VIZ Media LLC has an array of animated properties it plans to showcase at the 2008 National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) Conference and Exhibition, taking place Jan. 28-31, in Las Vegas. VIZ Media will operate from Suites 7904 and 7906 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel, where the conference will be held.

"Japanese animation fulfills a variety of critical programming needs and VIZ Media continues to be a major force in licensing compelling content designed for every viewer demographic," says William Germain, Director, Animation Production, VIZ Media. "This year's NATPE Conference will present the opportunity to showcase new action properties aimed at tweens, adolescents and young adults with properties such as BUSO RENKIN, HUNTER X HUNTER, BLUE DRAGON, and NAOKI URUSAWA's MONSTER, and will also feature more romantically-themed titles like NANA and HONEY AND CLOVER, which will extend the popularity of shojo manga, or comics for girls, to the broadcast arena. The interest in Japanese animation continues to be strong from broadcasters both domestically and abroad, as witnessed by the popularity of shows like NARUTO, DEATH NOTE and BLEACH, and we look forward to welcoming a global audience of key buyers and executives at this year's conference."

VIZ's lineup includes:

NANA
Author: Ai Yazawa - Broadcast runtime: 30min - 50 Episodes
Rating: TV 14 (Anticipated)

BUSO RENKIN
Author: Nobuhiro Watsuki - Broadcast runtime: 30 min - 26 Episodes
Rating: TV 14 (Anticipated)

HUNTER X HUNTER
Author: Yoshihiro Togashi - Broadcast runtime: 30 min - 62 Episodes
Rating: TV 14 (Anticipated)

NAOKI URUSAWA'S MONSTER
Author: Naoki Urasawa - Broadcast runtime: 30 min - 75 episodes
Rating: TV 14 (Anticipated)

HONEY AND CLOVER
Author: Chica Umino - Broadcast runtime: 30 min - 38 episodes
Rating: TV 14 (Anticipated)

BLUE DRAGON
Concept based on the Xbox 360 game "BLUE DRAGON," Character Design by Akira Toriyama - Broadcast runtime: 30 min - 51 episodes
Rating: TV Y7FV (Anticipated)

DEATH NOTE
Story by Tsugumi Ohba, Art by Takeshi Obata - Broadcast runtime: 30 min - 37 Episodes
Rating: TV 14

NARUTO
Author: Masashi Kishimoto - Broadcast runtime: 30 min - 220 Episodes
Rating: TV PG

BLEACH
Author: Tite Kubo - Broadcast runtime: 30 min - 104 Episodes
Rating: TV 14

DEKO BOKO FRIENDS
Author: Momoko Maruyama & Ryotaro Kuwamoto - Broadcast runtime: 30 sec - 234 Episodes
Rating: TV Y

Headquartered in San Francisco, VIZ Media LLC is one of the leaders in the field of manga publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan's largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan Production Co., Ltd. (ShoPro Japan), VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America and a global licensor of Japanese manga and animation. For more information, visit www.VIZ.com.