Score Entertainment will release its highly anticipated Bleach Trading Card Game on May 23rd.  The first Bleach set will be an action-packed starters and boosters release and Score will undoubtedly marshal a major promotional effort for the game that will likely include retailer POP items, demo kits, and a major organized play program.  Score also plans two additional Bleach releases in 2007 -- a second set in September and a third that is currently slated for December.

The Bleach TCG is based on Tite Kubo's popular manga series (published in the U.S. by Viz Media), which consistently places in the top ten in ICv2's authoritative 'Top 50 Manga Properties' list.  The Bleach anime series debuted on the Cartoon Network in September, and has had an immediate effect on sales of the Bleach manga series (see 'The Cartoon Network Effect Resurfaces'). 

Score is also planning three Inuyasha TCG releases for 2007.  The first, Inuyasha Set 9: Keshin, is due out on Valentine's Day and will be the first to have 'Feudal Voices Autograph Cards.'  Each case of Inuyasha Set 9 will include 2 cards autographed by voice actors.  Inuyasha Set 10 is slated for a June release, while Set 11 in now scheduled for October.

Interestingly Score's preliminary 2007 TCG schedule does not include any new releases for the Dragon Ball Z TCG or for Score's Epic Battles TCG (which originally debuted at Blockbuster).