PUNPUN and the romantic master-and-servant drama of THE HEIRESS AND THE CHAUFFEUR, these new releases each will take the reader on amazing journey!”

New Spring 2016 Acquisitions

GOODNIGHT PUNPUN, by Inio Asano · Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers ·

Debuting Spring 2016

Meet Punpun Punyama. He’s an average kid in an average town. He wants to win a Nobel Prize and save the world. He wants to go far away with his true love. He wants to find some porn. But Punpun’s average life is about to unravel…

GOODNIGHT PUNPUN is an edgy, dark coming-of-age story from Inio Asano, the Eisner- and Harvey-nominated creator of SOLANIN, WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD! (both published by VIZ Media) and Nijigahara Holograph. GOODNIGHT PUNPUN will be published quarterly under the VIZ Signature imprint.

BLANC ET NOIR: TAKESHI OBATA ILLUSTRATIONS, by Takeshi Obata ·

Debuting Spring 2016

Takeshi Obata’s (DEATH NOTE, HIKARU NO GO, BAKUMAN, ALL YOU NEED IS KILL) long-awaited high-end art book will be released as a limited edition of 10,000 copies. This stunning book collects the bestselling artist’s work from 2001-2006 and includes illustrations from popular series such as DEATH NOTE and HIKARU NO GO (both published by VIZ Media). This gorgeous oversized art book is encased in a silver-stamped slipcase and stuffed with 132 pages of full-color artwork, several massive foldout posters, special papers and twelve pages of artist commentary including a “how to draw” section. It also includes three large double-sided laminated posters

THE HEIRESS AND THE CHAUFFEUR, by Keiko Ishihara · Rated ‘T’ for Teens · Debuting Spring 2016

At an all-girls school during the turn-of-the-century Taisho Era of Japan, rumors swirl that heiress Sayaka Yoshimura is having a forbidden love affair with her chauffeur, Shinobu Narutaki! Sayaka scoffs at the rumors, but could a romance between master and servant actually be brewing? At just two volumes, this sweet and thrilling story is a wonderful jumping-on point for the budding romance manga fan.

For more information on manga titles distributed and published by VIZ Media, 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 ONE PIECE, 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.