Shojo manga artist Julietta Suzuki to be special guest at 2015 ANIME EXPO

Kamisama Hajimemashita © Julietta Suzuki 2008/

HAKUSENSHA,Inc.

 VIZ MEDIA WELCOMES FAMED SHOJO MANGA ARTIST

JULIETTA SUZUKI AS A SPECIAL GUEST OF HONOR

AT 2015 ANIME EXPO

Creator Of KAMISAMA KISS Makes First-Ever International Appearance

At North America’s Biggest Anime Convention And Helps

Celebrate The Shojo Beat Imprint’s 10th Anniversary

VIZ Media proudly partners with the 2015 Anime Expo to present manga creator Julietta Suzuki for her first-ever professional appearance outside Japan.

The 2015 Anime Expo is the largest dedicated anime convention held in North America and will take place July 2nd–5th at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles. Tickets and full details are available at: www.anime-expo.org. VIZ Media will be located on the main convention floor in Booth #811.

Julietta Suzuki is the creator of the acclaimed shojo manga (graphic novel) series, KAMISAMA KISS. During Anime Expo, she will participate in an informative panel discussion and appear for a pair of autograph sessions. She also will be among the artists to have original manga artwork prominently displayed in the VIZ Media booth to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the company’s Shojo Beat imprint. Copies of KAMISAMA KISS (Vols. 1 & 18) will be available for purchase in the VIZ Media booth as well.

VIZ Media booth visitors also are invited to spin the Shojo Beat Prize Wheel for a chance to win KAMISAMA KISS collectables from Japan!

Julietta Suzuki VIZ Media/Anime Expo Panels & Special Events Include:

Friday, July 3rd

4:30PM Autograph Session (Anime Expo Autograph Area)
Meet manga artist Julietta Suzuki and get a special FREE signed art card (shikishi). Tickets will be distributed at 8AM in the morning from the Anime Expo Autograph Ticket Booth in West Hall.

Saturday, July 4th

11:10AM Autograph Session (Anime Expo Autograph Area)
Meet manga artist Julietta Suzuki and get a special FREE personally signed art card (shikishi). Tickets will be distributed at 8AM in the morning from the Anime Expo Autograph Ticket Booth in West Hall.

2:00pm – 3:00pm Julietta Suzuki Panel Discussion (Petree Hall / LP2)
Anime Expo attendees are invited to join VIZ Media for a special conversation with Julietta Suzuki and learn more about her beginnings as an manga artist and creator, her creative process and her experience publishing with VIZ Media’s Shojo Beat imprint. Five lucky attendees will also get a chance to attend a tea party with Suzuki immediately after the panel!

“KAMISAMA KISS is the divine comedy that has captivated legions of shojo manga fans in North America, and we are honored to welcome Julietta Suzuki for a very special series of appearances at Anime Expo,” says Pancha Diaz, Editor. “This will be an extraordinary opportunity to learn more about her career, interests and influences and also meet the artist in a special signing session. Her appearance also provides a wonderful complement to mark an important milestone for our Shojo Beat imprint, and manga fans are invited to join us for what promises to be a truly memorable Anime Expo!”

Julietta Suzuki's debut manga Hoshi ni Naru Hi (The Day One Becomes a Star) appeared in 2004 in the shojo manga magazine, Hana to Yume Plus. Her other notable releases include Akuma to Dolce (The Devil and Sweets), Karakuri Odette, and KAMISAMA KISS (Kamisama Hajimemashita), which is published by VIZ Media.

In KAMISAMA KISS (rated ‘T’ for Teens), Nanami Momozono is alone and homeless after her dad skips town to evade his gambling debts and the debt collectors kick her out of her apartment. So when a man she's just saved from a dog offers her his home, she jumps at the opportunity. But it turns out that his place is a shrine, and Nanami has unwittingly taken over his job as a local deity! Nanami has all kinds of new responsibilities she doesn't understand, dangers she's unaware of, and a cranky ex-familiar who's...actually pretty hot. What's a new-fledged godling to do? The bestselling series is continuing in Japan, and Volume 18 debuts in print and digitally this month through VIZ Media’s Shojo Beat imprint.

For more information on Julietta Suzuki and other shojo manga titles published by VIZ Media, visit www.VIZ.com.