Tinierme Japan

Online Virtual World Launches Yet Another Campaign with a Popular Anime Series

SAN FRANCISCO (Feb. 11, 2010) –

Apr 28, 2010  Japanese comics known as “anime” have become popular among young Americans. And TinierMe is planning on capitalizing on that with the launch of its anime-focused virtual world. DreamSelf.me is back online! We know we've been gone for a while. Our little team fell on hard times over this past year and we simply could not afford to keep the site running.

News Facts
TinierMe, the virtual world focused on Japanese anime, today announced that, in cooperation with FUNimation Entertainment, it is launching a limited promotional campaign featuring the hit anime series Hetalia - Axis Powers.
Through this collaboration, TinierMe users who love the Hetalia - Axis Powers manga and anime series can meet other fans and purchase authentic Hetalia - Axis Powers virtual items such as axis character uniforms and Italy's popular white flag for their avatars.
This international partnership will further promote the growth of Japanese anime culture in North America and around the world.

About the Campaign
TinierMe users can purchase limited edition Hetalia - Axis Powers virtual items for their personal avatars, including uniforms, hair styles, accessories and more.
Hetalia - Axis Powers fans can meet other fans in the TinierMe world and discuss Hetalia - Axis Powers news and episodes.
Those who purchase three or more Hetalia - Axis Powers virtual items will get a very special virtual Hetalia - Axis Powers poster for free.
The characters Italy, Germany, Japan, Switzerland and Liechtenstein will be available with this release.

About Hetalia - Axis Powers
The Hetalia - Axis Powers series presents an interpretation of political and historic events during ancient and modern times, in which more than 40 countries are personified by characters with names such as Italy, Germany and Japan.
The major Axis Powers of Italy, Germany and Japan are the main characters and their relationships and arguments represent the events of WWII and beyond.
Originating from a popular online web comic, the Hetalia - Axis Powers manga was published in Japan in 2008 and soon became an anime series. FUNimation Entertainment has been handling international distribution of the hit anime series since January 2010.
A feature-length Hetalia - Axis Powers movie called Paint it, White! was released in theaters in Japan in 2010 and is scheduled to be released on DVD in North America Fall 2011.
The Hetalia - Axis Powers anime series was released by FUNimation Entertainment September 2010 and quickly became one of the year's best selling and most popular new series.
Hetalia - Axis Powers has a large and diverse fan base all over the world, even starting an event called Hetalia Day, celebrated on October 24 every year where fans gather to cosplay, have picnics, create art and share their love for the countries represented in Hetalia.

Quotes

Attributable to Masaru Ohnogi, CEO, TinierMe:
“TinierMe has seen continued success with Japanese pop culture partnerships and our fans are looking forward to seeing more of their favorite manage and anime characters. As a result, we're excited to bring Heltalia: Axis Powers characters to our online world and hope to bring more popular brands in the near future.”

Simcity 3000 free download full version. Attributable to Charlene Ingram, Brand Manager at FUNimation Entertainment:

“Hetalia - Axis Powers is a unique series with a large and passionate fan following that's been a joy to work with. We are pleased to partner with TinierMe in bringing this cast of loveable characters and their stylish accessories to the online gaming world for fans to enjoy. I look forward to seeing the ways fans will use these cool items on their own Selfy avatars!”

About TinierMe:TinierMe is a fun virtual world based on Japanese anime and culture. With users around the world, the site lets you build a tinier version of yourself so you can chat, play and create online. TinierMe includes: Selfy Town, a virtual world; Selfy Shop, where you can get everything you need to create and build your character; and Tinier Games, a place to play card games, interactive challenges and brain teasers with other users. TinierMe lets you experience Japanese culture easily and escape from the doldrums of the real world through your imagination and creativity. GCREST America, Inc. is the company behind TinierMe, and is a fully owned subsidiary of GCREST, Inc. in Japan. To create your own Selfy and join the fun, come to www.tinierme.com.

About FUNimation EntertainmentFUNimation® Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, is the leading company for home video sales of Japanese animation in the United States. FUNimation has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution. For more information about FUNimation Entertainment and its brands, visit www.funimation.com.

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Japanese comics known as “anime” have become popular among young Americans. And TinierMe is planning on capitalizing on that with the launch of its anime-focused virtual world.

After six months of beta testing, TinierMe is formally launching its virtual world today. The U.S.-based virtual world is a separate version of a two-million strong virtual world in Japan. Already, thanks to the beta test, the English-language version of TinierMe has 700,000 registered users, said Masaru “Nogi” Ohnogi, chief executive of the company, which is owned by Japan’s GCREST.

Hardcore online gamers are not the target audience. Rather, the main users are females under 20. They’re drawn to the cute animation style and fashion focus of the world.

“We’re seeing that anime is gaining in popularity and making its way into U.S. culture in a big way,” said Ohnogi.

But there are big headwinds for this kind of business, which was more fashionable a couple of years ago. Lots of young audiences have migrated to social games on Facebook, while numerous virtual worlds have tanked.

Within the world, you can create your own avatar — dubbed a “Selfy” — in cute anime style and explore a world full of Japanese anime and culture. You can play various mini games and participate in various events that follow the Japanese festival calendar, such as the spring Cherry Blossom Festival. You can wander through a town, shop, chat or participate in community forums. In that way, the world bears close resemblance to Gaia Online, an online virtual world for teens that is also inspired by Japanese anime. Of course, Gaia Online has a very American focus.

Ohnogi said his company hopes to differentiate itself with a more authentic focus on anime and Japanese culture. The world is free-to-play, which means players can play for free and pay real money for virtual goods. There are already 30,000 fashion items available to buy in the game, with 400 new ones appearing every month. You can also adopt pets, collect items and trade them. The U.S. subsidiary was founded in October, 2009 and has four employees.