Online Media Distribution Leader to Release Anime and Live Action Titles from TV Tokyo, Tezuka Productions, CoMix Wave, Gonzo, Munhwa Broadcasting and More Source: BAM! Marketing, Publicity & Promotions press releases Special Thanks to Chase Wang The online media distribution giant Crunchyroll has announced a stunning number of new acquisitions and business partnerships over the past month. More information on each of these announcements can be found at crunchyroll.com.

Crunchyroll and Gonzo Forge the "Urban Jungle" of SHANGRI-LA with Dream Team Members Bessho, Ohnogi, Mori and Murata

Crunchyroll and Gonzo team up again to bring SHANGRI-LA, the animated 3D-CGI sci-fi property from NewType based on the original novel by Eiichi Ikegami, for a worldwide debut starting on April 06, 2009. SHANGRI-LA is a must-see anime series put together by a dream team of acclaimed talents including director Makoto Bessho, writer Hiroshi Ohnogi, creative producer Takeshi Mori and character designer Range Murata. Each week, the new episode of SHANGRI-LA will be available to Crunchyroll Anime Members on the same day of its Japanese broadcast with no video advertisements, and for free-viewing for non-members with advertising support. SHANGRI-LA Synopsis: SHANGRI-LA is the story of a young woman fighting for her survival in a real "urban jungle." Only 18 years old, Kuniko Hojo finds herself at the heart of the battle for humanity`s future when she discovers that the government which rules Atlas intends to continue marginalizing the less-privileged masses outside the tower - by force, if necessary.

Crunchyroll and Aniplex Play Beautiful Melodies Together with LA CORDA D`ORO

Crunchyroll and Aniplex team up to bring the 1st series of the charming and musical anime franchise, LA CORDA D`ORO, to Crunchyroll Anime Members starting on March 20, 2009 and to simulcast the 2nd series on March 26, 2009. The first series, LA CORDA D`ORO PRIMO PASSO, is a stylish and rhythmic anime set in the high school in Japan and is an anime based upon the highly popular same titled manga adapted by character designer Yuki Kure who also designed the original characters for the role-playing game series. The second series, LA CORDA D`ORO SECONDO PASSO, will premiere on March 26, 2009 with a one hour special and will be simulcast to all Crunchyroll Anime Members along with its Japan debut. The availability of this anime to non-anime members will be limited and announced at a later date. "I am excited that we can stream this latest series of LA CORDA D`ORO through our partnership with Crunchyroll," states Henry Goto Executive Vice President of Aniplex`s International Business Development Group, "through this streaming, we hope to attract more of the overseas female anime fans." Crunchyroll Senior Director Rob Pereyda states, "LA CORDA D`ORO is the kind of charming, exciting anime title that the Crunchyroll and world anime community yearns for. In fact, it was the tremendous amount of postings from the community fan-groups, electronic bulletin boards and overwhelming international love of the show that got LA CORDA D`ORO on our radar in the first place, so we are very happy to be able to give the Crunchyroll and global community an opportunity to obtain a true gem of an anime title through our simulcast." LA CORDA D`ORO PRIMO PASSO Synopsis: Kahoko Hino, the main character, goes to Seiso Gakuen High School that specializes in music. Her school has two curriculums; the normal course and the music course. She was taking the ordinary course and having a normal life until one day, Lili, the fairy gave her the magical violin. The following day, the competitors of the prestigious music contest are announced and Kahoko`s name appears on the list. All the other competitors are elite students that take the music courses. How will the contest turn out?

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Double-Header to Include Free Simulcast of NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Episode on Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll will make anime history again by offering a free simulcast of NARUTO SHIPPUDEN episode 101 on March 26, 2009 as part of a double-header NARUTO event. Week prior to double-header will feature interactive community events and contests centered around NARUTO popular characters, including the birthday of protagonist Sakura Haruno. Although NARUTO SHIPPUDEN will be unavailable on the night of March 19 due to TX Network`s programming schedule, the hit show will return on March 26 with two (2) brand-new episodes in a special double-header event on the night of March 26 at 7:59pm Japan Standard Time (JST). Crunchyroll is taking this unique opportunity to let NARUTO fans experience NARUTO SHIPPUDEN for free online within one hour of its Japanese broadcast. NARUTO SHIPPUDEN episode 102 will be available on March 26 within one hour of its Japanese broadcast exclusively to Crunchyroll`s Anime Members, and the following week for free to the general public. Leading into this special event, Crunchyroll kicks off a week of promotions with a free virtual item for Crunchyland avatars, none other than the sword of the evil Kisame Hoshigaki. Fans can "steal" the Kisame`s famed sword on his birthday, trying to ruin this villian`s special day. Meanwhile, members of the Crunchyroll community will be able to visit an official group dedicated to Sakura Haruno, and collaboratively nominate their "Best Sakura Moments". Out of these best moments, none other than Crunchyroll`s very own Shinji will his favorite five based on the community input and launch the "Best Sakura Moments Contest". A copy of Sakura`s trademark kunoichi outfit for Crunchyland avatars for a limited time at the official group during this time. Fans will be able to enter in the "Best Sakura Moments Contest" simply by voting in Shinji`s "Best Sakura Moments" poll until March 28th, her birthday. From all the entrants, Crunchyroll will select one (1) winner of a grand prize pack and nine (9) runners-up, to receive brand-new NARUTO SHIPPUDEN merchandise from official licensees. All prize winners will receive ULTIMATE NINJA 4: NARUTO SHIPPUDEN for the PlayStation 2, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN COLLECTIBLE CARD GAME: A NEW CHRONICLE booster packs, t-shirts, and much more, courtesy of Namco Bandai Games, Bandai of America, and Ripple Junction, respectively. "Between the double-header and the interactive promotions, this is an exciting month for the NARUTO brand online," states Rob Pereyda, Senior Director of Crunchyroll`s Japan office. "Since the community as a whole knows the brand as a whole better than anyone, what better source to rely on for collaborative information in crafting promotions than them."

Crunchyroll Hits It Big with Tezuka Productions and YTV for First-Ever Release in English Speaking Territories of the Award-Winning BLACK JACK Anime

Crunchyroll, Tezuka Productions and Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation (YTV) collaborate to bring Osamu Tezuka`s award winning original 70¹s manga/anime classic of the medical adventures of the eponymous doctor BLACK JACK to Crunchyroll anime members and fans worldwide. BLACK JACK was directed by Makoto Tezuka (Osamu Tezuka`s son) and is considered one of the top three most famous manga titles by the world famous manga-ka and anime producer that won the 1st Kodansha Manga Award for the shonen category in 1977. "Osamu Tezuka`s creations represent one of the greatest masterpieces to have ever graced both the printed page and silver screen, and we are honored that we will be able to offer these very special episodes to our community," states Rob Pereyda, Crunchyroll Senior Director, "these BLACK JACK episodes are especially exciting to us as they have never been released before outside of Japan. Fans are in for a real treat." BLACK JACK planner and general manager of Tezuka Productions, Yoshihiro Shimizu, states, "on behalf of Tezuka Productions, I am very pleased that `4 Miracles of Life` will be presented to anime fans all over the world. It is a very special program to us, and we are excited that we can collaborate with YTV and Crunchyroll on its international release." "Crunchyroll represents a strategic overseas distribution outlet for YTV in the digital age," states Shinichiro Nishigaki, Director of YTV`s contents business development division, "we are not only looking forward to the potential online distribution success of our contents, but deeply appreciate that Crunchyroll gives us ownership of all the subtitles they create. Working together, our partnership has no limit." BLACK JACK Synopsis: "Four Miracles of Life" Special Episode 1: Where`s the Doctor? Akudo, the rich, spoiled son of a wealthy capitalist, is mortally wounded in an accident while driving recklessly. His father calls in a host of doctors and promises great rewards if they heal his son, and terrible consequences if they fail. No doctor is willing to take on the hopeless case, until the mysterious unlicensed surgical genius Dr. BLACK JACK comes in. "Four Miracles of Life" Special Episode 2: The Disowned Son BLACK JACK and Pinoko are caught in a storm while traveling, and taken in by an old woman. It is her sixtieth birthday, she says, and while she lives alone, she is excited because her three sons have promised to visit her today. "Four Miracles of Life" Special Episode 3: U-18 Knew U-18 is a medical supercomputer, running a fully automated hospital in which all the functions of all nurses, doctors, pharmacists, are performed by one central machine with the world¹s most advanced AI. When the computer malfunctions, it insists stubbornly that it is sick, that it is a human, and that only the famous Dr. BLACK JACK can heal it, and holds its patients hostage threatening to kill them if BLACK JACK is not summoned to treat it. "Four Miracles of Life" Special Episode 4: Like a Pearl This story retells, with few changes, what is perhaps the most famous single BLACK JACK story, portraying BLACK JACK¹s relationship with Dr Honma, his mentor, teacher and father figure. After many years without contact, BLACK JACK receives a strange package from Dr. Honma, a long, rounded stone made of calcium, with a scalpel inside. Black Jack goes to visit Dr. Honma, who says he has something he must confess, and we hear the story of BLACK JACK`s accident, childhood, and the beginning of his medical career.

SAKI, KAASAN and CHI`S SWEET HOME Join NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, GINTAMA and SHUGO CHARA for Sprine Lineup from TV Tokyo on Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll continues its digital distribution partnership with Japanese Anime industry leader, TV Tokyo Corporation with the announcement of the new online spring line up of new anime titles including MAINICHI KAASAN (Kaasan Mom`s Life), SAKI ­THE PLAYER and CHI`S SWEET HOME along with the continued simulcast of NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, GINTAMA and SHUGO CHARA to over 4 million users world wide, starting in April. "Crunchyroll has been a key strategic partner for us as we continue to market to the digital audience," states Mr. Yukio Kawasaki, Manager of Animation Business at TV TOKYO. "We look forward to the continued success of our hit shows like NARUTO SHIPPUDEN and GINTAMA, and hope that through Crunchyroll, we can find the next hits overseas." Crunchyroll CEO Mr. Kun Gao states, "This coming lineup of TV Tokyo titles bolsters our spring schedule in a diverse and exciting way. Our new entries, including shows that feature cats, mahjong, and everyday life, will be joining shows with ninjas, guardian eggs, and aliens. There is truly something for everybody." Title Synopsis: MAINICHI KAASAN is based on the award-winning comic strip by Rieko Saibara about the ordinary life of a not-so-ordinary family: mom is a popular cartoonist, the kids are frustratingly fun but have their moments, and dad is just plain unreliable, everyone is tied together by the insanity of it all. It`s great but tough to be a mom! SAKI ­THE PLAYER is the story of a beautiful high school mahjong genius and her rivals. The story opens with the arrival of Saki who demonstrates her almost magical talent by instinctively playing the game in an extremely calculated manner so that she does not lose or gain even a point. CHI`S SWEET HOME is a collection of sketches about little daily adventures experienced by the ex-stray cat Chi and its owner family. Every day is a discovery for the curious little protagonist! In addition to the three new series, new episodes of winter line-up holdovers NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, GINTAMA, and SHUGO CHARA (aka MY GUARDIAN CHARACTERS) will continue to become available within one hour of Japanese broadcast to Crunchyroll`s anime members, and a week after Japanese broadcast for non-members.

Crunchyroll Streams Munwha Broadcasting Corporation Korean Dramas

Crunchyroll began streaming highly popular Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) Korean dramas with several complete series released per week over a period of six (6) weeks starting March 16, 2009. "We are extremely excited and happy to have MBC America join the Crunchyroll family", states Crunchyroll Vice President Ilya Levtov. "As the #1 largest online destination for professional Asian content, we are always looking to increase our online catalog with properties such as Korean dramas, which is one of the most popular Asian television genres in the U.S. next to Anime, for the benefit of our fans and members who follow and love the intricacies and emotional roller coasters brought by the genre." Title Synopses: AUCTION HOUSE At an auction, everything has monetary value! How much is your life worth in dollars? Do you want to be appraised? Sotheby`s of New York, Christie`s of London, and Hi Auction of Seoul! This is another battleground. Art, history and your life can be evaluated in terms of dollars. This drama delves into the greed of humans that underlie art dealings. The thrilling action at auction houses, A story about auctioneers who professionally compete against each other! Hi Auction, Korea`s best auction house, is a place of high drama and action that is over the top. At an auction, there are tensions between the seller and buyer. People try to figure out who is bluffing or who is making a serious offer. Auctioneers try to outsmart and outmaneuver buyers and competitors. Art collectors and art dealers engage in close partnerships or betray each other if the need arises. This is harder than MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE! Cha Yeon-soo is a new recruit at Hi Auction, Korea¹s best auction house. Since her dad is an art forger, she is almost forced to quit the company but she tries to hang on to her job by performing impossible tasks that are delegated to her. This is a story about her survival! A success story about one young woman who takes on the auction world. COFFEE PRINCE COFFEE PRINCE`s Flagship Store is a TV series that revolves around the love life and dreams of four young people who meet together at a cafe. Han-gyeol (actor Gong Yoo) is a smart young man who hates to be tied down to one career in his life. Abhorring the idea of joining the family business, he is ordered by his grandmother to manage a cafe. Unable to disobey his grandmother, he reluctantly takes over the responsibility of running a cafe and begins to immerse himself in the gourmet coffee business. One day, he meets Eun-chan, a cheerful girl who has an unpredictable personality, and learns the meaning of true love... The TV series will also show what it takes to run a family business and become a true steward who can oversee a company.

JUMONG Vol. 1 The Legend Begins. Korea`s epic history comes alive in the blockbuster TV drama JUMONG. 180 B.C. The Korean kingdom of Ancient Josun has fallen to China`s Han Empire, leaving the land and its people divided. Rising from the turmoil, one man stands alone, destined to unite the nation and bring freedom to his people. Journey into the life of one of Korea`s most legendary figures, JUMONG (Song Il-Kook, Emperor of the Sea), founder of the Koguryo kingdom. Amid sweeping battles and equally sweeping romance, he embarks on an adventure to bring peace and glory to the land once more. LA DOLCE VITA A drama about a man who commits suicide. A detective tries to solve the case and figure what really happened. The drama goes back in time to six months before the man, Lee Joon Soo, committed suicide. Yoon Hye Jin and Ha Dong Won`s marriage is on the rocks. Though they have two daughters together, both have secret love affairs with other people. Joon Soo accidentally meets Hye Jin in Japan and falls for her. Hong Da Ae is the woman whom Dong Won is seeing on the side. She never wanted to be his wife nor his mistress and that is why their affair has lasted for so long. That was till Da Ae met Joon Soo. She realized that she could no longer continue seeing Dong Won and she fell for Joon Soo. Did Joon Soo really kill himself? LAST SCANDAL When a woman turns 39, she`ll think about getting Botox injections to cover up her wrinkles that don`t seem to recede well under cheap wrinkle removing cosmetics. She`ll also probably need to wear a corset to tuck in her flabby stomach and bulging hips but she`ll ignore such thoughts as she lives in a world where she thinks she`s still a nubile teenager. This is another TV drama that is presented to middle-aged women who dream of wonderful romances. Going back and forth from fantasy and reality, this new drama, "Scandalous Affair" will bring back flashbacks of those days when their hearts fluttered when they met their first love. This drama is dedicated to middle-aged women who still dream of being reunited with their first love! What if Cinderella was portrayed as a 39-year old woman with a kid? That`s the opening scene for this drama that tries to give hope to middle-aged women - who watch teen romances to vicariously relive the good ol` days - that they can also overcome the constraints of their middle-aged lives and find true love once again. A woman who has inner beauty is called a middle-aged woman. They`ve learned the wisdom of life, which eludes the youth, as they are a year away from hitting the big Four-O. They`ve learned that real love is looking after their families first and foremost. They`re also humble and will be thankful when someone tells them that they look great. They`re beautiful in every way. This drama will provide them with a solution in life that they themselves are not aware of. Women are beautiful even when they are forty or fifty simply because they are feminine beings!

SOULMATE The person you meet once in your lifetime that fate has brought to you! This person you call your soulmate. The year 2006, your soulmate is secretly creeping up on you. What if my other half is really living somewhere out there; will I be able to notice them? It is a question that can be asked by anyone who is in their marital age. A time when matchmaking agencies are flooded with people! Try re-identifying the true meaning of marriage and love while watching 6 couples live the same life that you¹re living in. We will show you everything you need to know in the love game! is a sitcom young adults and adults can enjoy. Members of all age groups can enjoy it, and benefit from its honest and ongoing talk about love. It gives its viewers some final answers to the "love game" questions and presents confusing issues in a way that everyone can understand. The drama will tell you everything you`ve always wanted to know, from spending a night with a guy you don`t like, to how to completely win over a guys heart; and much more!! Soo-kyung, a girl who only looks at one man like a sunflower; a perfect, pure hearted character. Two people who have never seen each other, and who live on the opposite sides of the world from each other live and love in their own way, but from some point on they start to move towards the same dream and feel the same physiological feelings. Two people who have met by fate in a world full of mixed up fates. Now, the most amazing things, which no one could have ever thought of, start to unfold between the two.

GLASS MAIDENS are from Venus and CAT MEN are from Mars: Crunchyroll Teams with Fuji Creative Corporation

Fuji Creative Corporation (FCC) and Crunchyroll have announced a digital partnership with the launch of the FCC anime titles GLASS MAIDEN and CAT MAN starting this spring. Fuji Creative Corporation Senior Director Yukio Sonobe states, "Crunchyroll is an exciting platform for FCC to utilize in our efforts to expand the reach of our digital contents which include not only anime but other unique forms of programs and series. We hope that by tapping into the global online audience, with Crunchyroll as a partner, the reach and popularity of our animation works will reach even more people." "Fuji Creative Corporation a legendary Japanese content company," states Rob Pereyda, Crunchyroll K.K.¹s Senior Director. "Being able to partner with FCC is truly an honor for Crunchyroll and we look forward to the many successes we will have together for years to come." Title Synopses: GLASS MAIDEN In the near-future... Lags Town is located in a corner of Asia symbolizing a negative side of false prosperity. A hard-boiled buddy story is staged in this town presenting spectacular gun-battles! GLASS MAIDEN is a stylish and full-blown animation, and props and gadgets are depicted in meticulous detail whole through the story. Having gone through 5 years of preparation, this original story is finally about to unfold... CAT MAN Cat Man is a temperamental character with no time for other people. Living in the city, he lives a solitary life and doesn`t bother himself with the rest of the world. In his stubbornness, he sticks to his own way of doing things, but can`t seem to find any peace of mind. "Always in pursuit of the greater good... to what end?" he murmurs to himself. He tries to be cool and in control, but he also wants to find deeper meaning in his life. Will Cat Man ever find any rest for his troubled soul?

Comix Wave Films and Crunchyroll PEEP at Life

On the wave of a successful partnership since Global Shinkai Day, Japanese entertainment company, Comix Wave Films, continues a fruitful partnership with Crunchyroll to debut Ryuichi Mori`s comedy shorts PEEPING LIFE to an international audience this Spring. "We are very excited to introduce another new and talented creator`s work to the world through Crunchyroll" states Comix Wave Films Director Kazuki Sunami. "PEEPING LIFE gives fans around world a glimpse at how comedians here make typical Japanese life situations humorous and fun." Crunchyroll Representative Director, Vince Shortino, states "PEEPING LIFE introduces some great manzai (Japanese comedic duos) that we think will be give our fan`s not only a great laugh, but a peep into Japanese life. " PEEPING LIFE utilizes the animation technique of rotoscoping, developed and patented by Max Fleisher, in which animators trace over live-action film movement, frame by frame, for usage in animated films. This technique creates realistic fluid movements and has been used in many well known animated and live-action projects to create a sense of realism. PEEPING LIFE Synopsis: PEEPING LIFE features popular comic duos ad-libbing around sticky situations that are not too uncommon in Japanese society. Take a break from the stresses of daily life, sit back and enjoy a good laugh!

About Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll is an online video service and community that offers full-length episodes and movies of the very best in Japanese anime and Asian entertainment. Crunchyroll`s content is provided by Asian media leaders including TV Tokyo, Shueisha, Fuji Creative Corporation, Pony Canyon, Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation, Toei Animation, Gonzo, Munhwa Broadcasting of America and many others. Crunchyroll was founded in June 2006 and has offices in San Francisco and Tokyo. Crunchyroll is a pioneer and innovator in the Japanese anime industry and the only video service in the world to offer hit programs like NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, GINTAMA, and many others online to its subscribers within one hour of its Japanese broadcast. Crunchyroll is a member of the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) and the Licensing International Merchandisers Association (LIMA) and is funded by leading venture capital firm, Venrock. More information can be found at its website crunchyroll.com.

About TV Tokyo

TV Tokyo Corporation is a leading Japanese content producer and broadcaster with particular strength in animation, high-concept infotainment and business news. Many of its programs are licensed by TV Tokyo Medianet Inc. (its distribution arm) to non-affiliate local stations as well as overseas broadcasters and distributors. TV Tokyo has been the home of the hit animation series such as NARUTO, Yu=GI=OH!, SHAMAN KING, POKEMON, SONIC X and BEYBLADE. To learn more, please visit tv-tokyo.co.jp/.

About CoMix Wave Films

CoMix Wave Films began in creative contracting and currently engages in animated movie production, distribution and package sales as well as overseas sales. They staff each step with a small number of highly skilled people, hoping to create works that will both fully display its creators` abilities and stand the test of time. Their mission is to work with imaginative artists to deliver heartfelt works to the people of the world.