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Free Bakugan #1 on iTunes; HD Afro Samurai on Xbox Live

America's Cartoon Network is offering the full first episode of the Bakugan anime series for free on Apple's online iTunes Store this week. The Bakugan Battle Brawlers anime adapts a hybrid card/marble game developed by the toy companies Sega Toys (Dinosaur King, Sonic X) of Japan and Spin Master (Air Hogs) of Canada. The store already offers anime titles from FUNimation Entertainment, Sony Pictures Television, Tezuka Productions, and Warner Brothers. These earlier titles include Afro Samurai, The Animatrix, Astro Boy, Phoenix, Samurai 7, Trinity Blood, and Voltron.

The technology company Microsoft has announced that its online XBox Live Video Marketplace will offer a high-definition version of Funimation's five-episode Afro Samurai series, starring Samuel L. Jackson as the voice of the main character, next month. A standard-definition version will not be offered on the service. The service already hosts episodes of various other anime titles from Funimation, such as Samurai 7, Trinity Blood, and Gunslinger Girl. ADV Films has also distributed anime series on XBox Live, as did Geneon Entertainment before that company ceased distribution in North America last fall.

In addition, Warner Video will place Shinji Aramaki's Appleseed: Ex Machina on XBox Live starting March 11. This is the same day that the DVD, Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD versions of the computer-graphics film go on sale.

Source: XBoxic.com

Images © Sega Toys/Spin Master/Bakugan Project.
© 2006 Takashi Okazaki, Gonzo / Samurai Project