Crunchyroll Expands Their J-Pop and J-Rock Online Music Catalogs with Superstar Groups Girugamesh, Hangry & Angry, MUCC, Vamps and Vistlip
Marvelous, Maverick and Up Front Agency Partner With the Number One (1) Online Destination for Anime and Asian Entertainment to Bring Their Top Bands to a World Wide Audience
San Francisco, CA and Tokyo, Japan (December 4, 2009) — Best known for being the number one (1) online destination for legal and fully licensed Anime and Asian entertainment, Crunchyroll continues to dominate the internet and expands their online music catalog with their recent partnerships with mega J-Pop and J-Rock labels Marvelous, Maverick and Up Front Agency to bring five (5) of the biggest musical acts from Japan to the Crunchyroll world wide platform. More information can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com.
Bands consist of vistlip (Marvelous), girugämesh (Maverick), MUCC (Maverick), VAMPS (Maverick) and Hangry & Angry (Up Front Agency).
*vistlip (Marvelous) - vistlip debuted with the mini-album "Revolver" in April, followed by three-consecutive-monthly single releases beginning September 2008. They possess a degree of perfection unlike that of other new-faced bands. With their wistful melodies, lyrics of distinct realism and soft, sweet vocals that can at times be passionate and flaming. vistlip dazzles the scene with their irreplaceable presence. More information can be found at: http://www.crunchyroll.com/vistlip
*girugämesh (Maverick) - The band was formed in 2004 by Satoshi, Nii, ShuU and Яyo. If you mention “girugämesh”, the first thought of the hardest working band from Japan with the toughest schedule tour comes to mind. Their first European tour was launched in January 2008 which was immediately followed up with the Japan nationwide “stupid tour '08” with a total of 38 shows. Tickets for the final show at Shibuya CLUB QUATTRO sold out within a minute. They continued to go on a national tour that summer the following year and, of course, tickets of the final show at LIQUIDROOM EBISU was sold out. More information can be found at: http://www.crunchyroll.com/girugamesh
* MUCC (Maverick) - MUCC / MUKKU (ムック) is a Japanese rock (J-Rock) band formed in 1997. The band's name, decided upon by guitarist Miya, was originally the name of a character from a Japanese children's program Ponkickies. The band is also known as “69” (from a play on words, since six-nine can be pronounced "muku" in Japanese). More information can be found at: http://www.crunchyroll.com/mucc
* VAMPS (Maverick) - VAMPS is the name of the band formed by HYDE (L'Arc~en~Ciel) and K.A.Z (Oblivion Dust). HYDE and K.A.Z have been working together on HYDE's solo work since 2003. After years of collaboration, the two finally decided to form their own band and agreed that there was no better way to announce VAMPS than getting out in front of the fans right away. Their first nationwide tour of Japan, "VAMPS LIVE 2008", kicked off at Zepp Tokyo. Between August 1, 2008 and October 28, 2008, VAMPS played 46 shows, within 3 months, at the prestigious Zepp live houses throughout Japan. The tour was totally organized by VAMPS and the venues were custom decorated by spray paint such as the now-famous VAMPS castle. The band played 6 to10 shows at each Zepp venue and every single show was sold out! The continuous string of sold out shows were unprecedented and had never taken place during any other Zepp live house tour before. VAMPS ROCKS! More information can be found at: http://www.crunchyroll.com/vamps
*Hangry & Angry (Up Front Agency) – Hangry & Angry is a musical project spin-off from the popular Japanese designer h.NAOTO. This two (2) member unit is made up of former Morning Musume members-Hitomi Yoshizawa and Rika Ishikawa who also play the characters Hangry & Angry respectively. A large part of their appeal is connected to their fashion based image, however both members are experienced singers and pull off a credible balance between being fashion icons and performers. Their music style is a mixture of rock blended with punk and techno pop elements. More information can be found at : http://www.crunchyroll.com/hangryangry
“Bringing these huge j-pop and j-rock bands to our fans is so exciting”, states Crunchyroll Brand Manager Ms. Michelle Hwang, “working with amazing partners like Marvelous, Maverick and Up Front Agency has been a fantastic experience and is a true testament to our dedication to bringing the best in J-Pop and J-Rock music to our world wide fan base. We are definitely in for a treat and there is definitely more coming soon!”
All fans can enjoy all content on the site for free. More information, including a two week free trial membership can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com/freetrial.
About Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is the largest online community and video site for the very best in Japanese Anime
and Dramas from Asia. Crunchyroll's content is provided by Asian media leaders including TV
TOKYO, Shueisha, d-rights, Fuji Creative Corporation (FCC), Media International Corporation
(MICO), Pony Canyon, Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation, Toei Animation, Gonzo, Munhwa
Broadcasting Corporation America and many others.
Crunchyroll was founded in June 2006 and has offices in both San Francisco and Tokyo. Crunchyroll is a pioneer and innovator within 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 http://www.crunchyroll.com.
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