Young Jazz Musicians in 1960s Japan in Series from the Acclaimed Team Behind COWBOY BEBOP Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases Official Series Site: noitamina-apollon.com (Japan), noitamina-apollon.com/index_en (English) Special Thanks to Jane Lui and Erik Jansen
VIZ Media, LLC, the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, announces a very special mid-season anime series debut with the launch of KIDS ON THE SLOPE (???????, Sakamichi no Apollon, 2012) on Neon Alley on Friday, January 17th at 9:30pm (PST). The 12-episode anime drama about a group of young Japanese jazz musicians originally aired in Japan as a part of the prestigious ‘noitaminA’ block on Fuji TV, is rated ‘TV-14,’ and new installments will debut every Friday. KIDS ON THE SLOPE is distributed in North America by Sentai Filmworks. Get ready to be blown away as the acclaimed team behind COWBOY BEBOP reunites for a tale of life, love, and all that jazz in KIDS ON THE SLOPE! Set during the summer of 1966 and based on a popular manga series created by Yuki Kodama, KIDS ON THE SLOPE! is the story of High school freshman Kaoru Nishimi struggling to adjust to the latest of many moves in his young life -- this time to his uncle’s home in the seaside town of Kyushu. It’s never easy adjusting. But this time will be different. This time he’ll meet friends who’ll change his life forever. And he’ll discover a new passion, one that grabs his heart and rocks him to his very soul. It’s called JAZZ, and together with bad boy Sentaro and music store girl Ritsuko, they’re going to follow their muse to wherever the music takes them! Neon Alley is VIZ Media’s innovative 24-hour English-dubbed linear anime channel that is available for general web access as well as for the Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE and the PlayStation3 (PS3) gaming system and the PlayStation Network. Fans can also take advantage of the platform’s Video-On Demand “Catch Up” option which offers the flexibility to watch shows such as KIDS ON THE SLOPE anytime. The “Catch Up” option also allows viewers to search for specific content by individual series or by latest additions. “KIDS ON THE SLOPE is a rich character-driven drama that demonstrates the power that music has to dramatically alter lives, and we’re very excited to bring it to North American fans on Neon Alley,” says Charlene Ingram, Senior Animation Marketing Manager. “Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe of COWBOY BEBOP and SPACE DANDY fame, the series wonderfully captures the look and sound of 60s era Japan. Watanabe reunites with acclaimed COWBOY BEBOP composer Yoko Kanno, who creates a rich and textured jazz soundtrack for this dynamic new musical drama. We invite fans to catch the mesmerizing premiere!” Neon Alley’s diverse programming schedule includes a mix of action, adventure, sci-fi, supernatural, fantasy, and horror anime, all uncut and dubbed into English and presented in HD (when available), for a low monthly subscription rate of only $6.99. For more information on Neon Alley, please visit NeonAlley.com. For more information about other anime titles from VIZ Media, please visit VIZ.com. For more information on Sentai Filmworks, please visit sentai-filmworks.com.
About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan`s largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology Weekly Shonen Jump and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.viz.com.
About Sentai Filmworks
Sentai Filmworks is one of the fastest-growing anime companies in North America, producing hit series like PERSONA 4, GIRLS UND PANZER, DEVIL SURVIVOR 2, BODACIOUS SPACE PIRATES, MAJESTIC PRINCE and HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD as well as high profile theatrical films such as GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES, K-ON! and APPLESEED. Sentai Filmworks’ programs are distributed through Ingram Entertainment, Diamond Comic Distributors, Section23Films and Waxworks through retailers Amazon, Best Buy, Fry’s, FYE, Hastings, Suncoast, The Right Stuf, Wal-Mart and other good and fine stores. Digital product offerings may be found at Amazon, Anime Network, Crunchyroll, Google Play, Hulu, iTunes, Netflix, PlayStation Network, Rovi, Samsung, Vudu, XBOX Marketplace and YouTube.
For more information on KIDS ON THE SLOPE please see the previous coverage here on SciFi Japan: