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PRESS RELEASE

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF NEW MANGA SERIES

I’LL GIVE IT MY ALL…TOMORROW

Story Of A Salaryman Who Embarks On A Quest To Become A Manga Artist Offers A Unique Journey Of Self-Discovery

San Francisco, CA, May 6, 2010 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the release of I’LL GIVE IT MY ALL… TOMORROW. The series, created by Shunju Aono, will debut on May 18th under the VIZ Signature imprint, is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN.

This is the story of a hapless forty year-old salaryman who quits his job to pursue his dream of becoming a manga artist – and the family that has to put up with him. While not terribly unhappy, Shizuo Oguro can’t fight the feeling that something in his life just isn’t right, so he walks away from his stable (yet boring) day job to embark on a journey of self-discovery. Unfortunately for his family, this journey also involves playing video games all day while his teenage daughter and elderly father support him. Will Shizuo succeed in creating a true manga masterpiece, or will he be just another dropout living a life of slack?

In the opening volume, Shizuo Oguro is living his dream… sort of. Feeling like his life has been a complete waste Shizuo breaks free from the corporate rat race and charts a new and fairly random career course to become a published manga artist. Sure, he lacks the talent, discipline, or any of the other skills necessary to become a success in the manga industry, but that won’t stop Shizuo from achieving his dream!

“It’s a long way to the top in the manga business, but Shizuo’s endearing journey reminds us that life is filled with endless challenges, and that resilience and humor can give Shizuo (or any budding manga artist) the fortitude to pursue their dreams despite his family’s consternation,” says Kit Fox, Editor, VIZ Media. “I’LL GIVE IT MY ALL… TOMORROW is one of the flagship titles featured in Japan’s IKKI magazine and is a great example of the kind of high quality manga series aimed at older readers. We look forward to fans discovering this great new story.”

Creator Shunju Aono won Young Magazine’s 45th Chiba Tetsuya Award in 2001 and also won the 17th Ikkiman IKKI Newcomers Award in 2005 for his manga series KALEIDOSCOPE. His current series, I’LL GIVE IT MY ALL… TOMORROW, is currently featured in IKKI magazine.

VIZ Media’s innovative partnership with Japan’s IKKI magazine brings a diverse collection of exceptional manga series to audiences in North America. From action to comedy to drama, slice-of-life stories to surrealist fantasies, the uniting themes these works share are an uncommon emphasis on creative quality and on pushing the boundaries of the manga norm.

I’LL GIVE IT MY ALL… TOMORROW is currently featured online at SigIKKI.com, the groundbreaking web destination for a broad range of unique manga for mature audiences.

For more information on other VIZ Signature titles and to check out a sneak peek of Chapter one through five of I’LL GIVE IT MY ALL… TOMORROW please visit www.SigIKKI.com.

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There’s actually six chapters on there now, plus some bonus chapters, which is quite the preview.  This is a seinen manga, which is a genre geared toward male readers, aged 18-30, or older (and I do feel it will appeal more to male readers than to females, though there’s no reason they wouldn’t enjoy it too).  I definitely think the title will speak more to older readers, people in their 30s and 40s, than to young people (teens, 20-somethings).  It’s a little difficult to identify with a character like this when your life is just getting started.  Not entirely foreign, because I really think anyone can identify with the sort of hopelessness of feeling like you can’t find your place and purpose in the world; but the idea that you’re halfway through life without having accomplished anything real is something that it takes some years of life to understand.  Though, fortunately, there’s a younger character who also is rather lost in his life, and he’s more easy to identify with.  Also, while it’s admirable that Shizuo is brave enough to leave his standardized life to try and find his dream, the story is almost painful to read, because he really is just…one of those people who tries too hard to make others like him, and he’s also rather lazy and unmotivated for the most part.  It’s like he’s lost.  I cringed when he asked his own daughter for money.  He’s not spectacularly likeable, but he’s real.  If you’ve seen Superbad, he reminds me quite a bit of Jonah Hill’s character, Seth.

The art works with the story very well, though it’s not a style I’m particularly fond of.  There’s a lot of dialog, and some of it unflatteringly gets squished into the word bubbles.  But it’s a nice presentation over all, and Viz puts their Signature titles together very well.  So check it out on the SigIKKI site, or when it comes out in print on May 18th.

Kris
kristin@comicattack.net