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Crunchyroll, Viz Media Announce Anime Distribution Deal for U.S., Canada
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
Crunchyroll announced on Monday that it has reached a distribution deal with Viz Media to offer some of Viz Media's anime titles for streaming. The distribution deal is adding the following 18 Viz Media titles to Crunchyroll today:
- Accel World
- Accel World: Infinite Burst
- Death Note
- K – Season 1
- K: Missing Kings
- K: Seven Stories (English-subtitled only)
- Naruto Shippūden: The Movie – Blood Prison
- Naruto Shippūden: The Movie – The Lost Tower
- Naruto Shippūden: The Movie – Will of Fire
- Naruto the Movie: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom
- Naruto the Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel
- Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow
- One Punch Man Season 1 (English-subtitled only)
- Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie
- Sailor Moon R: The Movie
- The Last -Naruto the Movie-
- Vampire Knight
- Vampire Knight Guilty
The following Viz titles will debut on Crunchyroll on Thursday, December 19:
- Hikaru no Go
- InuYasha
- InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time
- InuYasha the Movie 4: Fire on the Mystic Island
- InuYasha the Movie 3: Swords of an Honorable Ruler
- InuYasha the Movie 2: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass
Most of the titles will be available in the United States and Canada, but the first season of One Punch Man will also be available in Latin America. Most of the anime will be available both with English subtitles and a dub, except for K: Seven Stories and the first season of One Punch Man.
Crunchyroll and Viz Media announced in July that they are partnering for a home video and electronic sell-through (EST) distribution deal to release anime in the United States and Canada. Viz Media will distribute some Crunchyroll titles on home video and through EST.
Crunchyroll and Viz Media Europe announced earlier this month that they have concluded their deal for Crunchyroll to become the majority owner of Viz Media Europe Group. The companies announced the agreement in September.
The Hitotsubashi Group — consisting of Shueisha, Inc., Shogakukan, Inc., Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd. — will retain a minority stake in Viz Media Europe Group. Additionally, Shogakukan and Shueisha Group are retaining complete ownership of Viz Media Europe's publishing business through VME PLB SAS, a new company that Shogakukan and Shueisha Group created. The new company is licensing manga for the EMEA and Latin American regions, with Kazuyoshi Takeuchi as president and Kazuyuki Masuda as managing director.
Viz Media Europe Group is comprised of Viz Media Europe Group, AV Visionen, Anime Versand, VIZ Media Switzerland, KAZÉ, KAZÉ Manga, Anime on Demand, and Anime Digital Network (in partnership with the Média-Participations subsidiary Citel).
Source: Email correspondence
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