Viz Communications has announced the August release, in their original format, of the first manga volumes for Case Closed (originally titled Detective Conan in Japan), Beyblade, and in its shoujo line, Kare First Love.

 

The first volume of Case Closed, by Gosho Moyama, will be 192 pages for $9.95.  So far, 44 volumes of the mystery series have been published in Japan, selling 84 million copies.  The spin-off anime television series has already totaled over 350 episodes in Japan, and is currently scheduled to begin airing in June on the Cartoon Network (see 'Detective Conan (Case Closed) Won't Air Until June'), with the first DVDs scheduled for release in August from FUNimation (see 'Detective Conan (Case Closed) Release Date Set').

 

The first volume of Beyblade, by Takao Aoki, will be 200 pages for $7.99.  This ongoing series, in Japan, has already totaled twelve volumes.  The spin-off anime, with some home video releases so far, airs on ABC Family and Toon Disney.  And although the bloom is off the rose for Hasbro's Beyblade toy line (see 'TCGs Boost Hasbro Sales'), it's still a major toy brand as well.   There are also currently several Beyblade related video games available for a variety of game systems.

  

The initial volume of Kare First Love, by Kaho Miyasaka, will be 184 pages for $9.95.  This shojo title is ongoing in Japan, published in Shojo Comic, selling over 1.5 million copies to date.  The storyline takes a realistic look at a young girl and chronicles her first experiences with love while she discovers her true self.