Broken Frontier

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced special December issues of its magazines, SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, highlighting a variety of the latest video game titles and trends. Each magazine will also feature a holiday sweepstakes for a Nintendo Wii video game system. In addition, SHOJO BEAT includes a special supplement, the official guide to the hit shojo (girls) manga series VAMPIRE KNIGHT (rated T+ for older teens). The December issues of SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT go on sale nationwide on November 4th and 18th respectively.

There is a strong inter-relationship between manga, anime and video gaming, as one genre often influences the others; millions of manga and anime fans across North America are also avid gamers. The Wii sweepstakes invites readers to submit an entry by mail or email explaining which Wii game they are most excited to play and why. Entries will be put into a random drawing, and one winner will be selected from each set of magazine submissions.  Details on the sweepstakes are outlined in each of the December 2008 issues and readers can enter by mail or via the magazine websites www.shonenjump.com and www.shojobeat.com.

The December issue of SHONEN JUMP will include a special extended “Games We Love” section that announces the magazine’s first-ever game awards for 2008. The section will also look back at some of the biggest video game news and events that shaped the year, giving an overview of the state of PC gaming, the rise of the iPhone as a new gaming platform, the popularity of downloadable games, and the competition among the newest game consoles, including the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. The extended section will also have reviews of current video games. The issue is also filled with of the latest information on the hit SHONEN JUMP Naruto games from Namco Bandai, TOMY and Ubisoft.
SHOJO BEAT will similarly cover an array of the best and most anticipated new game titles for the 2008 holiday season hand picked for girl gamers in every genre from music to action adventure and RPG’s, including Wii Music and Mirror’s Edge. SHOJO BEAT also names its "Top 7 Video Game Heroines," recognizing the growing strength and appeal of female game characters.

As a very special bonus, the issue will further highlight video games in the burgeoning vampire entertainment genre with coverage of hot new vampire-themed titles such as Castlevania from Konami and the new Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Sacrifice game from 505 games. Those vampire-game stories tie in with the magazine’s inclusion of the Official Guide to VAMPIRE KNIGHT, the best-selling shojo manga series, and SHOJO BEAT’s most popular serialized title. This special 11-page section will include a detailed timeline of key storylines, a two-page chart of VAMPIRE KNIGHT’S complex cast of characters, expert answers to reader questions, a look at the new VAMPIRE KNIGHT anime in Japan, and much more.

“We’re thrilled that we could fill the December issue with special coverage of VAMPIRE KNIGHT and video games, two subjects that our readers are truly passionate about,” says Narasu Rebbapragada, Senior Editor, SHOJO BEAT. “We designed ‘The Official Guide to VAMPIRE KNIGHT’ to appeal to both die-hard fans and new readers of this truly addictive shojo manga series. And for our video game coverage, we wanted to recognize the wide-ranging interests of our readers, who are truly enjoying the connection between manga, anime, and video games. And what better way to reward them by giving away a Nintendo Wii?”

Together SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT reach approximately 2 million readers each month and nearly all readers play/own video games. Given the fact that SHOJO BEAT readership is 96% female, this number is even more impressive as it is the only publication where one can find such a high composition of female video game players. SHONEN JUMP readership numbers for video gaming also rival those of the most popular game magazines.

More information on SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT magazines is available at: www.shonenjump.com and www.shojobeat.com.