As part of the ongoing effort to make digital delivery of anime legit in the US, the Japanese Shonen Jump website Jumpland has posted full episodes of One Piece, Dragon Ball and Tegami Bachi anime for free as part of their Shonen Jump Super Anime Tour. It requires download of the Jumpland browser to watch these episodes (and a PC running Windows XP or Vista), but once that formality is out of the way, it's a pretty seamless viewing experience, complete with English subtitles.
While it's cool to see uncut One Piece and Dragon Ball anime this way, what intrigued me most about this freebie is that it gives U.S. fans a free preview of a new manga series that will be debuting in the pages of Shonen Jump in the March 2009 issue, Tegami Bachi (Letter Bee) by Hiroyuki Asada. Set in a world cloaked in darkness, Tegami Bachi is a fantasy adventure series about letter carriers who travel between the realms of Amberground to deliver messages. But these intrepid mailmen (and women) must endure more than rain, sleet and angry dogs -- they often encounter huge cybernetic bugs who are out to kill them.
This anime freeview is only available through January 31, 2009, so get over to Jumpland to check it out soon.
While you're there, check out the Jumpland blog for photos of Jump Festa, which was held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture, Japan on December 20 and 21, 2008. There's pics of the booths, the crowds and the fun, including some shots of Shonen Jump Magazine editor in chief Marc Weidenbaum muggin' it up for the camera. Sorry, it's only in Japanese at this point, but just for the photos alone, it's worth a look at this fan festival for Shonen Jump manga, anime and games.
Image credit: © Hiroyuki Asada, © SHUEISHA Inc.
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