Viz Media Announces New DVD Releases Q1 2007 Company: Viz Media Product: DVD Lineup VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the release in the first quarter of 2007 of the latest DVD volumes for a variety of popular anime series. These include popular titles such as BLEACH, INUYASHA, RANMA 1/2, FLAME OF RECCA and ZATCH BELL!. VIZ Media will also be releasing the award-winning live action film, TRAIN MAN:DENSHA OTOKO. BLEACH Vol. 2 - MSRP: $24.98 - Available January 30 BLEACH Vol. 3 - MSRP: $24.98 - Available March 27 BLEACH tells the story of Ichigo Kurosaki, For as long as he can remember, Ichigo Kurosaki has always been able to see ghosts. But when he meets Rukia, a Soul Reaper from the Soul Society who battles evil spirits known as Hollows, his life changes forever. Now, with a newfound wealth of spiritual energy, Ichigo discovers his true calling: to protect the living and the dead from evil at all costs! With enough attitude to make a grown demon blush, Ichigo and crew are taking on the afterlife, one soul at a time. Follow all the action in these two latest DVDs rated "T" for Teens. All DVDs feature exclusive Collector's Art Stickers! RANMA 1/2 SEASON ONE DIGITAL DOJO BOX SET - MSRP: $49.98 - Available January 16 The entire first season of the epic anime series based on Rumiko Takahashi's (INUYASHA, MAISON IKKOKU) popular manga series (also published by VIZ Media). It's not easy being teenage martial artist Ranma Saotome, but it's even worse when your martial artist father Genma takes you from home at an early age to embark on a decade long training mission in China. He doesn't speak a word of Chinese but insists upon bringing his son to a cursed training ground called Jusenkyo, where falling into one of the many natural springs instantly turns the hapless victim into whoever or whatever drowned there last. From now on, a splash of cold water turns Genma into a giant panda and poor Ranma turns into a red-haired (and problematically well-built) female counterpart. Hot water reverses the effects but that is just the beginning of the comedic zaniness that has made this series a favorite for almost two decades! Rated "T+" for Older Teens. TRAIN MAN: DENSHA OTOKO - MSRP: $24.98 - Available February 6 TRAIN MAN: DENSHA OTOKO is the film inspired by the phenomenal bestseller by Hitori Nakano that took Japan by storm. Based on true events that took place on a popular Internet Bulletin Board website (BBS) in Japan called "2ch," this fairy tale-like story has become a media sensation, and has been adapted in book, comic, television drama, and movie formats. Released in 2005, the movie became an instant hit, grossing over 35 million dollars in Japan. The film tells the story of is the story of a computer engineer otaku (the Japanese term for "geek"), who is an average young man dressed in unstylish clothes and dorky glasses. As luck would have it, he encounters a pretty young woman on a commuter train and saves her from a lecherous molester, falling in love with her at first sight. A few days later he receives a thank-you message from the woman along with a set of Hermes teacups. Having never had a girlfriend or received a gift from a girl in his life, the otaku seeks out his pals on the BBS website for advice using his codename Train_Man (Densha Otoko). Deeply interested in Train_Man's first love, his BBS pals eagerly supply him with advice. Encouraged by their support, Train_Man undergoes a total makeover for his first-ever date with "Hermess." Little does he know that he is about to ignite an Internet phenomenon. Also look for these newest installments of other popular VIZ Media's anime series... INUYASHA: KIKYO AND KAGOME - Available February 6 - MSRP: $24.98 INUYASHA: THE PATH TO THE NETHERWORLD - Available February 27 - MSRP: $24.98 Catch the latest episodic adventures to the hit series seen on Cartoon Network. Each DVD contains 3 episodes. FLAME OF RECCA: THE FINAL SHOWDOWN - Available January 9 - MSRP: $24.98 Recca is a boy living in the modern world, only he seems drawn to following the ways of the ninja. On the day he befriends a girl named Yanagi who has a mysterious power of healing, he is confronted and challenged by a Dark Priestess. This battle leads Recca to discover a strange power within himself. Afterwards, he finds that not only is his past and destiny not as crystal clear as he had thought, but there are others with powers practicing the way of the ninja who challenge him one after another. Recca Hanabishi is a regular high school kid who can only dream of becoming a ninja, but his humdrum life is completely disrupted the day he meets a cute and mysterious girl named Yanagi. He soon discovers he has possessed super ninja secret powers all along. Together with his friends Fuko and Damon, Recca slowly learns how to navigate the ancient and arcane world of ninja warriors. The winsome teen has an ace up his sleeve: Not only does he already have ninja skills; he also harbors the ability to control fire! ZATCH BELL!, Volume 8 - Available February 13 - MSRP: $19.98 Kiyo is a brilliant 14 year-old boy, but he dislikes school and has no friends. His father sends him a special gift to help him: a strange little boy with a mysterious book of spells named Zatch Bell. Through friendship and teamwork, Kiyo and Zatch discover that he is from the mamodo world, and must use his awesome powers, released from the spell book, to defend themselves from an amazing collection of other mamodo, all competing to become King of the mamodo world. -GameVortex Staff, GameVortex Communications AKA R2-GV