VIZ Media Recaps New Manga for Spring 2008 at NYAF

At the Saturday afternoon VIZ Media panel at the New York Anime Festival, the room was filled with fans and press eager for word of the next big things from VIZ for 2008 and beyond. Manga-wise, there wasn't much new news that wasn't already announced at other anime and comics conventions earlier in 2007, but we did all get a peek at the schnazzy cover art for these upcoming shonen manga releases:

• Death Note: How to Read Volume 13 - The companion volume to the Death Note series, complete with character profiles, interviews with the creators, Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, bonus manga pages, and lots of tidbits like L's real name. Look for this volume to appear at your local bookshop in February 2008.
• Death Note: Another Note by Nisioisin - A light novel, that ironically, does not feature Light, but instead focuses on L and his efforts to solve a serial murderer case in L.A. This one also appears in February 2008.
• Ral Ω Grad by Tsuneo Takano and Takeshi Obata - While Death Note is over, fans can enjoy a new fantasy action series featuring Obata-sensei's gorgeous artwork with Ral Ω Grad. The tag line description is fairly cryptic: "A child is born whose fate is forever tied with dragons and shadow." At this point, February 2008 should be called "Takeshi Obata Month" in manga-land, as this too will also debut around the same time as the aforementioned Death Note books.
• Gun Blaze West by Nobuhiro Watsuki - Buso Renkin may be drawing to a close soon, but have no fear, Watsuki-sensei (who also created Rurouni Kenshin) brings us another shonen manga series to enjoy: Gun Blaze West. In the grand tradition of Trigun, we have here a quasi-Western adventure tale with cowboy-type heroes with six-shooters. This tale will roll into Dodge in April 2008.

Popular shojo manga series Hana Kimi will come to an end in April 2008, but there'll be no shortage of new series from Shojo Beat out to win your heart (and space on your bookshelf) in 2008, including:

• High School Debut by Kazune Kawahara - Currently featured in the December issue of Shojo Beat Magazine, this romantic comedy focuses on Haruna, a tomboy who wants to get 'girly' and get a date in high school. She gets coached by class heartthrob Yoh on one condition: She can't fall in love with him. Coming soon to a bookstore near you in January 2008.
• Sand Chronicles by Hinako Ashihara - This touching tale of a young girl's life and loves is currently serialized in Shojo Beat Magazine. The first graphic novel volume hits the stores in January '08 as well.
• Be With You by Takuji Ichikawa and Sai Kawashima - A manga adaptation of a popular romance novel of the same name (which is also being published by VIZ in 2008). A young man's true love returns from the grave -- can they find love the second time around? A treat for romantics just in time for Valentine's Day 2008.
• Honey and Clover by Chica Umino - Another series featured in the pages of Shojo Beat, Honey and Clover is an award-winning series about art school students falling in and out of love while dealing with that whole 'starving artist' thing. Honey and Clover is also the subject of a new feature film from VIZ Pictures that will debut at NYAF on Sunday as well.
• Monkey High by Shouko Akira - This one will debut in the pages of Shojo Beat in the February 2008 issue, with the graphic novel to follow in March. I'm still a little fuzzy on the plot of this "twisted shojo story" but it sounds like it's about a high school that's a little out of control, but maybe in a good way.
• Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time by Tohko Mizuno - This one sounds like great news for everyone who loves Fushigi Yugi, as this fantasy shojo series features a young girl from modern times who gets sent back in time to a fantasy world, where she's a goddess / priestess who is sent on a quest with some hunky guys. Mrrrow. Sounds like catnip for shojo fantasy fans, but we'll see if it turns out to be more than just a "kinda like something we know you like" story in April 2008.
• ION by Arina Tanemura - This one-shot story by shojo superstar Arina Tanemura (creator of Gentlemen's Alliance Cross, Full Moon o Sagashite) is about a girl who can make magical things happen when she chants the initials "I-O-N." The spell will be cast in April 2008.
• B.O.D.Y. by Ao Mimori - If you love Ouran High School Host Club, then you'll probably go ga-ga for this shojo story about host clubs that aren't in exclusive educational institutions. Find out in May 2008.
• Fairy Cube by Kaori Yuki - From the creator of gothic confections like Godchild and The Cain Saga, Fairy Cube is the latest series from Yuki-sensei. The magic begins in May 2008.

The other titles announced by VIZ seemed geared for more mature readers, including:

• Switch by Naked Ape - A gritty detective story featuring two hunky cops who are out to discover the secret of a new drug that's plaguing their city. Described as being "a Quentin Tarantino-type story," this mean streets drama will be published bi-monthly and will debut in March 2008.
• Nightmare Inspector by Yumekui Kenbun and Shin Mashiba - The plot for this new series is summed up this way: "Visitors to a mysterious tea house can be rid of their darkest visions for a price." Sounds like a familiar theme (see Nightmares for Sale, Yume Kira Dream Shoppe), but we'll see if it offers any new twists when the first volume appears in April 2008.
• The Record of a Fallen Vampire by Kyo Shirodaira and Yuri Kimura - Described as "one of the top titles in Japan," The Record of a Fallen Vampire is about "a vampire king who searches an eternity for his queen hidden away behind a thousand seals." Judging only from the cover, the art looks promising, but we'll see what this new series has to offer when it debuts in May 2008.

Finally, we all got our first look at the covers for VIZ Big editions of Rurouni Kenshin, Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. We'll start seeing these extra chunky omnibus editions bookstores in January (Rurouni Kenshin) and May (Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z) at the value price of $17.99 for three volumes of content.

Image credit: © Tsuneo Takano and Takeshi Obata / VIZ Media