U.K. Consumer Response to Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters Brings Manga Entertainment Back for More
4K Media Expands Home Video Agreement with Leading U.K. Distributor to Include Additional Yu-Gi-Oh! Series Rolling Out September 2016
New York – August 15, 2016 -– 4K Media Inc., the Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. subsidiary that manages the licensing and marketing of the Yu-Gi-Oh! brand, has announced it is expanding its U.K. home video distribution partnership with Manga Entertainment, adding Yu-Gi-Oh! series Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (Seasons 1 through 3), Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's (Seasons 1 and 2), and Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal (Seasons 1 through 3) to the company's current Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters offering.
The agreement was facilitated by 4K Media's SVP of Operations, Business and Legal Affairs, Kristen Gray, and Manga Entertainment's Chief Operating Officer, Jerome Mazandarani.
Manga Entertainment first introduced U.K. home video audiences to Yu-Gi-Oh! with the release of Duel Monsters Season 1 in November 2014. The fifth and final season of this series was released by Manga this past June, fueling demand for the release of the subsequent series.
“We are thrilled to see our partnership with Manga Entertainment grow and strengthen,” said 4K Media's Gray. “They have done a stellar job in tapping into the growing consumer interest for the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise in the U.K. and we trust them emphatically with the roll out of GX, 5D's and ZEXAL.”
“Manga is honored to expand the scope of our relationship with 4K Media and the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise,” added Manga Entertainment's Mazandarani. “For the past two years, we have been very successful in releasing the full five seasons of the Yu-Gi-Oh!, Duel Monsters series, and we are excited to see the audience demand for Yu-Gi-Oh! content continue to grow. We'll begin our roll out with Season 1 of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, which will be in retail outlets across the country this September 5th, and take it from there.”
In addition to the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game, video games and feature films, the brand includes an animated franchise, with over 700 episodes spanning from the first series “Yu-Gi-Oh!” Duel Monsters, followed by “Yu-Gi-Oh! GX,” “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's,” “Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal” and now the fifth and latest series “Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V.” The feature film, Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions, recently opened in Japan and is due to launch outside of Asia in the first quarter of 2017.
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About Manga Entertainment
Founded on December 4, 1987, Manga Entertainment began as a producer, licensor and distributor of Japanese animation in the United Kingdom, quickly earning its reputation as the UK's largest and best anime distributor. Manga Entertainment and its sister company Animatsu Entertainment specialises in the production, marketing and distribution of Japanese animation for theatrical, television, Internet, DVD and home video release worldwide. The company is headquartered in London. The company's revered anime catalog includes such renowned titles as Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Dragon Ball Z, NARUTO, One Piece.
About 4K Media
New York City-based 4K Media Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.) is a brand management and production company best known for its management of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise outside of Asia. This year, the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime brand celebrates its 15th anniversary of entertaining and engaging young audiences in the United States and Europe, and 2017 marks its next exciting theatrical release. Beyond Yu-Gi-Oh!, 4K Media is also actively expanding both its licensing and production slate to incorporate other brands including the recently announced representation of Rebecca Bonbon. The Yu-Gi-Oh! website is available at www.yugioh.com
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