EYESHIELD 21 ANIMATED SERIES TO DEBUT ON TOONAMI JETSTREAM

Acclaimed Series About Football Is The Latest Addition To Popular Joint Cartoon Network/VIZ Media Broadband Streaming Site

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the launch of the "Eyeshield 21" animated series on Toonami Jetstream, the popular online destination developed jointly by Cartoon Network and VIZ Media. The first episode debuts on December 17th and will be available at http://ToonamiJetstream.com.

Eyeshield 21 was adapted from the popular manga graphic novel series written by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by Yasuke Murata and published domestically by VIZ Media. The story is about teenager, Sena Kobayakawa, who has been picked on all of his life and decides to join the high school varsity football team as a team manager in hopes of reinventing himself. However, the cruel team captain Yoichi Hiruma discovers Sena's lightning-fast running ability and forces him to play as a running back with a secret identity as “Eyeshield 21.”  From that point on, Sena’s life changes completely. The Eyeshield 21 manga originally debuted in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump and, in addition to the animated series, spawned a popular feature film and several video and trading card games. The property has also inspired legions of Japanese kids to take up the popular American sport of football. 

Toonami Jetstream, a site developed jointly by Cartoon Network and VIZ Media, is an online extension Cartoon Network’s successful Toonami action-adventure television franchise. The http://ToonamiJetstream.com site provides on-demand, full-length streaming episodes of a number of hit animated and action series and has attracted millions of viewers since its launch in 2006. Toonami Jetstream is a free service, supported by advertising that includes both streaming video ads and graphic ads.

“Eyeshield 21 is an action-packed drama with a positive message, teaching the importance of teamwork, overcoming obstacles and having goals,” says Daniel Marks, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Business Development, VIZ Media. “The addition of the series to the diverse offerings on Toonami Jetstream exemplifies our commitment to bring the best action and adventure series to the Toonami audience. We invite everyone to check out Eyeshield 21 and see what has made this unique series such a hit.”

“We are very pleased to expand our offerings on Toonami Jetstream with the addition of Eyeshield 21,” says Paul Condolora, senior vice president and general manager, Cartoon Network New Media. “Eyeshield 21 puts an interesting twist on this American sport and we look forward to fans of all stripes checking out this captivating series.”