The latest new license announcements from VIZ Media included new horror, suspense, and romance manga, as well as a Star Wars artbook and a Junji Ito coloring book. Here’s a look at the upcoming manga

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Stories of Water and Flame, by Ryoji Hirano and Koyoharu Gotouge, collects two short stories set in the world of Gotouge’s best-selling manga series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.  The one-shot paperback will be available in January 2022 with an MSRP of $9.99

Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, by Riku Sanjo and Koji Inada, is set in the world of the Dragon Quest video game and follows the journey of a boy named Dai as he sets out to become a hero.  The manga series originally ran in Japanese Shonen Jump in 1989-96 and has been adapted into an anime that launched in 2020 and is simulcast on Crunchyroll and Hulu.  The first volume will be a chunky, 336-page paperback to be released in March 2022 with an MSRP of $19.99.

Alice in Borderland, by Haro Aso, is a suspense manga about an 18-year-old who is transported, together with his friends, into a parallel world where they must play and win a life-or-death game in order to survive.  The live-action adaptation is currently available on Netflix.  Volume 1 will be a 336-page paperback and available in March 2022 with an MSRP of $19.99.

Sakamoto Days, by Yuto Suzuki, is a comedy-action series about a legendary hitman who fell in love, got married, got fat, and now owns a convenience store.  Of course his former life has followed him, but Sakamoto, together with his employee Shin, who has ESP, will do whatever is needed to protect his family.  The reformed-gangster genre is popular right now (see Way of the Househusband) and this one seems like a more comedic take.  The series has already been running digitally in VIZ's Shonen Jump magazine; the first volume is scheduled for April with an MSRP of $9.99.

Came the Mirror and Other Tales, by Rumiko Takahashi, is a collection of short stories including an autobiographical tale of the author’s love of manga.  Takahashi is the creator of InuYasha and Urusei Yatsura, among others, and is one of the most celebrated manga-ka in Japan; in 2019 she was awarded the Grand Prix d’Angoulême (see “Rumiko Takahashi Wins 2019 Grand Prix d’Angouleme”) and in 2018 she was inducted into the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame (see “‘Monstress’ & ‘My Favorite Thing Is Monsters’ Dominate the Eisners”).  The 208-page paperback will be available in February 2022 with an MSRP of $17.99.

Orochi, by Kazuo Umezz, is a set of nine interconnected horror stories about a young woman with supernatural powers.  The manga ran in Japan in 1969-70 and was adapted into a live-action film; it was first licensed by VIZ in 2002. Umezz is also the creator of The Drifting Classroom, which VIZ re-released in a deluxe hardcover edition in 2019-20.  The new Perfect Edition of Orochi will be a 316-page hardcover set for release in March 2022 with an MSRP of $26.99.

Deadpool: Samurai, by Sanshirou Kasama and Hikaru Uesugi, was announced in April as part of a larger deal between VIZ and Marvel Comics (see “Marvel and Viz Team Up for ‘Marvel Meow’ and ‘Deadpool: Samurai’”), but it now has a cover and a date.  The first volume is scheduled for February 2022 with a MSRP of $9.99.

Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love, by Ayuko Hatta, is a shojo story about a girl who has gotten over the first hurdle of high school romance, declaring her affections, and is now dating her crush, which brings new issues of its own.  The first volume is scheduled for March 2022 with an MSRP of $9.99.

Pokémon Adventures: X•Y, by Hidenori Kusaka and Satoshi Yamamoto, appears to be a re-packaging of the Pokemon X-Y series already published by VIZ in smaller volumes.  The series follows two trainers X and Y, who are friends; X is a reclusive prodigy and Y is his best friend and biggest booster. The Pokémon X and Y video game was released in 2014, and in addition to manga the spinoffs included anime, and  TCG sets (see "'Pokemon X and Y' Series").  The first volume of Pokémon Adventures: X•Y will be a 304-page trade paperback and is slated for January 2022 release with an MSRP of $12.99.

VIZ also had several non-manga titles to announce:

Star Wars: Tribute to Star Wars is a collection of tributes to the classic film franchise by 45 prominent Japanese artists, including Akira Himekawa (The Legend of Zelda), Kamome Shirahama (Witch Hat Atelier), and Taioy Matsumoto (Ping Pong, Tekkonkinkreet).  The 96-page hardcover is scheduled for January 2022 release with an MSRP of $24.99.

JoJo 6251: The World of Hirohiko Araki is an art book based on Araki’s long-running series JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure; the 178-page hardcover will be available in March 2022 with an MSRP of $24.99.

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya Picture Book, by Isao Takahata, is based on Takahata’s Studio Ghibli film of the same name (see “Trailer for Ghibli’s Latest”).  Takahata, who passed away in 2018, was one of the co-founders of the studio (see “RIP Isao Takahata”).  The 176-page hardcover will be released in April 2022 with an MSRP of $19.99.

The Art of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, also by Takahata, collects the art of the film from concept to finished work.  The 240-page hardcover will be published in April 2022 with an MSRP of $34.99. VIZ also announced two coloring books, based on Junji Ito’s Uzumaki and the hit series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.

Click Gallery for full-size covers!