Viz have announced they’re going to try something new, and for once it is some thing new!! Click below for the full release, and my thoughts on it…

First-Of-Its-Kind Imprint Launches This Summer To Publish The Best In Contemporary Japanese Science Fiction Novels

San Francisco, CA, January 27, 2009 – Viz Media, LLC (Viz Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the launch of a brand-new imprint called Haikasoru, which will publish an array of contemporary Japanese science fiction (SF) and fantasy stories for English-speaking audiences. This is the first time an imprint with a dedicated focus on Japanese SF has launched in North America.

Haikasoru is scheduled to publish twelve books a year and launches in the summer of 2009 with four titles: The Lord of the Sands of Time by Issui Ogawa, All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, ZOO by Otsuichi, and Usurper of the Sun by Housuke Nojiri.

Haikasoru will be helmed by Nick Mamatas, a respected author of science fiction as well as an editor at Viz Media. Mamatas is the author of two novels, which have been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award and Germany’s Kurd Lasswitz Prize.

"I’m thrilled to be a part of this new imprint,” says Mamatas. “Haikasoru is making history with the future. Finally, SF is going global."

• The Lord of the Sands of Time by Issui Ogawa – Price: $13.99 U.S./CAN $16.00

Sixty-two years after human life on earth was annihilated by rampaging aliens, the enigmatic cyborg Messenger O is sent back in time with the mission to unite the humanity of past eras—during World War II and in ancient Japan, even back at the dawn of humanity—in order to defeat the alien invasion before it begins. But amidst a future shredded by war, love also waits for O. Will O save humanity only to doom himself? The Lord of the Sands of Time was nominated for the prestigious Seiun Award, the leading award for Japanese science fiction, the winners of which are selected each year by members of the Japanese National Science Fiction Convention. Available in July 2009.

• ALL YOU NEED IS KILL by Hiroshi Sakurazaka – Price: $13.99 U.S./CAN $16.00

When the alien Gitai invade, Keiji Kiriya is just one of many recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor called a Jacket and sent out to kill. Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to be reborn each morning to fight and die again and again. On his 158th iteration, he finally sees something different, something out of place—a female soldier known as the Full Metal Bitch. Is she the key to Keiji’s escape or his final death? Available in July 2009.

• ZOO by Otsuichi – Price: $13.99 U.S./CAN $16.00

ZOO presents eleven stories of dark fantasy and science fiction by one of Japan’s hottest authors. "The White Hut In The Forest" is the story of a man with a hole in his head and a charming home made from some strange materials. "Song of the Sunny Spot" is a rendition of the classic story of the Earth’s last man…and his charming companion. And in the book’s eponymous tale, a man sees his dead girlfriend’s corpse decompose, one gristly Polaroid snapshot at a time. ZOO sold over 740,000 copies in Japan and was also turned into a successful Japanese film. Available in September 2009.

• USURPER OF THE SUN by Housuke Nojiri – Price: $15.99 U.S./CAN $18.99

When a ring appears around the sun, humanity seems doomed. One woman, a brave scientist named Aki Shiraishi, travels to the core of the solar system in a last-ditch attempt to save the world. A compelling new hard SF novel, Usurper of the Sun won a coveted Seiun Award in 2002 for Best Science Fiction Novel of the Year. Available in September 2009.

"Japan has long had a love affair with science fiction. In the wake of the massive international popularity of manga and anime, this is an ideal time to offer some of the best in contemporary Japanese science fiction to a sizeable domestic audience," says Masumi Washington, Editor-In-Chief, Haikasoru Imprint, Viz Media. “Viz Media has been publishing fiction for a while, and now with the formation of Haikasoru it’s like finding a missing piece in a jigsaw puzzle. We are pleased to introduce this unique imprint and look forward to Viz Media fans and science fiction readers in general enjoying these books.”

About Viz Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Viz Media, LLC (Viz Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation, and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan’s largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan, Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., Viz Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English-speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including magazines such as SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact Viz Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at www.VIZ.com.

When I first read this release all I could do was groan, the reason being I had misunderstood the release. I thought this was another Light Novel imprint, and since Viz has already tried that twice before, and abandoned it, I wasn’t impressed.

However this isn’t a Light Novel imprint, rather a normal novel imprint focusing on sci-fi and fantasy, much like say ROC or Orbit in the US/UK do. Once I realised this it sparked my interest, light novels have always appealed to me, and I’m now interested in seeing how their contemporary novels come across.

The West has sadly lost a lot of great authors over the past few years, and none of the new up and coming authors have their flair for writing, though they are improving. This means that there’s a hole in the market, Viz seems to be trying to fill that hole by introducing asian authors to the west.

The big question is, are the asian authors able to fill the hole left by the deaths and retirements of the western authors? And more importantly, will western readers accept asian imports.

This last is going to be the biggest hurdle that Viz will have to overcome. Yes Viz has a huge name in the world, and almost every one knows of them. And therein lies the problem, a lot of normal novel readers may discount the new imprint out of hand because it’s tied to Viz, and assume it’s manga/light novels.

Haikasoru will first have show it’s a separate entity by putting some distance between them and Viz, a hard task to do. Then they need to work on their releases and show that asian authors are equal to the western counterparts. To be honest this last one I don’t see as being a problem, unless Viz picked up a load of garbage titles to start off with. These initial releases will make or break the consumer belief in the company. If they’re excellent stories well written, and more importantly well translated and edited, then the company will succeed. However no matter how good the novel or author is, if the translation and editing suck, then the novel will suck.

For me however, one of the issues I’m having off the bat are the planned releases. The release states they’re going to bring the best of SCI-FI and Fantasy to the west, however their initial releases, with one exception, are SCI-FI. For me this is a big issue, since not only isn’t it a balanced release, I don’t really go for SCI-FI, so I’m already pre-disposed to dislike the releases.

That said I will pick them up when they’re released, cause I’m curious as hell as to how they’re going to read.

The other thing about this is that Viz are being proactive in the downturn, which is unusual. Where most companies are closing ranks, and reducing releases, Viz are making a bold move.