Fort Worth, Texas – October 20, 2008 – FUNimation® Entertainment has acquired digital, broadcast, theatrical, DVD and merchandising rights to the 13-episode supernatural anime series Shikabane Hime: Aka (Corpse Princess) from King Record Co. and now airing on Japan’s AT-X television.

Starting Friday, October 24, Funimation will deliver high-quality, English subtitled streaming episodes of Gainax’s latest anime Shikabane Hime (Corpse Princess), through video-sharing partners YouTube.com, Joost.com and Hulu.com as well as www.funimation.com – all for free.

FUNimation will also offer a download-to-own option for these episodes through www.funimation.com at $1.99 per episode.

“Often by the time a licensing deal is signed to bring a series from Japan to the U.S. the episodes are already available as illegal downloads,” said Gen Fukunaga, president and CEO of FUNimation Entertainment. “In bringing this series to anime fans within days of its premiere we are not only offering unique content and increasing the awareness of the series but we are offering a legal online alternative to illegal file sharing.”

Shikabane Hime (Corpse Princess) is a horror-action anime which tells the tale of a girl named Makina who is one of the living dead. If she is to ever find peace, she must hunt down and destroy her own kind. Aided by a secret society of monks, Makina’s quest to rid the world of the undead begins. Makina is voiced by Japanese television star Nana Akiyama.
Studio co-founder Hiroyuki Yamaga and Gurren Lagann producer Yasuhiro Takeda co-produced the series based on the manga by Yoshiichi Akahito. The anime was directed by Masahiko Murata and adapted from the screenplay written by Shou Aikawa (Fullmetal Alchemist).

FUNimation Entertainment plans to expand its distribution channels and offer similar digital content to U.S. anime fans in the future.