I’d like to think that one day I’ll muster the bravery required to commence finally digesting the epic phenomenon that is One Piece. It’s the animated series that never died after showing up on American shores back in 2004 from 4Kids Entertainment having crossed the pond from Japan’s own 1999 rollout from Toei Animation.
Anime Expo rolled out some of the best news ever for the fandom over the weekend, including theatrical updates with word that Funimation has ordered a September U.S. release for Tokyo Ghoul ‘S’. The film is currently due to premiere in Japan in two weeks while gearing up for a festival run at Fantasia which kicks off its 23rd installment a week earlier.
Three years since actor Kento Yamazaki took the spotlight for a ceremonial three-minute short celebrating the hit manga franchise, Kingdom, the JoJo’s Bizzare Adventure star is finally poised for a North American event screening on August 16.
With the series concurrently already underway, as of a week ago during SDCC 2018, Funimation Films is proudly carrying over the U.S. animated feature film release of My Hero Academia: Two Heroes. Voice actors Justin Briner and Christopher R. Sabat will tackle the respective performances of young aspiring superhero, Deku, and his mentor, All Might, on up to 400 screens in the U.S. and Canada with English dub screenings on September 25, 27 and 29, and in the original Japanese (w/ English subs) on September 26 and October 2.
With 2018 signaling the 20th anniversary of Watanabe Shinichiro’s cornerstone anime creation, Cowboy Bebop, Funimation already has the gears rolling with special collectors’ edition home releases of the hit show. The company is also setting forth a select theatrical re-releases of the hit 2001 animated movie accordingly on August 15th in Japanese with English subtitles, and on August 16th with English dub.
Wild 7 and Over Drive helmer Hasumi Eiichiro is finally being granted the stateside audience for Funkmation Films’ DVD/Blu-Ray/Fun Digital release, Assassination Classroom. Both the 2015 live-action adaptation of Yusei Matsui’s Jump manga and its 2016 sequel, Assassination Classroom: Graduation will get a subtitle-only package deal ahead of its August 7 release telling of the epic saga centered on a group of delinquent students secretly faced with saving the world from destruction at the hands of a teacher in the form of an alien they’ve come to love.
Riddled with gripping fight scenes and tasteful gore, this adaptation of Tokyo Ghoul brings the popular manga series to life like never before.
Actor Kubtoa Masataka stars with actress Shimizu Fumika with Aoi Yu, Suzuki Nobuyuki and Oizumi Yo also starring. Watch the new teaser and stay tuned for an official trailer.
Time or tell if whether or not the latest and celebrated Anno/Higuchi pairing for Shin Godzilla will amount with sequel prospects after some confusion stirring in March. For now, folks in North America can bask in their own forthcoming ownership of FUNimation’s Blu-Ray combo pack release on August 1.
An official trailer went live on Thursday which you can view below as pre-order information draws near. Check it out just above and view the following announcent and subsequent artwork just beneath.
U.S. label FUNimation Entertainment has dated its upcoming Blu-ray release of Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi’s film Shin Godzilla (2016), starring Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, Satomi Ishihara, Takahiro Miura, and Pierre Taki. The release will be available for purchase on August 1.
Synopsis: Make way for the ultimate homage to one of the most enduring legends of the big screen—Godzilla! The King of the Monsters is back in Tokyo for a city-crushing crusade that speaks to the very roots of the world-renowned franchise.
It’s a peaceful day in Japan when a strange fountain of water erupts in the bay, causing panic to spread among government officials. At first, they suspect only volcanic activity, but one young executive dares to wonder if it may be something different… something alive. His worst nightmare comes to life when a massive, gilled monster emerges from the deep and begins tearing through the city, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. As the government scrambles to save the citizens, a rag-tag team of volunteers cuts through a web of red tape to uncover the monster’s weakness and its mysterious ties to a foreign superpower. But time is not on their side—the greatest catastrophe to ever befall the world is about to evolve right before their very eyes.
Special Features and Specs:
• Godzilla vs. the Nerds: Interview
• Original Trailers
• Original Japanese Audio Track with
• English subtitles
• English Audio Track
Following last week’s announcement, the latest official trailer arrived for Funimation Films’s upcoming releases of the Attack On Titan compilation films. Both movies are comprised of elements from the anime series advance of Isayama Hajime’s popular manga with Araki Tetsuo at the helm.
The films, Attack on Titan Part 1 – Guren no Yumiya (The Crimson Bow And Arrow) and Attack on Titan Part 2 – Jiyuu no Tsubasa (Wings Of Freedom), are set in a dystopian world plagued with seemingly invincible man-eating giants called Titans. A century after the first attack, mankind’s last city is on the verge of destruction when the Titans re-emerge, devastating the inhabitants of Wall Maria, the outer segment of which there are three. It is in the wake of this attack when we meet Eren Yeager who, along with adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman join the military to fight the Titans and save their city. However, Yeager soon learns that he is able to transform into a Titan at will with an immense murderous intent toward other Titans, thus ensuing his own story of self-discovery with questions he must answer while fending off comrades who don’t know if they can trust him.
Attack on Titan Part 1 – Guren no Yumiya (The Crimson Bow And Arrow) and Attack on Titan Part 2 – Jiyuu no Tsubasa (Wings Of Freedom) will play with English dub in select theaters, respectively, in limited theaters later this month. Visit the official website for Funimation Films for the full theater list and more.
Before season two arrives, anime fans can now gather in line for their chance to catch the Attack on Titan recap films courtesy of Funimation. The films, Attack on Titan Part 1 – Guren no Yumiya (The Crimson Bow And Arrow) and Attack on Titan Part 2 – Jiyuu no Tsubasa (Wings Of Freedom), are two feature-length summations of the Araki Tetsuo-helmed animated series inspired by Isayama Hajime’s 2009 action horror manga about a dystopian world plagued with seemingly invincible man-eating giants called Titans.
One hundred years after the first attack, mankind’s last city is on the verge of destruction when the Titans re-emerge, devastating the inhabitants of Wall Maria, the outer segment of which there are three. It is in the wake of this attack when we meet Eren Yeager who, along with adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman join the military to fight the Titans and save their city. However, Yeager soon learns that he is able to transform into a Titan at will with an immense murderous intent toward other Titans, thus ensuing his own story of self-discovery with questions he must answer while fending off comrades who don’t know if they can trust him.
Attack on Titan Part 1 – Guren no Yumiya will play English dub on March 27 in 19 select Reading Cinemas outlets and Alamo Drafthouse theaters across the US. The sequel, which will premiere a new trailer for season two at the tail end, will play either on March 28 or 29 depending on the theater.
The official website for Funimation Films has the full theater list for more details.
Three years since the release of Warner Bros. Japan’s live-action adaptation, Black Butler, U.S. anime staple Funimation has announced the film as its latest acquisition for a May 2 release on Blu-Ray and DVD. Kentaro Otani and Keiichi Satou directed the film hailing from its roots at Square Enix from Yana Toboso’s 2006 manga publication.
SYNOPSIS:
Inspired by the hit anime series Black Butler, this live-action adaptation brings an all-new story featuring a familiar demon butler doing what butlers do best: helping their masters seek revenge.
The Black Butler is back—and there’s an all-new mystery to be solved. An alarming number of dignitaries from all over the world have turned up mummified with no clues about their murders except for a mysterious calling card, a tarot card, left behind at every crime scene.
This time, Sebastian serves Earl Kiyoharu Genpo. Together, they’re up to some familiar antics. There’s the mind-boggling mummy mystery that needs to be solved, plus there’s a more personal mystery involving Kiyoharu that needs to be solved as well. The two could possibly be linked, so it’ll take one hell of a butler to figure it out!
Starring are Hiro Mizushima in the title role along with actress Ayame Gōriki, and a cast that includes Ohno Takuro, Yuka, Kaito Ken, Mizuki Yamamoto, Maruyama Tomomi, Shirota Yu, Yasuda Ken, Hashimoto Satoshi, Shigaki Taro, Ibu Masato and Kishitani Goro. Funimation’s latest trailer is available below for the film’s release which will also host Japanese audio in addition to an English dub track and subtitles as well.
Check out the trailer below!
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FLOWER MOUND, Texas, Oct. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — The signature roar of Godzilla, King of the Monsters, will echo throughout North America tonight when “SHIN GODZILLA” opens in theaters. Funimation Films® will be screening the Japanese kaiju film in 534 theaters across the U.S. and Canada during its limited theatrical engagement from October 11 – 18. “SHIN GODZILLA” is the 29th film produced by Toho Co., Ltd. in the iconic science fiction monster franchise and is co-directed by Hideaki Anno (creator of “Evangelion”) and co- directed by Shinji Higuchi (director of Toho’s 2015 “Attack on Titan” live action movies). The movie has been a huge box office hit in Japan – grossing more than $68M at the box office in the two months since it opened and making it the 4th highest grossing film for 2016. Tickets for “SHIN GODZILLA” are available via the official film website.
Anime fans will soon get their chance to witness the next phase of the epic saga that is Toei’s latest venture, One Piece Film: Gold, in nearly 20 years following its succession as a popular manga, TV and film property. A feature film is also in the works as of June so time will tell how that one gets received, but needless to say, the ‘Gold”s prospects over the summer for its theatrical run in Japan have earned it an audience across the pond.
Read the announcement from Wednesday and stick this one on your 2017 calendar for further notice!
Funimation Films Set To Bring “One Piece Film: Gold” – Biggest ‘One Piece’ Movie Ever – To North America On January 10 – 17, 2017
New Blockbuster Film from Toei Animation Coming Soon to U.S. and Canadian Theaters
FLOWER MOUND, Texas, Oct. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Anime and “One Piece” fans across North America were thrilled today upon hearing the news that Funimation® Films has acquired the highly-anticipated, Japanese animated film “One Piece Film: Gold” from Toei Animation. The film, from Eiichiro Oda, original creator and executive producer of the “One Piece” anime series, is the 13th film in the franchise and the first since 2012. “One Piece Film: Gold” has been a smash hit in Japan and has grossed more than $47.8 million at the box office – making it the biggest ‘One Piece’ movie ever and the 6th highest grossing film of the year.
Funimation Films will distribute the movie in both the U.S. and Canada as a limited theatrical event from January 10 – 17, 2017. Ticket sales will be announced in the coming weeks. “Fans have been clamoring for news on ‘One Piece Film: Gold’ and we’re excited to announce that we’ll be bringing this blockbuster movie to U.S. and Canadian audiences,” said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and President of Funimation. “We’re confident that this film will create a new generation of fans for the franchise as well as grow the audience for its animated series.”
“One Piece Film: Gold” premiered this past summer in Japan on July 23, 2016, and grossed $10.9 million during its opening weekend with 821,100 tickets sold. The film has been well received by both fans and the media. Otaku USA Magazine praised it saying, “Gold manages to accomplish the goals of any good summer popcorn flick, filling its two-hour runtime with laughs and large-scale action set pieces.”
“‘One Piece Film: Gold’ is a new milestone for the world-wide phenomena that is ‘One Piece,’” said Mike DuBoise, EVP and COO of Funimation. “We’re pleased to add this film to our long history with the ‘One Piece’ franchise. Fans will not be disappointed when they see it in theaters.”
Synopsis
The Straw Hat pirates are hitting the big screen once again in an all-new high-flying adventure! The popular series that has captivated fans all over the world unfolds a new saga in the highly anticipated movie, “One Piece Film: Gold.”
The glittering Gran Tesoro, a city of entertainment beyond the laws of the government, is a sanctuary for the world’s most infamous pirates, Marines, and filthy rich millionaires. Drawn by dreams of hitting the jackpot, Captain Luffy and his crew sail straight for the gold. But behind the gilded curtains lies a powerful king whose deep pockets and deeper ambitions spell disaster for the Straw Hats and the New World alike.
Monster movies aren’t going away anytime soon and certainly in the wake of Japan’s biggest stake, Shin Godzilla, stooping high to both critical and commercial acclaim for Japanese cinema in 2016. The film has since rolled out in a few territories across Asia and will now soon make its way to the U.S. via Funimation Films with screen dates set for October 11 through 18.
SYNOPSIS:
Make way for the ultimate homage to one of the most enduring legends of the big screen—Godzilla! The King of the Monsters is back in Tokyo for a city-crushing crusade that speaks to the very roots of the world-renowned franchise.
It’s a peaceful day in Japan when a strange fountain of water erupts in the bay, causing panic to spread among government officials. At first, they suspect only volcanic activity, but one young executive dares to wonder if it may be something different… something alive. His worst nightmare comes to life when a massive, gilled monster emerges from the deep and begins tearing through the city, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. As the government scrambles to save the citizens, a rag-tag team of volunteers cuts through a web of red tape to uncover the monster’s weakness and its mysterious ties to a foreign superpower. But time is not on their side—the greatest catastrophe to ever befall the world is about to evolve right before their very eyes.
The official U.S. trailer arrived last week but if this is your first look, you can now watch it below, and then get your tickets today!
Thus, the good folks at Funimation Films heard the call and now by way of the gang over at Sci-Fi Japan, Shin Godzilla is roaring online in the first official poster which you can view below. All that and more can be read in the subsequent press release which highlights the dates of the film’s U.S. limited theatrical run.
Funimation Films Secures Rights To “SHIN GODZILLA” Movie Throughout The Americas
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