USA TODAY’S TOP 150 BEST SELLER LIST FEATURES VIZ MEDIA’S SHONEN JUMP NARUTO AT

[MattBrady]

<i>Press Release</i>

<blockquote>VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive manga and animation licensing and publishing companies, has announced that the recently released volume 11 of the popular NARUTO manga series, which is published under the company’s SHONEN JUMP imprint and serialized in the monthly SHONEN JUMP magazine, placed at Number 21 on USA Today’s Top 150 Best Seller List for the week of August 27, 2006. This is the highest placement any manga title has ever achieved on the daily’s noted literary sales list, which compiles sales traction for fiction, non-fiction, hardcover as well as paperback titles.

The impressive sales of the newest NARUTO volume places it amongst a diverse array of top fiction and non-fiction titles like The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and The Devil Wears Prada. Another VIZ Media manga title - published under the SHONEN JUMP Advanced imprint, Death Note volume 7– placed at Number 114 for the same week.

NARUTO has become one of VIZ Media’s most successful manga properties in terms of sales. The series, by Masashi Kishimoto, depicts the adventures of a young boy who trains to become a ninja and has sold more than 66 million copies in Japan since its 1999 debut. In North America, the massive amount of fan interest in the brand continues to build. In addition to the manga series, the NARUTO anime counterpart is a ratings powerhouse on Cartoon Network, where it is featured as part of the network’s Toonami block of action programming. VIZ Media also recently released the first few volumes of the anime series on DVD and it continues to be a huge seller.

The story of NARUTO takes place in another world where ninja are the ultimate power. In the village of Konohagakure live some of the stealthiest and most respected ninja in the land. But 12 years prior, Konohagakure faced a fearsome threat - a nine-tailed fox demon which terrorized the village and caused massive destruction before it was finally defeated. The Hokage, the village leader and most powerful ninja, was able to subdue the fox by sealing its soul inside the body of a baby boy. Now that boy, Uzumaki Naruto, has grown up to become a ninja-in-training, learning the art of ninjutsu with his classmates Sakura and Sasuke. The trio of student ninja study under the instruction of their teacher, Kakashi. With Kakashi, the group faces a series of dangerous and daunting tests and challenges. Through their adventures, the young ninja learn the importance of friendship, teamwork, loyalty, hard work, creativity, ingenuity, and right vs. wrong.

“We are extremely gratified to see yet another volume of NARUTO place so high on USA Today’s Top 150 Best Seller list, with Vol. 9 hitting #29 earlier this year, it’s quite an achievement for a manga series to be in such strong company with books like Harry Potter and James Patterson's Lifeguard,” states John Easum, executive vice president, VIZ Media. “The constant increasing sales traction of several of our manga series validates the unique quality and storylines manga in general offer readers of all ages and interests. This award-winning title, NARUTO is a compelling action story that instills a variety of positive messages and we are confident that it will continue to be a hit.” </blockquote>

[kross29]

that's very awesome. maybe this well help the comic industry see, that they really should try to cater to the people who buy this comic. and no that does not mean, make everything manga. it's just that naruto is a great story with great art and obviously people are responding to that. especially since the 300 plus chapters can be found and the internet for free.

so to everyone who thinks this property sux (i say this because i hated naruto, until i took the chance to read it) check it out. i'm sure it will change your mind

[CitC]

i say this because i hated naruto, until i took the chance to read it
Well, I guess I will finally have to check it out (based on the above comment, not its place on the list). I don't like the look of the character, but I forgot that to me the story is more important. Oops. :)

kross, you said that Naruto is on the net for free. Did you mean legally or illegaly?

[TheFoo]

kross, you said that Naruto is on the net for free. Did you mean legally or illegaly?

Yes, I'm intersted in this as well. I never had any interest in the characters before, but this is intersting.

[Sirettx]

anyone know which volume episode 197 is in? so I know where i am if I wanna get the manga

[saiyanspider]

Man let me tell you, if you havn't read Naruto.. to quote Lewis Black "Get off yer ass!"

It's a great story about friendship, with the great theme of hardwork vs talent. To me that seems to be the central theme those who have to work for what they want vs those who have it given to them. Great story, great art, everyone has a voice. The characterazation is some the greatest I have ever seen.

[Michael P]

i hated naruto, until i took the chance to read it
I was indifferent to it until I read it. Now I hate it.

[Floodnado]

How different is the manga from the anime? To be "nice", the anime is far from "innovative" and is, in fact, a series built off the things people hated about Dragonball Z. With the added annoyance of every action requiring a two minute inner monologue or any characters in the general vicinity gasping in shock.

And the flashbacks! Oh dear god, the flashbacks...

[NeoXorn]

Naruto is on the net for free.


I don't know if it's legal, but they accomplished to distribute for free 321 chapters as of this time. Many Naruto fansites are up to date in their manga collections. They are only week late from Japan. They regularly update. :)


The Anime version will be srewed up once the horrible filler episodes kick-in. Those episodes are pure $#!+. Those have nothing to do with the story. So read the manga for free.

[Kenro]

Great to see! Along with Inu Yasha it's one of the best selling books world wide. It's killing in Europe, Asia and now in the USA. :)

[RedRonin]

I'm not familar with Naruto. Is that the "Believe it!" kid?

Either way, that's pretty cool that it cracked the top 150.

[zeraze1]

I'm not familar with Naruto. Is that the "Believe it!" kid?

That's the one.

Either way, that's pretty cool that it cracked the top 150.

I'm not surprised by the sales. It seems like kids of my relatives, friends and co-workers are nuts about Naruto.

I just got into the series. Pretty good humor/adventure so far.

zeraze

[RodimusBen]

The reason that both the Naruto and Dragonball Z anime suffer from the same symptoms is the poor pacing that results from the need for the anime to keep pace with the manga.

Manga is published at a pace of about 20 pages per week. Likewise, weekly anime series based on popular boys' manga run at about 22 minutes per week, and every week has a new episode, with no reruns. Naturally, it takes less than a minute to cover the average page of manga, particularly during action sequences where there is no dialogue.

Therefore, anime production studios that adapt manga series in this way are forced to come up with ways of "drawing out" the story. They accomplish this in several ways, some of which are entertaining, some of which are downright frustrating.

Dragonball Z's famous twenty minute grunting and power up sessions are the result of this. In Naruto, the problem manifests in the form of "recap" that takes up the first five minutes of the show, flashbacks that last for five minutes at really irritating times, and inner monologues in which the character spends half of an episode analyzing an opponent's strength.

It's unfortunate that this pattern exists, because it turns people off to a franchise very easily. Dragonball is actually a terrific comic. The comic has none of the pacing problems of the show and is a very satisfying read. The same is true of Naruto.

So please, whatever you do, don't base your judgment of a manga on the anime series! Hell, even Yu-Gi-Oh is a pretty decent comic compared the anime, which is like watching paint dry.

[samfish]

That's good news for the industry, at least.

But for me personally, unless the manga is a huge departure from the anime, a la the Cowboy Bebop mangas vs the series, for example, I don't think I'm going to pick it up. Naruto doesn't really do it for me.
I've been loving the InuYasha mangas, though.

[Johnny Triangles]

That's good news for the industry, at least.

But for me personally, unless the manga is a huge departure from the anime, a la the Cowboy Bebop mangas vs the series, for example, I don't think I'm going to pick it up. Naruto doesn't really do it for me.
I've been loving the InuYasha mangas, though.

Even though storywise they are near identical, for some reason the manga is much better in Naruto. Mostly it's the pacing, but also for some reason gravitas, emotion and characterization is more powerful in the manga.

[saiyanspider]

The reason that both the Naruto and Dragonball Z anime suffer from the same symptoms is the poor pacing that results from the need for the anime to keep pace with the manga.

Manga is published at a pace of about 20 pages per week. Likewise, weekly anime series based on popular boys' manga run at about 22 minutes per week, and every week has a new episode, with no reruns. Naturally, it takes less than a minute to cover the average page of manga, particularly during action sequences where there is no dialogue.

Therefore, anime production studios that adapt manga series in this way are forced to come up with ways of "drawing out" the story. They accomplish this in several ways, some of which are entertaining, some of which are downright frustrating.

Dragonball Z's famous twenty minute grunting and power up sessions are the result of this. In Naruto, the problem manifests in the form of "recap" that takes up the first five minutes of the show, flashbacks that last for five minutes at really irritating times, and inner monologues in which the character spends half of an episode analyzing an opponent's strength.

It's unfortunate that this pattern exists, because it turns people off to a franchise very easily. Dragonball is actually a terrific comic. The comic has none of the pacing problems of the show and is a very satisfying read. The same is true of Naruto.

So please, whatever you do, don't base your judgment of a manga on the anime series! Hell, even Yu-Gi-Oh is a pretty decent comic compared the anime, which is like watching paint dry.


I agree, Dragon Ball is MUCH better in manga form.

[Redmond]

Those comics come out on a regular schedule and they have tight continuity. 2 things a lot of americans wrongfuly dismiss as garbage ever since 1992.

[samfish]

Those comics come out on a regular schedule and they have tight continuity. 2 things a lot of americans wrongfuly dismiss as garbage ever since 1992.

I completely agree. I'm personally of the opinion that the primary reason for Marvel's Ultimate line success is the tight continuity and great scheduling...especially in Ultimate Spider-Man. They're the only books getting it right.
The fact that Marvel busts out the trade editions within, like, a month after a story arc ends really helps, too.

It's not quite the content that matters in these cases, as they're dealing with niche markets that vary in size. There's basically no reason a superhero manga-esque book can't be having as much success as a book like Naruto.

[Redmond]

Furthermore. Those creators have to create whole universes and characters from scratch.They don't have a 60+ years ready made library of ideas to exploit. So they can't use lame ass, cop out, excuses we read so much in interviews with american comicbook writers, like "That concept isn't a-list" or my favorite "that character succckkss LOLZORS!!". I really doubt many of the industry's current goldenboys could cut it in Japan.