DEL REY MANGA TO PUBLISH AIR GEAR
(New York, NY; January 20, 2006)—Del Rey Manga, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, announced today the acquisition of AIR GEAR, a Kodansha property by manga legend Oh! Great, creator of Tenjho Tenge.
With 12 volumes and over 5.5 million copies in print in Japan, great anticipation has been building for the U.S. debut of AIR GEAR. AIR GEAR, translated from the original Japanese and completely unedited, follows the adventures of Itsuki Minami, the toughest strongest wrestler at Higashi JHS, who is easy on the eyes, but dangerously rough when he needs to be in a ring. Itsuki lives with the mysterious and sexy Noyamono sisters--so this lucky boy's life isn't exactly dull. But it takes a turn for the even more unreal when Itsuki leads his school to victory over some vindictive Westside punks with gangster connections. Now he stands to lose his school, his friends, and everything he cares about. In his darkest hour, the Noyamano girls come to Itsuki's aid. They can teach him how to use Air Trecks to save their school from the gangster's seige—and bring Itsuki to a thrilling, and terrifying, new world.
“This is definitely one of our biggest releases for 2006,” said manga director Dallas Middaugh. “The story will have you on the edge of your seat, and the art will keep your eyes super-glued to the page.”
AIR GEAR will be rated for ages 16 and up. The first volume will go on sale July 25, 2006.