Slam Dunk Manga

Including Slam Dunk And Real Manga Series And Sumi And Water, The Vagabond Art Books

Rounding Out the Takehiko Inoue Releases - The Critically Acclaimed VAGABOND Published Under The VIZBIG Imprint

VIZ Media has announced the publication of a diverse new collection of manga (graphic novel) and art books by famed artist/creator Takehiko Inoue. The new titles include the manga series REAL (rated T+ for Older Teens) and SLAM DUNK (rated T for Teens), which depict the sport of basketball in two vastly different but equally exciting ways, as well as the publication of SUMI and WATER, a pair of lavishly illustrated art books that capture the essence of Inoue’s techniques in black and white and color.

Takehiko Inoue is a skilled artist whose intricately detailed and lifelike visual style has raised the manga genre to a new level. He has been the recipient of numerous awards including the prestigious Tezuka Osamu Culture Award and the Media Arts Festival Award.

Inoue’s highly acclaimed series VAGABOND (Rated M for Mature audiences and published domestically by VIZ Media) is a fictional account based on the life of legendary 17th century samurai Miyamoto Musashi. Without question, his most successful work to date is SLAM DUNK, which has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide.

VIZ Media complements this release of SLAM DUNK with the debut of REAL, a riveting manga series about the sport of wheelchair basketball. Inoue is a self-professed fan of basketball and also worked on the character designs for the PlayStation video game One On One among others. SLAM DUNK has been credited with introducing basketball to millions of Japanese readers. Legions have taken up the sport after becoming captivated by Inoue’s series.

REAL

Rated “T+” for Older Teens · MSRP: $12.99 US / $15.99 CAN · Available Now!

REAL is a gritty drama that offers a unique twist on the sports manga genre as it focuses on wheelchair basketball. A motorcycle accident, bone cancer, and a speeding truck crashing into a boy on a stolen bicycle all present tragic, life-changing events that turn the worlds of three young men upside down in this gripping new series. These three characters with very different personalities have only one thing in common – their passion for basketball.

SLAM DUNK

Rated “T” for Teens · MSRP: $7.99 US / $9.50 CAN · Available September 2, 2008

SLAM DUNK is the highly anticipated 31-volume basketball drama that has been a smash hit in Japan. Sakuragi Hanamichi’s got no game with girls – none at all! It doesn’t help that he’s known for throwing down at a moment’s notice. A hopeless bruiser, he’s been rejected by 50 girls in a row! All that changes when he meets the girl of his dreams, Haruko, and she’s actually not afraid of him!

When she introduces him to the game of basketball, his life is changed forever. Selected volumes of SLAM DUNK features a profile of a specific NBA player, their stats, and their signature on-court move. The profiles begin with Volume 1, which features the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James and his signature move, the Slam Dunk as a bonus excerpt.

VAGABOND VIZBIG Volume 1

Rated “M” for Mature Audiences · MSRP: $19.99 US / $23.50 CAN · Available September 16, 2008

VIZ Media is re-releasing VAGABOND in the VIZBIG format featuring three volumes in one oversized edition with bonus content and new cover art. Bonus features in Volume 1 include character concept sketches, interview with Takehiko Inoue and special author comments not previously included in previously published manga from VIZ Media.

Graphic novel aficionados who are just discovering Takehiko Inoue’s work will be able to enjoy his art in the larger trim size (5.75” X 8.25”) while existing fans will appreciate the added bonuses included in this particular volume. The schedule for the single volume editions of VAGABOND will continue with the publication of Volume 28 in October 2008.

SUMI: VAGABOND ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION

MSRP: $34.99 US / $39.99 CAN · Available September 16, 2008

This gorgeous oversized (8.86″ X 11.42″) art book captures Inoue’s magnificent pen and brush work in black and white. It will include a behind-the-scenes look at VAGABOND with rough sketches and photos of Inoue’s studio.

WATER: VAGABOND ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION

MSRP: $34.99 US / $39.99 CAN · Available September 16, 2008

WATER captures Inoue’s masterful work in color and contains artwork only published in this volume. Oversized (8.86″ X 11.42″) contains dozens of lush watercolor depictions of samurai Miyamoto Musashi in various garments and settings.

“Takehiko Inoue’s skill as both an artist and dramatic storyteller have catapulted him to the uppermost echelon of Japan’s manga artists,” says Alvin Lu, Vice President Publishing, VIZ Media. “His samurai action series, VAGABOND, first introduced his flair for historically-based sagas to domestic readers and his dynamic and realistic style shines in a completely different arena with the debuts of REAL and SLAM DUNK. Readers will delight in Inoue’s comprehensive knowledge of the sport of basketball and tributes to many great NBA players. The further release of THE ART OF VAGABOND: SUMI and WATER showcase Inoue’s pure skill as an artist and will be a must-have for serious fans of this celebrated series.”

It’s Monday, which greets us with more Live Action Anime News^TM. This time, it’s about Voltron…which might (maybe) be arriving in theaters…uh…sometime. So sayeth Variety:

Marks’ take is described as a post-apocalyptic tale set in New York City and Mexico, where five survivors of an alien attack band together and end up piloting the five lion-shaped robots that combine and form the massive sword-wielding Voltron that helps battle Earth’s invaders. - ‘

Voltron’ Facing A Relativity Reboot: Fox-based company puts pic into turnaround, by MARC GRASER and TATIANA SIEGEL

A while back, Latino Review uh…reviewed the Voltron live action script. Caution Caution Caution: Profanity Alert!

What is so damn cool about the script is that it pays homage to both incarnations of the Voltron cartoon – the American and Japanese versions. GOLION came out back in 1981 in Japan, three years later in America. GOLION was considered too hardcore for American audiences so it was edited down into what would be VOLTRON. Wikpedia nailed down the differences of Voltron and Golion in an awesome article and expose of the Voltron phenomenon, check it out.

Hat’s off to AICN for the initial tip!

Anyone beginning to see a trend in Hollywood?

We’ve been talking about anime properties such as Cowboy Bebop, Neon Genesis Evangelion and more getting the ‘Hollywood Treatment’. So which ones are you most excited about?

Place your vote, then tell us what you’re most excited about…and what you’re most afraid will happen once it leaps to live action. If yours isn’t on the list, write it in the comments!

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Have you seen this yet? It’s a great ‘create your own self portrait in the manga style that’s currently popular‘ generator!!! I’m off to create my own ‘manga me’ and will post it tomorrow! In the meantime, go check it out, then come back here and post a link to your self-portrait!

Thanks to Thompson On Hollywood,via PopCandy for the link!

The Afro Samurai 2 Trailer from Funimation is up. Watch it now!

Sonnya (L) and Renee (R) in their award-winning costumes. Photo by Anna Fischer.

WORLD COSPLAY SUMMIT TEAM USA AT KINOKUNIYA BOOKSTORE ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 17!

The New York Anime Festival today announced it is partnering with Del Rey Manga and Samurai Beat Radio to hold a Cosplay Day at the largest Japanese bookstore in North America - New York City’s Kinokuniya Bookstore - on Sunday, August 17, 2008.

Kinokuniya Bookstore, located at 1073 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan, will present a day-long series of events showcasing the diverse world of Japanese cosplay and the World Cosplay Summit — an international cosplay event held each summer in Nagoya, Japan. Sonnya Paz and Renee Gloger, Team USA in the 2008 World Cosplay Summit, will attend Kinokuniya’s Cosplay Day as Special Guests.

“We’re extremely pleased to form this partnership with Del Rey Manga and Samurai Beat Radio and I think the Cosplay Day at Kinokuniya will be fabulous,” New York Anime Festival Show Manager Lance Fensterman said. “These partners are key players in the anime world and I think Cosplay Day underscores that we have become a key player, too! We want to celebrate the passion of cosplayers and accomplishments of Sonnya and Renee, and there is no better home for this than Kinokuniya Bookstore.”

The New York Anime Festival is an anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture convention from the creators of New York Comic Con and will take place September 26th through the 28th at the Jacob Javits Center in New York, NY.

Cosplay is short for “costume play” and is one of the most vivid and creative aspects of anime fandom. At its center is the creation and wearing of costumes based on a fan’s favorite anime or manga character. The World Cosplay Summit is the Olympics of Cosplay, an annual event which draws cosplayers chosen from around the world for a competition before judges including some of Japan’s most iconic anime and manga creators. This year, countries including Brazil, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, and the USA sent representatives to the World Cosplay Summit.

Kinokuniya’s Cosplay Day will include special all-day activities as well as a series of cosplay-themed presentations…

Kinokuniya Cosplay Day All-Day Events

Anime And Manga Discount: Any customer who comes into Kinokuniya Bookstore at 1073 Avenue of the Americas on Sunday, August 17 wearing anime, manga, or video game cosplay will receive 10% off all anime and manga purchases.

Cosplay Day Giveaway: All customers who come into Kinokuniya Bookstore can enter to win a number of prizes from Del Rey Manga and the New York Anime Festival. Winners will be drawn at 5:30 PM, and customers must be present to claim their prizes.

Kinokuniya Cosplay Day Event Schedule

3:00 to 4:00 PM: World Cosplay Summit Memories. The World Cosplay Summit — the Olympics of Cosplay — was held earlier this month in Japan, and two girls from Queens represented America in this international event. Team USA’s now back in NYC, and they’ve come to Kinokuniya to talk about their trip to Japan and experiences in the World Cosplay Summit. Sonnya Paz and Renee Gloger will spend an hour speaking about what it was like being crowned Team USA, what it was like winning a trip to Japan, and how they felt going up against cosplayers on the international stage!

4:00 to 4:30 PM: Cosplay Q&A. Got a question about cosplay? Curious about beadwork? Don’t know the best fabrics, metals, and woods to work with? Sonnya Paz and Renee Gloger will answer all your questions — beginner to advanced — so that one day you, too, will be good enough to compete in the Olympics of Cosplay.

4:30-5:00 PM: Samurai Beat Radio. Samurai Beat Radio, broadcast in 26 cities in Japan, comes to Kinokuniya to record a special, live show. Samurai Beat Radio will interview Sonnya Paz and Renee Gloger as well as cosplaying attendees to find out the who, what, where, when, and why Americans cosplay. This is a chance to get your voice heard throughout Japan!

5:30 PM: Raffle Drawing. Free tickets to the New York Anime Festival and Del Rey Manga prize packages are up for grabs in the Cosplay Day Giveaway. Customers can enter all day long, and to win, they’ll have to be present at 5:30 PM for the giveaway’s drawing.

Kinokuniya Bookstore, Del Rey Manga, the New York Anime Festival, and Samurai Beat Radio invite anime fans and New Yorkers up for a unique and unforgettable experience to come out to Cosplay Day at Kinokuniya on Sunday, August 17!

Sonnya (L) and Renee (R) in their award-winning costumes. Photos by Anna Fischer. Click for high-res versions.

Have you seen the live action Casshern movie?  Well, here’s a trailer for the upcoming Casshern Anime Series:

From Twitch:

Japan’s Madhouse Studios have been hard at work on a new Casshern anime series.  Titled Casshern Sins the show is slated to hit Japanese airwaves in September…

I think it looks pretty cool from the teaser, but I’d love to see more!

Cowboy Bebop

Ok, so the other day I mentioned the Cowboy Bebop Live Action Movie that’s apparently in the works. Well, since then I’ve found a few other articles about the announcement:

iFMagazine.com Exclusive: LIVE-ACTION ‘COWBOY BEBOP’ MOVIE IS IN THE WORKS

…Stoff goes on to explain his enthusiasm for the project and their attempts to remain faithful. “I have such an enormous admiration for its creators, that our first and foremost concern is going to be a real degree of faithfulness to the tone of the movie, to the mix of genres, and so on and so forth. When I met with them in Japan, one of the first things that I brought up was the experience that we had on A Scanner Darkly, and how hard we worked to remain faithful to Philip K. Dick, and that was our big concern here.” Don’t get confused, this does not mean that they’re going for a similar animated look like A Scanner Darkly, as he explicitly said that it’s going to be live-action.

AND THEN I came across the following article, via AICN’s Scott Green:

Keanu Reeves As Spike?

Rumor: Keanu Reeves as Spike in Cowboy Bebop Movie?!

However, a good friend inside the industry who is a very reliable source wrote in to tell me that the film is being fast tracked inside the studio and will most likely be out by 2010. He also revealed that Keanu Reeves has been attached as the lead character Spike for over eight months now and is still set for the role.

I suddenly had a feeling of deja vu when I read that. So what do you think? Could Keanu Reeves cut it as Spike?

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