HOUSTON, APRIL 14, 2016 – Sentai Filmworks is proud to announce its latest acquisition, Hakuoki ~ Demon of the Fleeting Blossom: Warrior Spirit of the Blue Sky. As the second feature film based on the successful game and anime series, this title continues the story of Chizuru Yukimura’s search for her father. The famed Shinsengumi are combating the dangerous beings within Kyoto’s shadows, and it won’t be easy. As Chizuru and the men of the Shinsengumi fight for their city, and for their lives, the battle may draw closer than any of them ever imagined.

The film was directed and scripted by Osamu Yamasaki (Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East). Atsuko Nakajima (Get Backers, Ranma ½) handled animation direction and character design, with original character designs provided by Yone Kazuki (Kamigami no Asobi, Nobunaga the Fool).

Hakuoki ~ Demon of the Fleeting Blossom: Warrior Spirit of the Blue Sky will be available through select digital outlets, with a home video release to follow.

HOUSTON, APRIL 18, 2016 – Sentai Filmworks is proud to announce its acquisition of Trinity Seven.

Superbia. Invidia. Ira. Acedia. Avaritia. Gula. Luxuria.

These are the sins, or "Themes," inflicted upon seven young girls who reign supreme at Royal Biblia Academy, but one boy has resolved to master those sins and reclaim his world.

The boy, Arata Kasuga, has his daily life turned upside-down when a mysterious event called the Breakdown Phenomenon causes his cousin Hijiri to disappear into an alternate dimension. In order to understand the Breakdown Phenomenon and get his cousin back, Arata enrolls at Biblia Academy - and what awaits him there are seven young girls who use their "sins" to manipulate sorcery.

The series was originally from a manga written by Kenji Saito with illustration by Akinari Nao and published by KADOKAWA Fujimishobo. It was directed by Hiroshi Nishikiori (Azumanga Daioh, I’m Gonna be an Angel!, GAD GUARD). The role of chief animation director was shared by Kyoko Kotani and Shinpei Tomooka, with series composition handled by Hiroyuki Yoshino. Animation production was courtesy of SEVEN・ARCS・PICTURES (Dog Days, Asura Cryin’, WHITE ALBUM).

Trinity Seven will soon be available through select digital outlets, with a home video release to follow.

HOUSTON, APRIL 20, 2016 – Sentai Filmworks is proud to announce its latest acquisition, When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace. One day, a group of four girls and one boy in the literature club experienced an incredible power awakening within them. With that, they dove into an exciting world of high-powered magical battles to defend humanity… or did they? With their daily lives remaining mostly peaceful, they find that they can use their powers fairly wastefully. The curtain opens on a story filled with comedy, love, and, of course, supernatural battles!

The anime is based on original work by Kota Nozomi (GA BUNKO/ SB Creative Corp.), with original illustration by 029. Masahiko Otsuka was in charge of series composition, as well as helming the show as chief director. Masanori Takahashi was responsible for directing the series, with Satoshi Yamaguchi in charge of character design. Animation Production was by TRIGGER.

When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace will soon be available through select digital outlets, with a home video release to follow.

HOUSTON, MAY 4, 2016 – The quest to recover Emperor Gaz’s scattered remains continues in Sentai Filmworks’ latest acquisition, Chaika the Coffin Princess: Avenging Battle.

Chaika, Toru, Akari, and Fredrica’s adventures continue as they plot to secure the emperor’s heart from the Hero Claudia. However, when another of the emperor’s dark secrets come to light, Chaika struggles to come to terms with her identity and her purpose. With conflict looming on the horizon, will Chaika's quest ultimately bring peace? Or will the country, once again, be torn apart by war?

Soichi Masui, who directed the first season, returns to direct the second season, with Touko Machida once again in charge of series composition. Animation production was again helmed by BONES, the same studio responsible for hits like Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Space Dandy.

Chaika the Coffin Princess: Avenging Battle will be available through select digital outlets, with a home video release to follow.

HOUSTON, MAY 11, 2016 – Sentai Filmworks is proud to announce its acquisition of Hanaukyou Maid Team: La Verite.

A reimagining of 2001’s Hanakyou Maid Team, this anime delights in the way every moe title should. After losing his mother, 15-year-old Taro Hanaukyou moves to live with his grandfather in Tokyo. Despite their blood relation, Taro never knew that his grandfather was extremely wealthy, owning a mansion and maintaining a large fortune. When his grandfather leaves Taro both his riches and the manor, Taro also inherits the services of the home’s network of dedicated maids.

The series was directed by Takuya Nonaka (Fate/Zero, Ah! My Goddess). Jukki Hanada, Takashi Aoshima, and Hideaki Koyasu shared scriptwriting duties, with Jukki (Beyond the Boundary, K-On!, Steins;Gate) also handling series composition. Sound direction was overseen by Hiromi Kikuta, with art direction by Takashi Aoi. Animation production was handled by Daume (Strawberry Marshmallow, DearS, Indian Summer, Shiki).

Hanaukyou Maid Team: La Verite will soon be available through select digital outlets, with a home video release to follow.

New acquisitions:

Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans

Sony Pictures Classics Acquires ‘The Red Turtle’ For North & Latin America – Cannes
May 19, 2016 12:14am

In its third acquisition of an Official Selection title here in Cannes, Sony Pictures Classics has taken North and Latin American rights to Michael Dudok de Wit’s The Red Turtle. The animated film premiered yesterday in Un Certain Regard to very strong reviews; The Telegraph calls it a “wordless wonder” (see trailer below).

This is Dudok de Wit’s first feature. He previously won a Best Animated Short Film Oscar for 2000’s Father And Daughter. This is also the first international co-production for famed Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli. It partnered on the film with France’s Wild Bunch, in association with Why Not Productions.

The dialogue-free picture centers on a man shipwrecked on a tropical island inhabited by turtles, crabs and birds. When he builds a wooden raft, he is confronted by the titular turtle. The story then follows the milestones in his life on the island which include meeting a woman and starting a family.

“The Red Turtle takes you on an ultimate journey through life. It sweeps you up in fantasy, poetry, and awesome visual beauty. Artistically and commercially it is a major movie for all ages,” says Sony Pictures Classics.

SPC’s other Cannes acquisitions this year include Paul Verhoeven’s Elle and Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann.

Here’s The Red Turtle trailer:

https://youtu.be/y3uYequDQqc

[Iron-Blooded Orphans]
Here is the English trailer for Mobile Suit Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans!

Who will be watching the premiere on Toonami on June 4th at 12:30am?

THIS JUST IN: Aniplex of America announces ERASED English Dub project! Stay tuned for more details! Visit: ErasedUSA.com

We are going to start translating some anime that might not have enough sales potential to release DVDs or BDs and do them as streaming only. The first title is going to be Miss Machiko. Eventually all 95 episodes will be subtitled in English and available to stream. Platforms and territories will be announced at a later time. If the demand is there we may one day release these on DVD.

About Miss Machiko:
The mischievous students of Arama Academy meet their match in a beautiful and clever new teacher, Miss Machiko! But they're determined to find a prank that will really embarrass her. No matter what they devise she still manages to laugh it off and help them with their school work and problems. This series originally aired from 1981 to 1983 in Japan.

FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS TO THE FIRST JAPANESE FEATURE-LENGTH ANIME FILM “MOMOTARO, SACRED SAILORS”
Posted by Funimation on 05/31/2016 at 11:07am

Newly Digitally Restored WWII-Era Film Premiered at 2016 Cannes Film Festival

FLOWER MOUND, TEXAS – May 31, 2016. Funimation Entertainment is proud to announce its acquisition of the restored edition of Mitsuyo Seo’s “Momotaro, Sacred Sailors” – the first feature-length animated film produced in Japan. Written and directed by Mitsuyo Seo (1911-2010), “Momotaro, Sacred Sailors” was a propaganda film produced in 1944 by Shochiku Co. Ltd. and released in 1945 during the final months of World War II. Earlier this year, with the financial support of Funimation and others, Shochiku restored the 74-minute, black and white film, which premiered during opening weekend of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival in the Cannes Classics program. As part of its agreement with Shochiku, Funimation has secured exclusive rights to the theatrical, digital and home video distribution of the film in both the U.S. and Canada.

“Mitsuyo Seo was a key figure in the development of Japan’s anime industry and were honored to have been part of the restoration of ‘Momotaro, Sacred Sailors’ – one of his most famous works,” said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and founder of Funimation. “This wonderful black and white film was created using almost 50,000 cels and offers superb animation, music and entertainment that is on par with any classic Disney film of the same era.”

Seo based the film’s story on the classic Japanese fairy tale of a boy named Momotaro, who was born from a peach and defeats monsters with the help of his animal friends. In Seo’s movie, Momotaro and his friends are now Japanese naval paratroopers and the monsters represent the Allied Powers.

“This digitally restored version of Mitsuyo Seo’s ‘Momotaro, Sacred Sailors’ is truly captivating,” said Mike DuBoise, EVP and COO of Funimation. “Anime fans, film buffs and animators alike will not want to miss this seminal and historic work of Japanese animation.”

Backed by Japan’s Ministry of the Navy, Shochiku produced “Momotaro, Sacred Sailors” with a select crew of 70 that included Japanese animation pioneer Kenzo Masaoka (1898 – 1988) as director of shadowgraph. With a big budget at that time, the film was an animated epic on an unprecedented scale and was composed using almost 50,000 animation cels. Few saw the movie in theaters when it was released as most of Japan was fighting a war that would be lost just five months later. To create the restored print, Shochiko scanned a 35mm master print and internegative in 4K and restored it in 2K.

Short Synopsis

On the eve of a parachute mission during the war in the Pacific, a group of navy paratroopers, a monkey, a dog, a pheasant, and a bear, go home for a brief visit before heading off with their squadron to their base in the South Pacific. Lead by boy warrior Momotaro, the squadron prepares to attack the enemy on Devil’s Island.

On the eve before the attack, we learn why Momotaro and his squadron are called “sacred sailors.” A story is told of a ship with white men arriving at a beautiful island. The captain tricks the king into thinking they are merchants and he welcomes them on the island. Quickly thereafter, the crew reveal themselves as pirates and then plunder the island. All that remained was a legend that “sacred sailors will come from the east” who will “free the people.” Momotaro and his compatriots are these sacred sailors.

The attack on Devil’s Island finally begins. The paratroopers quickly overpower the horned, white devils, who then surrender to Momotaro unconditionally. Peace returns to the South Pacific.

Blu-ray/DVD combo back for the Black Jack 1996 movie coming!

Discotek got the org Demon Lord Dante anime

Coming out August from @discotekmedia, Demon Lord Dante and it's the UNEDITED and UNALTERED VERSION

Demon Lord Dante is going to be with the dub and sub, but the screen won't be obscured like the original release. @discotekmedia

Coming out in August. Golgo 13 the Professional. Coming to blu-ray in a few months from @discotekmedia

Discotek got Jungle Emperor Leo!

Jungle Emperor Leo blu-ray and DVD combo pack coming later this year from @discotekmedia

True Tears is coming out by @discotekmedia. That is coming out in a month in a half! Two months and it'll be on Amazon.

Last announcement: True Tears on BD

Hi School Seha Girls. Sega is very involved. Coming fall 2016.

Lupin the 3rd Part 2. All 155 episodes across 4 DVD sets (tentative). Coming in 2017. @discotekmedia

THey are going to release dubbed what was dubbed, and what wasn't they are not going dub the remaining episodes.

The last two episodes that were done by Hayao Miyazaki will be included and will have the original Streamline Dub! @discotekmedia

Magic Knight Rayearth included a dub produced from Sega made for selling to international audiences. @discotekmedia

They are hoping to get Rayearth out this year but so many extras have been pushing the release back.

Sonic X release. They investigated a bilingual release, but it wouldn't sync up. Sonic X is dub only.

If there is demand they will investigate a subtitled release.

Street Fighter movie coming in September/October.

Some of the extras on the Street Fighter: The Movie release include test animations made specifically for animators.

A documentary, made by @discotekmedia is included on the disk with @MichaelToole narration talking about the complications of the release.

So @discotekmedia included all audio even one with English dialogue and Japanese soundtrack never done before.

Strike the Blood blu ray coming. OVAs are a separate license but will likely be coming as well but at a later date.

Right now Lupin is doing well at @discotekmedia so expect more.

No announcements yet but Discotek is hammering out details on some more Sunrise titles

Demon Lord Dante Complete DVD. Unedited! August! Golgo 13: The Professional Blu-Ray. Artwork not final. August!!

Jungle Emperor Leo (1997) DVD/BD combo pack. Black Jack: The Movie DVD/BD combo pack. Release dates are TBA.

Finally - True Tears DVD Complete Collection on DVD. Coming in August!! Who's excited it's coming back?!?

animatsu entertainment brings ‘in this corner of the world’ to annecy 2016

London-Based Anime Company’s Powerful Manga-Inspired Feature to Screen in Festival’s ‘Works in Progress’ Program

14 June 2016 – Annecy, France – Animatsu Entertainment, the new London-based producer, licensor and distributor of anime in the UK, Ireland and, soon, the rest of the world, has secured global distribution rights to the highly anticipated animated feature In This Corner of the World (この世界の片隅に Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni). The company introduces this poignant, uplifting, coming of age story to buyers at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Market today, showing the uncompleted manga-inspired title in the festival’s Works in Progress program.

Produced by GENCO, with Japanese animation studio MAPPA, In This Corner of the World has been licensed to Animatsu Entertainment for the film’s worldwide sales. GENCO, in turn, will release In This Corner of the World in Japan this October.

Based on the award-winning manga written by Fumiyo Kouno, In This Corner of the World is written and directed by Sunao Katabuchi. Katabuchi began his career working closely with Hayao Miyazaki before directing his own projects, including the acclaimed animated film Mai Mai Miracle. GENCO’s Taro Maki and MAPPA’s Masao Maruyama are producers for the project.

In This Corner of the World tells the story of the adolescent Suzu, who in 1944 moves to the small town of Kure in Hiroshima to live with her husband’s family. Suzu’s life is thrown into chaos when her town is bombed during World War II. Her perseverance and courage, however, underpin this heart-warming and inspirational tale of the everyday challenges faced by the Japanese in the midst of a violent, war-torn country.

“There have been previous anime films set around the devastation in Hiroshima, but none with the ultimately uplifting and positive message of In This Corner of the World, so we can’t wait to bring this beautiful film to Annecy,” Animatsu Entertainment Chief Operating Officer Jerome Mazandarini said. “We believe the rest of the world will share our enthusiasm for this story.”

“In This Corner of the World is not a typical war movie: the town is so beautifully recreated and the characters are so wonderfully achieved that the focus is on the art that is imbued in daily life itself,” GENCO President Taro Maki said. “While it is of course heart-breaking to behold the before and after scenes, the willpower that normal people muster in the name of love and caring is what really stands out.”

“War is the opposite of daily life, yet daily life must go on even through war. And perfectly normal people can achieve this miraculous feat in the most extreme circumstances one can imagine,” the film’s director Sunao Katabuchi notes. “That’s what this film explores. I believe those very specific details in this film help viewers perceive the infinite emotions experienced by these absolutely normal people.”

A successful crowdfunding effort provided part of the resources needed to produce this feature version of the award-winning manga. The campaign raised 39 million yen (approximately $350,000), almost doubling the original goal.

Published on Jun 28, 2016
Aniplex of America presents the English dub of ERASED!

Featuring the voice talents of Ben Diskin (Satoru), Michelle Ruff (Young Satoru), Stephanie Sheh (Kayo), Sara Cravens (Sachiko), Cherami Leigh (Airi), Max Mittelman (Yuuki), David Collins (Yashiro), Christine Marie Cabanos (Hiromi), Erica Mendez (Kenya), Ryan Bartley (Osamu), Bobby Thong (Kazu), Mela Lee (Misato), and Carrie Keranen (Akemi).

Directed by: Alex von David

Can Satoru fix his past to change his future? The hit thriller series is coming to Blu-ray soon!

Get all the details at: www.ErasedUSA.com

HOUSTON, JUNE 29, 2016 – The culinary combat phenomenon, Food Wars!, returns this summer with its highly anticipated second season, Food Wars! The Second Plate. Sentai Filmworks picked up this sizzling hot series and is making it available for simulcast and streaming through select digital partners.

“Food Wars! has proven to be one of the most distinctive franchises in recent history,” says John Ledford, CEO, Sentai Filmworks, “We are extremely proud of its unmatched originality and fantastic blend of action and comedy which has inspired such a passionate fan following. We are thrilled to launch Food Wars! The Second Plate and look forward to making it available wherever fans choose to enjoy it.”

The 13-episode second season of Food Wars! picks up where the first season left off on the cusp of the contested Fall Selection. Eight of the most talented first-year students of the elite Tohtsuki Academy wage a culinary battle to advance to the next round of the Fall Selection, a kitchen-based showdown that will decide who will rise in the ranks and who will end up on the chopping block. Underdog Soma Yukihira’s cooking may leave his customers begging for another bite, but are his skills enough to face off with opponents as equally talented (and merciless) when it comes to the palate as him?

The team behind the first season returns for the second season, with Yoshitomo Yonetani as director, and Shogo Yasukawa (Chivalry of a Failed Knight) in charge of series composition. Character design was again helmed by Tomoyuki Shitaya with music by Tatsuya Katou. Animation production was handled by J. C. Staff, the same studio responsible for Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? and Flying Witch.

Food Wars! The Second Plate is scheduled for a July 2016 broadcast in Japan. It will soon be available through select digital outlets with a home video release to follow.

HOUSTON, JUNE 30, 2016 – Sentai Filmworks has acquired the rights to the slice-of-life romance Momokuri for the Summer 2016 simulcast season.

Yuki Kurihara took a chance one day and confessed her feelings to the boy she liked… and he said “yes”! The boy in question, Shinya Momotsuki (aka Momo-kun) is new when it comes to love, but soon they’re walking home from school, studying, and eating together. There’s just one problem with this otherwise cute couple: Kurihara is so obsessed with her Momo-kun that she’s sneaking photos of him on her phone, freaking out when they touch, and blushing at every adorable thing he does. Can Kurihara’s little heart handle her nearly manic love for her new boyfriend?

The series was directed by Yoshimasa Hiraike (Gugure! Kokkuri-san, Wagnaria!!) with character designs by chief animator Miwa Oshima (Gugure! Kokkuri-san, Anne-Happy). Animation production was handled by Satelight, the same studio responsible for Log Horizon and The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan.

Momokuri is scheduled for a July 2016 broadcast in Japan. It will soon be available through select digital outlets with a home video release to follow.

Special Worldwide Sneak Peek – English Dub Premiere of Tales of Zestiria the X, Only at Anime Expo!
Posted by Lauren on 07/01/2016 at 3:00pm

If you’re at Anime Expo this weekend, we have a very specially premiere event, nearly unprecedented for any convention screening, that you won’t want to miss!

An exclusive sneak peek at the English dub for Tales of Zestiria the X, episode one — only at Anime Expo!
Based on the hit Japanese RPG, this premiere comes not only before the broadcast dub launches on FunimationNow later this summer, but it also comes before the first episode has even aired in Japan. Be one of the first people in the WORLD to watch the highly anticipated new anime!


Tales of Zestiria Panel, Screening and Guest Talk
Saturday, July 2 at 1:30 PM
Video 1 – Platinum Ballroom at the JW Marriott

The panel is presented with a guest talk as well, so be sure to stick around. The Tales of Zestiria the X anime comes to you from Ufotable, the studio behind such action-packed fantasy anime as Fate/Zero, Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, and God Eater, so you know the series will look awesome!
This dub premiere episode is a preliminary version created exclusively for this Anime Expo premiere, and some of the performances and casting will be changed for the final dub version. Look out for news about the official dub cast and the broadcast dub premiere date in the coming weeks, and be sure to watch the rest of the series when it comes out at funimation.com/talesofzestiria!