VIZ Media Licenses Anime Series to Adult Swim

SAN
FRANCISCO, September 27: VIZ Media has licensed the Death Note anime series to Adult
Swim,
Cartoon Network’s late-night programming block, for broadcast in the U.S.
beginning at midnight on Saturday, October 20.

Death
Note has
spawned two successful live-action films, set for distribution in the U.S. this
year by VIZ Pictures, and a plethora of related posters, toys and action
figures. VIZ Media will also release Volume 1 of Death Note, containing
4-episodes, on DVD on November 20.

Inspired
by a 12-volume manga counterpart published in North America by VIZ Media, Death
Note follows
the adventures of a student named Light Yagami who 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 dying, the
authorities send the legendary detective L to investigate, and he is soon hot
on the trail of Light, who must now re-evaluate his once noble goal.

“The
domestic broadcast debut of Death Note has been patiently awaited by fans
across the country and we are pleased to team with Adult Swim to facilitate it,”
stated William
Germain, the director of animation production at VIZ Media. “The mix of drama,
mystery and action has already made the Shonen Jump Death Note manga a hit and the
anime series takes the characters and plot to the next level with a captivating
visual style. We look forward to fans tuning in each week for the latest
adventures of L and Light as they struggle to outwit each other and demonstrate
conflicting ideas about right and wrong.”