The supernatural comedy adventure series is inspired by the explosively popular YOKAI WATCH video game created by LEVEL-5 for the Nintendo 3DS and launched to wide acclaim in Japan in 2013. The YO-KAI WATCH manga will be published under the company’s Perfect Square imprint, written and drawn by Noriyuki Konishi under the guidance of the LEVEL-5 team. This September, the phenomenal franchise is finally coming to North America with the launch of the YO-KAI WATCH manga series, fueled as well by the debuts of anime and toy products around the same time.
Yo-kai, inspired by the yokai of Japanese folklore, are not ghosts or monsters or creatures. They can’t be seen by the human eye, but they’re everywhere, and whether they’re phantoms or everyday objects discovering their higher purpose, Yo-kai personalities are distinctly humanlike!
The YO-KAI WATCH manga will be rated ‘A’ for All Ages and will be available exclusively in print on a bi-monthly basis. In Japan, the series originally appeared in Coro Coro Comic magazine, published by VIZ Media parent company Shogakukan, and won both the 60th Shogakukan Manga Award in 2015 and the 38th Kodansha Manga Award in the Best Children’s Manga category in 2014.
Nathan Adams is just an average kid until the mysterious Whisper gives him a device that allows him to see what others cannot, Yo-kai of all shapes and forms! Now, armed with the Yo-kai Watch, Nathan, Whisper and their new invisible friends embark on an all new supernatural adventure!
“The whole YO-KAI WATCH cast of characters, especially Jibanyan, Komansan and Whisper, already have huge followings in Japan, and now North American fans get to join the fun,” says Joel Enos, Senior Editor. “The manga’s a fun and zany take on traditional Japanese Yo-kai, and the watch that lets Nathan see and summon them is especially fun. The series will appeal to readers of all ages!”
YO-KAI WATCH manga artist Noriyuki Konishi hails from Shimabara City, Nagasaki Pref., Japan. He debuted in 1997 with the one-shot title, E-CUFF, which appeared in Monthly Shonen Jump Original. He is also known for manga adaptations of AM Driver and Mushiking: King of the Beetles, along with Saiyuki Hiro Go-Kū Den!, Chōhenshin Gag Gaiden!! Card Warrior Kamen Riders, and Go-Go-Go Saiyuki: Shin Gokūden.
VIZ Media’s pop-culture centric Perfect Square imprint focuses on delivering comics, manga, graphic novels and other books with an emphasis on strong storytelling, eye-popping graphics, empowering themes, and a dash of irreverence, that captures the imagination of both young readers and the young at heart.
(Press: VIZ Media, LLC)
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