Broken Frontier

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the availability of Death Note, one of the hottest anime series to hit North America, on a Download-To-Own basis beginning June 28, 2007 on TotalVid.com. The first 16 subtitled episodes will be available at launch, with one new episode added each week thereafter. TotalVid.com offers consumers unlimited access to thousands of enthusiast, special interest and instructional videos in categories such as anime, action sports, martial arts and travel on a subscription basis for $9.95 per month. Individual Death Note episodes will also be available on a download-to-own basis for $1.99 each.

This is the latest step VIZ Media has taken to make its anime content available for secure downloads. The availability of Death Note in the U.S. is significant because it marks the first time a well-known Japanese anime property has officially been made available for download while the title still airs on Japanese television. It further sets a new benchmark for diminishing the gap in time between when series air in Japan and its eventual debut in North America.

"TotalVid is excited to bring VIZ Media’s Death Note series to our expansive collection of unique titles," says Chris Smythe, TotalVid’s Vice President of Content. "Anime is one of our most popular categories and our subscribers are eagerly awaiting the launch of this exciting series. We look forward to them enjoying Death Note and future anime titles from VIZ."

Death Note, based on the Shueisha manga series of the same name, is currently one of the hottest anime titles in Japan. Published in North America by VIZ Media, it depicts the adventures of Light Yagami, an ace student with great prospects but 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 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.

"The technology to make high quality, secure and legal downloads has come of age and VIZ Media is committed to utilizing this channel," states Daniel Marks, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Business Development, VIZ Media. "TotalVid has developed a solid infrastructure to support the distribution of content and we look forward to working with them on Death Note and other titles.