VIZ Media Gears Up for NATPE

SAN FRANCISCO, January 22: VIZ Media is serving up an array
of Japanese animated properties to buyers at NATPE, including its hit series Bleach
and Naruto.

Nana centers on
20-year-old Nana Komatsu—who has endured a string of boyfriend problems
and moves to Tokyo to take control of her life—and singer Nana
Saki—who arrives in Tokyo to take over the rock ‘n’ roll scene. The two
meet and become best friends and embark on adventures with love, music,
fashion, gossip and all-night parties.

The 26×30-minute series Buso Renkin is about an alchemist warrior who uses herself as
bait for the homunculi, an artificial life form that lurks in the darkness and
devours unsuspecting humans, with a friend at her side. Another half-hour series,
Hunter x Hunter, tells the story of Gon, the son of a famous hunter,
who wants to follow in his father’s footsteps but first must pass the dangerous
Hunter Exam. The property is based on a popular manga comic by Yoshihiro
Togashi, which is also published domestically by VIZ Media.

Blue Dragon, based on
the Xbox 360 game of the same name, is a classic adventure story of seven
soldiers of light who must awaken their inner shadow in time to overcome a
despotic power and bring peace to their land. The
anime series is produced by Studio Pierrot, which is well known for its work on
Naruto and Bleach, both
of which will also be on offer for buyers.

Additional properties in VIZ Media’s catalogue for the
market include Naoki Urusawa’s Monster, Honey and
Clover, Death Note and Deko Boko
Friends.

“Japanese animation fulfills a
variety of critical programming needs and VIZ Media continues to be a major
force in licensing compelling content designed for every viewer demographic,”
said William Germain, the director of animation production at VIZ Media. “This
year’s NATPE Conference will present the opportunity to showcase new action
properties aimed at tweens, adolescents and young adults with properties such
as Buso Renkin, Hunter x Hunter, Blue Dragon and Naoki
Urusawa’s Monster, and will also feature
also more romantically-themed titles like Nana and Honey and Clover,
which will extend the popularity of shojo manga, or comics for girls, to the
broadcast arena.”

He continued: “The interest in
Japanese animation continues to be strong from broadcasters both domestically
and abroad, as witnessed by the popularity of shows like Naruto, Death Note and Bleach, and we look forward to welcoming a global audience of key
buyers and executives at this year’s conference.”

—By Kristin Brzoznowski