Hanasaku Iroha Joins Crunchyroll's Spring Simulcast Schedule

This slice of life anime prepares to make a splash during Crunchyroll's bourgeoning spring season

San Francisco, Calif. (March 28, 2011) – Crunchyroll, Inc., announced today the acquisition of HANASAKU IROHA to its growing spring simulcast lineup today. Premium members will be able to watch HANASAKU IROHA 90 minutes after original broadcast every Sunday at 7:30 a.m. PST, with free users able to watch it one (1) week after at the same time and day. More information can be found on www.Crunchyroll.com/hanasaku.

HANASAKU IROHA will be available in the following territories: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, Brazil, and Portugal.

Crunchyroll's Brand Manager Michelle Hwang said, “Slice of life style anime titles always resonate differently with fans, but HANASAKU IROHA will transcend these bounds and capture all anime fan's hearts. The beautiful scenery and art design perfectly complements the careful storyline making what is to be a great hit this spring season.”

“HANASAKU IROHA centers around 16-year-old Ohana Matsumae who moves from Tokyo to out in the country to live with her grandmother at an onsen ryokan named Kissuisō. While restarting her life there initially seems daunting, Ohana begins working at the inn, makes friends with the other employees and watches her life take an unexpected twist.”

Episodes can be accessed from Crunchyroll.com, the free iPad and iPhone application, the Android application, Roku, Boxee, Vizio VIA, WD TV Live and additional set-top channels, 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.