As we end our “12 Days of Anime” countdown, we take a look at what 2014 has in store for us.

We’re rolling out our simulcast announcements for Winter 2014! That’s right, it’s a tease. I know the anticipation is gonna kill you, but you’ll just have to be patient!

You should already be acquainted with Space Dandy. The entire creative team behind Cowboy Bebop is back, and for the first time ever, Adult Swim will be broadcasting the English Dub of a series on the same day as TV broadcast in Japan! Space Dandy premieres on Toonami on January 4th at 11:30 pm. Check your local listings for details.

synopsis:

And now the first of our new announcements! Noragami will be joining our 2014 Winter simulcast lineup.

synopsis:

Yato may just be a minor god now, but he’s determined to make it big and he’s got a plan. Unfortunately, things just don’t seem to be going his way. He doesn’t have a single shrine dedicated to him, his partner has just quit, and now he’s got to find a new divine weapon. Just when things look bleak, he meets a girl named Hiyori and changes her life forever.

We’ll have a simulcast date and time for you soon, so stay tuned! We’ve got 3 more simulcasts to announce, but you’ll just have to wait til tomorrow to find out more! Make sure you come back as we unveil the next one!

But wait! That’s not all, we’ve got one more special announcement. We have acquired rights to the live action Space Battleship Yamato movie. A cult classic from the glory days of anime blazes to life in this feature-length sci-fi epic starring Takuya Kimura (Redline, Howl’s Moving Castle)!

synopsis:
The year is 2199. Mankind teeters on the brink of extinction as the Gamilas, a heinous race of alien invaders, wage an endless war for the right to inhabit the Earth. The last hope for humanity lies on the distant planet of Iskander, and the only battleship capable of attempting the journey is the legendary Yamato. Armed with the devastatingly-powerful Wave Motion Cannon, grizzled Captain Okita and the Yamato’s crew venture boldly into the darkest depths of space. The Gamilas attack at every turn, but fallen hero Susumu Kodai and ace pilot Yuki Mori fight side-by-side for the future of their world. Together, these young lovers unlock the secrets of Iskander – only to face a harrowing voyage home that only one of them will survive!

The movie will hit shelves in 2014.

So, what did you think of our “12 Days of Anime” countdown? Are you looking forward to what 2014 has in store for you?

This Just In: 6:14 am, North Pole Festive Time

Reports breaking from the North Pole early this morning suggest that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer may be unable to guide Santa’s sleigh on its annual Christmas Eve delivery run. An unnamed source in Santa’s workshop claims that Rudolph got ahold of some bad eggnog and hasn’t left the bathroom since the 8th day of Christmas. Stay tuned for more on this top story.

Updated: 9:35 am, North Pole Festive Time

As panic spread throughout the under-twelve crowd, Santa Claus called a press conference to announce that he’d summoned the world-renowned physician Tony Tony Chopper of the Straw Hat pirates. “I’ve got no other choice,” stated Santa. “Chopper is the only chance we’ve got at saving Christmas. If that little tanuki doesn’t come through for us, they’ll be more heartbroken children in the morning than I care to imagine.” When reached for comment, Chopper had this to say: “I’m a reindeer – not a tanuki! But I’ll still help Santa because a good doctor never turns his back on a patient.”

Updated: 3:45 pm, North Pole Festive Time

News out of the North is bleak indeed, friends, as Tony Tony Chopper wraps up his examination of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. “Rudolph is very sick,” said Chopper. “His stomach hurts terribly, and his nose is hardly glowing at all. I haven’t seen a patient this ill since Sanji nearly bled to death after meeting the mermaids of Fishman Island.” Outside the examination room, Mr. and Mrs. Claus have sequestered themselves in a giant gingerbread house, and the elves have locked themselves in the workshop, barricading the doors with jumbo sized candy canes. As Santa’s scheduled departure time draws near, this reporter finds himself wondering if Christmas will be cancelled.

Updated: 6 pm, North Pole Festive Time

A heroic little reindeer is the story of the hour here at the North Pole. With Rudolph too sick to fly, Tony Tony Chopper has bravely volunteered to guide Santa’s sleigh as they deliver toys to all the good little boys and girls. “I just can’t say enough about Chopper’s Christmas spirit,” said Santa. “He’s stepping up when I need him most. He’ll be a permanent fixture on my ‘nice’ list if he can guide me through the night.” Skeptics have pointed out that Chopper, while an accomplished physician, does not know how to fly. But the smallest Straw Hat of them all refuses to let mere physics stand in his way. “My friend Franky is SUPER!” said Chopper. “He can turn into a robot, and he’s great with gadgets. He’s using some dials we had left over from the Skypiea trip to turn me into the Chopper the Amazing Blue-Nosed Flying Reindeer! SO COOL!”

There you have it, folks. Chopper the Amazing Blue-Nosed Flying Reindeer is stepping up to the plate to save Christmas. Whether or not he makes it is anyone’s guess, but this reporter will be cheering him on. If you should hear something up on your roof tonight, sneak outside and try to snap a picture of Santa and his little buddy Chopper!

Merry Christmas to all!

For more Chopper, check out episodes of One Piece on http://onepieceofficial.com

So, we’re always getting fans asking us “What’s the music in this trailer?” and “Where can I download this music?!”

Seems like the trailer music for Jormungand was no exception, and we’ve gotten quite a few requests for a download of the song. That brings us to the 11th Day of our “12 Days of Anime” countdown.

Head on over to http://funimation.com/jormungand and go to the Extras section for a FREE digital download of the music from our trailer. The song is titled “Uroboros” and it is an original piece from one of our Sound & Composition guys, Andrew Manson.

Do you enjoy the music in our trailers and promotional videos? Did you know that most of the music we use on these trailers, clips, and promo videos are actually original pieces composed in house at FUNimation?

Don’t forget to pre-order your copy of Jormungand today! Seasons One and Two will be available on BD/DVD Combo on Feb. 18th, 2014. Click here to order.

Everyone here at FUNimation headquarters is out-of-their-minds excited to be a part of the awesome that is Space Dandy. We bet we’re not the only ones, but just in case you were running low on reasons to geek out over the Dandy, we put a list together.

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We’ve got one final main cast member to add for Psycho-Pass. Dominator will be voiced by Stephanie Young! Stephanie’s previous credits include Nico Robin in “One Piece,” Arachne in “Soul Eater,” and Juiz in “Eden of the East.”

And with that, our Psycho-pass main cast is complete! Here’s the full cast list for you:

Character – Actor

Shion Karanomori – Lydia Mackay
Yayoi Kunizuka – Lindsay Seidel
Tomomi Masaoka – Jason Douglas
Shusei Kagari – Scott Freeman
Nobuchika Ginoza – Josh Grelle
Shogo Makishima – Alex Organ
Akane Tsunemori – Kate Oxley
Shinya Kogami – Robert McCollum
Yuki Funahara – Alexis Tipton
Toyohisa Senguji – Charlie Campbell
Rikako Oryo – Brina Palencia
Shoko Sugawara – Jamie Marchi
Choe Gu-Sung – David Wald
Kaori Minase – Michelle Rojas
Joshu Kasei – Linda Leonard
Dominator – Stephanie Young
Komissa – Jād Saxton
Jouji Saiga – Michael Federico

ADR Director – Zach Bolton
ADR Engineer – Cris George
Head Writer – John Burgmeier

And now for your very first look at the English dub for Psycho-Pass!

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The Anime news site Capsule Computers is having their first ever “Capsule Computers Anime of the Year Awards” and FUNimation has nominees in many of the categories. What do you think of the nominees? Who would you pick to win?

Anime of the Year
Attack on Titan

Best Anime Release of the Year (US)
High School DxD

Best Anime of Spring 2013
The Devil is a Part-Timer
Attack on Titan

Best Anime Movie
Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo

Best Animation
Attack on Titan

Best Sequel
High School DxD New

Best Theme Song
Attack on Titan OP1

Best Score
Attack on Titan

Day 8 of our “12 Days of Anime” countdown is for you crafty people out there. If you subscribe to Otaku USA, you might have seen our insert on how to make your own pair of Wolf Children cosplay ears. In case you didn’t, we’re uploading the pattern for you to on our Wolf Children official website (http://wolfchildrenmovie.com.)

Just go to the Extras section on the official site and download the printable pattern. Watch the step-by-step video above for how to put your ears together.  We’ve got a bunch of other adorable freebies on the site too, so be sure to check those out while you’re there! (more…)

We recently ran a scavenger hunt where Fairy Tail fans had to visit specific partner websites, including Anime News Network, Rooster Teeth, the Fairy Tail Podcast, etc. on certain days in order to “find Happy.” So, on the 7th day of our “12 Days of Anime” countdown we are giving you all the “hidden” treasure from our Fairy Tail scavenger hunt! You don’t even need to follow a map or anything!

Click the links below to download the goodies:

Fairy Tail Screencap Pack
Fairy Tail Mobile Wallpaper
Fairy Tail Door Hanger 1
Fairy Tail Desktop Wallpaper
Fairy Tail Door Hanger 2
Fairy Tail Momon Paper Craft
Fairy Tail Happy Paper Craft

Happy Character Pack
Natsu Character Pack
Lucy Character Pack

Each of the character packs contain:

* Character Mobile Wallpaper (various sizes)
* Character Avatar
* 2 Character Message Tones (in mp3 format)

And as an extra special bonus treat, here’s a download of Todd Haberkorn recording a voicemail for you as Natsu! Click here to download.

Does that get you fired up? Fairy Tail the Movie: Phoenix Priestess is available now on BD/DVD Combo. Click here to order now.

We’re sneaking another little surprise in the mix for our “12 Days of Anime” countdown–a magical surprise!

If you’ve been paying attention to the Subscription Schedule on our site, you may have noticed that A Certain Magical Index Season 2 has quietly made its way on there. We’re going to lay to rest any speculation and announce right now that we’ve got the home video rights for A Certain Magical Index II AND A Certain Magical Index the Movie.

A Certain Magical Index II will be streaming 2 episodes per week for our Subscribers starting January 14th, and for non subscribers on January 31st. You’ll be able to watch the episodes on http://funimation.com/a-certain-magical-index.

We do not currently have a confirmed released date on these titles; however, as soon as we do we’ll let you all know!

So, what do you think? Are you looking forward to more Index?

If you aren’t already an Elite Video Subscriber, for a limited time you can sign up for 30-day FREE trial! Just go to http://funimation.com/subscribe for more info.

It has been announced today, that due to the overwhelming theatrical demand for Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, the release date for the Blu-ray and DVD, Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo, has been delayed to a TBD date in 2014.

Once a new release date has been decided we will announce this information on our website www.funimation.com. Evangelion: 3.0 hits theaters beginning January 10, 2014. To look for a theater in your area please refer to: http://www.elevenarts.net/evangelion3.theater.html

Don’t see a screening in your city? Then “Demand It” on Eventful.com! If there is enough demand for it, then a screening will be added in your area.