Manga publisher, animation firm, and entertainment licenser VIZ Media is launching Haikasoru, a new imprint which will translate and publish “an array of contemporary Japanese science fiction and fantasy novels for English-speaking audiences.” Nick Mamatas, whose move to VIZ we announced in this article, will be editing the line under the direction of Editor-in-Chief Masumi Washington.
Haikasoru will be publish its first four books this summer, to launch their scheduled twelve books a year. Those first four will be The Lord of the Sands of Time by Issui Ogawa, All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, ZOO by Otsuichi, and Usurper of the Sun by Housuke Nojiri.
Haikasoru will be using a number of freelance translators for the books, which they’ll be cherry-picking from the entire Japanese marketplace (rather than simply reprinting one specific line in the US). Mamatas told SFScope “We’re looking for a particular mix of books: we want to do hard sf, a lot of action/adventure, perhaps a dash of dark fantasy or more literary titles, too. So we’re looking to cast a wide net, rather than replicating a single Japanese publisher’s line.”
Looking toward the future, we asked Mamatas if you could envision publishing any new titles, rather than being solely a translate/reprint line. He responded “Anything’s a possibility. Right now, it will all be translations, but we have given some thought to bringing older English-language originals with Japanese themes back into print.”
Introducing the line, Washington said “Japan has long had a love affair with science fiction. In the wake of the massive international popularity of manga and anime, this is an ideal time to offer some of the best in contemporary Japanese science fiction to a sizeable domestic audience. VIZ Media has been publishing fiction for a while, and now with the formation of Haikasoru it’s like finding a missing piece in a jigsaw puzzle.”
Public Relations Director Evelyn Dubocq provided these descriptions of Haikasoru’s first four titles:
The Lord of the Sands of Time by Issui Ogawa. Sixty-two years after human life on Earth was annihilated by rampaging aliens, the enigmatic cyborg Messenger O is sent back in time with the mission to unite the humanity of past eras—during World War II and in ancient Japan, even back at the dawn of humanity—in order to defeat the alien invasion before it begins. But amidst a future shredded by war, love also waits for O. Will O save humanity only to doom himself? The Lord of the Sands of Time was nominated for the prestigious Seiun Award, the leading award for Japanese science fiction, the winners of which are selected each year by members of the Japanese National Science Fiction Convention. Available in July 2009, $13.99 (US)/$16.00 (Canada).
All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. When the alien Gitai invade, Keiji Kiriya is just one of many recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor called a Jacket and sent out to kill. Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to be reborn each morning to fight and die again and again. On his 158th iteration, he finally sees something different, something out of place—a female soldier known as the Full Metal Bitch. Is she the key to Keiji’s escape or his final death? Available in July 2009, $13.99 (US)/$16.00 (Canada).
ZOO by Otsuichi. ZOO presents eleven stories of dark fantasy and science fiction by one of Japan’s hottest authors. “The White Hut in the Forest” is the story of a man with a hole in his head and a charming home made from some strange materials. “Song of the Sunny Spot” is a rendition of the classic story of the Earth’s last man… and his charming companion. And in the book’s title story, a man sees his dead girlfriend’s corpse decompose, one gristly Polaroid snapshot at a time. ZOO sold over 740,000 copies in Japan and was also turned into a successful Japanese film. Available in September 2009, $13.99 (US)/$16.00 (Canada).
Usurper of the Sun by Housuke Nojiri. When a ring appears around the Sun, humanity seems doomed. One woman, a brave scientist named Aki Shiraishi, travels to the core of the solar system in a last-ditch attempt to save the world. A compelling new hard SF novel, Usurper of the Sun won a coveted Seiun Award in 2002 for Best Science Fiction Novel of the Year. Available in September 2009, $15.99 (US)/$18.99 (Canada).