ADV Manga has announced its July 2004 street dates. Included in the lineup are new titles: APOCALYPSE MEOW, JINKI: EXTEND, GADIROK and THE BOSS.
APOCALYPSE MEOW, VOLUME 1 OF 3 is a pseudo-historical account of the Vietnam War are rabbits, cats and other beasts representing various nationalities involved in the conflict. Written and illustrated by Motofumi Kobayashi, he was the first manga artist to draw an American comic book series-Marvel Comic's PSYCHONAUT. The 136-page, black-and-white titles will sell for $9.99.
ARIA, VOLUME 2 OF 3 is an all-ages series, combining science-fiction action and comedy. Akari Mizunashi has made her home on the planet Aqua, in the charming little town of Neo-Venezia, a Venetian imitation of the ancient Earth city. She is determined to become an undine and as her training continues, she finds herself in the middle of her first Neo-Venezia winter. She will soon see an entirely different, but equally magical side of the town. Playing with snowbugs and going to hot springs with her friends are novel experiences, but nothing can compare to an encounter with a trio of Gnomes, the underground dwellers responsible for maintaining Aqua's artificial gravity. The 192-pages, black-and-white title from author and illustrator Kozue Amano will sell for $9.99.
GADIROK, VOLUME 1 OF 8 combines Korean and Chinese history in a modern Hong Kong-style thriller. General Hae-Mo-Soo, in his merciless pursuit for power, conspires against the ruling Hwan-Woong dynasty, forcing Prince Chi-Woo to abdicate. With all odds against him, the vanquished and melancholy Prince has nowhere or nobody to turn to, except his peasant confidant, Gat. With a treacherous tyrant hot on their trail, Chi-Woo and Gat must endure heartache and bloodshed along their perilous journey to retake the throne and return the Empire to glory. The 192-page, black-and-white title from author and illustrator Hwang Jeong-Ho will sell for $9.99.
JINKI: EXTEND, VOLUME 1 OF 3 is a mecha-action title. A mysterious explosion rocks La Gran Sabana, Venezuela. This marks the beginning of the "lost life phenomenon," a series of strange occurrences ranging from random murders to sudden disappearances of entire populations of villages. Three years later, heroine Akao Hiiragi suddenly finds herself piloting a jinki, a form of gigantic battle robot. But even as this young girl seeks to use the power of the jinki for good, a group of mysterious masked villains is after her, determined to take her captive. The 184-page, black-and-white title from author and illustrator Sirou Tunasima will sell for $9.99.
SKY BLADE: SWORD OF THE HEAVENS, VOLUME 2 OF 13 is a graphic novel combining of humor and action. Jih-Ro and Il-Geum continue their quest, but all is not well. Il-Geum's journey is stymied when he tries to escape the wrath of Jade of Ice, one of the Three Gems of the Land. After he humiliated her in public, Jade of Ice hires the Divine Goddesses to have Il-Geum killed. Lucky for him, though, he happens to have aunts at the Palace of Divine Goddesses. Conflicted by their love for him and their vow to uphold the reputation of the Goddesses, Il-Geum's aunts stage a kidnapping and leave him at the mouth of a cave, where he encounters the Twin Devils of the North and South, and a book entitled THE ART OF SPIRITUAL HEAVEN. This book could be the key to the destinies of both Il-Geum and Jih-Ro, but time is of the essence, because one man may decide to take matters into his own hands. The 184-page, black-and-white title from author Hyun Kang-Suk and illustrator Ah Shin will sell for $9.99.
STEEL ANGEL KURUMI, VOLUME 6 OF 9 is the manga version of the companion anime DVD series by ADV Films, also showing on the Anime Network. Ragnarok, the Steel Fight's final round, is momentarily forgotten as Aleister Crowley takes center stage, harnessing the power of the Steel Angels to resurrect a demon. This demon uses her Chaos Mind (an evil Angel Heart) to open a time gate, and after casting a deadly curse upon Nakahito, she escapes to the future. The crew must reverse Nakahito's deadly spell and in the process, save humanity from ultimate doom. The 184-page, black-and-white title from author and illustrator Kaishaku will sell for $9.99.
THE BOSS, VOLUME 1 OF 30 is a tough tale of high school rivalries similar to GTO, MY BODYGUARD and WEST SIDE STORY. Sang-Tae is a typical high school student, with a girlfriend on his arm and a bully close behind him. The dangerous Guk-Do Jun has been suspended for a year, and with his blood brother Chung-Ki Na, he is scheming to take control of the school. The 184-page, black-and-white title from author and illustrator Lim Jae-Won will sell for $9.99.
THE RULER OF THE LAND, VOLUME 3 OF 31, ADV Manga's first Korean graphic novel release, has inspired several successful computer games. The search for Hwa-Rin's grandfather continues and the Sword of the Flowers remains coveted by the most abject of men. The journey becomes a perilous one, and after Sang-Pil immobilizes Hwa-Rin, a furious Bi-Kwang seeks revenge, only to be bulldozed by his enemy's men. When death seems inevitable, the Black Winds appear, but can they save the young adventurer? The 200-page, black-and-white title from author Jeon Keuk-Jin and illustrator Yang Jae-Hyun will sell for $9.99.
THOSE WHO HUNT ELVES, VOLUME 5 OF 21 follows the elf-stripping gang of misfits as they find themselves trapped in the domain of the evil elf Madame Grandbelle, whose sole purpose and goal is to rule the world. The 192-page, black-and-white title from author and illustrator Yu Yagami will sell for $9.99.
TO HEART, VOLUME 2 OF 3 follows the lovesick Akari as Hiroyuki actually holds her hand. Even though he is just comforting her after she suffers a fright, it is still quite a thrill. Unfortunately, the feeling of euphoria is cut short, because of a girl named Kotone Himekawa, a sophomore with whom Hiroyuki decides to work with him closely. The 176-page, black-and-white title from author and illustrator Ukyou Takao will sell for $9.99.
Specializing in Japanese and other East Asian comics, illustration books, graphic novels and more, ADV Manga is the publishing division of A.D. Vision, Inc., parent company of ADV Films, NEWTYPE USA, Anime Network and more. It was founded in 2003, with nationwide mass-market distribution. More information is available at http://www.adv-manga.com.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
