Nozomi Entertainment Announces the Litebox-style DVD Release Official Site: tv-tokyo.co.jp/yakitate-japan (Japan), yakitate.rightstuf.com (US) Special Thanks to Jessica Heemsbergen

Cover art for YAKITATE!! JAPAN Part 1. Image courtesy of Right Stuf. © Hashiguchi Takashi/Shogakukan ? PANTASIA ? TV Tokyo

Anime producer Nozomi Entertainment is pleased to announce that YAKITATE!! JAPAN, Part 1 will be available on March 3, 2015. Also known as “Baked Fresh!! Ja-Pan,” YAKITATE!! JAPAN (????!! ????, 2004-2006) is a 69-episode shonen comedy anime. This DVD set will feature the series’ first 27 episodes with Japanese audio, English-language subtitles and English on-screen translations. On-disc extras will include the clean opening and clean closing. Originally airing in Japan from 2004-2006, YAKITATE!! JAPAN is based on the hysterical gag comedy manga of the same name by Takashi Hashiguchi, which won the 2003 Shogakukan Manga Award for best shonen manga. The anime is directed by Yasunao Aoki (INUYASHA: THE FINAL ACT), and features animation by Sunrise (ACCEL WORLD, COWBOY BEBOP, TIGER & BUNNY). YAKITATE!! JAPAN is a unique comedy that pays homage to shonen anime conventions and pokes fun at them at the same time. Baking together bread wordplay, pop culture parodies, hilarious sight gags, and more, YAKITATE!! JAPAN is a recipe for laughter! Give it a taste, and you’ll find it’s a real RYE-ot! About YAKITATE!! JAPAN, Part 1 Kazuma Azuma wants to make bread. Not just any kind of bread, though. He wants to make a bread that represents Japan itself and can stand toe-to-toe with rice as a national food. Thanks to his legendary “Hands of the Sun,” unnaturally warm hands that allow dough to ferment faster, Kazuma`s bread is like a slice of Heaven. And when the Pantasia Rookie Competition arrives, everyone will get a taste of his skill! Along with his friend Kawachi (who`s only in it for the dough), he’ll go up against koala karate masters, Harvard bread scientists, samurai with rolling-pin swords, and more! Can Kazuma create bread like naan other and bake his way to glory, or should he quit before he’s toast? Visit yakitate.rightstuf.com for more information about the YAKITATE!! JAPAN anime series. Format: DVD (Litebox) Street Date: 3/3/2015 Disc Count: 5 Runtime: 675 minutes Genre: Comedy Suggested Rating: 13+ Audio: Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo) Subtitles: English subtitles, plus English on-screen translations Video: 4:3, Color Catalog #: RSDVD1532 ISBN: 1-57032-690-8 UPC: 7-42617-1532-2-8 SRP: $49.99 DVD Features: Clean opening, clean closing © Hashiguchi Takashi/Shogakukan ? PANTASIA ? TV Tokyo

About Nozomi Entertainment

Introduced in 2007 as an official re-rebrand of the Right Stuf video production division, Nozomi Entertainment is recognized by discerning anime fans as a company focused on creating collector-grade releases for audiences of all ages. The Nozomi team works on a limited number of fan-favorite titles each year to ensure each Nozomi release is the absolute highest quality possible. Nozomi then combines these releases with exceptional packaging, art assets and video extras. A small sampling of the Nozomi lineup includes: ASTRO BOY, KIMBA, PRINCESS KNIGHT, THE ROSE OF VERSAILLES, ARIA, THE IRRESPONSIBLE CAPTAIN TYLOR, DIRTY PAIR, NINJA NONSENSE, THE THIRD: THE GIRL WITH THE BLUE EYE, HIS AND HER CIRCUMSTANCES, EMMA: A VICTORIAN ROMANCE and REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA. For more information, visit nozomient.com.

About Right Stuf, Inc.

Currently celebrating its 25th year in business, Right Stuf, Inc. was one of the first players in the U.S. Japanese Animation ("anime") industry, as both an anime producer/distributor and a retailer. Right Stuf works to promote knowledge of its own products, as well as the anime and manga industry, in general, through its online storefront at RightStuf.com and a variety of media including podcasts and special publications. Its video and print publishing division includes the Nozomi Entertainment, Lucky Penny, and 5 Points Pictures studio-labels. For more information, visit rightstuf.com.