TAFFY ENTERTAINMENT BRINGS SEASON TWO OF POPULAR ‘BLEACH’ SERIES TO FRANCE’S VIRGIN 17

PARIS, 1 December 2008 – The MoonScoop Group’s Taffy Entertainment, the worldwide distribution, brand management and entertainment company representing properties from some of the largest animation producers across the globe, has secured a deal with Virgin 17 to bring season two of the acclaimed anime TV series “BLEACH” to France, beginning early 2009. The announcement was made today by Lionel Marty, President, Worldwide Distribution for Taffy Entertainment, Cécile Mercier, Acquisitions Executive for Virgin 17 and Cédric Littardi, CEO of KAZE, the home video distributor of the series in French-speaking countries.

“’BLEACH’ follows the adventures of 15-year-old Ichigo Kurosaki who was born with the ability to see ghosts. When his family is attacked by a Hollow—a malevolent lost soul—Ichigo encounters Rukia, a Soul Reaper, and absorbs her powers. Now, he’s dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping tortured souls find peace. Season two picks up the story from the previous season as Rukia is marked for death for transferring her powers to Ichigo and a conspiracy among the Soul Society’s inner circle is set in place. Later on, Ichigo is forced to train to reach a new threshold of power, with Rukia’s impending death sentence looming. This season also reveals the back stories of several Soul Reaper characters, including Rukia and Renji.

“’BLEACH’ has proven itself as a top performer in France and the rest of the world,” said Taffy’s Marty. “French audiences have embraced the show and its teenage hero and we look forward to bringing them another season of exceptional storytelling.”

“Probably the most exciting anime series ever, ‘BLEACH’ continues to draw an ever-increasing audience of French teens and young adults,” Mercier of Virgin 17 explained. “It has also proven to be one of the most highly-collected anime series on DVD this year,” added KAZE’s Littardi.

‘BLEACH’ by Tite Kubo is based on the best-selling manga serialized in Shonen Jump and published by Shueisha. The TV series is produced by TV Tokyo, Dentsu and Studio Pierrot.

The “BLEACH” title has produced 35 volumes to date, selling over 50 million copies in Japan alone. It has already been translated into more than seven languages and has achieved immense success in Japan as both a manga and TV title.

About Taffy Entertainment

Taffy Entertainment (www.TaffyEntertainment.com) is a leading worldwide distribution, brand management and entertainment company representing brands from some of the largest animation producers across the globe. This includes the prolific Mike Young Productions; MoonScoop Productions, the top producer of animation in Europe; and select properties from third parties. Taffy’s library for distribution and/or consumer products includes the Emmy® Award-nominated series “ToddWorld,” “Dive Olly Dive!” and “Growing Up Creepie,” as well as “Pet Alien,” “Titeuf” (TooTuff), “Mix Master,” “Fantastic Four,” “Code Lyoko” and “Casper,” among many others. With offices in Paris, Los Angeles, London and Shanghai, the company has fully-integrated production, distribution, licensing, merchandising and marketing facilities. It also has a library that includes over 3,000 half hours of animation, encompassing some of the most recognizable worldwide brands and best-loved animated creations in the global television market. The company also distributes to leading broadcasters in 160 countries around the world.

About Virgin 17

The leading TV channel Virgin 17 has always been a precursory in the Japanese animation programs in the French market. Always on the look-out for novelty, this leading TV channel targeting 15-24 years olds, offers many Japanese TV programs broadcasting exclusively on Virgin 17 and covers all the areas of interest of its target audience. Thanks to Virgin 17, viewers can enjoy 24/7 traditional Japanese animation programs (Saint Seiya, Dragon Ball) as well as new ones (Bleach, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo) in addition to music videos. Exclusive, innovatory and entertaining, Virgin 17 provides the best to the generation of today.

About Kaze

KAZE is the leading French company in the ever-growing segment of Japanese animation. Founded in 1994, the company is strong with theatrical and DVD releases, music production (Wasabi Records), as well as book publishing.

Active all over Europe, in France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland, The Netherlands and Italy, Kaze has integrated all means of operation: publishing, marketing, communication, event management, distribution, graphic design and manufacturing.

With a catalog of more than 150 titles and over 1.000 hours of programming, Kaze is presently the most important and diversified Japanese animation catalogue in Europe, with critically-acclaimed programs such as Hotaru no Kaka, Lodoss War, Nana, Bleach, Monster and The Girl who Leapt through Time. Thanks to an excellence-oriented editorial policy, an eclectic acquisition policy, as well as a presence in every business line, Kaze is today one of the greatest actors in the promotion of Japanese culture in France.