Merchandise Archives - Funimation

Inside the Hosoda Collection Edition of The Boy and The Beast

May 16, 2017 by Godswill Leave a Comment

The most recent film from award-winning director Mamoru Hosoda, The Boy and The Beast, is next in line for our premium Hosoda Collection line — and now you can get a sneak peek of what’s in this release! This release comes with extra on-disc extras that were not available on the previous versions released last year, so look out for some great behind-the-scenes content!

Similar to the previous Hosoda Collection titles (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, and Wolf Children) this release includes Blu-ray/DVD + Ultraviolet digital video, and commemorate the works of internationally acclaimed director Mamoru Hosoda. (Pre-order now—release date is July 4)! Like all Hosoda Collection releases, this one comes with a beautiful clear sleeve that unveils the main artwork.

August 2017 Blu-ray and DVD Releases

May 15, 2017 by Godswill 3 Comments

August 2017 will be downright beastly! From the magical powerhouses in Fairy Tail Collection Nine and the Fishman brutes in One Piece Season 9 to the Blu-ray re-release of Fruits Basket to the monstrous Shin Godzilla, you can bet that August is bringing the heat! Check out the full list of titles below!

February, March, and April 2017 Blu-ray and DVD Releases

January 19, 2017 by Godswill Leave a Comment

See what’s coming out this February, March, and April on Blu-ray and DVD!

January 2017 Home Video Releases

November 19, 2016 by Funimation

See what’s coming out in January for home video release!

Shomin Sample	GARO: CRIMSON MOON
Rurouni Kenshin Part 3: The Legend Ends	Fairy Tail: Collection 6
Aquarion Logos

Special Releases in February 2017 – Wolf's Rain and The Mystic Archives of Dantalian

November 11, 2016 by Funimation

See what we have planned coming out for February 2017 on home video!

The Mystic Archives of Dantalian

The Complete Series coming to DVD (Sub-only)!

Episodes 1-12

Release Date: February 14, 2017

From Studio Gainax, the folks behind some mega-hit titles such as Gurren Lagaan and Evangelion, comes another amazing title that we are excited to announce on home video! The Mystic Archives of Dantalian, originally a light novel series by Mikumo Gakuto, follows Sherlock Holmes style detective work and keeps fans in a constant atmosphere of mystery and suspense! If you’re a fan of shows like Gosick and Mushishi, then this is one title you cannot miss out on!

The Mystic Archives of Dantalian Summary:

From the talented minds of studio Gainax comes an adventurous collection of mysteries where real works of literature are woven into a supernatural world.

After his grandfather’s untimely death, Hugh Anthony Disward visits the estate of his inheritance where he discovers a library that’s out of this world. Embodying the archive is Dalian, a clever girl with a sharp tongue as biting as her sweet tooth. Circumstance leads to necessity, and she teaches Huey how to harness the power within—a handy trick to learn, seeing as it’s the only way to subdue the monsters brought forth by magical works of literature. These cursed tomes, known as Phantom Books, seem to always fall into the wrong hands. And while Huey and Dalian try to keep up with the paper trails, a friend from Huey’s childhood sits patiently in the depths of the mystic archives of Dantalian.

Wolf’s Rain

The Complete Series coming to Blu-ray/DVD!

Episodes 1-26, includes 4 OVAs

Release Date: February 7, 2017

In English Dub and Japanese with English Subtitles

We’re excited to announce that we are bringing the classic hit anime, Wolf’s Rain, on Blu-ray for the first time! What is really great about this release is that Wolf’s Rain is only available on Blu-ray in US and Canada; Japan has yet to release Wolf’s Rain on Blu-ray. Funimation worked closely with the licensor on the up-conversion from standard definition to high definition in-house giving you the chance to watch Wolf’s Rain remastered in HD! Also, Wolf’s Rain was broadcasted on Adult Swim™ back in 2004, and many of you may remember watching this show late at night. Animated by the amazing Studio BONES that brought you Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, My Hero Academia, Blood Blockade Battlefront, Space Dandy, and more, Wolf’s Rain is an action adventure anime that you do not want to miss out on! Fans of shonen and seinen anime will realize how entertaining and unique this show is.

Wolf’s Rain Summary:

Paradise—a legend, a myth, and a hopeless dream in a world that has become a wasteland. It is not meant for everyone, only the wolves thought to be extinct yet still roam the lands. When the Flower Maiden awakens, the path to the end will open.

Kiba, a lone white wolf, wanders into a poverty stricken city on a quest. The scent of Lunar Flowers and the will to find Paradise is all he has. Along the way, he runs into other outcast wolves—Tsume, Hige, and Toboe, each with their own story and troubles. Fate bringing them together, they seek out the Flower Maiden, Cheza, and their way to Paradise. But, doing so is no simple matter. Up against a world that fears them and a man with mysterious abilities, their journey is overrun with challenges and worse—sacrifices. With limited time, they must fight to protect Cheza against everyone who seeks her and discover the hidden path to their destiny.

This group of broken souls will form a pack and take their journey to the doors of Paradise. But is it worth the end of the world?

Filed Under: Announcement, Merchandise, New Releases, Shop Tagged With: February 2017, Home Video, The Mystic Archives of Dantalian, Wolf's Rain

December 2016 Home Video Releases

October 21, 2016 by Funimation

See what’s coming out in December for home video release!

Attack on Titan: The Movie – Part 2	Bikini Warriors
Rurouni Kenshin Part 2: Kyoto Inferno	Fairy Tail: Part 22
Ninja Slayer	Seiyu’s Life
Rampo Kitan: Game of Laplace	One Piece: Season 8, Voyag e 5
Sengoku BASARA – End of Judgement	Shakugan No Shana
Show By Rock!!

Sneak Peek of the Upcoming Summer Wars – Hosoda Collection release!

October 6, 2016 by Funimation

Last month, we announced that the beloved hit movie Summer Wars will be joining the Hosoda Collection, our premiere line of premium Blu-ray/DVD + Ultraviolet releases of the extraordinary films of director Mamoru Hosoda. Today, you can get a peek at what this release will look like—and a special preview excerpt of one of the interviews with the director!

Like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time’s release in the Hosoda Collection line, Summer Wars comes in a handsome clear sleeve, as well as an exclusive 52 page book of artwork, interviews and more. (Plus, as we mentioned previously, if you pre-order on Funimation.com, you’ll be entered to win a huge Summer Wars theatrical poster signed by English voice of Kenji, Michael Sinterniklaas.)

This art book is really special—not only does it include concept/character art and an interview with director Hosoda, you can also read about the film from pretty much every principal creative mind that touched the release, a real treat for any fans of, well, any aspect of anime, from animation to voice acting to music to writing and so much more. Interviews include:

– Director Mamoru Hosoda

– Animation Director Hiroyuki Aoyama

– Action Animation Director Tatsuzo Nishita

– Character Designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (of Evangelion fame!)

– Scriptwriter Satoko Okudera

– OZ Designer Anri Jojo

– Character Designers Takashi Okazaki and Mina Okazaki, who handled avatar designs

– Art Director Youji Takeshige

– Musician Akihiko Matsumoto

– Theme Song Artist Tatsuro Yamashita

There’s some really fascinating discussion about character design, animation styles, story themes, and more in this book. Don’t forget interviews with the original Japanese voice actors:

Character – Actor

– Kenji Koiso – Ryunosuke Kamiki

– Sakae Jinnouchi – Sumiko Fuji

– Natsuki Shinohara – Nanami Sakuraba

– Kazuma Ikezawa – Mitsuki Tanimura

The clear sleeve’s includes film vitals and reveals the artwork underneath. To make sure your clear sleeve arrives in pristine condition, we’re packaging the art book and disc case together and slipping the clear sleeve on top, rather than shrink wrapping everything together, in order to prevent warping.

Want a preview of the kinds of interviews you’ll find in the book? Here’s a very quick excerpt of the interview with Director Mamoru Hosoda himself.

Mamoru Hosoda instantly became known as a top Japanese animation director after his previous work, “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” (2006), won numerous awards around the world. Anime fans and movie fans alike eagerly await his newest film, “Summer Wars” – an all-new story that’s both an action movie and a movie about family. Just how did this unusual project begin?

In broad terms, “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” follows the changing feelings of Makoto, the main character. Although there are some action-like scenes, they’re more like expressions of her inner feelings than anything else. So, for my next movie, I thought it’d be interesting to have a boy as the main character and include more exhilarating action. My partner on “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time”, Satoko Okudera, loves action movies too and mentioned that she rarely gets the opportunity to write an action story. So I suggested the idea of doing an action movie together next.

We began with the idea of having the story take place in modern times with a Japanese main character. But when most people think of action films, they think of Hollywood movies, you know? And the main characters in those films are usually around 30 or 40 years old. So when we considered making a realistic action movie set in modern Japan, we asked ourselves if a Japanese man in his 30s or 40s could really save the world. I don’t know about you, but I’m a 40-year old Japanese man, and I don’t feel like I can save the world one bit. (laugh) Conversely, in the Japanese TV animation industry it’s usually boys and girls in junior high who save the world.

So we asked ourselves, if there was a non-Hollywood, non-anime Japanese character who could save the world, who would it be? That’s when the idea of a family popped into my mind. Rather than have a single hero, there could be a team that would work together. I thought the idea of a team of family members saving the world would be an interesting movie, and that’s where it all started.

Filed Under: Announcement, Behind The Scenes, Merchandise Tagged With: Hosoda Collection, Mamoru Hosoda, summer wars

November 2016 Home Video Releases

September 13, 2016 by Funimation

See what’s coming out in November for home video release!

Ergo Proxy (Blu-ray)	Psychic School Wars
Rurouni Kenshin Part 1: Origins	Snow White with the Red Hair
The Heroic Legend of Arslan	Hetalia – The World Twinkle (Season 6)
Omamori Himari	One Piece: Season 8, Voyage 4
Overlord	Sky Wizards Academy
Sword of the Stranger	Castle Town Dandelion
Chaos Dragon	Ultimate Otaku Teacher
Aquarion Logos	Good Luck! Ninomiya-kun
Prison School	Summer Wars – Hosoda Collection
Death Parade	Heavy Object
SHIMONETA

Hare Hare Yukai (Haruhi) Dance Contest

September 1, 2016 by Funimation

For Haruhi’s 10th anniversary, and its first release on Blu-ray in North America (order now here), we’re revving up our time machine (how does it work? That’s classified information) and asking you to bring back your Hare Hare Yukai moves—with the chance to win awesome prizes including a figure, books, and a HUGE banner of the goddess herself!

Music & Anime: A Relationship Editorial – Part 1 – Milan Review

August 26, 2016 by Funimation

This is the introduction to a personal multi-part editorial series, from social media coordinator Godswill Ugwa.

One of the most important elements of the anime genre is the music. From the opening of a series to the overall soundtrack right up to the ending of an episode, music has an important hand in crafting a series. Even outside of the show, music aids greatly in the promotion and in keeping the spirit of the show alive. Through this editorial series, I’ll be taking a look at many different aspects of the relationship of anime and music.

To start this editorial series off, I wanted to look at some soundtracks from some of the biggest musically-inclined anime this year, Blood Blockade Battlefront and The Boy and The Beast (Funimation titles only in this particular post). Our friends at Milan Records worked with us in creating soundtrack CDs, and I was lucky enough to grab a CD (or 2) for myself. I’m no expert when it comes to music — and definitely not a reviewer — I simply listened to each soundtrack and I am sharing my journey with each.

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2016	2017	2018