ADV Manga Announces July Street Dates

HOUSTON, May 28, 2004?ADV Manga today announced its July 2004 street dates. Included in the lineup are new titles: Apocalypse Meow, Jinki: Extend, Gadirok and The Boss. Apocalypse Meow, Volume 1 of 3 Yes, you read that right. Apocalypse Meow is a manga unlike any other, where you?ll find animals playing soldiers. The characters of this pseudo-historical account of the Vietnam War are rabbits, cats, and other beasts representing various nationalities involved in the conflict. A remarkable synthesis of gritty realism and fable-like characters, Apocalypse Meow is a unique masterpiece. Written and illustrated by Motofumi Kobayashi, he was the first manga artist to draw an American comic book series?Marvel Comic?s Psychonaut. Inside the jungles of Vietnam, a courageous Special Ops Unit is fighting the most infamous war of decades past?the Vietnam War. This bold account follows the brave exploits of Sergeant ?Perky? Perkins and his unit of?rabbits! Join Perky, Rats and Botaski as they fight against the cats of the Viet Cong. From the Tet Offensive to the My Canh bombing, watch these commando-style bunnies through an anthropomorphic lens as events unfold and violence erupts. Street: 07/27/2004 Genre: Military Age Rating: 13+ 136 pages, black and white; 10 color Author and Illustrator: Motofumi Kobayashi SRP: $9.99 Aria, Volume 2 of 3 Aria, an all-ages series, is a charming combination of science-fiction action and comedy starring a young female hero who?ll steal your heart. Akari Mizunashi has made her home on the planet Aqua, in the charming little town of Neo-Venezia, a Venetian imitation of the ancient Earth city. She is determined to become an undine and as her training continues, she finds herself in the middle of her first Neo-Venezia winter! She will soon see an entirely different, but equally magical side of the town. Playing with snowbugs and going to hot springs with her friends are novel experiences, but nothing can compare to an encounter with a trio of Gnomes, the underground dwellers responsible for maintaining Aqua?s artificial gravity. They will take Akari on an adventure of unseen places, but they won?t have to travel far! Street: 07/27/2004 Genre: Adventure Age Rating: All 192 pages, black and white; 2 color Author and Illustrator: Kozue Amano SRP: $9.99 Gadirok, Volume 1 of 8 Combining Korean and Chinese history, Gadirok is a modern Hong Kong-style thriller. Will turmoil crush the Jew-Shin Empire? General Hae-Mo-Soo, in his merciless pursuit for power, conspires against the ruling Hwan-Woong dynasty, forcing Prince Chi-Woo to abdicate. With all odds against him, the vanquished and melancholy Prince has nowhere or nobody to turn to?except his peasant confidant, Gat. With a treacherous tyrant hot on their trail, Chi-Woo and Gat must courageously endure heartache and bloodshed along their perilous journey to retake the throne and return the Empire to glory. Will the Prince and the peasant escape the clutches of the General and his cohorts? Only time will tell in the historic epic saga of Gadirok! Street: 07/27/2004 Genre: Action Age Rating: 16+ 192 pages, black and white Author and Illustrator: Hwang Jeong-Ho SRP: $9.99 Jinki: Extend, Volume 1 of 3 If giant-robot combat action rocks your boat, you won?t be able to put Jinki: Extend down. This manga offers page after page of thrilling mecha-action combined with a thrilling plot. A mysterious explosion rocks La Gran Sabana, Venezuela. This marks the beginning of the ?lost life phenomenon,? a series of strange occurrences ranging from random murders to sudden disappearances of entire populations of villages. Three years later, heroine Akao Hiiragi suddenly finds herself piloting a jinki, a form of gigantic battle robot. But even as this young girl seeks to use the power of the jinki for good, a group of mysterious masked villains is after her, determined to take her captive? Street: 07/27/2004 Genre: Sci-Fi Age Rating: 16+ 184 pages, black and white; 2 color Author and Illustrator: Sirou Tunasima SRP: $9.99 Sky Blade: Sword of the Heavens, Volume 2 of 13 This electrifying graphic novel will find fans of all ages with its winning combination of humor and action. Jih-Ro and Il-Geum continue their quest, but all is not well. Il-Geum?s journey is stymied when he tries to escape the wrath of Jade of Ice, one of the Three Gems of the Land. After he humiliated her in public, Jade of Ice hires the Divine Goddesses to have Il-Geum killed. Lucky for him, though, he happens to have aunts at the Palace of Divine Goddesses. Conflicted by their love for him and their vow to uphold the reputation of the Goddesses, Il-Geum?s aunts stage a kidnapping and leave him at the mouth of a cave, where he encounters the Twin Devils of the North and South, and a book entitled The Art of Spiritual Heaven. This book could be the key to the destinies of both Il-Geum and Jih-Ro, but time is of the essence, because one man may decide to take matters into his own hands? Street: 07/27/2004 Genre: Action Age Rating: All 184 pages, black and white Author: HYUN KANG-SUK Illustrator: Ah Shin SRP: $9.99 Steel Angel Kurumi, Volume 6 of 9 An all-time fan favorite, Steel Angel Kurumi boasts an international battle of female androids. Don?t miss the popular companion anime DVD series by ADV Films, also showing on the Anime Network. All is chaos aboard the Academy?s floating fortress! Ragnarok, the Steel Fight?s final round, is momentarily forgotten as Aleister Crowley takes center stage, harnessing the power of the Steel Angels to resurrect a demon. This demon uses her Chaos Mind (an evil Angel Heart) to open a time gate, and after casting a deadly curse upon Nakahito, she escapes to the future! Join Kurumi Karinka, Saki, Nakahito and Kaga as they journey to an alternate future, filled with highly-advanced Steel Angels and a ?phantom continent.? Their objective: To reverse Nakahito?s deadly spell and in the process, save humanity from ultimate doom. Street: 07/27/2004 Genre: Science Fiction Age Rating: 16+ 184 pages, black and white; 4 color Author and Illustrator: KAISHAKU The Boss, Volume 1 of 30 The Boss is a tough tale of high school rivalries which will remind readers of GTO, My Bodyguard and West Side Story. Sang-Tae is a typical high school student, with a girlfriend on his arm and a bully close behind him?a very fearsome bully. The dangerous Guk-Do Jun has been suspended for a year, and with his blood brother Chung-Ki Na, he is scheming to take control of the school. In their effort to get to Sang-Tae, the two miscreants decide to kidnap his girlfriend. There?s a problem though?the girl they abduct is not his girlfriend! Feeling responsible for the mistaken identity, Sang-Tae rushes to rescue the innocent girl, only to step right into Chung-Ki?s trap. Find out how far Sang-Tae can be pushed before he strikes back. There?s no telling who will win this battle, or who will eventually become The Boss. Street: 07/27/2004 Genre: Action Age Rating: 13+ 184 pages, black and white Author and Illustrator: Lim Jae-Won SRP: $9.99 The Ruler of the Land, Volume 3 of 31 The Ruler of the Land, ADV Manga?s first Korean graphic novel release, has proven appeal?it already has an estimated five million readers worldwide and has inspired several successful computer games! Bi-Kwang is in danger! The search for Hwa-Rin?s grandfather continues and the Sword of the Flowers remains coveted by the most abject of men. The journey becomes a perilous one, and after Sang-Pil immobilizes Hwa-Rin, a furious Bi-Kwang seeks revenge, only to be bulldozed by his enemy?s men. When death seems inevitable, the Black Winds appear, but can they save the young adventurer? Meanwhile, Hwa-Rin is nowhere to be found! Unbeknownst to her friend, she is now a guest in the house of the Lord of the Thousand Horses, an extremely hostile place, full of ill intentions? Street: 07/27/2004 Genre: Comedy Age Rating: 13+ 200 pages, black and white Author: JEON KEUK-JIN Illustrator: Yang Jae-Hyun SRP: $9.99 Those Who Hunt Elves, Volume 5 of 21 If you?ve seen the DVD anime release of Those Who Hunt Elves, you?ll understand the excitement! The anime series is currently broadcasting on Anime Network, and Season Two of the series is currently in DVD release from ADV Films. That elf-stripping gang of misfits is back and the clothes are flying! This time, the group has its hands full. They find themselves trapped in the domain of the evil elf Madame Grandbelle, whose sole purpose and goal is to rule the world. It?s up to the elf hunters to free the people from the iron yoke of their nefarious leader, but such a task will require a lot more gold than they have. The gang finds the solution to their monetary woes in the most unlikely of places?a museum management contest! With a little ingenuity, they could manage to come out on top, but who would?ve guessed that when it came time for the final showdown, our heroes would come face-to-face with the chance to return home? Street: 07/27/2004 Genre: Comedy Age Rating: 13+ 192 pages, black and white; 2 color Author and Illustrator: Yu Yagami SRP: $9.99 To Heart, Volume 2 of 3 To Heart is a compelling and visual comedy that follows a shy high-school girl. An innocent trip to the beach breeds new hope for the lovesick Akari, when Hiroyuki actually holds her hand! Even though he is just comforting her after she suffers a fright, it is still quite a thrill! Unfortunately, the feeling of euphoria is cut short, because of a girl named Kotone Himekawa, a sophomore with whom Hiroyuki decides to work with closely, very closely? The competition doesn?t help Akari?s chances, and she?s more lovesick now than ever before. A wildly hilarious school festival might steal her attention momentarily, but time?s a-wastin? and Hiroyuki has already forgotten their romantic evening at the beach! Street: 07/27/2004 Genre: Comedy Age Rating: All 176 pages, black and white; 2 color Author and Illustrator: Ukyou Takao SRP: $9.99 About ADV Manga Specializing in Japanese and other East Asian comics, illustration books, graphic novels and more, ADV Manga is the publishing division of A.D. Vision, Inc., parent company of ADV Films, Newtype USA, Anime Network and more. Founded in 2003, with nationwide mass-market distribution, ADV Manga is poised to dominate the explosively growing U.S. market for imported graphic novels and related published materials. More information is available at http://www.adv-manga.com. Information about other A.D. Vision, Inc. divisions and initiatives can be found at: http://www.advfilms.com http://www.theanimenetwork.com http://www.newtype-usa.com -30-

Posted on Friday, May 28, 2004 (Archive on Monday, June 28, 2004)