PR: Viz's Haikasoru Imprint Announces Several New Titles

HAIKASORU ANNOUNCES LATEST ACQUISITIONS, INCLUDING ALL YOU NEED IS KILL GRAPHIC NOVEL AND ‘REMASTERED’ BATTLE ROYALE NOVEL

ALL YOU NEED IS KILL Graphic Novel, Based On The Book That Inspired Upcoming Film EDGE OF TOMORROW;

BATTLE ROYALE: REMASTERED Novel Features New Translation; New Non-Fiction THE BATTLE ROYALE SLAM BOOK Explores The Novel’s Impact On Pop Culture;

San Francisco, CA, July 18, 2013 – VIZ Media’s Haikasoru literary imprint previewed an exciting trio of brand new publishing acquisitions slated for debut in Spring 2014 during the company’s panel at the recent 2013 Comic-Con International, the nation’s biggest comic book, science fiction and pop culture event.

The acquisitions include the imprint’s first original graphic novel: ALL YOU NEED IS KILL, based on the hit science fiction novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. The release will coincide with the upcoming film Edge of Tomorrow, starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, also based on the ALL YOU NEED IS KILL book. Haikasoru’s other new acquisitions include BATTLE ROYALE: REMASTERED, featuring a brand new translation of the smash hit dystopian action/adventure story, and the BATTLE ROYALE SLAM BOOK: Essays on the Cult Classic Novel by Koushun Takami, both debuting on the 15^th anniversary of the novel’s first debut.

Haikasoru publishes some of the most compelling contemporary Japanese science fiction and fantasy stories for English-speaking audiences, and is the first imprint based in the U.S. dedicated to Japanese science fiction and fantasy in translation.

ALL YOU NEED IS KILL Graphic Novel MSRP: $14.99 U.S. / $17.99 CAN  Full-Color  Available May 6^th, 2014

When the alien Mimics invade, Keiji Kiriya is just one of many recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor called a Jacket and sent out to kill. Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to be reborn each morning to fight and die again and again. On his 158^th iteration, he gets a message from a mysterious ally – the female soldier known only as the Full Metal Bitch. Is she the key to Keiji's escape or his final death? Art by Lee Ferguson (Green Arrow, Miranda Mercury); story adapted by Nick Mamatas (Move Under Ground).

BATTLE ROYALE: REMASTERED  by Koushun Takami  MSRP: $16.99 U.S. / CAN $19.99  Available April 1^st, 2014

In a dystopian future Japan, forty-two junior high school students are outfitted with weapons and bid to kill one another until there is only one left standing! Koushun Takami's notorious high-octane thriller envisions a nightmare scenario: a class of junior high school students is taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms and forced to kill until only one survivor is left standing. Criticized as violent exploitation when it was first published in Japan—where it became a runaway best seller – Battle Royale is a Lord of the Flies for the 21^st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world.

THE BATTLE ROYALE SLAM BOOK: Essays on the Cult Classic Novel by Koushun Takami  MSRP: $15.99 U.S. / $19.99 CAN  Available April 1^st, 2014

The cult phenomenon Battle Royale has been lauded as a masterpiece and decried as exploitative gore, but it’s always remained in the public consciousness. This collection of essays by some of the best science fiction, horror, and thriller writers working today, including Brian Keene, John Skipp, and Catherynne M. Valente, each explore the depth, details, and controversies surrounding Battle Royale in an intelligent, accessible fashion. 

“ALL YOU NEED IS KILL was the debut release for the Haikasoru back in 2009 and it has remained one of our most popular titles,” says Masumi Washington, Editor-in-Chief, Haikasoru. “We’ll complement the new movie tie-in novel edition and support the release of the upcoming live-action film adaptation, Edge of Tomorrow, with our graphic novel release—which is based on and closely holds to Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s novel.”

Haikasoru imprint editor Nick Mamatas, Haikasoru says, “BATTLE ROYALE remains one of the biggest novels to ever come out of Japan and nearly 15 years after its initial publication, the controversy and discussions surrounding it continue. Fans won’t want to miss BATTLE ROYALE: REMASTERED and the companion THE BATTLE ROYALE SLAM BOOK, featuring insightful essays by some of the West’s most important popular fiction writers and cult filmmakers on the global impact of the novel, the associated theatrical films and manga series, the controversies they caused, and the title’s place in the larger pop culture pantheon!”

For more information these titles and the Haikasoru imprint, please visit the dedicated website at www.haikasoru.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.