VIZ MEDIA RELEASES DAISUKE IGARASHI’S SURREAL AQUATIC MANGA, CHILDREN OF THE SEA

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, announced the release of Daisuke Igarashi’s surreal and riveting manga series, CHILDREN OF THE SEA, releasing July 21st in North America. The manga is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens and will carry an estimated MSRP of $14.99 U.S. / $17.50 CAN.

When Ruka was younger, she saw a ghost in the water at the aquarium where her dad works. Now she feels drawn toward the aquarium and the two mysterious boys she meets there, Umi and Sora. They were raised by dugongs and hear the same strange calls from the sea as she does. Ruka's dad and the other adults who work at the aquarium are only distantly aware of what the children are experiencing as they get caught up in the mystery of the worldwide disappearance of the oceans' fish.

Daisuke Igarashi is an award-winning manga creator who began his career in 1993. His series Majo received the Excellence Prize at the 2004 Japan Media Arts Festival and was nominated for the Fauve d’Or Best Comic Book Prize at the 2007 Festival International de la Bande Dessinée d'Angoulême. Little Forest was nominated for the 2006 Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize. His current series Children of the Sea is the winner of the 38th Japan Cartoonist Award and runs in IKKI magazine.

CHILDREN OF THE SEA is the first title to be published under IKKI from VIZ Media, a sub-imprint of the VIZ Signature imprint. In addition to now offering the print version of Volume 1, VIZ Media and IKKI magazine in Japan have collaborated on an online destination (www.sigikki.com) to present free chapters of some of that magazine’s most-loved stories to English readers – beginning with CHILDREN OF THE SEA. The website also features an interview with the creator.

IKKI, a monthly magazine published in Japan has established itself as the home of some of the most innovative, bold, and compelling series in the world of contemporary manga. Since its launch in 2003 IKKI has built a catalog of titles notable for its diversity. From action to comedy to drama, from slice-of-life stories to surrealist fantasies, the one common thing these works share is an uncommon emphasis on creative quality and on pushing the boundaries of the norm.

“We are very excited to team with IKKI magazine to launch this new imprint with the debut of CHILDREN OF THE SEA,” says Gonzalo Ferreyra, Vice President Sales & Marketing, VIZ Media. “The story presents realistic, emotionally honest characters and also has a strong ecological message of preserving the wildlife in the planet’s oceans. Readers won’t want miss to how Ruka and her two new waterborne friends discover the reason behind the worldwide disappearance of fish. With this new imprint and related web site, we look forward to introducing many more critically acclaimed manga titles to readers across North America.”

For more information on IKKI please visit www.sigikki.com.

Children of the Sea Volume 1 cover image