Viz Media has announced a plan to speed the publication of Tite Kubo’s Bleach manga by issuing two volumes a month through the end of the year.  The accelerated publishing of the English language editions of the Bleach manga will synch the release of new volumes in Japan with the release of the English language editions starting in 2013. 

 

The reason for the accelerated publication program is to remove the gap between when new volumes appear in Japan and the U.S., and thus reduce the temptation for Bleach fans in North America to read new volumes in pirated, fan-translated versions, that appear on the Web.  Pirated digital versions of manga remain the genre’s primary impediment to increasing sales.

 

Bleach, a supernatural action saga about a teen who battles demons in an intriguing and well-developed afterlife fantasy world, remains one of the most popular manga series in North America.  The Bleach anime series is an integral part of the revival of the Toonami block on the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim (see "Toonami Has Two New Anime"), and a Bleach live-action movie is in development at Warner Brothers (see "'Bleach' Movie Will Be Respectful to the Property").