IATV AND TOYKOPOP ENTER INTO MULTI-FACETED

LICENSING AND JOINT SALES AGREEMENT

 

Effective Immediately iaTV, the Only 24/7 Network in the U.S. for Asian Pop Culture, Will Begin Selling a Diverse Range of

Digital Media Assets from Manga Pioneer TOKYOPOP

 

Companies Also Enter Into Unique Program License Agreements with the Hit Animated Series Initial D, the Pro Wrestling/Sports Entertainment

Series FMW Wrestling and Several Short-Form Innovative Animated “iManga”

Programs to Air as Part of the iaTV PRIMETIME Block

 

NEW YORK, AUGUST 19, 2008 – iaTV® (

 

 

 

 

– Initial D and Psychic Academy –

“We are thrilled to be in business with TOKYOPOP,” said Mr. Ware, “as it further establishes iaTV as the television leader for Asian Pop Culture.

 

 

– including their unique library of Manga animated series –

Mr. Ware continued, “I am particularly excited about bringing a new form of animation to television in the form of TOKYOPOP’s short form manga series. Every time I walk into a book store many of TOKYOPOP’s titles are featured in the front and now we will have the opportunity to feature them on iaTV in primetime. In addition, we are pleased to be broadcasting one of the original hardcore brands of pro wrestling and sports entertainment to American television. FMW will air Friday nights at 10 p.m., offering WWE fans the opportunity to tune to iaTV after they finish watching SMACKDOWN on Myon My N ill air Friday nights haps a monthly average?input, thanks!! ??????

e know and they also might be interested in doing that wNetwork TV earlier that night. Pro wrestling continually ranks as one of the top rated programs on cable network television.”

 

Stu Levy added, “TOKYOPOP has always been committed to bridging the cultures between East and West, and we are excited to enter into a deal with a partner dedicated to the same goals, iaTV. The Manga Lifestyle is about expressing yourself, whether that be as an extreme pro wrestling fan, a shojo manga fan, action manga, or fantasy manga fan.

As TOKYOPOP brings manga to both the small and big screens, iaTV viewers will be there to witness all the fun!”

 

Following are synopses of the newly-acquired programs:

 

FMW Wrestling

(22 episodes x 60 minutes)

Sports Entertainment

Japan, English

 

FMW, or Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling, is hardcore wrestling at its best. Featuring legends such as Hayabusa, Mr. Pogo, Leatherface, Mitsuhiro Matsunaga, and Kintaro Kanemura, this exciting sport will leave you breathless and wanting more.

 

Initial D

(41 episodes x 30 min.)

Anime

Japan, English Subtitled

 

Created from one of Japan’s most popular manga, Initial D follows high school student Takumi Fujiwara, a tofu delivery boy whose driving skills are honed as he makes deliveries every day on Mt. Akina. When the local racing team finds itself in need of a replacement, they turn to Takumi, despite his lack of interest in the sport. Soon after his victory, racing groups from all over Japan come to challenge him. But when the ‘White Comet of Akagi,’ master racing driver Ryosuke Takahashi, challenges him, will Takumi have what it takes to win and become the legendary ‘Ghost of Akina’?

 

Psychic Academy

(8 episodes x 30 minutes)

Anime

Japan, English Subtitled

 

Psychic Academy follows Ai Shiomi, a young boy who possesses psychic abilities known as ‘aura power.’ After much persuasion from his parents, Ai attends the prestigious Psychic Academy, where specially gifted students learn how to control the abilities that allow them to have power over elements. With his newfound friends, Orina and Myuu, and under the tutelage

of his legendary older brother Zero, Ai learns about his rare ability while researchers try to artificially awaken the dormant aura genes in all humans, no matter how destructive the cost may be.

 

Spring and Chaos

(1 episode x 60 minutes)

Anime

Japan, English Subtitled

 

Directed by one of the premiere directors in anime, Shoji Kawamori, who is famous for Macross, Escaflowne, Aquarion, amongst others. Set in the beginning of 20th Century Japan, this film follows the bright and eccentric Kenji from his late student years through his adulthood. Kenji suffers the tragedy of being an artist whose art isn’t recognized during his lifetime. Based on the life of the author Kenji Miyazawa, Spring and Chaos depicts his brief but intense existence.

 

Bizenghast (iManga Series)

(17 x 2 to 3 minute episodes)

 

In the run-down New England town of Bizenghast, Dinah, a disturbed young woman, enters into a bargain with an afterlife bureaucracy that she never could have imagined. Along with her best friend, Vincent, Dinah is tasked to go to the mysterious Sunken Mausoleum every night and set one of the tormented souls to rest. If she succeeds, she goes free. If she fails, she becomes part of the horrific mausoleum herself.

 

Gyakushu! (iManga Series)

(13 x 2 to 3 min episodes)

 

After stealing a priceless treasure, a nameless Thief’s family is slaughtered and his home destroyed. Burned beyond recognition and left for dead, the Thief rises from the ashes to stain his steel with the blood of his enemies. But the path to vengeance is a treacherous one, as each step is filled with shocking revelations not only about the Thief, but his enemies as well. The only certain thing in this world of ice and death is white-hot revenge.

 

Princess Ai (iManga Series)

(8 x 2 to 3 min episodes)

 

Ai, a beautiful young woman, finds herself alone in Tokyo, with no memory of her past. She only knows that she’s on a mission, and she has to survive on the mean streets until she can remember just exactly what that mission is. On her journey she finds the truth behind her royal parentage, global rock stardom, and…true love.

 

Riding Shotgun (iManga Series)

(20 x 2 to 3 min episodes)

 

It’s just an average day for a hitman who’s short on cash, until his agent makes an important call. Doyle Harrington and his partner Abby finally get to interview with the federally funded National Assassin’s Commission… and it’s all down hill from there. When a wager to double his profits backfires, Doyle becomes the bounty, not the hunter.

 

Sokora Refugees (iManga Series)

(19 x 3 to 4 min episodes)

 

When a skinny, awkward schoolgirl named Kana finds a magical portal in the girls’ shower, she and her friends are transported to a fantasy world called Sokora. There, they immediately find themselves at the center of an epic battle between good and evil. Kana is possessed by the spirit of a voluptuous elfin sorceress named Veila, who increases the size of Kana’s chest, but if they are to ever make it home, Kana must comes to terms with her new ‘endowments’ and defeat the evil forces sweeping the land.

 

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