VIZ MEDIA BECOMES MASTER LICENSOR FOR

BERSERK: THE GOLDEN AGE ARC

FEATURE FILM TRILOGY

Arms and Armor Action Clash In Three Visceral Anime Films About A Young Medieval Mercenary

San Francisco, CA, April 9, 2012 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, has acquired the North American theatrical, TV, home entertainment, digital and merchandising rights for the BERSERK: THE GOLDEN AGE ARC animated movie trilogy. The company made the licensing announcement during its panel held at Sakura Con 2012 this past weekend.

BERSERK: THE Golden Age Arc film trilogy was produced in Japan by Studio 4ºC and is based on the bestselling medieval dark fantasy manga (graphic novel) series created by Kentaro Miura. VIZ Media plans to release the first film of the trilogy,  BERSERK: THE GOLDEN AGE ARC I – THE EGG OF THE KING, in the Fall of 2012.

Combining a foreboding medieval European-insired setting with fantasy and exquisitely detailed swordsmanship, BERSERK: THE GOLDEN AGE ARC I – THE EGG OF THE KING follows lone mercenary Guts as he travels the land where a hundred-year-old war is taking place. His ferocity and ability to take down enemies attracts the attention of Griffith, leader of the mercenary group “The Band of the Hawk,” and Guts is recruited to the unit. Thanks to their continued victories on the battlefield, the bond between Guts and Griffith deepens, but despite all their success, Guts begins to question his reasons for fighting for Griffith’s dream. Unknown to Guts, this unyielding dream is about to bestow a horrible fate on them both.

“Thrilling action and a tense plot are at the center of these gripping films that depict how the young mercenary protagonist, Guts, becomes a legendary swordsman,” says Lyn Johnson, Senior Animation Marketing Manager. “We’re very excited to add these films to the VIZ Media anime library. BERSERK combines a foreboding medieval European-inspired setting with fantasy and horror elements to make for an amazing adventure that no action fan will want to miss, and we look forward to announcing more information on the release of the first film in the Berserk: THE Golden Age Arc trilogy very soon!”

The BERSERK manga series, by Kentaro Miura, debuted in Japan in 1989 and quickly drew a devoted following, going on to sell more than 30 million copies worldwide. The series, still ongoing in Japan, has been published in North America and the UK, as well as in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia, and Latin America. The BERSERK manga has also inspired a popular anime television series and has spawned a variety of related video games, collectable figures and toys, and music soundtracks, as well as the current BERSERK: THE GOLDEN AGE ARC film trilogy.

For more information on the BERSERK: THE GOLDEN AGE ARC film trilogy, please visit the official Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/BerserkFilm.

About VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.