Appliya Brings Evangelion to the iPhone

Tokyo-based iPhone application developer Appliya Announces Unprecedented International Release of A series of “Rebuild of Evangelion”
Applications For iPhone and iPod Touch

Tokyo, Japan, February 17, 2009 - Tokyo-based Appliya Inc., a leading publisher of Japanese mobile applications, has obtained a license to provide anime fans with the world's first iPhone and iPod Touch applications based on the highly popular Rebuild of Evangelion films produced by Khara Inc. The apps will be the result of a joint production effort between Appliya and Japanese game publisher BROCCOLI Co., Ltd. Their first Evangelion-related products are planned for submission to Apple in February 2009. More information can be found at http://appliya-inc.com/en/special/Evangelion/.

Appliya's initial offerings for Evangelion will be “casual” apps that utilize the visual style, characters, and storyline from the Rebuild of Evangelion movies. These applications will take advantage of the innovative touch screen on the iPhone and iPod Touch, as well as the device's camera, calendar functions, and clock.

Neon Genesis Evangelion first aired on Japanese television in 1995, and then went on to become a multi-billion dollar international anime franchise. The story is getting a modern upgrade with the new “Rebuild of Evangelion” films, a series of four movies that retell the original story with new animation, new characters, and some new plot twists. The release of the first movie, Evangelion: 1.0 You Are [Not] Alone, was an exciting event, and the film won many awards, including the 2008 Tokyo International Anime Fair award for Anime of the Year. The second movie in the series, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can [Not] Advance, is scheduled for release in Japan in the summer of 2009. Appliya's license with the franchise producers provides them with unprecedented use of elements of the new Evangelion story including character designs, weapons, and the signature giant cyborgs known as the Evas.

Appliya's applications should appeal to an international fanbase that has long been starved of digital Evangelion merchandise. Anime fans outside of Japan often feel neglected since it takes months or years for the hottest anime products to reach them, if they are exported at all. Evangelion is just one of many anime franchises with video games, applications, and other digital products that never left Japan, but Appliya's Evangelion apps will be released to a wider range of audiences, and in many cases fans will have the apps before the Rebuild of Evangelion DVDs are even available in their area.

About Evangelion

After a catastrophic event called the Second Impact, the Earth's population was halved. All that remains of Japan is Tokyo-3, a city that is constantly attacked by giant creatures that seek to eradicate the human race, called Angels. Fourteen-year-old Shinji Ikari is summoned by his estranged father to urgently come to the headquarters of NERV, a military organization that deals with the destruction of the Angels through the use of giant cyborgs called Evas. Shinji's objective is to pilot the Eva Unit 01, while teaming up with the Eva Unit 00 pilot, Rei Ayanami, and Eva Unit 02 pilot Asuka Langley Soryu. Together, these three teenagers will battle the Angels, and decide the fate of the world.

About Appliya Inc.
Appliya specializes in the production and publishing of iPhone and iPod Touch applications, and has released 26 iPhone applications since October 2007. The company has recently partnered with Japanese mobile industry giant SoftBank Mobile Corp. to bring the unique elements of Japanese culture to an international audience through mobile applications. Their efforts include exclusive licensing deals with major anime and manga producers. Appliya will also have collaborations with Japanese artists and photographers, Haraju-ku fashion related applications, Akihabara otaku related apps, and other applications focused on more traditional aspects of Japanese culture.

www.appliya-inc.com

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