SJ Press Release: Hikaru No Go and Rurouni Kenshin

[invadermeat712]

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2003 PRESS RELEASES
SHONEN JUMP New Releases
Exciting new additions to action packed schedule with Samurais and Japan's popular game, Go.
VIZ, LLC, is proud to announce the acquisition of two new titles in The SHONEN JUMP graphic novel line, Rurouni Kenshin and Hikaru no Go making their debut in the Graphic Novel format. Fans will be able to get a sneak peek into Rurouni Kenshin through SHONEN JUMP Magazine and Hikaru No Go will be serialized in SHONEN JUMP magazine beginning in January, its anniversary issue. Bringing the most action-packed, popular titles directly from Japan, these two new titles will garner much press and consumer excitement with the launch of the first graphic novel as early as November 2003. Look for another exciting announcement in August as we announce our acquisition of an eagerly awaited title.

Rurouni Kenshin

One of the biggest manga hits of the 1990s, Rurouni Kenshin is set in Japan during the late 1800s and brings this remarkable period of Japanese history to life. It is the Meiji Restoration, and the feudal system separating the classes has ended. By law, the samurai must give up their swords -- symbols of their traditional power -- but a few still resist the changing times. In Japan, the accumulated sales for all volumes combined for Rurouni Kenshin was 4.5 million copies.

Currently airing on Cartoon Network, Creator Nobuhiro Watsuki's first series, Rurouni Kenshin ran for 28 volumes in Japan. Translated in 14 countries worldwide, this is the first time the manga will be translated into English, but the anime TV, movie and OAV series are available in English, sometimes under the title Samurai X. Fans will be able to see a sneak preview of the series in the November issue of the SHONEN JUMP Magazine (on sale October 7, 2003).

RUROUNI KENSHIN, VOLUME 1
SHONEN JUMP graphic novel
story & art by Nobuhiro Watsuki
b&w, 208 pages
$7.95 USA/$12.95 CAN
ISBN: 1-59116-220-3

Hikaru No Go

The latest hit game among Japanese students has nothing to do with cards or magical beatss. In fact, it's not even a new game, but one that used to be associated with old folks. How did it get to be so popular? Simple: It has really cool manga!

Currently at 18 volumes, Hikaru No Go (The Go of Hikaru) has been hitting the top of Japan's manga sales charts for several years. The series is a team effort, written by Yumi Hotta and drawn by Takeshi Obata, with young go master Yukari Umezawa as technical advisor and Japan's National Go Association as their willing supporters. The rest is a unique gaming comic that has resurrected the popularity of this traditional Chinese strategy game (superficially similar to Othello). In Japan, the latest volume of Hikaru (vol. 23) sold 830,000, and altogether (from Vol. 1 to 23) has sold 21 million to date. It's also been translated in 7 different countries.

This series will be making its debut as a serialization in the January issue of the SHONEN JUMP Magazine, to replace Sand Land that ends in the November issue.

HIKARU NO GO, VOLUME 1
SHONEN JUMP graphic novel
Story by Yumi Hotta, Art by Takeshi Obata
b&w, 208 pages
$7.95 USA/$12.95 CAN

ISBN: 1-59116-222-X

Source: Viz.com
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-Darn it Rurouni Kenshin is not going to be in SJ. I was looking foward to it. Now I will have to waist money to buy the Graphic Novels.

-No Announcement yet about SandLand Graphic Novels. I suspect SandLand will get the Graphic Novel treatment in November with only 3 volumes or something.

-I have a couple of questions
#1 When is the Duelist Kingdom saga going to start?
#2 Is Hikaru No Go an anime in Japan?

[Ryoutarou]

yes it has an anime.

[The Man in Black]

Hmm...well, I've heard Hikaru No Go is good, but it's too bad Kenshin aint gonna be in SJ. I was looking forward to it. I'll have to try and find the graphic novels now :( Not to mention I'm way behind on the anime...I hope it goes back to Toonami and restarts...

[Andrew T. Hingson]

I guess they figured they couldn't keep Kenshin in Shonen Jump long before it would get to violent for the audience. Pretty smart of them actually, but you can bet that single issue of Shonen Jump will sell more than any previous issue just because of Kenshin being in it. Sand Land will probably get graphic novels. Actually it might just come out in one huge book or a box set of 2 to 3 books.

[Animation Otaku]

Umm, Hyper Luigi. One Piece is just as violent as Kenshin and Naruto is much more violent.

[Catlover]

:mad: I was really hopeing Kenshin would get a full run in SJ. I'll probably like Hikaru no Go, but my expections are low. I'm really unhappy with two things


Too much Yu-Gi-Oh.
No Kenshin.


I'm just furious that Kenshin isn't going to be in Shonen Jump. I'm a paying custumer. I even subscibed. Now, after all the hypeing, Kenshin won't be in Shonen Jump! Couldn't they have put both HNG & Kenshin in there, and sacrifice a few issues of Yu-gi-oh? I mean, they have Three/four issues of YGO per Shonen Jump. They could lessen it down to two per SJ. :mad:

[Animation Otaku]

They have never had 4 issues of anything other than Dragon Ball Z, Yu-Gi-Oh! and the others hover between 2 and 3.

[Cyporiean]

oh boo hoo Kenshin isn't going to be in shouen jump.. now I won't be long dead before it is fully released.. Viz should put all there manga in shouen jump and say screw graphic novel releases because I'm too lazy and broke to go buy the novel versions.

[Catlover]

They have never had 4 issues of anything other than Dragon Ball Z, Yu-Gi-Oh! and the others hover between 2 and 3.

I never said they had four issues of anything else than YGO.


oh boo hoo Kenshin isn't going to be in shouen jump.. now I won't be long dead before it is fully released.. Viz should put all there manga in shouen jump and say screw graphic novel releases because I'm too lazy and broke to go buy the novel versions.

Garphic Novels are the same speed as SJ.

Graphic Novels = 4 issues per book, every other month.

Shonen Jump = two/three issues per book, every month.

(and don't mock me either. I'm not lazy. Just smart.)

[Animation Otaku]

I never said they had four issues of anything else than YGO.


But they never had 4 issues of Yu-Gi-Oh!, only Dragon Ball Z.

[Conekiller]

If they jsut keep piling on the different manga, we'll NEVER finish these stories. They''ll be doen with DBZ in 8 years and we won't see the end of the Capt. Buggy fight untill Christmas

PS stay FAR away fomr Hikaru no Go, it's about as interesting as watching an anime about chess. then agian, I never thought animes about palying cards and spinning tops would be watched by people either (not that I do, I can't stand either show)

[Cyporiean]

I never said they had four issues of anything else than YGO.



Garphic Novels are the same speed as SJ.

Graphic Novels = 4 issues per book, every other month.

Shonen Jump = two/three issues per book, every month.

(and don't mock me either. I'm not lazy. Just smart.)


Most GNs I buy are 6-10 Chapters Per book, compared to Shouen Jump's 2-3.

[The Man in Black]

I wonder why Best Anime calls it "Hikaru's Go"

Find all OPs/EDs for Hikaru No Go here (http://www.bestanime.com/newAniData/aniInfo.php?&idx=1295&viewType=&initialKey=&page=1&subPageType=pds&dataMode=mov)

[Arxane]

I wonder why Best Anime calls it "Hikaru's Go"

Because that's an English translation of "Hikaru no Go". "Hiraku" is the main character, "Go" is an ancient board game, and "no" is the Japanese equivalent of the English 's. Another translation would be "The Go of Hikaru".

[Andrew T. Hingson]

Umm, Hyper Luigi. One Piece is just as violent as Kenshin and Naruto is much more violent.

More violent then the Kyoto Arc completely unedited? Really? Wow, then there is no excuse. Bad Viz I want RK in Shonen Jump!

[Pepperidge]

I refuse to buy the American version of Shonen Jump. It's half the size of the Japanese version, is only released once a month (as opposed to every week) and costs more than twice as much.

Viz doesn't seem to understand how the system of manga is supposed to work. Shonen Jump is not supposed to be a collectable magazine as Viz is making it-- it is supposed to be a disposable magazine printed on cheap quality paper riddled with ads. The idea is that you buy a magazine like Shonen Jump to preview serialized titles, and then you buy the titles you like in the high quality graphic novel format.

Of course, here in the west comics are considered collectables rather than reprintable literature. I guess Viz wants to uphold that image with their version of Jump.

[The Man in Black]

Shonen Jump is not supposed to be a collectable magazine as Viz is making it-- it is supposed to be a disposable magazine printed on cheap quality paper riddled with ads. The idea is that you buy a magazine like Shonen Jump to preview serialized titles, and then you buy the titles you like in the high quality graphic novel format.

please never say that again

[StrangerAtaru]

please never say that again

Why? It's true. The only reason for Weekly Jump is to preview the stuff in the graphic novels and introduce new faces and manga to the Japanese public.

[Chikara-Dragoon]

Yeah, I'm kinda dissappointed that Kenshin won't be in it....oh well, I own some of the Japanese manga already, but I guess I will have to get a couple of the English ones. ;)

[Pepperidge]

please never say that again

Also keep in mind that in Japan, GN's cost about $3 each.

Thankfully, manga prices to seem to be coming down. I mean, just as long as they don't print books in the ugly clunky "$15 format". Thankfully Viz plans to reprint Evangelion in the much prefered $9.99 format.

[Chrono1995]

I'm very happy Rurouni Kenshin is going straight to graphic novel release since I didn't want to wait four years for the Jinchuu (Revenge) Arc.

[Chikara-Dragoon]

I buy my Japanese GN at an "International" store. They sell most GN for 5-7 dollars apiece. Not as good as if I were to get them in Japan, but better than English translated ones from Barnes and Nobles.

[ohmrbill]

Well I'm actually glad about the Kenshin news. Now I can just get the graphic novels and not waste money on SJ. :p

[silverwings]

Well, now that I know this, I have a question:

I have yet to subscribe to SJ (i've been buying it off the shelf) but am thinking about it for when I go to college. I'm really only interested in Naruto, One Piece, RK, Shamen King, and YYH. Would it be cheaper to just buy the Graphic novels of these or continue to buy/subscribe to SJ?

[Animation Otaku]

With four titles that are in jump at 9 $ per gn vs 30$ for a year subscription, I'd say the subscription.

[Mog]

I'm very happy Rurouni Kenshin is going straight to graphic novel release since I didn't want to wait four years for the Jinchuu (Revenge) Arc.

Ain't that the truth. I wonder how many GN will be released. RK has 90 some-odd eps. Add the Jinchu arc and you get into the 110-120's?

[Cyporiean]

Ain't that the truth. I wonder how many GN will be released. RK has 90 some-odd eps. Add the Jinchu arc and you get into the 110-120's?

Kenshin is 28 books total.

Remember, Half the Anime is filler garbage..