FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

VIZ MEDIA LAUNCHES

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN WITH TRANS WORLD ENTERTAINMENT

FOR FYE AND SUNCOAST STORES NATIONWIDE

 

FYE And Suncoast Customers Who Purchase $20.00 Of NARUTO Merchandise Will Receive A Special Free NARUTO Shippuden Sampler DVD

 

San Francisco, CA, April 22, 2009 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has launched a special NARUTO Shippuden promotional campaign with Trans World Entertainment, a leading specialty retailer of entertainment software, including music, video and video games and related products. Beginning today Trans World customers who purchase $20.00 worth of NARUTO Shippuden merchandise at any of the company’s more than 500 participating FYE and Suncoast stores will receive a free NARUTO Shippuden Sampler DVD, while supplies last.

 

The special Sampler DVD features the entire first episode of the new NARUTO Shippuden story arc, along with a video game trailer for Namco Bandai’s NARUTO Shippuden Ultimate Ninja 4 and a variety of colorful downloadable NARUTO Shippuden wallpaper designs that allow fans to customize their computer desktops.

 

“We are very excited to launch this special NARUTO Shippuden promotional campaign with Trans World Entertainment,” says Gonzalo Ferreyra, Vice President, Sales & Product Marketing, VIZ Media. “The free-with purchase Sampler disc, which includes the entire first episode of NARUTO Shippuden, is an ideal introduction to the newest story arc. NARUTO has captivated millions in print, on the web, on TV and DVD and its continued international popularity has transformed the property into a true pop culture phenomenon. We invite new and existing fans alike to visit their local FYE or Suncoast store and pick up this fun new Sampler DVD as a free bonus to complement their next NARUTO Shippuden purchase!”

 

Created by Masashi Kishimoto, NARUTO was first introduced in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in Japan in 1999 and quickly became that country’s most popular ninja manga targeting tweens and teens and has sold more than 85 million copies to-date. The manga series (rated ‘T’ for Teens) and animated counterpart (NARUTO rated ‘T’ for teens, and NARUTO Shippuden rated ‘T+’ for older teens), is one of VIZ Media’s most successful properties and has captivated millions of fans across North America, Europe and South America. NARUTO is a co-production of TV TOKYO, VIZ Media parent company Shueisha Inc., and Pierrot Co., Ltd.

 

In the NARUTO manga and animated series, Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja in training, wants to be the best ninja in the land. He’s done well so far, but Naruto knows he must train harder than ever and leaves his village for intense exercises that will push him to his limits. NARUTO Shippuden begins two and a half years later, when Naruto returns to find that everyone has been promoted up the ninja ranks—except him. Sakura’s a medic ninja, Gaara’s advanced to Kazekage, and Kakashi… well, he remains the same. But pride isn’t necessarily about becoming a ninja, especially when Naruto realizes that Sasuke never returned from his search for Orochimaru. Plus, the mysterious Akatsuki organization is still an ever-present danger. As Naruto finds out more about the Akatsuki’s goals, he realizes that nothing in his universe is as it seems. Naruto is finding that he’s older, but will he also prove wiser and stronger?

 

Earlier NARUTO Shippuden episodes are currently available for free at www.Naruto.com and through a variety of other web-based, video streaming outlets that have partnered with VIZ Media, including Joost and Hulu.

 

More information on NARUTO is available at www.Naruto.com.

 

About Trans World Entertainment

Trans World Entertainment is a leading specialty retailer of entertainment software, including music, video and video games and related products. The Company operates retail stores in the United States, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, primarily under the names f.y.e. for your entertainment and Suncoast and on the web at www.fye.com, www.wherehouse.com, www.secondspin.com, www.samgoody.com and www.suncoast.com.

 

About VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan’s largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including magazines such as SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at www.VIZ.com.