During their panel at Anime Expo, VIZ Media announced that they have acquired the license to the Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection manga as well as the Megalobox anime. They also provided an update to the release of the NieR: Automata series.
Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection is described by VIZ Media as follows:
Try not to be noticed when you eat the secret nectar, otherwise you’ll get smashed… What horrific events happened to create the earthbound—people tied to a certain place for the rest of their short lives? Then, a strange haunted house comes to town, but no one expects it to lead to a real hell… Welcome to Junji Ito‘s world, a world with no escape from endless nightmares.
Megalobox just finished airing in Japan as of June 29. MyAnimeList.net describes the story of Megalobox as follows:
“To be quiet and do as you’re told, that’s the cowardly choice.” These are the words of Junk Dog, an underground fighter of Megalo Box, an evolution of boxing that utilizes mechanical limbs known as Gear to enhance the speed and power of its users. Despite the young man’s brimming potential as a boxer, the illegal nature of his participation forces him to make a living off of throwing matches as dictated by his boss Gansaku Nanbu. However, this all changes when the Megalo Box champion Yuuri enters his shabby ring under the guise of just another challenger. Taken out in a single round, Junk Dog is left with a challenge: “If you’re serious about fighting me again, then fight your way up to me and my ring.”
Filled with overwhelming excitement and backed by the criminal syndicate responsible for his thrown matches, Junk Dog enters Megalonia: a world-spanning tournament that will decide the strongest Megalo Boxer of them all. Having no name of his own, he takes on the moniker of “Joe” as he begins his climb from the very bottom of the ranked list of fighters. With only three months left to qualify, Joe must face off against opponents the likes of which he has never fought in order to meet the challenge of his rival.
The Megalobox license for VIZ includes exclusive rights to home media, theatrical releases as well as broadcasting rights. It also includes non-exclusive rights to streaming, consumer products, and merchandise.
In addition, they announced that NieR Automata: Long Story Short will release this October and NieR Automata: Long Story Long will launch at some point in the Spring of 2019.
