VIZ Media and Haikasoru Unleash "Hanzai Japan" Short Story Collection

VIZ MEDIA’S HAIKASORU LITERARY IMPRINT PUBLISHES THE SUPERNATURAL TINGED HANZAI JAPAN – FANTASTICAL, FUTURISTIC STORIES OF CRIME FROM AND ABOUT JAPAN

New Short Story Collection From Haikasoru’s Anthology Series Features 16 Crime And Mystery Works From A Vanguard Of Critically Acclaimed Japanese And Western Authors

San Francisco, CA – VIZ Media’s Haikasoru literary imprint captivates fiction readers and fans of Japanese pop culture with the debut on October 20th, 2015 of HANZAI JAPAN - Fantastical, Futuristic Stories of Crime From and About Japan.

HANZAI JAPAN contains 16 inventive crime/mystery stories that incorporate supernatural elements from a vanguard of top authors that includes New York Times best-seller Carrie Vaughn, All You Need Is Kill/Edge of Tomorrow’s Hiroshi Sakurazaka, Catwoman’s Genevieve Valentine, mystery genre stalwarts S. J. Rozan and Naomi Hirahara, cross-genre author Jeff Somers, and many more. HANZAI JAPAN - Fantastical, Futuristic Stories of Crime From and About Japan, edited by Nick Mamatas And Masumi Washington, will carry a print MSRP of $15.99 U.S. / $18.99 CAN. An eBook edition also will debut on the same day for the Amazon Kindle, Apple’s iBooks Store, Barnes & Noble’s Nook Book Store, the Kobo eBooks Store, and the Google Play store.

A murderer doing time in hell. A girl who just wants to win her high school band contest…no matter what it takes. Sumo wrestlers with a supernatural secret. A future Tokyo where vampires are menial laborers nursing long-held grudges against humanity. And even a very conscientious, if unstable, Universal Transverse Mercator projection. These crime and mystery stories from and about Japan explore myth, technology, the sharpness of a sleuth’s mind, and the darkness in the hearts of criminals. Read these stories and learn that hanzai means crime!

“Haikasoru’s short story anthologies have proved extremely popular with readers and we are excited to release the latest addition to the series with the debut of HANZAI JAPAN later this month,” says Nick Mamatas, co-editor. “The new book presents a unique array of weird crime and mystery stories from an international cadre of best-selling authors and some of the hottest new writers working today. We look forward to readers embarking on a mind-blowing journey to the darker sides of Japanese pop couture with this new release!”

HANZAI JAPAN is the third release in Haikasoru’s critically acclaimed anthology series that presents thematic short story collections inspired by the Land of the Rising Sun. The anthology series also includes the previously released PHANTASM JAPAN: FANTASIES LIGHT AND DARK, FROM AND ABOUT JAPAN and THE FUTURE IS JAPANESE.

For more information on HANZAI JAPAN and the Haikasoru imprint, please visit the dedicated website at www.haikasoru.com.


About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and ONE PIECE, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

---------------

Scarlett Johansson Discusses the Black Widow in "Avengers: Age of Ultron"

[The following interview and Q&A was provided by Walt Disney Studios]

AN INTERVIEW WITH SCARLETT JOHANSSON FOR THE IN-HOME RELEASE OF MARVEL’S AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

Marvel Studios unleashes the next global phenomenon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Good intentions wreak havoc when Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) unwittingly creates Ultron (James Spader), a terrifying A.I. monster who vows to achieve “world peace” via mass extinction. Now, Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) – alongside Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) – must reassemble to defeat Ultron and save mankind.

With the Blu-ray, Digital HD and DVD of Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron about to be released, we talk to actors Scarlett Johansson– ‘Black Widow’ in the movie – to discover their thoughts on the action-packed adventure…

How would you describe The Avengers at the beginning of Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron? And how has the world changed since the first movie?

Scarlett Johansson: It really is business as usual at the beginning of the film, but the world is aware of the universe in a way that they weren’t in The Avengers. The common man knows the vocabulary of aliens and space travel. Before the battle in New York, The Avengers had a stealthy approach and S.H.I.E.L.D. certainly had that as well – but now we’re being judged in a different way. Everybody is watching us, so it’s a different playing field.

What personal challenges do The Avengers face in the movie? 

Scarlett Johansson: Every one of The Avengers has come to the table with a lot of baggage. None of us chose this job; the job chose us – and their reluctance to wear the superhero hat makes for very interesting backstories. We all have our histories, which we get to explore a little bit, and I think the audience is going to absolutely love it. It makes the audience that more invested in our interpersonal relationships and also the future of these characters, which is pretty cool.

How would you describe the romantic relationship that develops between Black Widow and Bruce Banner in the movie?

Scarlett Johansson: These characters have what I always thought was an unlikely love story that grows between them – but it’s actually rooted in a very likely love story because they have a lot in common. It’s a very complicated relationship. It’s an impossible love that seems unlikely but isn’t.

How does Black Widow tame The Hulk? 

SCARLETT JOHANSSON: How does Natasha tame the beast? That’s a very good question. It’s interesting that she does it with a human touch. I would imagine your every instinct is telling you not to touch The Hulk. He’s not the person you grab and give a bear hug to. And yet, somehow, he’s a raging person that needs a tender bear hug. He needs someone to remind him that he’s grounded and he has someone with him. He needs someone to be present to tell him to come back to himself. She develops a therapeutic thing with the Hulk, and I think that probably comes from her own maternal instinct.

How does it feel to play a female superhero in a male dominated world, Scarlett? 

SCARLETT JOHANSSON: I just go through the script and look at my parts – and those are the only parts I read. What’s great about playing this character is that she is based on something deep and something I could hold onto. She’s very real. She’s experienced a lot of trauma and she’s never really been able to make active choices for herself – but now she is and she’s ready for it.

You were pregnant when you shot the movie. How did you prepare for the physical role and the challenging motorcycle scenes? 

SCARLETT JOHANSSON: I don’t think you’re allowed to ride a motorcycle when you’re pregnant. I embarrassingly rode some sort of mechanical bull-type of motorcycle, which goes nowhere and doesn’t look cool at all! But we had some very professional and amazing motocross work being done that makes Black Widow look like a total badass.

How much do you enjoy the physical aspect of the role? 

SCARLETT JOHANSSON: I’m very fortunate that there’s a team around me that is super-supportive in helping all of Widow’s fight moves and badass motorcycle riding. It takes a lot of choreography and team spirit. Every film is exciting because I get new tools and cool new things to do. Luckily, [director] Joss [Whedon] writes me some badass moves that make me look epic. It’s awesome.

How would you sum up Black Widow’s journey in the movie?

SCARLETT JOHANSSON: At the beginning of Avengers 2, there’s some sense of The Avengers being a well-oiled machine. Finally, the introductions are over and we’re at work, we’re digging our heels in. At the end of Avengers 2, I think Widow has let her guard down and she is hopeful for something. I think she had this moment of false hope where she felt like she put in the work and there should be some kind of personal payoff – and she was ready to accept it. Then she realizes that her calling is a greater one and that’s not necessarily something that she’s thrilled about, but that’s what is most heroic about her. She accepts the call of duty, even at her own personal loss. I think it’s an interesting place to leave her, because there are many different directions to go. Is she going to be able to withstand this huge weight that’s bearing down on her or is she going to crack under it and crumble? I guess we’ll have to wait and see, right?

Would you like to see a solo Black Widow movie to tie up these loose ends?

SCARLETT JOHANSSON: A Black Widow movie will be cool. Sure. I’m always excited to get that cat suit on!


END

-----------------------

Review: "The Great Beauty" is" La grande bellezza"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 38 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

[A version of this review was first posted on Patreon.]

The Great Beauty (2013)
La grande bellezza – original title
Country: Italy/France
Running time:  141 minutes (2 hours, 21 minutes)
Not rated by the MPAA
DIRECTOR:  Paolo Sorrentino
WRITERS:  Paolo Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello; from a story by Paolo Sorrentino
PRODUCERS:  Francesca Cima and Nicola Giuliano
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Luca Bigazzi
EDITOR:  Cristiano Travagl
COMPOSER:  Lele Marchitelli
Academy Award winner

DRAMA

Starring:  Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Buccirosso, Pamela Villoresi, Galatea Ranzi, Franco Graziosi, Giorgio Pasotti, Sonia Gessner, Luca Marinelli, Serena Grandi, Vernon Dobtcheff, Giovanna Vignola, Isabella Ferrari, and Giusi Merli

La grande bellezza (The Great Beauty) is a 2013 drama from director Paolo Sorrentino.  The Great Beauty is an Italian and French co-production, and as a representative of Italy, it won the Oscar for “Best Foreign Language Film of the Year” for the year 2013.  The film was released to U.S. theaters in 2014.  The Great Beauty follows a writer through timeless and beautiful Rome as he takes stock of his life after he receives a shock from the past.

The Great Beauty focuses on Jep Gambardella (Toni Servillo), a journalist and socialite living in Rome.  He has lived a lavish life in Rome since he moved to the city as a 26-year-old.  Once upon a time, Jep wrote an acclaimed and well-received novel, The Human Apparatus.  While people awaited a second novel, Jep lived a comfortable life of writing about about celebrities and of throwing parties for celebrities and socialites in his fancy luxury apartment.

After his 65th birthday, Jep receives some shocking news about an old girlfriend.  He walks through the side of Rome that is a timeless landscape of absurd beauty and exquisite antiquity.  He reflects on his life and the sense that he is unfulfilled, as he encounters various characters.

The Great Beauty is indeed a great beauty.  The audience follows Jep Gambardella through parts of Rome that are tourist destinations or are either museums or sections of palatial estates.  I could recommend The Great Beauty for the absurd beauty of the film's settings and locales, alone.

As for the film's narrative:  it would be too easy to say that the specter of death hangs over the film.  The theme of growing old permeates the film, and also most of the characters seem to be yearning for more of something in their lives, even if more of what they want is bad for them.  Their lives are emotionally and spiritually empty.  I think the idea is that Jep has drifted through the last four decades of his life without realizing that he needs to establish roots.

I think that The Great Beauty encourages people to realize that beauty comes in fits and flashes between long stretches of what is ugly and banal in life; don't chase the superficial prettiness could be a tag line for the movie.  Still, the parties depicted in this film look pretty good, and the apartments and houses are just lovely.  I enjoyed Jep Gambardella's journey, although it meanders at times, but once again, the beauty in The Great Beauty is just so... beautiful.  This visual splendor alone makes this a truly exceptional film.

9 of 10
A+

Friday, July 31, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

NOTES:
2014 Academy Awards, USA:  1 win: “Best Foreign Language Film of the Year” (Italy)

2014 Golden Globes, USA:  1 win: “Best Foreign Language Film” (Italy)

2014 BAFTA Awards:  1 win: “Best Film not in the English Language” (Paolo Sorrentino, Nicola Giuliano, and Francesca Cima)

2013 Cannes Film Festival:  1 nomination: “Palme d'Or: (Paolo Sorrentino)

"50 Cent" Signs Exclusive Deal with Starz

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and G Unit Film & Television, Inc. Ink Exclusive Premium Television Overall Deal with Starz

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Starz today announced it has signed STARZ Original series “Power” Executive Producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson to an exclusive overall deal. Under the two-year exclusive premium television pact with G Unit Film & Television, Inc., Jackson will develop new projects for the network and continue as executive producer on “Power.”

    “Curtis is a wonderful hands-on producer and actor on ‘Power’ and we look forward to expanding his roles behind-the-camera with Starz over the next two years”

“Starz has been the perfect partner to make 'Power' the success that it is and I am looking forward to developing many more record-breaking series with them,” says Jackson.

“Curtis is a wonderful hands-on producer and actor on ‘Power’ and we look forward to expanding his roles behind-the-camera with Starz over the next two years,” said Carmi Zlotnik, managing director of Starz.

Production on the third season of “Power,” the New York-based drama, began earlier this month at the series’ home base at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn. A 10-episode run has been ordered for season three. Creator, Executive Producer and Showrunner Courtney Kemp Agboh returned to the helm alongside Executive Producers Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Mark Canton, Randall Emmett and Gary Lennon.

“Power” season two averaged more than 6.8 million viewers per episode, tracking favorably to be the most highly watched-season ever for a STARZ Original series.* The “Power” second season finale set a new, STARZ series record for its episode premiere viewership performance (2.39M viewers Live+3) on Saturday, August 15 at 9PM ET/PT, besting the previous week’s record-setting audience (2.29M for episode 209).**

”Power” airs in more than 175 countries/territories worldwide. Starz retains all global distribution and home entertainment rights to the series.

Jackson is represented by APA and attorneys Stephen Savva and Eric Feig.

Born Curtis James Jackson III, Jackson (“50 Cent”) is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor and actor from Queens, New York. He rose to fame with the release of his 2003 album Get Rich or Die Tryin', which has sold more than 8 million copies. The GRAMMY Award® winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and has been awarded numerous accolades including: 13 Billboard Music Awards, six World Music Awards, three American Music Awards and four BET Awards, to name a few. He was ranked as the No. 1 rap artist and most successful Hot 100 Artist of the 2000s by Billboard Magazine, as well as that decade's sixth-best artist and fourth top male artist.

Jackson has also carved out a successful and acclaimed career as an actor and producer. He recently starred in "Spy" with Melissa McCarthy and Jude Law and "Southpaw" with Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker and Rachel McAdams, directed by Antoine Fuqua. In 2005, Jackson founded the production company, G-Unit Films and Television, producing a wide variety of content across various platforms.

About Starz
Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading integrated global media and entertainment company with operating units that provide premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com.

Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription video programming through the flagship STARZ® and ENCORE® pay TV networks which showcase premium original programming and movies to U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies. As of June 30, 2015, STARZ and ENCORE serve a combined 56.8 million subscribers, including 23.5 million at STARZ, and 33.3 million at ENCORE, making them the largest pair of premium flagship channels in the U.S. STARZ® and ENCORE®, along with Starz Networks' third network MOVIEPLEX®, air more than 1,000 movies monthly across 17 linear networks, complemented by On Demand and authenticated online offerings through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX PLAY. Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires entertainment content, distributing it to consumers globally on DVD, digital formats and traditional television. Starz Distribution's home video, digital media and worldwide distribution business units distribute original programming content produced by Starz, as well as entertainment content for itself and third parties. Starz Animation produces animated TV and movie content for studios, networks, distributors and audiences worldwide.

*Sources: Linear results: Nielsen NPower P2+ Live+7 (000s). On Demand results: Rentrak On Demand Essentials. STARZ internal estimates. Subject to further qualifications available upon request.

**Source: Nielsen NPower, Live +3 P2+ (000s), August 15 & August 8, 2015

-------------------

Robert Downey, Jr. Shares His Thoughts on "Avengers: Age of Ultron"

[The following interview and Q&A was provided by Walt Disney Studios]

AN INTERVIEW WITH ROBERT DOWNEY JR. FOR THE IN-HOME RELEASE OF MARVEL’S AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

Marvel Studios unleashes the next global phenomenon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Good intentions wreak havoc when Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) unwittingly creates Ultron (James Spader), a terrifying A.I. monster who vows to achieve “world peace” via mass extinction. Now, Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) – alongside Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) – must reassemble to defeat Ultron and save mankind.

With the Blu-ray, Digital HD and DVD of Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron about to be released, we talk to Robert Downey Jr. – who plays Tony Stark/Iron Man in the movie – to discover his thoughts on the action-packed adventure…

What do you hope the audience gains from watching Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron? 

DOWNEY, JR.: I hope people say ‘Wow’ after they see this film. When you have a big movie like this, there are big expectations. I hope that audiences feel as good about this as they did when they came and saw the third Iron Man. And the same as they did when they saw the most recent Captain America and Thor. This movie is incredibly fun and thoughtful – and it has great themes. There is also a whole bunch of new characters and it really raises the bar. That’s when I know it has my seal of approval.

Where is Tony Stark when Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron opens? And how would you describe his relationship with The Avengers now?

DOWNEY, JR.: When the movie starts, Tony is hosting The Avengers in his tower in New York. He’s working on a system that will make it so The Avengers don’t have to do what they’ve been doing all along, which purportedly should be the end game.

Captain America appears to be the leader of The Avengers in Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Is Tony Stark happy about that? 

DOWNEY, JR.: There are really only two relationships in Tony’s life that he’s been willing to assume a lower status. One is with Pepper Potts, obviously. And the other is with Captain America.

Why did he decide to let Captain America take charge? 

DOWNEY, JR.: Tony believes whoever does the job best should probably do that job. And while Tony brings a lot to the table, Captain America has the most experience. No one’s more battle seasoned than Captain America.

Why does Tony Stark care for The Avengers so much in the movie? In the past, he has been a pretty selfish guy…  

DOWNEY, JR.: By having them all together, he feels like it allows him to still be the engineer and the mechanic who wants to help them all do things a little bit better. It’s like buying a football team and then wanting to redo their uniforms and give them better equipment and make them stronger, faster and safer on the field.

Tony Stark spent a lot of money upgrading Stark Tower to become The Avengers Tower in the new movie. Where does he get all this money?

DOWNEY, JR.: I don’t know of anyone in the history of any Super Hero franchise who seems never to run out of money! Tony’s footing the bill and he can swing it, obviously. Pepper has taken over the business largely, so everything’s going to be a little more stable than when daddy was just writing checks.

What was it like to wander around the set of the Avengers Tower? 

DOWNEY, JR.: When I walked onto the set for the first time, I said, ‘Wow, this is really impressive.” But then, as we went along, somehow it wasn’t factored in what would happen when all of the candy glass from the action sequences got ground into the floor.

Did it become difficult to walk around the set? 

DOWNEY, JR.: It basically became a futuristic ice rink that was almost impossible to navigate. The floors looked so beautiful, but they were so slippery that it added unforeseen amount of excitement and danger to walking three steps. It also made everyone a much better dancer.

Every Marvel movie brings something new and different to its audience. What does Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron bring to the world this time?

DOWNEY, JR.: Having new people in the cast is great. We now have Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. We have Paul Bettany, who’s been the voice of Jarvis all along, but now he gets to do something new with a character named Vision. And I think James Spader was a brilliant piece of casting for Ultron.

What’s it like to work with James Spader? 

DOWNEY, JR.: There are a lot of full circles going on with this movie. Probably the most personal one is James Spader. He was the first person I saw when I came to Los Angeles and he really took me under his wing. He’s just a couple years older than me, but I think it was a very inspired casting choice [to have him in the movie]. Not just because he’s on everyone’s lips and minds again, but he really is a bit of an American treasure. I’ve certainly borrowed from his style more than a few times over the years.

What was it like to have Paul Bettany on the set of the movie this time? 

DOWNEY, JR.: Another great full circle moment in this film is Paul Bettany coming in as Vision. Paul’s been essentially with me from the beginning and it was so nice to actually get him on set instead of at the premieres. He’s an amazing actor and it’s a fantastic character.

What made you perfect for the role of Tony Stark? And how did you create the character in the first place?

DOWNEY, JR.: It was just this perfect storm of feeling like I could create the character within the guidelines of what he was always supposed to be. I always thought he was so cool when I read the comic books. I thought, ‘Let’s just keep it human and make sure there’s enough wit in there so people don’t think he’s a stiff. If I do that, it will work out alright.’

How excited were you to return to the Marvel universe with another Avengers movie?

DOWNEY, JR.: I read Joss Whedon’s script and I said, “I think this is great.” Kevin Feige [the president of Marvel Studios] said, “You never say that. You can’t mean that.” I said, “Yeah, I think it’s great. Let’s go shoot it.”

What did you like about the script? 

DOWNEY, JR.: What I loved about this script was the further development of the complexities of the relationship between all The Avengers. I loved that Thor has a beef with me and then eventually has to give in and say I’m right. Joss created some great new situations for Tony to be in. So, rather than digging my heels and trying to rewrite every scene – to make them even better – I just showed up, and it turned out great.

What is it about the dynamic between you and Joss Whedon that works so well? 

DOWNEY, JR.: It’s a respect. Every director-actor relationship is so different. Joss is really in control and he likes to have authorship over things. For me, it was about being a little more receptive. In some ways, it makes the job easier because he has it figured out already. It’s been great.

END

-----------------

One-Punch Man Anime Premieres October 4th on Hulu and VIZ.com

VIZ MEDIA PREMIERES ONE-PUNCH MAN ANIME ACTION SERIES SIMULCAST

New Anime Series By Studio MADHOUSE About A Superhero With A Knockout Punch Streams On The Same Day As Japanese Broadcast Premiere – Catch Episode 1 On October 4th!

San Francisco, CA – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, invites audiences to catch the knuckle-busting premiere of the ONE-PUNCH MAN anime simulcast – this Sunday, October 4th, 2015.

Presented with English subtitles on the same day as its Japanese network broadcast premiere, Episode 1 introduces an action-packed story about an average-guy-turned-superhero who packs a knockout punch. New episodes of the series will debut each Sunday. ONE-PUNCH MAN will be available to U.S. audiences on-demand on VIZ.com and Hulu.

ONE-PUNCH MAN is based on the bestselling manga series (also published by VIZ Media; rated ‘T for Teens), created by writer ONE and artist Yusuke Murata. The anime series was animated by the renowned Japanese studio, Madhouse, and helmed by famed anime director, Shingo Natsume, (Space Dandy, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos), and features character designs by Chikashi Kubota (From the New World, Robotics:notes).

In ONE-PUNCH MAN, Saitama is a hero who only became a hero for fun. After three years of “special” training, though, he’s become so strong that he’s practically invincible. In fact, he’s too strong—even his mightiest opponents are taken out with a single punch, and it turns out that being devastatingly powerful is actually kind of a bore. With his passion for being a hero lost along with his hair, yet still faced with new enemies every day, how much longer can he keep it going?

“ONE-PUNCH MAN is one of the most highly anticipated anime shows of 2015 and we are very excited to add the hard hitting new action adventure to our roster and launch the series to domestic as well as international fans on the same day as broadcast premiere in Japan,” says Brian Ige, VIZ Media Vice President Animation. “The bestselling manga series has established a fervent and fast growing fan base for ONE-PUNCH MAN and we look forward to awareness spreading to legions of new fans with the launch of the anime series. Catch the butt-kicking first episode this weekend!”

Manga creator ONE began ONE-PUNCH MAN as a web comic, which quickly went viral and garnered over 10 million hits. Japanese manga publisher (and VIZ Media parent company) Shueisha eventually secured the publishing rights to the series which has sold more than 4.5 million copies to-date. In addition to ONE-PUNCH MAN, ONE writes and draws the series Mob Psycho 100 and Makai no Ossan.

Yusuke Murata is a highly acclaimed and skilled manga artist best known for his work on the football series, EYESHIELD 21 (also published in North America by VIZ Media). In 1995, Murata won the prestigious 122nd Hop Step Award for his series, Partner, and placed second in 1998 in the semi-annual Akatsuka Awards for Samui Hanashi.

Neon Alley is VIZ Media’s consolidated online destination for FREE streaming anime content in the U.S. with over 3,700 subtitled and English dubbed episodes and movies from more than 32 series! Neon Alley also reaches an expansive on-demand U.S.-based audience on Hulu, which enables viewers to watch shows anytime, anywhere across devices including Xbox One, PlayStation®4 (PS4™), Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, and mobile devices. A full list of Hulu -enabled devices can be found at http://www.hulu.com/plus/devices.

For more information on ONE-PUNCH MAN or other anime titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com/opm/.

Additional information on Neon Alley is available at: www.NeonAlley.com and http://blog.neonalley.com.


About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and ONE PIECE, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

------------------

Chris Hemsworth Talks "Avengers: Age of Ultron"

[The following interview and Q&A was provided by Walt Disney Studios]

AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS HEMSWORTH FOR THE IN-HOME RELEASE OF MARVEL’S AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

Marvel Studios unleashes the next global phenomenon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Good intentions wreak havoc when Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) unwittingly creates Ultron (James Spader), a terrifying A.I. monster who vows to achieve “world peace” via mass extinction. Now, Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) – alongside Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) – must reassemble to defeat Ultron and save mankind.

With the Blu-ray ™, Digital HD and DVD of Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron about to be released, we talk to actor Chris Hemsworth– who plays Thor in the movie – to discover his thoughts on the action-packed adventure…

What’s new about your characters in Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron? 

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: In Age Of Ultron, we see a more grounded, earthly version of Thor than we have in the past. It is nice because there are a few more opportunities to showcase some humor and see him in some casual gear instead of the red cape and armor.

How does it feel to portray a different version of the character compared to the Thor we’ve seen in previous movies?

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: I wanted to get back to the fun he had in the first film. I wanted to make him a little more grounded. I wanted to humanize him a bit. It’s very easy for these characters to become un-relatable and exist off in the stratosphere – but this was about making him more human. You can see this in one of the first scenes where the rest of The Avengers are trying to pick up his hammer in casual clothes. You think, ‘What do these guys do when they’re not saving the world?’ Well, now you know. That was fun for me. Any time we got to do things like that and to play around, that was the best part for me.

What’s Thor’s role in The Avengers in the new movie? 

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: He’s a central part of the team now and there’s certainly a unity that they’ve all formed now as a group. They are solid. Thor sees the bigger picture of the current conflict that’s going on. There’s the initial battle, which they’re all involved in, but Thor uses his Asgardian knowledge and starts to tap into some otherworldly possibilities and threats that he thinks are coming.

What was it like to welcome new cast members to the superhero cast?

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: Joking aside, they were awesome. It was cool to have new people on set. You almost get too comfortable when you know everyone’s rhythms – but then a few new people are thrown in the mix and it gets disrupted in the best way. That’s why I think people love this film even more so than the first one. I love the new additions.

Ultron [played by James Spader] is another new character introduced in Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron. How would you describe the character? 

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: The character of Ultron was one of the first times on any film where I had really no idea what that character was going to look like and how that performance was going to be played out. But the first time I saw James [Spader] perform in character, it just all made sense. The writing is all very tricky in terms of his speech cadences and rhythms. He also has sarcasm and irony to him, yet is highly intelligent. It’s a beautiful mix.

What was it like to have James Spader on the set?

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: I remember the first time he came on set, too. He did this big monologue and when he was done we all applauded and forgot our lines because we were so captivated by what he was doing.

How would you describe the look of Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron? 

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: We’ve gone to far more locations than we’ve ever been to before and we’ve covered more ground than ever before, so aesthetically it’s going to be a mash-up of a whole lot of different locations and styles and images. Everything has been dialed up. Even the complexity of the story has gone deeper. We’ve seen all these characters evolve in the individual films, but to see them come together a second time is pretty exciting.

The start of the movie sees the superheroes working together in The Avengers Tower. What was the set like for those scenes?

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: The Avengers Tower was an incredible set. In fact, it was one of the most impressive sets I’ve ever been on. It’s Tony Stark’s house, so it had to be big, high-tech and flashy – and it was. It was also the first set that the entire group shot on together, so it was nice to be in that kind of setting to shoot the party scene there and all of us be together and catch up.

Who were your favorite superheroes when you were growing up?

CHRIS HEMSWORTH: Superman was probably the only film like that I had seen when I was growing up. It’s the one that sticks out for me. Iron Man hadn’t been created yet, or Captain America, or Hulk, or Black Widow, or Vision.

END

--------------------------