New Anime Licenses @ AX 2014

[Tsu.Ku.Yo.Mi]

I'm surprised no one made this yet, and before you ask, no I'm not at the Anime Expo nor do I know where the hell it's at...

 

All of these are sources from ANN.

 

FUNimation licenses Shounen Hollywood - Holly Stage for 49

 

FUNimation Entertainment announced on Thursday that it has the streaming and home video rights for Shōnen Hollywood - Holly Stage for 49-. The stream will premiere on Funimation's website on July 5 at 1:30 p.m. EDT.

Funimation describes the series:

These boys won't stop till they make it to the top! Fifteen years ago, the legendary idol group Shōnen Hollywood stole the hearts of thousands adoring fans. Their performance at the famous Hollywood

Tokyo Theater

is the stuff of legend, and now a new group of boys is determined to become the next generation of this famed super group. Ikuma, Kakeru, Shun, Kira, and Daiki will train day and night as they chase their dreams on the road to superstardom!

Shōnen Hollywood is a television anime series inspired by Ikuyo Hashiguchi's mixed-media project Shōnen Hollywood and produced by anime studio ZEXCS (Diabolik Lovers, Cuticle Detective Inaba) and the music label Starchild Records. Shogakukan Bunko published Hashiguchi's original popular novel Shōnen Hollywood in July 2012. The Shōnen Hollywood project already inspired a popular live-action production that Hashiguchi also created.

Hashiguchi herself is in charge of the series scripts, and Toshimasa Kuroyanagi (Say, "I Love You".) is directing the anime. Kei Tsuchiya (Aruvu Rezuru - Kikai Jikake no Yōsei-tachi) is designing the characters and serving as chief animation director. Yuka Hirama is the art director, and Tetsuji Hayashi is scoring the soundtrack.

The cast members Ryota Ohsaka (as Kakeru Kazama), Daiki Yamashita (as Kira Saeki), Tetsuya Kakihara (as Ikuma Amaki), Shouta Aoi (as Daiki Tomii), and Kensho Ono (as Shun Maiyama) are singing the opening theme song "Hello Sekai" (Hello World) as the titular group Shōnen Hollywood (pictured from left to right in the image below). The CD single for the song will go on sale on August 13 with the song "Eien never ever," as well as vocal-less versions of the songs.

 

FUNi acquired Barakamon, Black Butler - Book of Circus, Sengoku Basara: Judge End, and Psycho Pass

Also: Psycho-Pass season 2, extended edition, film

FUNimation Entertainment announced at its Anime Expo panel on Saturday that it has acquired streaming and home video rights for Barakamon, Sengoku Basara: Judge End, Black Butler: Book of Circus, Psycho-Pass 2, and the extended edition of Psycho-Pass. In addition, the company has also added the home video rights for the Psycho-Pass film.

Funimation describes Barakamon:

An aspiring artist's world is about to be turned upside down. Seishu exiles himself to a small island to rediscover his passion as a calligrapher after violently attacking one of his most vocal critics. While the Goto Islands appear to be a tranquil paradise on the surface, this young mapmaker soon learns that wacky neighbors and hyperactive children just might provide him the sense of humor he needs on his journey towards self-discovery.

Kinema Citrus (Yuyushiki, Code:Breaker) is producing Barakamon for Nippon TV. Masaki Tachibana (Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in The Sky) is directing the series off of Pierre Sugiura's (Yuyushiki, Bottom Biting Bug) scripts. Majiro (Nagareboshi Lens) is handling the character designs, and Kenji Kawai (Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit, Patlabor 2: The Movie) is handling the music.

The series stars Daisuke Ono (Noragami, Magi - The Kingdom of Magic, Attack on Titan) as Seishū Handa and child voice actress Suzuko Hara as 7-year-old Naru Kotoishi. Episode zero of the Mijikamon series, anime shorts inspired by Satsuki Yoshino's original Barakamon manga, began streaming on Thursday.

Funimation has yet to announce stream times. Crunchyroll will also stream the series as it airs.

Sengoku Basara: Judge End will stream on Saturdays at 1:05 p.m. EDT. The series is based on CAPCOM's 2010 game Sengoku Basara 3 (Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes), and it will depict the epic Battle of Sekigahara. NTV's English website lists the anime as Sengoku Basara -Judgement- with 12 episodes.

Takashi Sano (animation director for Lupin III: Crisis in Tokyo, episode director for Blood+ and Blassreiter) is directing the series. Natsuko Takahashi (Moyashimon, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0) is handling the series composition. Michinori Chiba (Basilisk, Mobile Suit Gundam 00, Gundam AGE) is handling the character designs, and Yumenosuke Tokuda (Naruto Shippūden) and Toshimitsu Kobayashi (Spice and Wolf II, Senran Kagura, Fate/stay night) are serving as chief animation directors. CAPCOM's Hiroyuki Kobayashi and Makoto Yamamoto are credited with original concept supervision, and Telecom Animation Film is producing the animation.

The first episode of Black Butler: Book of Circus will launch on Thursday at 3:50 p.m. and stream weekly on Thursdays at 3:20 p.m. Funimation describes the series:

In Victorian London, the breathtaking performances of the Noah's Ark Circus have captured the attention of people all across the city. But the spell of magic and wonderment woven under the big top is not without consequences. Children have suddenly begun to vanish, and some suspect these mysterious performers are responsible. In an attempt to get to the bottom of these disturbing disappearances, the dashing duo of demon butler, Sebastian Michaelis, and his young master, Ciel Phantomhive, will infiltrate the circus and uncover whatever darkness may lie at its core!

Daisuki is also streaming the series as it airs.

Psycho-Pass 2 will premiere this fall and continue the story of the original Psycho Pass anime, which premiered on Fuji TV's late-night Noitamina programming block last year. Funimation streamed the 22-episode series as it aired and released the series on DVD.

The "new edit version" will take the first series and re-cut it into 11 one-hour episodes with new cuts of footage. Funimation will stream the first episode on Thursday at 1:40 and subsequent episodes every Thursday at 1:20.

Psycho-Pass takes place in the near future, when it is possible to instantaneously measure and quantify a person's state of mind and personality. This information is recorded and processed, and the term "Psycho->Pass" in the anime's title refers to a standard used to measure an individual's being. The story centers around the "enforcement officer" Shinya Kōgami (Tomokazu Seki) who is tasked with managing crime in such a world. Naoyoshi Shiotani (Blood+, Tokyo Marble Chocolate) directed the series, Gen Urobuchi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero) wrote and edited the scripts, and Akira Amano (Reborn!) designed the characters.

The film is slated to premiere in Japan this winter.

 

 

There is a source about them licensing Free! Eternal Summer but I haven't found it yet for some reason...

 

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Sentai Filmworks licenses Hitsugi no Chaika, 7 other summer titles

 

Blue Spring Ride, Argevollen, Akame ga KILL!, Invaders of the Rokujyōma!?, Rail Wars!, Sabagebu!, Glasslip announced

Sentai Filmworks announced at its Anime Expo Panel on Friday that it has licensed the following titles: Chaika the Coffin Princess, Argevollen (Shirogane no Ishi Argevollen), Blue Spring Ride (Ao Haru Ride), Akame ga KILL!, Invaders of the Rokujyōma!?, Rail Wars!, Sabagebu! -Survival Game Club!-, and Glasslip.

Chaika the Coffin Princess centers around Toru Acura, a 20-year-old retired soldier meandering through life now that the war has ended. He encounters Chaika Trabant, a 14-year-old sorceress carrying a coffin and follows her in hopes of finding meaning to his life again. The two travel with Toru's adopted sister, Akari, the employed member of the group and thus Toru's source of income. The first season premiered in April, and Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired in Japan. A second season is slated for October.

Argevollen takes place in a world where two countries, Arandas and Ingelmia, have been warring against each other for a very long time. Tokimune, a young man belonging to the eighth autonomous unit of Arandas, saves a girl named Jamie when she is attacked by enemy forces. In order to survive, he rides the new weapon Argevollen and fights.

Atsushi Ootsuki (Kanokon: The Girl Who Cried Fox, To Love-Ru -Trouble- Darkness, Wagnaria!! Season 2) is directing the original anime at Xebec. Tatsuo Sato (Basquash!, Bodacious Space Pirates, Shingu: Secret of the Stellar Wars) is in charge of the series scripts. Yūichi Oka (To Love-Ru, Softenni) is designing the characters, while Hirame Kikuchi (The Pilot's Love Song) and Kenji Teraoka (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Mobile Suit Gundam 00) are designing the mecha.

The series premiered on Crunchyroll on Thursday.

Blue Spring Ride adapts a manga series by Io Sakisaka. The story revolves around Futaba, a girl who was in love with a boy named Kō Tanaka in middle school. However, after a misunderstanding, their relationship as friends ends when he transfers schools over summer vacation. In high school, her world is turned around once again when she meets Kō again, this time under the name of Kō Mabuchi.

Ai Yoshimura (My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU) is directing the series at Production I.G and Tomoko Konparu (Kimi ni Todoke, Uta no Prince-sama - Maji Love 1000%, Sunday Without God,) is in charge of the scripts.

The series will premiere on Monday.

Akame ga KILL! adapts the manga series written by Takahiro with art by Tetsuya Tashiro. The dark action fantasy manga follows the title character, Akame, a girl who was bought, and raised by the Empire as an assassin. After meeting Akame, a boy named Tatsumi vows to stand up to the evil of the corrupt Empire with the secret assassin group Night Raid and special weapons known as Teigu.

Tomoki Kobayashi (Tears to Tiara, sola) is directing the anime, and Makoto Uezu (Danganronpa The Animation, Qwaser of Stigmata) is in charge of the series scripts with original creator Takahiro supervising the scenario. Kazuhisa Nakamura (Jormungand) is designing the characters, and Taku Iwasaki (Black Butler, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Gatchaman Crowds) is composing the music.

The series will premiere on Monday and run for half a year.

Invaders of the Rokujyōma!? adapts a light novel series by Takehaya. The "apartment comedy" centers around Kōtarō Satomi, a boy who started to live by himself to attend a high school. He fortunately discovered a very cheap, tiny (six-mat or rokujyōma) room for 5,000 yen (about US$50) a month, and began his new life there. However, when he moved into that room 106 in the Korona complex, some unexpected "roommates" began appearing one by one.

Shin Oonuma (Baka and Test - Summon the Beasts, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya, ef: a tale of melodies) will direct the anime at animation studio SILVER LINK (Dusk maiden of Amnesia, Kokoro Connect), and original creator Takehaya will serve as series director. Poko provided the original character designs, and Hideki Furukawa will adapt the character designs for the anime, and will also act as storyboard director. Shogo Yasukawa will handle series composition, Ryosuke Nakanishi will score the soundtrack, and Zero-A will produce the music.

The series will premiere on Friday.

Rail Wars! adapts Takumi Toyoda's Rail Wars! -Nihon Kokuyū Tetsudō Kōantai- (Rail Wars! Japanese National Railways Security Force) light novel series. The series premiered on Thursday in Japan and Crunchyroll will stream the first episode on Saturday. Crunchyroll describes the series:

In a parallel world where Japan has not privatized any of its railways, Naoto Takayama is an ordinary high school student who dreams of being a train conductor for the Japanese National Railways. He is assigned as to the Tokyo Central Railway Public Security Office. He is teamed up with Aoi Sakurai, a strong willed woman who excels in marksmanship and close combat, Haruka Koumi, who has an extraordinary memory, Sho Iwaizumi, a hot-blooded man who relies on brute force. From lost children to bombings, Naoto must lead this team, despite not having any special strength!

Yoshifumi Sueda (Haitai Nanafa, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood episode director) is directing the anime at animation studio Passione (Haitai Nanafa) with series composition by Masashi Suzuki (The Sacred Blacksmith, Shuffle!). Makoto Uno (Love Hina, The Qwaser of Stigmata) serves as character designer and chief animation director, and Sayaka Koiso serves as chief animation director and sub-character designer. Yuushi Koshida (Kids on the Slope, Last Exile -Fam, The Silver Wing-) is the CGI director, and Yoshiaki Fujisawa (Love Live! School idol project, The Eccentric Family) composes the music.

The story of Hidekichi Matsumoto's original Sabagebu! manga, which is running in Kodansha's Nakayoshi shojo magazine, revolves around Momoka Sonokawa, a girl who transferred into a certain girls' high school. The club she ended up joining at school was the "Sabagebu!," a club that conducts survival games.

Masahiko Ohta (Yuruyuri - Happy Go Lily) is directing the anime from scripts by Takashi Aoshima (Kotoura-san) at Pierrot Plus (Beelzebub, Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee). Masashi Kudo is designing the characters.

The series will premiere on Sunday.

Crunchyroll began streaming P.A. Works' original anime Glasslip on Thursday, and describes the series:

Glasslip follows the story of Toko Fukami, an aspiring glass-blower whose family runs a glass-working business. During the summer, she and her four friends meet a transfer student, Kakeru Okikura, who claims that a voice from the future lead him to Toko. His arrival sets off a chain of events for the six of them that will make their final summer together full of hope and heartache.

Toshie Honda is the art director, while Kōsuke Haruta is the 3D director. Naomi Nakano is the color key artist, and Ayumu Takahashi is editing. Kouji Tsujitani is directing the sound, and Infinite is producing.

 

Sentai licenses NouCome and Yuushibu

 

Both series from fall 2013 season to ship in N. America in November

North American anime distributor Sentai Filmworks announced at its Anime Expo panel on Friday that it will also release the NouCome (My mental choices are completely interfering with my school romantic comedy) and Yu-sibu (I couldn't become a hero, so I reluctantly decided to get a job.) television anime series. The company will release both series in November.

The anime adaptation of Takeru Kasukabe's Ore no Nōnai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Come o Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru (NouCome for short) light novel series centers around Kanade Amakusa (played by Toshiyuki Toyonaga), a boy cursed with the mental power of "absolute multiple-choice" — a multiple-choice quiz will suddenly appear in his mind, and the choice he makes will become his reality. For example, he would have to choose between going nude from the waist up or the waist down in school. While in school, he is given another choice: 1) A beautiful girl will fall before him or 2) he will fall from the rooftop in female clothes. He chooses option 1, and a blonde girl named Chocolat (Kaori Sadohara) falls before him.

Additional cast members include Yui Kondou as Furano Yukihira, Ayumi Tsuji as Ōka Yūōji, Misato as Konagi Yawakaze, Naomi Ōzora as Yuragi Hakoniwa, Hiromi Igarashi as Seira Kokubyakuin, Rei Matsuzaki as Ayame Reikadō, Akiko Yajima as Utage Douraku, and Jouji Nakata as Narrator.

Takayuki Inagaki directed the anime at animation studio Diomedea off of scripts by Hiroko Kanasugi. Chief animation director Hiroyuki Saida also provided the character designs. The 12-episode series premiered in October 2013 and Crunchyroll streamed the series as it aired.

The anime adaptation of Jun Sakyō's Yūsha ni Narenakatta Ore wa Shibushibu Shūshoku o Ketsui Shimashita. (Yu-sibu) light novels revolves around boy named Raul, who did not get a chance to become a Hero, since the demon lord was already defeated just before his Hero exams. His dreams dashed, Raul spends his days working at a Magic Shop in the capital. One day, a part-time job seeker appears at the shop with an amazing résumé:

Name: Fino

Previous Occupation: Demon Lord Heir

Motive: Because my father was defeated

The work comedy revolves around this former Hero-in-training and the daughter of the demon lord.

Kinji Yoshimoto (Genshiken 2, Queen's Blade 2: The Evil Eye) directed the anime at studio asread (The Future Diary, Shuffle!). Tetsuya Takeuchi (Yomigaeru Sora - RESCUE WINGS -) adapted Masaki Inuzumi's novel illustrations for the animation character designs, and Masashi Suzuki (Kanokon: The Girl Who Cried Fox, Shuffle!, Oda Nobuna no Yabō) was in charge of the series scripts. Azusa Tadokoro and Keisuke Koumoto starred as Fino Bloodstone and Raul Chaser respectively. ZAQ performed the opening theme song "Extra Revolution." The 12-episode series premiered last October, and Crunchyroll streamed the series as it aired.

 

Right Stuf adds Azazel-san, Yakitate!! Japan, and Suteki Tantei Labyrinith

 

Also: Space Pirate Mito rescued

North American anime retailer and licensor Right Stuf announced at its Anime Expo panel on Saturday that it licensed the Yakitate!! Japan television anime, the Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san television anime, and the Suteki Tantei Labyrinth television anime. Right Stuf is also licensed the Space Pirate Mito television anime, after it was previously released by Media Blasters.

 

Honestly we know Sentai is already kicking FUNi's ass in terms of licensing new stuff, but I'm wondering...no Fate/Kaleid 2 yet? Also, surprised FUNi, of all people, licensed Free!

 

 

Why, FUNi.....why?

Edited July 6, 2014 by Tsu.Ku.Yo.Mi