San Francisco, CA, June 18, 2009 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced their list of DVD titles scheduled for release in August 2009. These include the latest episodic releases of the popular BLEACH, HUNTER X HUNTER and NARUTO series. August DVD releases also include four new POKÉMON titles for the younger set. Also releasing is the live action feature film – DEATH NOTE: L, change the WorLd from VIZ Pictures. VIZ Media DVD titles are distributed (in English) in the U.S and Mexico by Warner Home Video and in Canada by Allegro.



NARUTO Uncut Box Set Volume 15 Special Edition • Rated 'T+' for Older Teens •

MSRP: $69.97 US / $99.99 CAN • Available August 25

Ino faces an unusual exercise in royal etiquette when she is asked by an overweight princess to take her place and attend the first meeting with the young prince she adores. Then the Hidden Leaf Village comes under serious threat when important blueprints of the village are stolen! Naruto, Shikamaru and the others have their hands full finding and removing the massive numbers of paper bombs placed throughout the village. Can they save the Hidden Leaf Village from utter demolition?

Includes playing cards 37-45 and a collectible Mininja Gaara Figurine (5 of 6) (limited supply)



BLEACH Volume 19 • Rated 'T' for Teens • MSRP: $24.92 US / $35.99 CAN • Available August 18

Attempting to rescue Uryu, Ichigo, Rukia and their diverse allies launch an attack on the stronghold of the Bounts. But the evil Bount leader Kariya is far too powerful a foe, and things are looking grim. To make things more complicated still, it appears that one of their foes fighting alongside the Bounts is a former Soul Reaper, Maki Ichinose.

Episodes: 76 thru 79



HUNTER X HUNTER Box Set Volume 3 • Rated 'T+' for Older Teens •

MSRP: $49.95 US / $71.99 CAN • Available August 11

Gon has finally been licensed as a hunter, and things are about to get a whole lot tougher! First he has to rescue his friend Killua from the clutches of...Killua's own family?! Then it's off to Heavens Arena, home to the biggest fighting tournament on the planet, where Gon must square off against his old enemy Hisoka.  Gon is committed to being the best hunter he can be, but will he have to overcome more than a few broken bones to reach his goal?



New POKÉMON Releases Include:



POKÉMON: DP BATTLE DIMENSION Box Set 2 • Rated 'A' for All Ages •

MSRP: $24.92 each US / $35.99 each CAN • Available August 25

Ash and friends continue their Pokémon journey through the Sinnoh region, taking on new challenges like the Pokémon Summer Academy and meeting lots of new people, including a Top Coordinator, a Pokémon Ranger, and even some Poké Stylists! There are also a few familiar faces up to no good, like Pokémon Hunter J and Team Galactic – can Ash, Dawn, and Brock handle their latest threats?



POKÉMON: DP BATTLE DIMENSION Volume 3-4 • Rated 'A' for All Ages • MSRP: $14.98 each US / $21.99 each CAN • Available August 25

The episodes of POKÉMON: Diamond and Pearl Battle Dimension Box Set 2 split into two standard disc editions.



POKÉMON ALL STARS Box Set 2 • Rated 'A' for All Ages • MSRP: $39.97 each US / $57.99 each CAN • Available August 25

Over 11 hours of Pokémon adventures featuring more of your favorite Pokémon in a commemorative DVD box set! Includes: Meowth, Treecko, Psyduck, Wobbuffet, Lapras, Totodile, Skitty, Chikorita, Torchic, and Onix!



New from VIZ Pictures:



DEATH NOTE:  L, Change the WorLd • MSRP: $24.92 US /$35.99 •

Available August 18

The live action feature film -DEATH NOTE: L, change the WorLd introduces the unwritten chapter of DEATH NOTE and reveals how the legendary detective “L” spends the final 23 days of his life. The story begins as L takes on the “Kira” case, in which countless criminals are dying under mysterious circumstances. L successfully solves the case and stops Kira, but only after sacrificing his life, leaving himself with only 23 days left to live.  For his final case L faces down a bio-terrorist group trying to wipe out humanity with a deadly virus ten times more potent than Ebola. As L tries to formulate an antidote with a scientist, he must also save the lives of two children who have no one else to turn to.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan's largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including magazines such as SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment for audiences and consumers of all ages.

Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at www.VIZ.com.

TOKYO, JAPAN, June 11, 2009 --- NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced today that its wholly-owned European subsidiary DOCOMO Netherlands B.V. will launch Europe’s first mobile-phone service for downloading Japanese comics, better known as manga, beginning today in France.
The service, named MANGA MODE™ is expected to appeal to the growing number of people who enjoy reading manga, a popular form of Japanese pop culture.
Customers of French mobile operator Bouygues Telecom S.A. will be able to use the service to download French translations of famous manga into their mobile phones and view them panel by panel using a dedicated reader. A MANGA MODE mobile website where customers can sign up for the service will be accessible from Bouygues Telecom’s mobile web portal.
Manga titles to be provided by Japanese publisher SHUEISHA Inc. will include international hits such as NARUTO, DRAGON BALL and DEATH NOTE. Content will be distributed via Bitway Co., Ltd., a Japanese firm operating content-distribution servers.
DOCOMO and its overseas subsidiaries will consider opportunities to expand the manga-downloading service into other countries.
DOCOMO’s Dutch subsidiary, originally set up as DOCOMO i-mode Europe B.V. to promote the overseas expansion of DOCOMO’s mobile Internet platform, was renamed DOCOMO Netherlands B.V. on June 1 to reflect its involvement with a broadening scope of services.

About NTT DOCOMO
NTT DOCOMO is the world’s leading mobile operator and provider of advanced mobile services. The company serves over 54 million customers in Japan, including 48 million using i-mode™, the world’s most popular mobile e-mail/Internet platform, and 49 million using FOMA™, the world’s original 3G mobile service based on W-CDMA. As a leader in the development of cutting-edge mobile technologies, DOCOMO is continually expanding the role of mobile phones as versatile and highly personalized "lifestyle tools" for everyday life, including with a wide range of innovative services for mobile payments, GPS, mobile TV, multimedia content and much more. NTT DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo (9437), London (NDCM) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. For more information, visit www.nttdocomo.com.
FOMA and i-mode are trademarks or registered trademarks of NTT DOCOMO, INC. in Japan and/or other countries.
MANGA MODE and MANGA MODE logo are trademarks of DOCOMO Netherlands B.V.
FOMA service is only available in Japan.

Three Of North America’s Most Popular Anime Series Come To The PlayStation® Network’s Video Delivery Service



San Francisco, CA, June 9, 2009 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, is launching as a VIZ Media channel in the new Anime category on the PlayStation Networks video delivery service.  VIZ Media is launching with three of the most popular and successful anime series in North America – BLEACH, DEATH NOTE and NARUTO and is available on the PlayStation Network, which is accessible for download via PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) and PSP® (PlayStation Portable®) systems in the United States. The episodes are available for $1.99 each via the Network’s new VIZ Media Channel page.



NARUTO UNCUT is launching with 13 episodes, BLEACH will debut with 20 installments and the DEATH NOTE series will be available immediately with all 37 episodes. Episodes will be English dubbed and presented in Standard Definition.



“NARUTO, BLEACH and DEATH NOTE are compelling additions to the PLAYSTATION Network and an ideal complement to the dynamic library of content, games and applications available for the PS3 and PSP,” says Ken Sasaki, Vice President of Strategy & Business Development, VIZ Media. “Together, these series have set a new standard for anime throughout the world and the ease of download, combined with portability and interoperability between many media devices, will allow fans to watch their favorite ninjas in training, Soul Reapers and Shinigami Death Gods whether at home or on the go, wherever and however they want.”



NARUTO (Uncut): Rated T+ for Older Teens

NARUTO has become the hottest animated series across North America and is one of VIZ Media’s most successful manga and animated properties in terms of sales. Created by Masashi Kishimoto, the series depicts the adventures of a young boy named Uzumaki Naruto who trains to become a ninja. The boy is cursed with the spirit of a nine-tailed fox demon and is forced to live a bullied life discriminated against by his fellow villagers. Naruto is resilient and undaunted in his quest to become a master ninja and his determination often inspires those around him. Through amazing adventures, the young ninja learns the importance of friendship, teamwork, loyalty, hard work, creativity, ingenuity, and right vs. wrong. Dedicated website at www.naruto.com.



BLEACH: Rated T for Teens

BLEACH, an animated, hyperkinetic, ghost-busting action series is the story of a 15 year-old named Ichigo Kurosaki who was born with the ability to see ghosts. When his family is attacked by a Hollow – a malevolent lost soul – Ichigo encounters a Soul Reaper and absorbs her powers. Now he has dedicates his life to protecting the innocent and helping the tortured souls find peace. Dedicated website at www.bleach.viz.com.



DEATH NOTE: Rated T+ for Older Teens

DEATH NOTE is based on the manga series of the same name and is currently one of the hottest animated titles in Japan. The series depicts the adventures of Light Yagami, an ace student with great prospects but who is bored out of his mind. All of that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals mysteriously begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to investigate, and he is soon hot on the trail of Light, who must now reevaluate his one noble goal. Dedicated website at www.deathnote.viz.com.



About PlayStation®Network

The PlayStation®Network is an entertainment network that unites people and innovative entertainment to deliver captivating experiences worldwide. In addition to offering new and original forms of entertainment, the PlayStation Network supports free and community-centric online gameplay, communication tools, and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) and PLAYSTATION®3 connectivity.  As of May 2009, the PlayStation Network has more than 24 million registered accounts worldwide.

About Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Recognized as the global leader and company responsible for the progression of consumer-based computer entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) manufacturers, distributes and markets the PlayStation® game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system and the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3®) system. PlayStation has revolutionized home entertainment by introducing advanced 3D graphic processing, and PlayStation 2 further enhances the PlayStation legacy as the core of home networked entertainment.  PSP is a new handheld entertainment system that allows users to enjoy 3D games, with high-quality full-motion video, and high-fidelity stereo audio.  PS3 is an advanced computer system, incorporating the state-of-the-art Cell processor with super computer like power.  SCEI, along with its subsidiary divisions Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd., and Sony Computer Entertainment Korea Inc. develops, publishes, markets and distributes software, and manages the third party licensing programs for these platforms in the respective markets worldwide.  Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. is an independent business unit of the Sony Group.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan's largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including magazines such as SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment for audiences and consumers of all ages.

Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at www.VIZ.com.