VIZ Media Announces First-Ever Bleach Anime/Manga Design Contest With We-Love-Fine

BLEACH Manga Creator Tite Kubo And Shueisha Series Editor Will Personally Judge Fan Submissions, With The Grand Prize Winner Receiving A Trip To Anime Expo 2014

San Francisco, CA, March 20, 2014 – Viz Media, LLC (Viz Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, has announced a special first-ever BLEACH design contest with BLEACH licensee WeLoveFine (WeLoveFine.com). Artwork submissions will be accepted through midnight on Tuesday April 8th, 2014.

Artistic fans across the U.S. are invited to tap their Bankai and create original and innovative designs that will have a chance to become officially licensed BLEACH t-shirts / merchandise. In addition to cash and other valuable premiums, one lucky winner will be awarded a Grand Prize package that includes airfare to Los Angeles, CA and a full show pass to attend Anime Expo 2014, July 3rd-6th, where they will meet the Viz Media and WeLoveFine teams, and enjoy a fun weekend jam-packed with all things anime/manga. Grab your pens, tablets, mouse, or Zanpakutō and create that winning design today!

The contest's judging panel includes BLEACH manga creator Tite Kubo and his series editor,Shueisha's Yujiro Hattori, and representatives WeLoveFine, hip apparel retailer Hot Topic, and anime/manga/media site, Crunchyroll.com.

Full contest rules and a downloadable submission kit are available at:
http://contest.welovefine.com/contest/79-bleach-design-contest#.UyNll_SwKCp.

All designs MUST incorporate characters and themes from the BLEACH anime and/or manga series. Art pieces should be scanned and submitted to WeLoveFine. Submittals must be 100% original and exact copies or tracing of BLEACH manga or anime will not be accepted.

One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive an all expense paid, 3-day 2-night trip to attend Anime Expo 2014, the nation's biggest annual anime convention to be held in Los Angeles, CA, July 3rd-6th at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Prize package includes an Anime Expo membership badge, 1 round trip airfare ticket (limited to U.S. domestic flights only) and lodging near the convention center.

Other valuable prizes will also be awarded. Three (3) runner-up Guest Judge's pick winners will each win a $300.00 Cash Prize. One (1) Hot Topic Pick winner will receive a $300.00 Cash Prize and have their design carried exclusively by Hot Topic; One (1) Crunchyroll.com Pick winner will receive a $300.00 Cash Prize and have their design carried exclusively by Crunchyroll.com; and One (1) WeLoveFine Pick winner will also receive a $150.00 gift certificate from WeLoveFine.com.

The BLEACH animated film and TV series (distributed in North America by Viz Media, rated ‘TV-14’) are based on a smash hit manga series created by Tite Kubo (also published in North America by Viz Media, rated ‘T’) and follows the adventures of Ichigo, a 15-year old student with the ability to see ghosts. When his family is attacked by a Hollow – a malevolent lost soul – Ichigo encounters Rukia, a Soul Reaper, and inadvertently absorbs her powers. Now, he's dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping tortured souls find peace.

BLEACH is a tremendously successful multimedia property internationally. The manga has been licensed to more than a dozen countries and has sold over 50 million copies in Japan alone. In North America, the manga has been a sales hit and the popular animated series (both rated 'T' for Teens) is viewed weekly by millions in the United States and Canada. This success has further spawned an array of related video games, apparel, action figures, trading cards and other merchandise.

For more information on BLEACH please visit www.viz.com/Bleach.

About WeLoveFine
WeLoveFine.com is the online hub selling the most creative licensed designs on the web! Established in 2009, our stock features men's' and women's' pop-culture-savvy t-shirts – plus a variety of hats, bags, and art prints – covering fan-beloved characters including Star Wars, My Little Pony, Marvel Comics, Hello Kitty, Adventure Time, Scott Pilgrim, Jem, Disney, Star Trek, Sesame Street and more! More information about WeLoveFine is available at: www.welovefine.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 anthologyWEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, Viz Mediaoffers 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.


Source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2014-03-25/viz-media-announces-first-ever-bleach-anime/manga-design-contest-with-we-love-fine

Japanese Comic Ranking, March 10-16

News

Japanese Comic Ranking, March 10-16

One Piece, Silver Spoon, Naruto, Assassination Classroom, Kuroko's Basketball top chart

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Rank	Title	Est. Weekly Copies	Est. Total Copies	Release Date		Publisher
	Author			Highest Rank	Weeks on List
1	One Piece 73	348,844	2,425,033	2014/03		Shueisha
	Eiichiro Oda			1	2
2	Silver Spoon 11	155,409	724,257	2014/03		Shogakukan
	Hiromu Arakawa			2	2
3	Naruto 68	128,045	870,277	2014/03		Shueisha
	Masashi Kishimoto			2	2
4	Assassination Classroom 8	112,078	521,272	2014/03		Shueisha
	Yusei Matsui			4	2
5	Kuroko no Basuke(Kuroko's Basketball) 26	111,494	593,726	2014/03		Shueisha
	Tadatoshi Fujimaki			4	2
6	Bleach 62	83,858	471,520	2014/03		Shueisha
	Tite Kubo			6	2
7	Hanakun to Koisuru Watashi 8	64,143	64,143	2014/03		Kodansha
	Fuyu Kumaoka			7	1
8	Toriko 29	58,095	287,190	2014/03		Shueisha
	Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro			7	2
9	Nisekoi 11	54,064	252,216	2014/03		Shueisha
	Naoshi Komi			8	2
10	The New Prince of Tennis 12	50,326	207,943	2014/03		Shueisha
	Takeshi Konomi			9	2
11	Monster Musume 5	49,810	49,810	2014/03		Tokuma Shoten
	OKAYADO			11	1
12	Prison School 12	49,489	124,689	2014/03		Kodansha
	Akira Hiramoto			12	2
13	Hiyokoi 12	38,959	38,959	2014/03		Shueisha
	Moe Yukimaru			13	1
14	Kantai Collection -Kan Colle- Anthology Comic Yokosukashi Sanjubu-hen 4	38,102	38,102	2014/03		Kadokawa
	-			14	1
15	Ore Monogatari!! 5	34,735	307,785	2014/02		Shueisha
	Story: Kazune Kawahara / Art:Aruko			1	3
16	Library Wars: Love & War 13	34,446	127,924	2014/03		Hakusensha
	Original creator:Hiro Arikawa / Art:Kiiro Yumi			10	2
17	Ultraman 4	31,304	101,231	2014/03		Shogakukan Creative
	Eiichi Shimizu,Tomohiro Shimoguchi			14	2
18	Amaama to Inazuma 2	28,612	60,643	2014/04		Kodansha
	Gido Amagakure			18	2
19	Terra Formars 8	25,523	484,608	2014/02		Shueisha
	Story: Yū Sasuga / Art: Kenichi Tachibana			1	4
20	Hyakushō Kizoku 3	24,279	254,851	2014/02		Shinshokan
	Hiromu Arakawa			2	3
21	Seito Shokun!Saishūshō Tabidachi 11	22,415	22,415	2014/03		Kodansha
	Yoko Shoji			21	1
22	Hakaijū 12	22,258	42,201	2014/03		Akita Shoten
	Shingo Honda			22	2
23	I Am a Hero 14	21,071	143,653	2014/02		Shogakukan
	Kengo Hanazawa			7	3
24	Magical Girl of the End 5	20,940	41,284	2014/03		Akita Shoten
	Kentarō Satō			24	2
25	Sengoku Itō-ki 7	20,831	55,662	2014/03		Kodansha
	Hideki Miyashita			21	2
26	Drop OG 8	19,820	36,731	2014/03		Akita Shoten
	Original Work:Hiroshi Shinagawa / Art: Dai Suzuki			26	2
27	Hallelujah Overdrive! 11	19,296	19,296	2014/03		Shogakukan
	Kōtarō Takata			27	1
28	Embracing LoveAlive 1	19,141	19,407	2014/03		Libre Publishing
	Youka Nitta			28	1
29	Hozuki no Reitetsu13	19,042	295,888	2014/02		Kodansha
	Natsumi Eguchi			3	4
30	Attack on Titan 12	18,548	1,589,201	2013/12		Kodansha
	Hajime Isayama			1	15
31	Jū ~Ninpō Makai Tenshō~ 4	18,539	47,693	2014/03		Kodansha
	Original Work:Futaroh Yamada/ Art: Masaki Segawa			24	2
32	Animal Land 14	18,087	36,273	2014/03		Kodansha
	Makoto Raiku			32	2
33	Omairi desu you 2	17,567	17,854	2014/03		Kaiohsha
	Kotetsuko Yamamoto			33	1
34	Clover 35	17,184	33,345	2014/03		Akita Shoten
	Tetsuhiro Hirakawa			34	2
35	Rakuda Tsukai to Ōji no Yoru	17,058	17,058	2014/03		Libre Publishing
	Chise Ogawa			35	1
36	Like the Beast 7	16,724	17,069	2014/03		Kaiohsha
	Kotetsuko Yamamoto			36	1
37	Otogimoyou Ayanishiki Futatabi4	16,543	58,496	2014/03		Hakusensha
	Kyouko Hikawa			19	2
38	Chicken (Drop) Zenya no Monogatari 11	16,526	28,750	2014/03		Akita Shoten
	Original Creator: Tatsuya Iguchi / Art: Masayuki Saiwaki 歳脇将幸			38	2
39	Kyō no Nekomura-san 7	15,952	15,952	2014/03		Magazine House
	Yoriko Hoshi			39	1
40	Hitori Bocchi no Chikū Shinryaku 5	15,350	15,350	2014/03		Shogakukan
	Maiko Ogawa			40	1
41	Silver Spoon 10	15,202	782,445	2014/01		Shogakukan
	Hiromu Arakawa			1	10
42	One Piece 72	14,989	2,807,421	2013/11		Shueisha
	Eiichiro Oda			1	20
43	Tsuki no Sango 1	14,731	14,731	2014/03		Kodansha
	Art: Sasakishonen / Original Creator:Kinoko Nasu / Character Design:Takeshi Takeuchi,Chihiro Aikura			43	1
44	Suki-tte Ii na yo(Say "I love you".) 12	14,345	297,464	2014/02		Kodansha
	Kanae Hazuki			1	5
45	Switch Girl!! 25	14,326	106,397	2014/02		Shueisha
	Natsumi Aida			6	3
46	Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's 7	14,245	84,694	2014/03		Shueisha
	Story: Masahiro Hikokubo / Art:Masashi Sato / Collaboration:Studio Dice			13	2
47	Attack on Titan 11	13,675	1,767,687	2013/08		Kodansha
	Hajime Isayama			1	32
48	Higanjima: Saigo no 47 Himei 14	13,607	31,339	2014/03		Kodansha
	Kōji Matsumoto			47	2
49	Maken-Ki! 12	13,448	30,657	2014/03		Kadokawa
	Hiromitsu Takeda			49	2
50	Hozuki no Reitetsu1	13,237	524,005	2011/05		Kodansha
	Natsumi Eguchi			20	75

Source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-03-20/japanese-comic-ranking-march-10-16

Kawaii Kon's Guest Announcement, Nozawa Masako, for the 2014 Show

Honolulu, HI - March 13th 2014 – Announcing Nozawa Masako as a guest for Kawaii Kon 2014, Hawaii's premiere anime convention and conference.

Nozawa Masako – Seiyuu
Not many people can say they've been voice acting since they were three years old, but Masako Nozawa can. Nozawa has lent her voice to hundreds of anime, including Astro Boy, Gegege no Kitarō, Dokonjō Gaeru, and Doraemon (as Doraemon). In 1986 she stepped into her most famous role: Goku in Dragon Ball. In addition, she has also given voice to Son Gohan, Bardock, Son Goten, Vegetto, Gotenks in Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Z Kai. SinceDragon Ball has ended, she has also made appearances in anime such as One Piece, Digimon Tamers, Case Closed, Digital Monster X-Evolution, Pokémon - Advanced Generation, Tsubasa Chronicle.

About Kawaii Kon:
Kawaii Kon is dedicated to creating a broader awareness of, and appreciation for Japanese animation by celebrating the richness of this artform. Through cooperation with the community, Kawaii Kon hopes to facilitate growth of the anime, manga and related industries in Hawaii and beyond. In addition to providing a central event for fans and enthusiasts, Kawaii Kon seeks to become a vehicle for sharing and disseminating industry information. Kawaii Kon also provides the community and related industries the opportunity to network and conduct business.

Kawaii Kon will be held at the Hawaii Convention Center from April 4 – 6, 2014. For more information please visit: www.kawaiikon.com

source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2014-03-13/kawaii-kon-guest-announcement-nozawa-masako-for-the-2014-show

INTERVIEW, SPECIAL

MANGA WORLD REPORT : JORDAN BY DEE JUUSAN

Manga World Report continues to Jordan! Courtesy of dee juusan, who of course won The Winner Runner-Up award in the first year with “a Pure Love”, a silent manga about her pet rabbit. She writes from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan…

Hello~
I’m Diana, mostly known as dee, from Jordan. I’m 27 years old with an Architecture degree graduating in 2009.

I’ve been working as a manga artist since 2010 with some freelance work as a character designer and illustrator on the side.
I have several one shots and an ongoing published series; Grey is…
I’ve been blessed enough to be one of the Winner Runner in the first Silent Manga Audition and it’s the kind of “pat in the back” I needed after working for 3 years in this fresh and unknown medium to some in Jordan.

Jordan is a small country in the Middle East that’s constantly developing and changing at a very fast pace, given that it’s one of those countries with high population of young aged and spirited people. It’s most known for Petra, one of the new seven wonders of the world and the Dead Sea; Earth’s lowest Elevation on land.

As I mentioned, Manga/Comics is a fresh medium here. It has its audience and readership but it’s still mostly unknown for many people, and when known, many consider it a medium aimed at children. But things have been changed for the past 3-5 years and the Comics community is getting bigger and bigger.
Anime/Cartoons/Movies are still much known and watched than Manga/Comics but we’re getting there.

A lot of people used to buy Manga online, and an international store; Virgin Mega Store was the only place to provide some Manga titles. A store opened in 2010; 16:9 WIDE:SCREEN, and it gives a wide selection of Manga and Comics titles, and it provides a service that you can order any Manga through them and get it at the retail price without shipping charges. Also, the owner, Sami Al Nazer, is really supportive and loves to help us local talents in displaying out works and self-published books in the store.This pushed the medium greatly for the past 2 years.

The Manga/Comic community is mostly young adults of 20-30 years old, although a most people, if not everyone, watched Arabic dubbed anime, growing up without knowing the terms; Manga and Anime. Main stream shounen titles are most known, like Naruto, Bleach, Dragon Ball Z, Full Metal Alchemist, Slam Dunk, but at the same time there is a wide appreciation with the gems like Mushishi, VegaBond and others

Internet is a great thing! It allowed us to connect and learn a lot of faster and more conveniently that it was before. For the past 2 years, The Middle East Comic Con in Dubai, was a big help for us indie manga/comic creators to get together and share experiences and dreams.

And thanks for people like you in the Silent Manga Audition Committee, it’s been easier to get our works out there for the whole world to see.
I think this is one of the best contests/ideas and I see a big future for it because it’s purely universal with strong humane sweet themes.

Thank you so much for reading~

Peace be upon you all!

As the media central of Arabic speaking world, Jordan produces 75% of all Arabic content on the internet. Through dee’s article I can feel how vibrant the country must be. Thanks dee!

We will be asking more people around the world, to send in reports… Stay tuned 

source: http://www.manga-audition.com/manga-world-report-jordan-by-dee-juusan/#more-198

Doraemon 3D CG movie trailer

Anime Robot Cat Doraemon Enters 3rd Dimension in 1st 3D CG Film

Anime Robot Cat Doraemon Enters 3rd Dimension in 1st 3D CG Film

Returner/Yamato's Takashi Yamazaki, Moyashimon's Ryûichi Yagi co-direct Summer 2014 film

The iconic anime robot cat Doraemon will gain another dimension in Stand By Me Doraemon, his first 3D feature film ever, next summer. The film will celebrate what would have been the 80th birthday of late co-creator Fujiko F. Fujio (Hiroshi Fujimoto). The film will combine computer graphics with stereoscopic 3D projection.

The manga creator duo Fujiko Fujio (Hiroshi Fujimoto and Motoo Abiko) created Doraemon in 1969. In the story, the robotic cat was sent by a boy in the future to the present day to help the boy's hapless grandfather, Nobita. Doraemon, Nobita, and other children deal with everyday childhood issues, solve (and cause) problems with the gadgets in Doraemon's fourth-dimensional pocket, and embark on escapades through time and space.

Takashi Yamazaki (Returner, Always: Sunset on Third Street, Ballad, Space Battleship Yamato) and Ryûichi Yagi (Pénélope tête en l'air line director, Moyashimon 3D CG director) are helming Stand By Me Doraemon after collaborating on Japan's first feature-length 3D CG anime film, Friends: Mononoke Shima no Naki.

Planning on Stand By Me Doraemon began three years ago. After completing Friends: Mononoke Shima no Naki, the two directors considered making a new project together with the same team. Yamazaki said that the film lets you experience in 3D what it would be like to get your hands on Doraemon's gadgets and do whatever you like. Yagi added that the flying scenes with Doraemon's signature Take-Copter (Bamboo-Copters headpieces) are a must-see.

Character modelling took over a year, and the staff strived for realism in movement and expressions. After the dialogue was recorded, the staff produced the CG animation to match the voices — the opposite of the usual anime film process in Japan, which records dialogue after most of the animation is completed. The film employed techniques that used miniatures and filmed real objects for the backgrounds.

The manga series was compiled into 45 collected volumes before it ended in 1996. The manga inspired three television anime series that have collectively lasted four decades, dozens of television specials, and a string of annual anime films. Fujiko F. Fujio Productions, Japanese multimedia producer Voyager Japan, and translation company AltJapan are releasing the Doraemon manga in English and in full color digitally.

The next 2D film, Eiga Doraemon Shin Nobita no Daimakyo ~Peko to 5-nin no Tankentai~ (Doraemon the Movie: New Nobita's Great Demon ~Peko and the Exploration Party of Five~), is still slated for March 8:


French film star Jean Reno (Léon: The Professional, Mission: Impossible, The Da Vinci Code) stars as Doraemon himself in a series of live-action television commercials for Toyota. The ad have boasted an all-star cast of Satoshi Tsumabuki (Dororo, Ikebukuro West Gate Park, Smuggler) as Nobita, actress Asami Mizukawa, former NEWS band member Tomohisa Yamashita, mixed martial artist Naoya Ogawa, former AKB48 idol Atsuko Maeda, and Olympic gymnast Kōhei Uchimura.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-11-13/anime-robot-cat-doraemon-enters-3rd-dimension-in-1st-3d-cg-film

Non-Japanese artists recognized in 7th International Manga Award

POP CULTURE DIPLOMACY | Non-Japanese artists recognized in 7th International Manga Award

Filipino manga award winner Elmer Damaso created Ravenskull. PHOTO FROM THE JAPANESE EMBASSY-MANILA

InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5

MANILA - Out of 256 entries from 53 countries, 15 manga creations were recognized in the 7th International Manga Award at the Iikura House of the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on 14 February 2014, the Japanese embassy here said in a news release.

The work “Bokbig” of Prema Jatukanyaprateep of Thailand received the Gold Award while the works “Paris” by George Alexopoulus of USA, “Carrier” by Navar of China, and “The Foiles Bergère” by Francis Porcel of Spain and Zidrou of Belgium received the Silver Award.

Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Nobuo Kishi and President of the Jury Machiko Satonaka presented the commendation certificates and trophies to the winners. As part of their prize, the artists will enjoy their stay in Japan, meet with Japanese manga artists, and visit publishing companies and other manga-related establishments.

Filipino manga artists also had the honor of receiving recognition from the International Manga Award. For their works Ravenskull and Mr. Grieves, Elmer Damaso and Jhomar Soriano were in the top 19 manga artists in the 1st International Manga Award in 2007. In the following Award in 2008, Kriss Sison was ranked among the top 12 artists for his work Ninja Girl Ko and received a bronze award.

The International Manga Award was founded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in May 2007 as part of the active use of pop culture in public diplomacy. It is through this cultural exchange that will deepen the understanding of Japanese culture and manga among artists of different nations.

source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/81569/pop-culture-diplomacy--non-japanese-artists-recognized-in-7th-international-manga-award

Silent Manga Audition 2014 : One Month Till the Deadline

Feb 28th 2014

The truly global Manga / Comic award, by established Manga Masters at Comic-Zenon, is accepting entries for the second year round.

Kichijoji, Tokyo, JAPAN - February 28, 2014

"Silent Manga Audition" is a Manga (Comic) award organised by established masters of manga (Japanese Comics). Lead by Nobuhiko Horie ( CEO, Coamix corp. / the former chief editor of world record holding Weekly Shonen Jump ), with authors of major Manga franchises such as "Fist of the North Star", "City Hunter" and many more.

The event's aims are simple : 1. Raise awareness about Manga around the globe. 2. Find and assist great talents around the world, providing award winners necessary training and exposure, to professional publishers.

"Silent Manga" is a unique concept in which "spoken words" are not allowed. Resulting in Manga that is not only enjoyable across language barriers, but also a great trial in author's drawing abilities.

We are receiving entries at a faster pace than last year's event, a proof that the world is awakening to the unique powers of Silent Manga.

Not only there are generous award winnings, this opportunity to have your Manga reviewed by renowned professionals, including team of manga editors who are behind some of biggest manga titles, is a one-a-year chance any aspiring comic artist can't afford to miss. We eager everyone to make the best out of it.

Entries for 2014 year round of Silent Manga Audition will close 31st of March 2014. There is still one month of time to complete a work for entry!


For more information on the award entry, please visit official website www.manga-audition.com . Along with entry details, all of 2013 year round entries are available for viewing, with guest works by professional Manga artists.

source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2014-02-28/silent-manga-audition-2014/one-month-till-the-deadline