Seven Seas Artist Wins International Manga Award

(LOS ANGELES, July 6, 2007) – Seven Seas Entertainment is proud to announce that Hollow Fields creator Madeleine Rosca is one of four winners presented with Japan's first ever International Manga Award. A total of 146 works from 25 countries were submitted and Rosca, a 26-year-old former librarian from Tasmania, Australia, was one of four winners, and the only westerner, to be flown to Japan to receive her award.

Dubbed by Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso as the "Nobel Prize of Manga," the International Manga Award was created by Mr. Aso as a way to promote Japanese culture abroad. 43-year-old Hong Kong artist Lee Chi Ching, whose work had been previously published in Japan, was the grand prize winner of the contest. Runner-up awards were given to Hong Kong artist Kai and Malaysian artist Benny Wong Thong Hou, as well as to Madeleine Rosca for her work on Hollow Fields. For the award, all four winners were flown to Japan by the Japanese Foreign Ministry for the award ceremony and a 10-day tour of Japan, including visits to manga publishers and manga-related museums.

"We're extremely proud of Madeleine," says Seven Seas president Jason DeAngelis. "She's a huge talent, and being the only westerner to win this award is an honor for her and a justification of our mission here at Seven Seas."

In addition to Hollow Fields, two other Seven Seas works placed in the top 15 of the contest: Mr. Grieves, by Jhomar Soriano, and Ravenskull, by Elmer Damaso.

Hollow Fields is a three-volume manga series for all ages that tells the story of little Lucy Snow, who, in a macabre twist of fate, finds herself enrolled at Miss Weaver's Academy for the Scientifically Gifted and Ethically Unfettered—also known as Hollow Fields. Located on the outskirts of Nullsville and run by the insidious Engineers, the grim boarding school dedicates itself to raising the next generation of mad scientists and evil geniuses.

Hollow Fields will be in stores mid-July. The series will also be available this fall through Scholastic Book Fairs.

About Seven Seas Entertainment, LLC
Established in 2004, Seven Seas Entertainment is devoted to producing original manga, comics, graphic novels, and youth literature, and bringing the best in Japanese licenses to North American audiences. The company’s current line-up includes such original manga properties as Amazing Agent Luna, Aoi House, Destiny's Hand, Last Hope and No Man's Land; a trio of full-color collections of the fan-favorite webcomics Chugworth Academy, Earthsong, and Inverloch; and English language releases of such hit licenses as He Is My Master, Kashimashi and Boogiepop, as well as an all new Light Novel line and yuri line coming out in 2007. Seven Seas’ web site, www.gomanga.com, has become a daily stop for thousands of visitors eager to read manga online and contribute to an ever-growing forum community.