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Two New Press Releases for You

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Viz has decided to inform the vast masses via the popular press release format about the upcoming releases of the Ranma 1/2 DVD boxed set and the Bastard!! manga

First up in the announcement of the Ranma 1/2 DVD box set: Digital Dojo. The box set will comrpise the entire first season of the incredibly popular series. The Box set runs for a whopping 450 minutes for the price of $99.98. When you ask? Don't ask me, I'm just a Panda.

The second press release is the announcement of the Bastard!! manga making it's way to US shores. Compliments of Viz Bastard!! will see the release of the first issue: Wizard this December. The first issue will be alighty different from the following issues. The first issue will feature a 72-page format instead of the standard 64-page format.

You can read both of the press releases below.

"THE LANDMARK FIRST SEASON FROM ONE OF AMERICA AND JAPAN'S MOST BELOVED SERIES OF ALL TIME!

RANMA 1/2, DIGITAL DOJO, DVD BOXSET

San Francisco, CA--Getting you regular fix of Ranma 1/2 was never this easy! Viz Video proudly announces the November 2001 release of Ranma 1/2 Digital Dojo, DVD Boxset, a compilation of the entire first season of Rumiko Takahashi's wildly hilarious martial arts romance comedy! Now you can own the entire historic first season on four disks for one low price!

Due to an unfortunate accident at the cursed Chinese training ground Jusenkyo, when Ranma and his father get splashed with cold water, papa turns into a giant panda and male Ranma becomes a buxom young woman! Hot water reverses the effect, but only until the next time! Constantly chased by battle-happy martial artists and lovesick suitors of both sexes, what's a half-boy, half-girl martial artist to do?

Rumiko Takahashi is the world's most popular and prolific female comic artist, with over 100 million copies of her work (Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2, etc.) sold worldwide. Takahashi recently made her second trip over to the United States to attend San Diego's Comic-Con 2000 where she spoke on a panel and signed autographs for fans. Her works have been the basis for three long-running animated series and over eight animated movies.

Ranma 1/2 Digital Dojo, DVD Boxset is a total of 450 minutes long. It retails for $99.98 in the USA."



"IN AN AGE OF FLESH AND BLOOD, MAGIC AND STEEL, AND HEAVY METAL...THERE IS ONLY ONE...BASTARD!! KAZUSHI HAGIWARA'S SWORD AND SORCERY MANGA LAUNCHES IN DECEMBER FROM VIZ!

San Francisco, CA--Viz Communications, Inc. proudly announces the December 2001 release of Kazushi Hagiwara's Bastard!!, the ultimate sword and sorcery manga! A cult hit in American fandom for years, the famous manga comes to America. The premiere issue, Bastard!! #1: Wizard features a new 72 page format, while following issues will release monthly in an economical 64 page format.

The kingdom of Metallicana is under attack, besieged by the dark forces of four evil armies sweeping the world. As orcs and giants besiege their citadel, the desperate defenders turn to a legend that a virgin's kiss may awaken "Dark Schneider," an ancient evil wizard sealed within the body of Lucien, a seemingly normal 14-year-old boy. Yoko, Lucien's teenage stepsister, does the deed and as the castle falls, Lucien metamorphoses into a silver-haired demigod! Dark Schneider, the chaotic, lecherous wizard, has returned, only barely restrained by the magic that forces him to obey Yoko. But a world of demons, dragons, and the four evil generals awaits him...and bloodstained Metallicana may never know peace again.

The black and white Viz release of Bastard!! is based on the retouched Bastard!! Perfect Edition, recently released in Japan, rather than the original, older graphic novels. The American edition of Bastard!! will retail for $3.95 and will be the first of several Viz titles that will be released in the 60+ page format. Bastard!! will also include reviews of RPG products and current heavy metal releases to familiarize fans with the artist's interests and influences in the creation of Bastard!!.

Artist and author, Kazushi Hagiwara learned the manga trade as an assistant to Izumi Matsumoto (Kimagure Orange Road), before starting Bastard!! in 1988 in Japan's best-selling manga magazine Shônen Jump (best known as the birthplace of Dragon Ball). He soon developed into one of the most visually spectacular manga artists and a favorite of many American comic artists. Hagiwara continues drawing Bastard!! to this day, often inserting in-jokes about his favorite music, heavy metal, and his favorite Role Playing Game (RPG), the classic Dungeons & Dragons(TM).

Fred Burke, the American rewriter of Bastard!!, has worked on dozens of translated manga titles since 1987 and brings to the title a wicked sense of over-the-top humor similar to his work on the action classic Fist of the North Star.

About Bastard!! Renowned for its mix of good artwork, sexy characters, violence and mayhem, Bastard!! by Kazushi Hagiwara has reached over 20 volumes. Bastard!! manga (comic) was originally published by Shueisha in Japan. Bastard!! has also been adapted into a Japanese PlayStation game, a Kotobukiya action figure line, as well as a six-episode anime series available in America from Pioneer Entertainment.

About Viz Communications, Inc. Viz Communications, Inc. is the leading U.S. publisher of Japanese animation and comics (anime and manga) for English-speaking audiences, serving a growing market of dedicated fans of all ages. Founded in 1986, Viz publishes over 20 titles every month including Ranma 1/2, Pokémon, Gundam and Dragon Ball Z. Viz also offers an integrated product line of consumer entertainment that includes magazines, comics, graphic novels, videos, DVDs and audio soundtracks."

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