Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas coming on Crunchyroll

Episodes of hit sci-fi action direct-to-video series based off of Masami Kurumada and Shiori Teshirogi's blockbuster manga and to stream on Crunchyroll same day as retail release in Japan

January 5, 2011

San Francisco, Calif. – Crunchyroll, Inc., announced today the streaming rights acquisition of Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas from TMS ENTERTAINMENT, LTD. Featuring an all-start cast of Aya Hirano as Sasha, Hiro Shimono as Alone, Tetsuya Kakihara as Pegasus Tenma and Nana Mizuki as Pandora, Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas is based off of the manga of the same name illustrated by Shiori Teshirogi with story by the legendary manga creator Masami Kurumada. More information is available at http://www.Crunchyroll.com/thelostcanvas.

Crunchyroll's Vice President of Licensing Rob Pereyda said: “This is an exciting pickup for us, and an exciting day for all fans of Masami Kurumada, one of the greatest manga creators the universe has ever known. For fans of Mr. Kurumada's earlier works as well as fans of science fiction and action alike, this will be one of 2011's most exciting anime titles. We look forward to its stellar success.”

TMS Entertainment, Ltd.'s Katsuki Masai said: “This is a very special title to us, and we are excited that Crunchyroll will be the home of Saint Saiya: The Lost Canvas franchise. Through Crunchyroll's core audience of anime subscribers as well as through its more mainstream free-to-view platform, we hope to get the most exposure possible for this title and show the internet what Saint Saiya: The Lost Canvas is all about.”

Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas will be available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Episode 14 and 15 of the direct-to-video series, to be released in February 2011, will be available on Crunchyroll at 9:30AM JST coinciding with their release in Japan. Please check Crunchyroll for the release schedule of the first 13 episodes, to be announced forthcoming.

About Crunchyroll, Inc.

Crunchyroll is a leading global video network and developer of social media applications for Japanese anime and Asian media. Through applications like Crunchyroll for iPad and Naruto Shippūden Official, set top boxes, affiliate websites and its own site, Crunchyroll delivers officially-licensed content from leading Asian media producers directly to consumers.

Crunchyroll has offices in San Francisco, Calif. and Tokyo, Japan, and is a member of the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) and Licensing International Merchandisers' Association (LIMA). Founded in 2006, Crunchyroll is funded by leading venture capital firm, Venrock, Japanese entertainment giant TV TOKYO, digital publishing leader Bitway and a group of angel investors representing some of the brightest and most successful entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. More information can be found at http://www.Crunchyroll.com.