FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

REGION FREE HOSTING ONLINE SHIKISHI AUCTION
Autograph boards from Japanese anime/manga/illustration artists offered in silent auction

SACRAMENTO, CA – August 18, 2009 – Region Free is pleased to announce the opening of their annual public shikishi (autographed art boards) auction. The eleven original works were produced by ten different artists who work in the anime or manga fields, including Akemi Kobayashi (Pretear, Air), Makiko Kanada (Birth OVA), Masahiro Kimura (Gungrave, Chobits), Idumi Kimuraya (ANGE L), Yutaka Minowa (Animatrix, Ninja Scroll), Noriko Otake (Super Gals, Saiyuki Reload), Osamu Sugimoto (Blue Submarine No. 6), Koichi Usami (GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka) and Cindy Yamauchi (Record of Lodoss War OVA, Gungrave). There is also a chance that additional pieces will be added before the auction is over.

The auction will be held again this year at their still-in-development anime/manga drawing site, AnimeStyle Pro (animestylepro.com). Please visit the Store section of the site to view the works and for details on how to bid. The auction will close on Monday, August 31st.

Location: Online only at animestylepro.com
Start Date: 8/18/2009
End Date: 8/31/2009 at 11:59pm PST

About Region Free
Region Free is a Japanese artist referral and translation company. We connect Western companies looking for authentic anime/manga-style artwork with working professionals in Japan and handle any communications between them and the client. We represent such well-known artists as Yutaka Minowa (Vampire Hunter D, Ninja Scroll). We were also involved in the English adaptations of the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure anime, the Train_Man (Densha Otoko) and Hayate the Combat Butler manga series, as well as the Rurouni Kenshin novel and the Shakugan no Shana novels and manga.

About AnimeStyle Pro
AnimeStyle Pro is a new venture by Region Free staff and artists that is currently under development. The new site is aimed at helping novice to intermediate artists hone their manga/anime drawing skills by presenting information and lessons from working professionals in the field. The site also offers exclusive goods created by artists in the Region Free network.

For more information on Region Free, contact Cindy H. Yamauchi, Region Free Japan Artist Network, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit regionfreejan.com

For additional information on AnimeStyle Pro, contact Mark Giambruno, Region Free Japan Artist Network, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit animestylepro.com