VIZ MEDIA’S WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA DIGITAL MANGA MAGAZINE BEGINS SIMULTANEOUS PUBLISHING WITH JAPANESE RELEASES ON JANUARY 21, 2013
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WEEKLY
SHONEN JUMP ALPHA (WEEKLY SJ ALPHA), a weekly serial anthology of some of the
most popular manga series in the world, to Japan releases starting with the
January 21, 2013 issue.
WEEKLY
SJ Alpha, available exclusively on the VIZ Manga digital platform, will feature
new installments of BLEACH, CROSS MANAGE, NARUTO, NISEKOI, ONE PIECE, and
TORIKO on the same day as their general release in Japan. Monthly series such
as BLUE EXORCIST, RUROUNI KENSHIN: RESTORATION and YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL will debut
the closest Monday after the Japanese release. There are also plans for additional
series to join the WEEKLY SJ ALPHA lineup.
“North
American fans have been waiting for a long time for real-time publishing to
synchronize with Japan, and it’s about to happen in WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA,”
says Alvin Lu, Executive Vice President, Publishing. “A robust VIZ Manga digital
infrastructure, combined with our close relationship with WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP in Japan allows us to close the gap in release
schedules. We look forward to fans continuing to look to WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP
ALPHA for the latest hot new manga titles straight from Japan!”
WEEKLY SJ ALPHA also launches its newest weekly manga
title today as it debuts Naoshi
Komi’s romantic comedy series, NISEKOI (rated ‘T’ for Teens). In the laugh-out-loud feel-good manga series, it was hate at first sight...rather a knee-to-the-head at first sight when
Raku Ichijo meets Chitoge Kirisaki! Unfortunately, Raku’s gangster father
arranges a false love match with their rival’s daughter, who just so happens to
be Chitoge! However, Raku’s searching for his childhood sweetheart from ten
years ago, with a pendant around his neck as a memento, and he can't even
remember her name or face! For a free sample, fans are invited to check out the
WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA Starter Pack,
which has been updated to include Chapter 1 of NISEKOI, available from SJalpha.com and VIZManga.com!
NISEKOI, Volume 1 is also available
for digital download for $4.99 (USD/CAN) VIZ Manga, VIZ
Media’s innovative digital platform that allows for complete interoperability
to read manga from your iPhone®, iPod® touch, iPad®,
and supported Android smart phones and tablets (including the Kindle Fire),
with VIZManga.com for
desktop/laptop computers. With one account, registered users are able to view
their purchases across even more devices than ever, and the rapidly growing platform
features over 1,000 volumes across 100 different series.
