Viz Media has announced it will release three new volumes a month of Naruto from September to December as part of its “Naruto Nation” campaign.
The accelerated schedule will put the American releases in step with the Japanese series in time for the start of a major new story arc with Vol. 28. (I won’t spoil it for you, but you can get a hint of the storyline shift by reading the linked press release.)
The release schedule will be: September, Vols. 16-18; October, Vols. 19-21; November, Vols. 22-24; and December, Vols. 25-27.
To coincide with the release of the 12 volumes, Viz’s Shonen Jump will provide in-depth character and story information, and then, beginning in January, serialize the new adventures. Viz also plans other Naruto-related offerings, as detailed in the release.
Blogger David Welsh offers his initial thoughts on the announcement, and comes up with a great headline: “And we shall rename your land ‘Narutopia’.”
