<em>One Piece</em> Heads to Playstation's Neon Alley

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San Francisco, CA -- VIZ Media [1] continues the digital anime convergence as it announces that Toei Animation [2], with FUNimation Entertainment [3] acting as the agent, has licensed the celebrated pirate anime action/adventure series, ONE PIECE, for broadcast on Neon Alley [4], the new 24-hour anime channel VIZ Media launching this Fall exclusively to the Playstation Network and the PS3 game console. Episodes to air on Neon Alley will be presented uncut and with dubbed English dialogue.

Neon Alley, featuring the world’s best anime titles all dubbed and uncut in English and presented in HD (when available), is the first platform designed to be studio agnostic, with a diverse array of titles from other leading anime producers and distributors. Programming will include weekly exclusive premieres of hit titles fans love, alongside a mix of new, cutting edge titles they didn’t know they were missing. Neon Alley will be a subscription-based service, subsidized with limited commercial advertising to keep the launch price to consumers at a low $6.99 per month.

“We’re excited to partner with Toei and FUNimation to bring the smash hit ONE PIECE to fans across North America on Neon Alley,” says Brian Ige, Vice President, Animation. “Fans should stay tuned for the Neon Alley launch date and programming details, and prepare to set sail with Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat pirates this Fall!”

ONE PIECE is based on a massively popular manga (graphic novel) series created by Eiichiro Oda, that is also published in North America by VIZ Media (rated ‘T’ for Teens). In the venerable anime adventure, Monkey D. Luffy refuses to let anyone or anything stand in the way of his quest to become king of all pirates. With a course charted for the treacherous waters of the Grand Line, this is one captain who'll never drop anchor until he's claimed the greatest treasure on Earth – the Legendary One Piece!

Source: VIZ Media