Sekai-Ichi Hatsukoi Set to Simulcast on Crunchyroll

Deepening the diversity, Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi joins Crunchyroll's shonen-ai collection

San Francisco, Calif. (March 31, 2011) – In its endless effort to expand and diversify its library, Crunchyroll, Inc., prepares to launch SEKAI-ICHI HATSUKOI this spring. SEKAI-ICHI HATSUKOI will be exclusively streamed on Crunchyroll for its premium members after broadcast in Japan, while free members will be able to view one (1) week after it first airing on its site. More information can be found on www.Crunchyroll.com/hatsukoi.

SEKAI-ICHI HATSUKOI will be available in the following territories: North America, South America, United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Netherlands, Portugal, Middle East, Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, and Africa.

Crunchyroll's Brand Manager Michelle Hwang said, “This is a really exciting moment for us as we are finally able to provide a truly wide range of anime for fans and all of their varied interests in this amazing culture. We hope that with the addition of SEKAI-ICHI HATSUKOI to our library, our audience will embrace this as a pivotal step to broadening horizons and understanding.”

“Ritsu Onodera quit working for his father's company and transferred to work at the publishing company, Marukawa Shoten. To his dismay, he's assigned to edit shojo manga in which he has no interest or experience. He works with a strict boss, Takano, that he has trouble getting along with from the beginning. But, Onodera later discovers that he knows Takano from his past...”

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.