Go! Comi Releases Aimee Major Steinberger's Japan Ai, Along With Unique Web Content

Go! Comi today announced the official release of "Japan Ai: A tall girl's adventures in Japan," a manga journal of an otaku trip to Japan by animator Aimee Major Steinberger ("The Simpsons," "Futurama"). Packed with hundreds of color and black-and-white drawings, the book records Steinberger's trip through the various worlds of Japanese pop culture: anime, manga, maid cafes, cosplay, all-female Takarazuka reviews, ball-jointed dolls, as well as traditional culture such as hot springs resorts and ancient shrines and temples.

Adding to the uniqueness of this release is the large amount of supplemental online content. Fans who visit the "Japan Ai" section of the Go! Comi website will find an "Omake" (bonus) area containing over 60 pages of drawings not included in the book, as well as dozens of photographs of the actual places, people and events depicted in the book.

Explains Go! Comi Creative Director Audry Taylor: "Aimee's drawing style is so appealing that cutting the book down to a manageable length was incredibly painful. When we were done we realized that we had 60 pages of cut drawings - nearly a third of the book's length. We thought, why not make all this material available by putting it online? It's sort of like the bonus material on a DVD. We've got deleted scenes, plus behind the scenes making-of photos. To my knowledge, it's the first time something like this has been attempted in the field of graphic novels."

The supplemental material can be viewed in the "Japan Ai" section at www.gocomi.com.

ABOUT GO! COMI: Go! Comi is known for the excellence of its manga series and top-notch production values. Among its publications are the Bookscan best-sellers Tenshi Ja Nai!! and Her Majesty's Dog, the Eisner Award-nominated After School Nightmare, and Cantarella, recently named one of the Young Adult Library Services Association's "Great Graphic Novels for Teens" of 2007.