The Rundown
This afternoon it was announced that the Funimation Dub of One Piece (not the 4kids dub) was picked up by Neon Alley. Neon Alley which plans on coming to Playstation 3 in September, is the 24-hour a day, all dubbed into english, uncut, limited advertisement, $6.99 a month anime service. It's a television network like HBO for Anime. That you can not use a DVR for. Despite my opinions, Neon Alley is a neat idea and I will be the first one to sign up. I would like to try it, I might love it.
This is the first big show from Funimation and Toei to sign up, which really shows how studio agnostic they are being. One Piece is a big score and shows how much they are trying to cater to the Anime Fan. In reality, they have some huge names listed on there service (see below). This seems to be a very good way of getting people on board.
I give Viz a lot of credit for trying something as balls to wall, as this. Now get some of the more adult-orientated content other than Berserk and Tiger & Bunny.
Neon Alley shows
- NARUTO Shippuden
- Tiger & Bunny
- Inuyasha - The Final Act
- ZETMAN
- Lagrange - The Flower of Rin-ne-
- Blue Exorcist
- Vampire Knight
- Nana
- Berserk: The Gold Age Arc I - The Egg of the King
- Bleach the Movie
- NARUTO Shippuden the Movie
- One Piece
- NARUTO
- Kekkaishi
- Death Note
- Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan
Neon Alley Trailer
Coming Soon To Blu-ray and DVD
Today, Funimation annouced their english cast for the English dub of Aria: The Scarlet Ammo. I have seen bits and pieces of this show and it does have a charm to it. I thought it was a more light-hearted Gunslinger Girl. What I will say is, it is coming in Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack. Something that is becoming less and less common. The release date is 10/23/2012
Synopsis: (From Funimation Press Release)
Aria is a volatile girl who wields two pistols and two swords and holds the highest rank in assault studies at a high school for young mercenaries. This pint-sized prodigy swoops in to save her classmate Kinji from a high-speed chase, but he ends up saving her after he switches from a boring wimp into a total hot shot! His secret? He only turns into something of a James Bond when he’s turned on! Convinced Kinji’s an ace, Aria strong-arms him into being her partner—but she isn’t the only femme fatale who wants a taste of his coveted combat skills. Aria gets Kinji for one mission, but he’ll end up with more than one finger on his trigger!
English Dub Cast
| CHARACTER | ACTOR |
| ARIA | Leah Clark |
| KINJI | Todd Haberkorn |
| SHIRAYUKI | Brina Palencia |
| SAYONAKI | J. Michael Tatum |
| RIKO | Luci Christian |
| MUTO | Ricco Fajardo |
| SHIRANUI | Chris Cason |
| JEANNE | Colleen Clinkenbeard |
| DURANDAL | Chuck Huber |
| REKI | Jād Saxton |
Trailer
http://www.funimation.com/rojas/blog/aria-the-scarlet-ammo-cast-announcement/4831491
Below is a list of Coming Soon for the rest of August. This is to put these items in an easy place for you to see what is coming out over the next few weeks.
August 14, 2012.
Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) -Funimation
Trinity Blood: The Complete Series (Classic) - Funimation
This Boy Can Fight Aliens [Blu-ray] - Sentai
One Piece: Collection Seven - Funimation
August 21, 2012.
No. 6: The Complete Collection [Blu-ray] - Sentai
Shakugan no Shana: Season One Box Set (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) - Funimation
Shangri-La: Part 1 (Limited Edition) - Funimation
Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie -Eastern Star
Shangri-La: Part 2 - Funimation
August 28, 2012.
Freezing: Complete Series (Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo) - Funimatiom
K-On: Season 2 Collection 2 [Blu-ray] - Sentai
Bakuman: Season 1, Part 1 [Blu-ray] – Anime Works
Ergo Proxy: Box Set (Classic) - Funimation
Texhnolyze: Complete Box Set (Classic) Funimaion
Kaleido Star: Season One S.A.V.E. - Funimation
Koihime: Ultimate Collection - Sentai
The Rundown
Do you like Ikki Tousen? When I say big breasted girls, who show there panty's every time the wind blows, is your interest peaked. Do you not admit to the fact that you totally picked up Sekirei, but did not tell anyone that you bought it. It's okay, I understand.
When I first saw the trailer for Freezing, I said very quickly “yep, another harem, panty action show”, “like we don't get enough of those”. In the back of my head, I thought, “take my money”. I have a soft spot for these types of shows. They are the Russ Meyer films of anime. They are a reason to show off the female characters and to play up what ever fetish is en vogue that week. The trick to these types of shows is 2 things, the setting and the hook.
Freezing is a show about an invasion of Earth by alien forces, named the Nova. There are genetically engineered women named, Pandoras and the male partners, named Limiters whos job it is to fight the Nova. The show is about a Limiter named Kazuya Aoi, who late sister was a pandora. He meets Satellizer el Bridget, a cold hearted Pandora, with the nickname of “Untouchable Queen”. They are both enrolled in West Genetics academy, a school with the purpose of training Pandoras and Limiters, with the intent to defeat the Nova.
Today, Funimation put up there first 2 episodes of there reversioning (i.e. Dub) in there Funimation Elite Video Subscribers page. Freezing hit a bit of controversy over here, due to it's level of violence and it's level of sexuality. Funimation on the other hand makes a good bit of money off these types of shows. Straight up, they have said, that they sell well. I wonder why. I am a fan of dime store quality science fiction and exploitation anime. So watching these first 2 episodes, it has a charm. I am not going to review this series, I watched the subs a few month back, but have been awaiting the dub.
The show likes to play up its violence and gore. I think in a reflection of these types of show, if someone is chopping into people with swords, there is going to be gore and blood, it takes away some of the shows fun factor and replaces it with a pulpy atmosphere. Your either okay with this stuff or your not. I grew up in a time (early 90's) when this was all anime, that came out in america on home video. It was a high-light to go to my local video store and rent the newest Manga Entertainment Video and be surprised by all the crazy things you would see. This has a similar tone.
Freezing hits Blu-Ray/DVD Combo pack on August 28th and Funimation puts up the rest of there dub on there EVS on August 21st. They are streaming the full
Critical Highlights
"the prudish need not apply"- Japanator.com
"hits big-time on the female character designs" - Anime News Network
"The first to accomplish that, but seriously, there was not a single redeeming factor to this series." - Otaku Life
"a show that is exactly what it appears to be: hot babes hacking and slashing at each other with a decent plot and tons of fanservice" - Anime Evo
With Deadman Wonderland finishing up its run on Toonami, Funimation has announced the next show on the 11:30 pm CT / 12:30 am ET docket. The 2004 series, Samurai 7, is next on the list. The show will begin on August 18th, 2012. The Studio Gonzo anime is based off the beloved 1954 Akira Kurosawa film, Seven Samurai. It's rather famous for it's $300,000 an episode budget. It also ran on the Funimation Network back in 2010. It also aired on IFC and Razer.
I am a fan of the series and use the videos below to get a general understanding of the show, before you watch it on Toonami.
Here's a synopsis for those who are new to Samurai 7.
From the wiki editors on Anime Vice.
Overview
Based on the classic film “7 Samurai” by Akira Kurosawa, Samurai 7 follows the story of 7 samurai warriors who are recruited by the priestess of the rice village to defeat the bandits known as the Nobuseri who steal their rice and kidnap their women and children.
The series has a very different style from the movie, adding mechas, robot samurais and futuristic elements to the story. Plus, the inclusion of 4 new characters.
Samurai 7 - Subtitled - Episode 1
Check out the first episode below in the original Japanese with English Subs provided by Funimation.
Seven Samurai (1954) trailer
The trailer for the 1954 Akira Kurosawa film.
JesuOtaku Anime Review - Samurai 7
The light-hearted and very in depth JesuOtaku video review.
Source:
http://www.funimation.com/samurai-7
http://www.funimation.com/rojas/blog/samurai-7-starting-on-toonami-august-18th/4606801
