San Francisco, CA (December 28, 2012) – Crunchyroll, Inc., in partnership with New People, Inc. is proud to present two (2) hit films: Documentary Of AKB48: To Be Continued and Hula Girls to its streaming service. Hula Girls will be available to premium members today and to free users one (1) week later, while the AKB48 film will be available exclusively to premium members only. More information can be found on www.crunchyroll.com.

Two sharply different, yet captivating, films embody the essence of the phrase “chart topping.” First, Documentary Of AKB48: To Be Continued follows the Oricon chart-topping, record-setting group in their journey to stardom exposing the world to never-before-seen footage from behind the scene. From 2006-07, feature-film Hula Girls topped the charts by raking in a gaggle of awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress at the 2007 Japanese Academy Awards; as well as multiple awards at the 2007 Blue Ribbon Awards, the 2007 Kinema Junpo Awards, and at the 2006 Hochi Film Awards.

Documentary Of AKB48: To Be Continued: This documentary follows the unstoppable all-female Japanese idol group, AKB48. With a complicated balance of competition and friendship among the members, their bond is strong. The footage was taken from over 1000 hours of recorded videos throughout 2010 and includes personal interviews with select members revealing each of the girls’ struggle, joy, growth, and dream.

Hula Girls: “Based on a true story, Hula Girls is a heartwarming comedy about coal miners daughters who took a once-in-a-lifetime chance to escape their monotonous lives, only to become unwitting heroes to their depressed mining town as well as the whole of Japan.”

Both films will be available to U.S. and Canadian audiences only.

Episodes can be accessed from Crunchyroll.com, the free iPhone and iPad application, the Android application, Windows Phone, PS3™, Xbox LIVE®, Roku, Boxee, Google TV, Samsung TV, Vizio VIA, WD TV Live, additional set-top channels, and affiliate partners.

Crunchyroll premium members have access to the largest anime and drama selection, same-day access for simulcast titles, no advertisements and can stream in up to 1080p quality on select titles. More information about the Crunchyroll membership plan can be found at: http://www.crunchyroll.com/freetrial/

About Crunchyroll, Inc.
Crunchyroll is a leading global video network and developer of social media applications for Japanese anime and Asian media. Through applications like Crunchyroll for iPhone, iPad, Android, Playstation®3, Xbox LIVE®, TV, set-top boxes, affiliate websites and its own streaming website, Crunchyroll delivers over 20,000 episodes and 10,000 hours of officially-licensed content from leading Asian media producers direct to consumers.

Crunchyroll has offices in San Francisco, Calif. and Tokyo, Japan, and is a member of the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) and Licensing International Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA). Officially launched in 2009, Crunchyroll is funded by leading venture capital firm, Venrock, Japanese entertainment giant TV TOKYO, digital publishing leader Bitway and a group of angel investors representing some of the brightest and most successful entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. More information can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com.

About New People, Inc.
Based in San Francisco, California, New People, Inc. (www.newpeopleworld.com) offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan through its unique entertainment destination as well as through licensing and distribution of selective Japanese films. New People Entertainment (www.newpeopleent.com), a film division of New People, Inc. strives to offer the most entertaining motion pictures straight from the “Kingdom of Pop” for audiences of all ages, especially the manga and anime generation, in North America. Some titles include Death Note, Gantz, Kamikaze Girls, and The Taste Of Tea.