| Viz Media | |
|---|---|
| |
| English name | Viz Media |
| Type | Private |
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
| Area served | North America, Europe, South America |
| Products | Manga, anime, Japanese films |
| Divisions | Viz Pictures, J-Pop Center |
Viz Media, LLC is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as Viz LLC. In 2005, Viz LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current Viz Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions. Viz has published Battle Angel Alita and its related manga in English with the exception of Gunnm: Another Stories.
Following Yukito Kishiro's switch from Shueisha to Kodansha, Kodansha Comics USA took over publication of Last Order beginning with Volume 16.
Publication history[]
Battle Angel Alita[]
Viz first published Battle Angel Alita in comic book form, with each chapter comprising an issue. The story was divided into parts, each corresponding with a story arc. Each part was then published in graphic novel form from 1995 through 1998. This first printing of Battle Angel Alita involved the following changes from the original:
- changed the names of several characters (e.g. Gally to Alita) and locations
- mirrored the artwork to adapt it to be read from left to right
- omitted the tech notes and omake onkoma manga strips that had been included with the original tankōbon
- changed the number of chapters that were in each graphic novel to adapt it to each story arc
- changed the chapter naming convention to adapt it to each story arc
Reissue[]
- Main article: Viz Media (imprint)
A second printing of Battle Angel Alita under the Viz Media imprint involved several changes to bring the manga more in line with how it had been originally published in Japan. The revisions were published from 2003 through 2005.
Ashen Victor[]
Ashen Victor was also first published in comic book form before being rereleased as a graphic novel in 1999, which has not been reprinted since.
Last Order[]
In contrast to Battle Angel Alita and Ashen Victor, the publication of Last Order beginning in 2003 involves the least amount of revisions for English adaptation, staying more true to the original. Published in graphic novel format that reads from right to left, it includes the tech notes and omake yonkoma manga strips, and retains the chapter naming convention of Phases. However some pages noting instances where reader-submitted fan art was adapted into characters in Last Order were omitted.
The final volume to be published by Viz was Volume 15 on October 11, 2011. On April 23, 2012, Kodansha Comics USA announced that they had acquired the license for Last Order and would begin publication starting at Volume 16 in December of that year.[1]