Site to launch in April; Madoka Magica, Gundam , One Piece, Lupin III, Prince of Tennis 'ready to be delivered'

Anime studios and production companies Aniplex, Sunrise, Toei Animation, TMS Entertainment, Nihon Ad Systems (NAS), Dentsu, and Asatsu-DK (ADK) confirmed with ANN that they are collaborating to launch a new anime streaming and commerce service for overseas fans called "Daisuki." President and CEO Kunihiko Shibata leads Daisuki, which will launch in April.

According to the service, titles such as Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Mobile Suit Gundam , One Piece, Lupin the 3rd, and Prince of Tennis are "ready to be delivered." Daisuki also plans to stream anime titles nearly simultaneously with their Japanese broadcasts, as well as live events.

Advertising and marketing company Asatsu-DK Inc. holds the highest share in the company at 26.3%. Aniplex, Sunrise, Toei, TMS Entertainment, and NAS hold equal shares of 13.4%, while Dentsu holds a 6.5% stake.

Crunchyroll currently offers Madoka Magica on its streaming service, Hulu streams the Lupin the 3rd television series and selected movies, Viz offers Prince of Tennis on Amazon Instant Video, and Funimation simulcasts One Piece on its official website.

Daisuki plans to sell anime tie-in goods on its website.

Image © Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Toei Animation