VIZ Media has become one of the prime providers of manga and anime to the West over the last thirty years. Their New York Comic Con panel was clearly a celebration of their past well as a preview of upcoming products that fans will be eager to consume. What were some of the highlights?
For starters, they showcased an official Pokemon Cookbook that promises a multitude of dishes based around your favorite Pokemon. They are even giving out free recipe cards at their NYCC booth that show you how to make Pokeball sushi! Another great collection was Super Mario Adventures, a compendium of all the Mario comics that were originally featured in Nintendo Power back in the day. The nostalgia is strong with that book.
As far as their manga announcements, the most popular was probably Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Fan demand for the book has been so high that VIZ has decided to publish volumes four through six. Another well-received announcement was a Tokyo Ghoul prose novel that takes place after the events of the anime. The crowd seemed like they couldn’t get enough Tokyo Ghoul.
But the big reveals came with VIZ Media’s anime announcements. There were two trailers for Sailor Moon series: Sailor Moon Crystal and Sailor Moon S. Crystal is a reinterpretation of Sailor Moon that focuses much more on the romantic elements of the story. Sailor Moon S is the beloved season that introduced Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune. The new Blu-ray will be the first time those episodes will be available uncut in the States. Sailor Moon fans must pick this one up.
The last few announcements involved a Boruto graphic novel – which made all the Naruto fans very happy – as well as the Blu-ray release of Hunter X Hunter and the English cast list for the second season of K: Missing Kings. All in all, VIZ Media shows why they have maintained their success for over a quarter of a century. They love the fans and are always flooding the market with a variety of anime, ensuring that there’s something for everyone.
