Third Annual Global Shinkai Day Comes To Crunchyroll

San Francisco, Calif. (March 9, 2011) – Crunchyroll users are in for a treat this weekend from March 11-13 as Makoto Shinkai's brilliant animated masterpieces – 5 CENTIMETERS PER SECOND, PLACE PROMISED IN OUR EARLY DAYS and VOICES OF A DISTANT STAR – will open up to worldwide audiences except in Japan. More information can be found on www.crunchyroll.com.

In addition to the three (3) feature films airing throughout the weekend, both Shinkai fans and Crunchyroll users can also bring home and own the recently remastered version of 5 CENTIMETERS PER SECOND on DVD, which is now available at the Bandai Store: http://bit.ly/crunchyroll-5cm.

5 CENTIMETERS PER SECOND begins with the lyrical image of cherry blossoms falling at five centimeters a second, painting a breathtaking vivid tableau of young love, desire, loss, and hope. Told in three heartbreaking chapters, we follow the young dreamer Takaki through his life as cruel winters, cold technology, silence, and, finally, adult obligations and responsibility converge to crush the delicate petals of true love.

VOICES OF A DISTANT STAR follows Mikako who joins the interstellar battle as a pilot leaving behind her love Noboru, only maintaining her connection to him through text messages sent from her mobile phone. And while she barely grows older in the timelessness of space Noboru ages creating this scenario with two lovers, worlds apart, desperately strive to remain connected as the gap between them widens at a frightening pace.

PLACE PROMISED IN OUR EARLY DAYS traces two friends and two passions: the plane they built together, christened Bela Cielo, and a girl: Sayuri. Oblivious to environment around them, the three create an indelible bond and nothing can ever come between them. However as time passes, war escalates, friends become enemies, and alliances change, Sayuri becomes the key to a new world peace...or a frightening and bitter end to life as we know it.

Episodes can be accessed from Crunchyroll.com, tv.com, the free iPad and iPhone application, Android, the Boxee application and affiliate partners.

Crunchyroll premium members will have access to the largest anime and drama selection, same-day access for simulcasted titles, no advertisements and can be viewed in 480p-to-720p quality on selected titles. More information about the Crunchyroll membership plan can be found at: http://www.crunchyroll.com/freetrial/

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 iPhone, iPad, Android, TV set-top boxes, affiliate websites and its own streaming website, 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.

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