Viz Communications announced an ambitious program for releasing both manga and anime based on the Zoids toyline, originally created by Tomy.  The Zoids anime series is currently running weekdays on the Toonami Block on the Cartoon Network, where it appears at 5pm (Eastern & Pacific time) right before Dragonball.  The Zoids property was named as the #1 upcoming 'Kids-culture trend' in Big Blue Dot's November 2001 'Trend Update Forecast,' and the Lycos 50 Daily Report recently ran a feature on the growing number of Internet searches for Zoids toys, cartoons, and comics (see 'Zoids Heating Up').  To help retailers capitalize on this growing trend, Viz has begun an ambitious program of monthly releases of Zoids manga collections, as well as bi-monthly video releases of 4-episode DVDs and VHS tapes.

The Zoids manga collections feature story and art by Michiro Ueyama.  The 80-page black-and-white graphic novels come in a square-bound 5' by 7 1/8' format and carry a cover price of $5.95 ($9.95 Canadian).  Zoids: Chaotic Century, as the manga series is known, started in March and will continue with a new volume published every month.

Viz, in conjunction with Pioneer, is also releasing the first Zoids anime collection in both DVD and VHS in April (see 'Zoids DVD Bows in April'), with a second collection of Zoids anime episodes set for a June release.

In addition to the manga and anime from Viz, retailers can also take advantage of the increasingly trendy property by carrying the Zoids toys, which are marketed in the U.S. by Hasbro (see 'Licensing is Back at Hasbro').