VIZ Media Presents a Free 120 Page Preview of Naruto Manga Volume 45

Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press release Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq and Erik Jansen

VIZ Media announced today that Shonen Jump magazine has a special treat for readers—an invitation to read a free preview of the upcoming Naruto manga Volume 45 (rated ‘T’ For Teens)— online at shonenjump.com, for a limited time only. These chapters will not run in the magazine and will not be available in graphic novel form until July 2009. The 120-page preview will be available online beginning today through May 5th exclusively at shonenjump.com. A preview link appears on the homepage. Visitors must type in the password that appears on page 20 of the May issue of Shonen Jump to access the chapters. Naruto is one of the hottest series from Japan and continues to be one of VIZ Media’s most successful manga and animated properties. Back in February, VIZ Media unveiled an accelerated publishing schedule for upcoming editions of the best-selling Naruto manga series. Between February and April 2009, 11 volumes have been scheduled for publication, moving the series from Volume 34 (February 2009) to Volume 44 (April 2009) before returning to a quarterly release schedule beginning with Volume 45 (July 2009). Naruto depicts the adventures of a young boy named Naruto Uzumaki who trains to become a ninja, and through his exciting adventures, the young ninja learns the importance of friendship, teamwork, loyalty, hard work, creativity, ingenuity, and right versus wrong. Created by Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto was first introduced in Japan in 1999 and quickly became that country’s most popular ninja manga targeting tweens and teens, and more than 85 million copies to date have been printed. The manga series has captivated millions of fans across North America, Europe and South America. In Naruto Volume 45, Sasuke and Naruto find that their powers are ever increasing. Sasuke can now use the Mangekyo Sharingan in multiple ways, and Naruto may have become even more powerful than his fallen sensei Jiraiya! But is anyone powerful enough to stop the ultimate attack as the Pains of the Akatsuki launch their deadly strike against Naruto`s home village? NARUTO animated episodes are also currently available for free on NARUTO.com and through a variety of web-based, video streaming outlets that have partnered with VIZ Media, including HULU and JOOST. More information on NARUTO is available at www.naruto.com.

For more information on NARUTO please see the earlier coverage on SciFi Japan: