Viz Media's Haikasoru Imprint Set to Release Phantasm Japan: Fantasies Lights and Dark, From and About Japan

San Francisco, CA, September 8, 2014 – Viz Media's Haikasoru literary imprint brings a fantastic anthology of short stories inspired by the Land of the Rising Sun to readers across the English-speaking world with the release on September 16th of Phantasm Japan: Fantasies Lights and Dark, From and About Japan.

Co-edited by Haikasoru's Nick Mamatas, a noted sci-fi author and Bram Stoker Award-winning anthologist, and Masumi Washington, Haikasoru's Editor-in-Chief, PHANTASM JAPAN presents more than 20 works by a stirring collection of some of today's most compelling fiction authors, including New York Times best-seller Zachary Mason, horror master Gary A. Braunbeck, the Hugo Award-winning Tim Pratt, and others. PHANTASM JAPAN also features works by several highly acclaimed Japanese authors such as Project Itoh (HARMONY, GENOCIDAL ORGAN), Miyuki Miyabe (BRAVE STORY, ICO: CASTLE IN THE MIST, APPARITIONS), and Sayuri Ueda (THE CAGE OF ZEUS), whose works have been published in English by Haikasoru.

Phantasm Japan: Fantasies Lights and Dark, From and About Japan will be available in print from Haikasoru for $14.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN. An eBook edition will also be available for $8.99 (U.S. / CAN) for the Amazon Kindle, Apple's iBooks Store, Barnes & Noble's Nook Book Store, the Kobo eBooks Store, and the Google Play store.

Haikasoru publishes some of the most compelling contemporary Japanese science fiction and fantasy stories for English-speaking audiences, and is the first imprint based in the U.S. dedicated to Japanese science fiction and fantasy in translation.

Phantasm Japan: Fantasies Lights and Dark, From and About Japan · MSRP: $14.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN · Available September 16th
The secret history of the most famous secret agent in the world; A bunny costume that reveals the truth in our souls; The unsettling notion that Japan itself may be a dream; The tastiest meal you'll never have; A fedora-wearing neckbeard's deadly date with a yokai; and the worst work shift anyone – human or not – has ever lived through. Welcome to PHANTASM JAPAN!!

“PHANTASM JAPAN seeks to use the fantastic not to mystify, but to demystify, to bring the English-speaking world not only traditional stories of tanuki (raccoon dogs) and kitsune (foxes), of ghosts and yokai (supernatural monsters), but the bleeding edge of the Japanese fantastic,” notes Nick Mamatas in the introduction to the book. “Japanese fantasy is in a dialogue not only with Japan's spiritual traditions and modern experiences, but also with Western ghost stories and science fiction. Japanese fantasy is in dialogue with virtually everything, from the New Weird to real life horror.”

Haikasoru's previous short fiction anthology, THE FUTURE IS JAPANESE, was published in 2012. It included Ken Liu's “MONO NO AWARE”, which won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story. The anthology itself was nominated for the Locus Award, and other stories nominated for the Sturgeon, Shirley Jackson, and SF&F Translation Awards. Five pieces from THE FUTURE IS JAPANESE were also reprinted in various “year's best” science fiction anthologies.

For more information these titles and the Haikasoru imprint, please visit the dedicated website at www.haikasoru.com.

About Viz Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Viz Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha, Inc., Shogakukan, Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., Viz Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, Viz Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. Viz Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.