MySpace and TOKYOPOP Premiere Four New Shows

LOS ANGELES, July 17: Four
series from manga entertainment distributor TOKYOPOP launch on MySpace this
week, with new episodes being added weekly for online streaming.

The shows are available in
a TOKYOPOP-branded section on the social networking site.

"TOKYOPOP is
dedicated to revolutionizing the old school image of comic books by combining
the fresh East-meets-West aesthetic of manga with cutting-edge delivery
platforms," said TOKYOPOP’s CEO and chief creative officer, Stu Levy.
"MySpace is the perfect partner to premiere innovative entertainment to a
global youth audience."

Animated by Asian computer
graphics firm Menfond Electronic Art, the shows are I Luv Halloween, telling the adventures of a sinister group of
trick-or-treaters on Halloween; Riding Shotgun, a comedy about the average day of a financially
troubled hit man; A Midnight Opera,
the tragic story of an undead musician and his Goth metal band; and Bizenghast, set in a macabre town of the same name where a
young girl is driven insane by the lost souls she discovers there.

The shows are based on
four successful manga comic book series with the same names and will feature
music by underground musicians including Ben Chan, the Far East Movement,
Interceptor, Hibria, Carbon 9, Divine Madness and Kissing Violet.

One show will be featured
each day from Monday to Thursday, and new episodes aired weekly. The
partnership is expected to strike a chord with MySpace denizens, with whom
anime has been very popular.

"We're always looking
for ways to deliver unique and innovative content to our community," said
Shawn Gold, the senior VP of marketing for MySpace. "Based on the demand
for manga content on the web, we expect the TOKYOPOP profile to speak to users
who want to discover and share these exclusive videos."