Is Sony Killing Funimation

I’m going to try to word this as carefully as I can so you don’t misunderstand me. I have both Roku and Amazon Fire TV. I also subscribe to a lot of  streaming apps Hulu, HiDive, Netflix, Crunchyroll and of course, Funimation. The main problem I encounter when watching these shows is they don’t end properly. What I am saying is if I’m binge watching, the same episode will keep repeating itself several times before moving onto the next episode. I’m guessing this happens about 50% of the time. Funimation’s streaming service is the only service that does this. As far a quality of service, they rank last in streaming and technical support. I can’t believe you haven’t addressed this yet. Because of this and other errors that occur on your service, I find myself watching Funimation’s programming less and less. I can’t believe this is only happening to me. It seems to me you would be more interested in retaining customers and luring new customers to your service rather than driving them away with poor quality service. Also, you need to add better customer service to your agenda. Crunchyroll, Hulu and HiDive get back to us quickly.  I’ve even had to wait months. Sony had better step up to the plate as they stand to lose 100’s of millions of dollars as Funimation’s market share and value plunges. Funimation may become a $50 million dollar company again if they do not fix these problems.

Grimoire of Zero English Dub Stars Jason Douglas, Amanda Lee

Full cast list revealed; preview clip streamed

Sentai Filmworks announced its English dub cast for Grimoire of Zero on Tuesday, and began streaming a preview clip.

The cast, under director Kyle Jones, includes:

Other cast members include Mark X. Laskowski, Margaret LewisJoe Daniels, Kim Prauss, John SwaseyJohn GremillionSteven FenleyMichael WronskiJosh MorrisonKatelyn BarrLuis Galindo, James Belher, Greg CoteJohn RamirezLuci Christian, and Kalin Coats.

Sentai Filmworks will release the series on Blu-ray Disc in both a regular and premium edition on June 26. The premium box set will include a booklet and six art cards.

The anime premiered in April 2017 and streamed exclusively on Anime Strike in the United States. It is now also available on HIDIVE in the U.S.

Kakeru Kobashiri‘s original “grimoire fantasy” light novel series follows a witch named Zero who is ignorant of the world and a half-beast half-human mercenary who longs to be human. Witches who practice sorcery exist in the world, however, in this era no one knows about the art and study of witchcraft. Zero is going on a journey to search for a magical tome called “The Grimoire of Zero” that hides a power that can destroy the world. The mercenary travels with her as her guard.

Source: Sentai Filmworks

Haikara-San: Here Comes Miss Modern Anime Film’s English Dub Cast Revealed

Eleven Arts Anime Studio announced the English dub cast for the Haikara-San: Here Comes Miss Modern Part 1 (Gekijōban Haikara-san ga Tōru Zenpen – Benio, Hana no 17-sai) anime film on Tuesday. As previously announced, Mimi Torres will star as the main character Benio Hanamura. Other cast members include:

Haikara-San: Here Comes Miss Modern Part 1 is the first of two films based on Waki Yamato‘s Haikara-san ga Tooru manga. The film will opentheatrically in the United States and Canada on June 8 in Japanese with English subtitles.

Eleven Arts has announced that the second film, Gekijōban Haikara-san ga Tōru Kōhen – Hana no Tōkyō Dai Roman, is scheduled for this fall in the United States but has not confirmed a release window for Canada. All screenings will be in Japanese with English subtitles.

The story is set in Tokyo in the Taishō era (1912-1926). The story follows Benio “Haikara-san” Hanamura, who lost her mother when she was very young and has been raised by her father, a high-ranking official in the Japanese army. As a result, she has grown into a tomboy — contrary to traditional Japanese notions of femininity, she studies kendo, drinks sake, dresses in often outlandish-looking Western fashions instead of the traditional kimono, and is not as interested in housework as she is in literature. She also rejects the idea of arranged marriages and believes in a woman’s right to a career and to marry for love.

Haikara-san’s best friends are the beautiful Tamaki, who is much more feminine than Haikara-san but equally interested in women’s rights, and Ranmaru, a young man who was raised to play female roles in the kabuki theater and as a result has acquired very effeminate mannerisms. Haikara-san’s betrothed is Shinobu Ijūin, a second lieutenant in the army.

Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Rurouni KenshinHunter x Hunter) directed the first film in the series, which opened in Japan last November. Toshiaki Kidokoro (March comes in like a lion episode director, Fireworks, Should We See it from the Side or the Bottom? line director) is replacing the previously announced Mitsuko Kase (Ristorante ParadisoYoung Black Jack) as the director of Gekijōban Haikara-san ga Tōru Kōhen – Hana no Tōkyō Dai Roman, which opens in Japan this fall. The film was originally slated to open this spring.

Terumi Nishii (PenguindrumJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable) is designing the characters, and Kentaro Akiyama (ReLIFEMagic-kyun! RenaissanceSelector Infected Wixoss) is in charge of both background design and art direction. Kunio Tsujita (INTERSTELLA 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystemPenguindrum) is the color designer. Takeo Ogiwara (Chain Chronicle: The Light of HaecceitasYuri Kuma Arashi) is the director of photography at GraphinicaKazuhiro Wakabayashi (Eureka SevenKuromukuro) is the sound director, and Michiru Oshima (Sound of the SkyLittle Witch Academia) is composing the music. Nippon Animation is in charge of animation production.

The all-female Takarazuka Revue theater troupe’s Flower Troupe performed a musical adaptation of the manga last October.

Source: Email Correspondence

Spend Your Lovely Virtual Reality Days with Asuna

Bandai Namco Entertainment is bringing Asuna to fans in a new, leisurely-paced virtual reality experience. The company announced during the Dengeki Online live stream broadcast on Monday that it is planning to release the Sword Art Online: Lovely Honey Days for mobile devices this year.

The game will have multiple “episodes” for purchase, while the initial episode is free to play. Players take on the role of Kirito and enjoy day to day activities with Asuna like enjoying a picnic, going swimming, and sleeping in the same bed together. The game features a “Mattari Mode” (Chill Out Mode) where players can view Asuna from different angles. A “Chat Mode” lets players talk with Asuna in a SMS-style format.

The official website opened pre-registration for the game and 10 random registrants will receive special smartphone VR goggles as a prize.

Sword Art Online, its lead characters Kirito and Asuna, and its soundtrack topped last year’s Newtype Awards. The Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale anime film has earned 4.3 billion yen (about US$38.2 million) in worldwide sales. A television anime adaptation of the light novel’s Alicization arc is set to premiere in October. Sword Art Online: Alternative Gun Gale Online, a spin-off based on the virtual reality game seen in Sword Art Online II, is currently airing in Japan and streaming on Crunchyroll.

Source: Dengeki Online website and live stream

Notable December 2016 Anime Releases

Shorewood Standard Ocard1Shorewood Standard Ocard1

On December 6th, 2016, Funimation will release and ship the final installment of the Tartaros arc.  This will conclude all Fairy Tail installments for quite some time and possibly forever so enjoy it while you can.

On December 13th, 2016, Funimation will also release and ship Season 8, voyage 5 of the One Piece saga.  This installment will finally end the flashback to Luffy’s and Ace’s childhood and start what I consider to be the best episodes to date of One Piece.  It will cover a two year period in which the crew and Luffy get stronger and begin the process of reuniting the crew on the Sabaody Archipelago on their way to the new world.

Vol. 032

The Anime series “Kingdom” follows the Qin dynasty’s path of the unification of the middle kingdom into what is known as modern day China.  The story follows the paths of Xin as he rises from a servant to an amazing general and Ying Zhang, the 31st king of Qin as they realize their dream of unification of the middle kingdom into what is now known as China.  The Story while fictitious, follows the timeline accurately and gives a glimpse of life in 250 B.C.E.

Hou_Xuanxuan_The_situation_map_of_Qin's_war

This is a summary of Ying Zheng’s rampage through the middle kingdom.