VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN DVD AND BLU-RAY RELEASE OF TIGER & BUNNY SET 1

Catch Japan’s First Corporate Superheroes In An Action-Packed Anime Series That Explores A Most Unlikely Friendship Between

A Washed-Up Veteran And A Rookie With An Attitude

San Francisco, CA, February 13, 2013 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, gives fans a rollicking dose of anime action with the DVD and Blu-ray release on February 19^th of TIGER & BUNNY Set 1. The 2-disc set, which contains Episodes 1-13 of the 26-episode action/sci-fi series, is rated TV-14, and will carry a DVD MSRP of $44.82 U.S. / $43.24 CAN, and a Blu-ray MSRP of $54.97 U.S. / $66.15 CAN.

To celebrate the new release, for a limited time only starting February 12^th, VIZ Media also invites North American fans to catch free virtual screening of TIGER & BUNNY Episode 1 (English dubbed) hosted by VIZ Media DVD/Blu-ray producer Reginald Rhodes. At the end of the screening, viewers will have the opportunity to enter to win TIGER & BUNNY Set 1 (Blu-ray edition) or a 16GB iPad Mini. The contest runs until March 5^th; please visit the TIGER & BUNNY official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TigerAndBunny or YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/vizmedia, for the special screening and contest instructions.

“TIGER & BUNNY enjoys a substantial and fast-growing U.S. and international fan following, and we’re extremely excited to bring the series to the attention of even more viewers with these new DVD and Blu-ray releases,” says Brian Ige, Vice President, Animation. “TIGER & BUNNY puts a new spin on the classic superhero narrative while incorporating lots of action, comedy, and drama into a unique story about a most unlikely friendship. Don’t miss this thrilling story of two polar opposites working to fight evil!”

TIGER & BUNNY DVD Set 1 offers English (dubbed) and Japanese (English subtitled) 2.0 stereo audio options as well as bonus features including production art and the original Japanese trailer. The Blu-ray edition features 1080p High Definition video, English and Japanese DTS-HD Audio as well as English subtitles, a special Making of TIGER & BUNNY segment, logo and production art, and the original Japanese trailer for the series.

TIGER & BUNNY was produced by the famed Japanese anime company, Sunrise, and was directed by Keiichi Sato (director of KARAS), with original character designs by Masakazu Katsura, the creator of the manga series, I”S and VIDEO GIRL AI, and ZETMAN. Stern Bild City is a thriving metropolis where superheroes called “NEXTs” protect the streets, sponsors pull the strings, and a hugely popular show called Hero TV captures all of it. Veteran hero Kotetsu T. Kaburagi (AKA Wild Tiger) and hotheaded new rookie Barnaby Brooks, Jr. (nicknamed Bunny by Kotetsu) are forced to team up not only to protect Stern Bild City, but to earn as many points on Hero TV as possible. Joined by a diverse cast of heroes, each with different powers and answering to their own corporate sponsors, Tiger and Bunny must find a way to work together, uncover the secret of the “Ouroboros,” and earn enough points to become this year’s “King of Heroes.”

To view the official trailer and to follow TIGER & BUNNY on the official Facebook page, please visit http://www.facebook.com/TigerAndBunny.

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 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.