Welcome back to another VIZ Media pubwatch, dear readers! It’s the height of the summer anime season, the height of convention season, and the height of “new volumes of ongoing series I like being released by VIZ” season. And I can’t wait to talk about those new volumes! But first, the VIZ anime news.
Anime Month Sale
For the month of July, a ton of popular anime is on sale at Apple, Microsoft, and VUDU. Get the complete Bleach series digitally for just $149.99! Also, Naruto and all his spin-offs, Sailor Moon, Hunter x Hunter, Death Note, Ranma 1/2, and many more! This summer anime season is fairly dry, with lots of sequels and video game spinoffs, so now’s a perfect time to get back into an old favorite or try a long-running show you’ve heard a lot about but hadn’t quite gotten around to before.
Thousand-Year Blood War Trailer Released
It’s almost time for this new arc of the Bleach anime! And there’s a cool new trailer now with voice acting and funky choral music as its soundtrack. Check it out above! Let’s hope Ichigo manages to save the Soul Society after all. The Thousand-Year Blood War arc airs in October 2022, more than ten years after the anime originally ended. Exciting for Bleach fans!
VIZ at Anime Expo
The aforementioned new trailer first premiered at Anime Expo in Los Angeles at VIZ’s special Thousand-Year Blood War Panel hosted by the English dub voice actors of Rukia and Byakuya. VIZ Media also hosted an industry panel where they announced new and upcoming releases, and a Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure anniversary panel and screening (with voice actors in attendance) to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the anime. Fans lucky enough to attend could also pick up exclusive merch at the VIZ booth. Wish I was there!
But enough about some silly animated cartoons, it’s time to take a look at…
What I’m Reading
Kaiju no. 8, Volume 3
Naoya Matsumoto
July 12, 2022
In Volume 3, Kaiju no. 8 continues to be a fun, exciting action comic about fighting kaiju when you are also secretly a kaiju. I really enjoyed this volume for giving us more insight into Vice-Captain Hoshina’s character and how he feels about Kafka and the titular kaiju. The “fox eyes” character design trope is shorthand for sneaky, cunning characters in anime and manga, but Hoshina is allowed to develop more depth than characters of this type often have, making him come across as one of the coolest characters I’ve ever seen in a comic. His eyes also open when he finally gets serious, to terrifying effect. It’s really fun watching him wield his twin katanas. It is also very fun watching Kikoru wield her massive axe to smash kaiju to bits. I love tiny girls with big ponytails and bigger axes, it’s why I played Fire Emblem. Besides the dramatic fight scenes in this volume, there’s also a lot of funny character interactions and developments as they debrief and celebrate the end of their first mission, cementing this as an incredibly solid and well-put-together story.
My Love Mix-up!, Volume 4
Story by Wataru Hinekure, art by Aruko
July 5, 2022
They’re very stupid in this volume, which of course is the primary reason to read any volume of My Love Mix-up!. I didn’t love how Aoki was behaving for most of it, refusing to properly communicate with Ida due to his anxieties, but I did enjoy the glimpses we got of the world surrounding Aoki and Ida with Ida’s volleyball teammates and Aoki’s sister. It was also nice to see Hashimoto and Akkun become actual friends and spend time together one on one, and Akkun’s feelings slowly changing. This volume also offers more insight into Ida’s frame of mind and how he thinks about Aoki, providing a much-needed balance in the depiction of their relationship thus far. I especially liked the part where he finally realized that he was behaving like a child with a first crush and explained this to Aoki. The incredible expressions I love so much are back in full force in this volume, mostly on Aoki. Volume 4 of My Love Mix-up! is a hilarious and sweet shoujo rom-com delight.
Devil’s Candy, Volume 2
Story by Bikkuri, art by Rem
July 12, 2022
Back at it again in Umbra City, it’s volume 2 of Devil’s Candy! Again, I think the free webcomic version with color pages is a better reading experience, but if you really want to hold this gorgeous comic in your hands, the VIZ editions are a viable option. Volume 2 collects chapters 4, 5 and 6 of the comic as well as additional worldbuilding notes, character bios, a short story and a bonus chapter at the end! I wish there was more Hitomi in these chapters, but Ricket, Yahgie and Clarence are fun characters to bounce off of. While the Eggscram game is a thrilling athletic romp with beautiful action sequences, these chapters also delve more into a darker plot as Ricket’s brother Milo had gotten himself mixed up in something very sinister. Volume 2 expands the world of the demons and devils and develops the fascinating cast of characters further. I look forward to seeing what happens next!
That’s all I’ve got for you this month! Tune in next month for more VIZ news and reviews!
