Nintendo isn’t the only company that’s doing something special for the 25th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda series. Viz Media, a company responsible for most of the translated manga in North America, is doing something too. For a while now, Viz has been releasing copies of The Legend of Zelda manga by Akira Himekawa in English. To capitalize on the anniversary fanfare, it’s bundling the entire series into a Legend of Zelda Manga Box Set.

The Legend of Zelda manga series in question spans 10 volumes…

It’s manga time! While it’s sad that Tokyopop will be gone soon, VIZ Media is still around and doing better than ever. In fact, it’s even found a way to expand its readership! If you own an iPhone or iPod Touch, you can now get a free VIZ Manga app from iTunes. Once the program is on your iOS device, you can load it up with digital manga and read comics anywhere you want, without having to worry about carrying around actual books….

Wow, Viz Media really knows how to run a giveaway. If you’re at Comic-Con International 2010 and you have some spare time, stop the company’s booth. It’s number 22813 and you won’t regret it. When you do, someone will scan your badge to instantly enter you in a Naruto PSP giveaway.

Viz has six PSPs to give away. But they aren’t just any PSPs, they’re custom Naruto Shippuden PSPs that you can’t get anywhere else…

Nana didn’t start out as a worldwide phenomenon. It began simply, as a series running in the manga magazine Cookie. But there was something about the series, which focuses on the friendship between two girls with the same name and what happens when they meet in Tokyo chasing their dreams, that resonated with readers. The characters, the relationships, the interactions and the art connected with people and become something special.

The first volume of Nana is really divided into two segments. The first segment looks at Nana Komatsu, a middle child in a happy family who has had a number of failed romances. The most recent of said romances was with a married man, and ends just before her high school graduation. She’s obsessed with the idea of a fantastical demon lord that brings bad luck and punishment, just starting art school and not looking for love. Instead, she wants to recover from her former ways and make her first male friends instead…

Important Importables’ focus is usually on video game related, Japanese imports. Every once in a while, it takes a brief break to look at something that’s an import and has no gaming ties what-so-ever. (Though gamers may enjoy it.) This is one of those times.

Ever heard of Battle Royale? There’s a good chance you have, since it’s an incredibly popular property from Japan. It’s a story that’s so renowned, controversial and thought provoking that the original story has been adapted and presented in several different forms of media. It all started back in 1999, with Koushun Takami’s novel, Battle Royale. It’s a title you probably won’t be reading at your next book club meeting, but it would be awesome if you did…

Title: Bleach Uncut Season 2: The Entry box setPrice: $39.99 (Amazon) – $80.99 (Barnes & Noble)Format: DVDRelease Date: August 19, 2008Company: Viz MediaESRB Rating: UnratedPros: Episodes 21-41 uncut, English and Japanese voice tracks, English subtitles, production art, mini-poster, Ichigo stickerCons: Only basic extra featuresOverall Score: Two thumbs up, 90/100, A-, **** 1/2 out of 5.

The second season of Bleach is arguably one of the best in the run of the series. While the first season,”The Substitute,” sets up the story for viewers and acts as an origin tale for the hero that is Ichigo Kurosaki, the second season, “The Entry,” gives viewers the opportunity to see what Ichigo is capable of and up against.

The best way to experience this, to understand the mechanics of the Soul Society and Soul Reapers, is to watch the uncut DVD box set in Japanese with English subtitles. Even though Viz Media has cast capable voice actors to give life to all of the characters, the introduction and personalities of the various Soul Reaper captains and vice captains are better captured by the original Japanese voice actors. Since Viz Media has also done a great job with translating for the subtitles, the DVD set is a joy to watch either way…

Title: Bleach Uncut Season 1: The Substitute box setPrice: $27.99 (Amazon) – $44.99 (Barnes & Noble)Format: DVDRelease Date: June 10, 2008Company: Viz MediaESRB Rating: UnratedPros: 20 unrated episodes of Bleach, Japanese and English voice acting, free double-sided poster and a free Bleach trading card.Cons: Not that many bonus features in addition to the 20 episodes.Overall Score: Two thumbs up, 95/100, A, **** 1/2 out of 5.

Bleach is a far reaching animated series that tends to go beyond “kill this week’s bad guy.” It features identifiable characters, sometimes intellectual situations, mysterious story-lines that can’t be solved in one season and other concepts that many action animes don’t cover.

The first season of Bleach, referred to as “The Substitute,” is really essential viewing for anyone who wishes to really follow the show. Other seasons may have more intrigue, more comedic moments and more characters, but the first season prepares a solid foundation for future episodes. Viz Media did an admirable job with the voice casting, translating and DVD presentation…

Konami and Viz Media have announced that the Blue Dragon Role Playing Card Game will be at Gen Con Indy, which fruns from August 14-17, 2008. Blue Dragon RPCG, as it is affectionately known, is a trading card game based on the Xbox 360 game Blue Dragon.

The Konami booth will have the game displayed and Konami representatives will be teaching people to play Blue Dragon RPCG and giving out free t-shirts and half decks. There will also be Blue Dragon RPCG tournaments on August 16 and 17, and a game mat and half-deck are in every Gen Con Indy attendee’s show bag. So make sure you stop by the Konami booth so you can play with a full deck.

If you’d like to get in on the Pi Story beta testing set for June 2008, then you better sign up for Viz’s Shojo Beat newsletter. Newsletter subscribers will receive a special invitation to participate through the newsletter, as well as a special in-game item once the commercial period of the game begins. The July 2008 issue of Shojo Beat (which arrived in my mailbox yesterday) first announced this gaming opportunity.

Pi Story is a 2D MMORPG from NCONY. In it, you do the typical MMORPG things – interact with other players, fight enemies, collect items, customize an avatar, decorate a home and travel to other lands by collecting Pi pieces. A lot of information about the game isn’t available yet, as its still in the works. For example only two job classes (fighter and cleric) are available so far.

Click through to see a game play trailer…

First video game manga fans were able to read Devil May Cry and Kingdom Hearts thanks to Tokyopop, and now Viz Media has stepped up to the plate to bring Zelda manga to the masses. Viz announced on April 10, 2008 that it will be translating and publishing the manga series The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The two volume series was originally written by Akira Himekawa, the pen name for Honda A and Nagano S’s two woman partnership, and released as Zelda no Densetsu: Toki no Ocarina. The first volume will be released in October, 2008 and each volume will cost $7.99.