Ask A FUNimation Rep!

[Chad Bonin]

[Please read through the thread and make sure that there isn't an influx of unanswered questions, or that your question hasn't already been asked, before posting.]

As big as Toon Zone is, it's no surprise that we'd have the occassional official employee of an animé company show up.

If you're observant, you might have noticed an lheiskell post on the Adult Swim board. Lance is the Brand Manager for FUNimation's animé, can sing the Spiral theme song, and is a generally great guy. If you've been to a convention where FUNimation had a presence, you've probably met him.

Lance has agreed to be part of a questions and answers thread. You ask a question, and when Lance gets the time, he'll come here and answer them. Remember that Lance is a regular guy, so he may not have the time to look at this thread like a hawk, so please understand this.

We will remind you of the Toon Zone rules, and that any bashing will result in a warning.

A quick refresher course of FUNimation productions...
Blue Gender, Burst Angel, Case Closed, Dragonball/Z/GT, Fruits Basket, Fullmetal Alchemist, Kiddy Grade, Kodocha, Galaxy Railways, Grappler Baki, Lupin the 3rd (Movies), Sakura Taisen, Samurai 7, Spiral, Tenchi Muyo (OVA Part 3), Tenchi Muyo GXP, and Yu-Yu Hakusho. They are also releasing the uncut Shaman King and Yu-Gi-Oh.

ADDENDUM
Please, read the thread before posting. A question you may ask might have already been asked.

 

[Duke]

1) So...when is FUNi going to release Episodes 5-52 of Case Closed on DVD?

2) Can you confirm which of the original VAs have agreed to come back for Tenchi Muyo! OAV3?

3) How exactly does the deal to release 4Kids' DVDs go? Does 4Kids just give you the episodes and leave design, extras, etc. all up to you guys, or does 4Kids give very specific terms on what it wants to see on the DVD?

 

[Yash]

Three questions:

1) When will the Saiyan/Namek DBZ DVDs come out, and will they be in sets or single discs?

2) Do you plan on releasing anymore 4Kids properties Uncut onto DVD (One Piece, Tokyo Mew Mew...)?

3) Any details on a planned Anime network?

 

[Lord Dalek]

Any estimate about when the uncut seasons 1 and 2 of DBZ will be out?

 

[Duke]

Any estimate about when the uncut seasons 1 and 2 of DBZ will be out?

FUNi said at Otakon (and it's also on the Toonami DVD Guide), that they would be released around Spring/Summer '05.

 

[Jude Santos]

WhEn wIll yoU rEleeeeasE nAruto on dVd!?!?


but seriously,

What exactly is the company planning on doing with the joint venture with ADV and Geneon, and how will it benefit the anime loving fans? From reading the PR, it says "development and marketing of Anime", that's great and all, but it must be sometihng really special. One company can develop and market an anime, with no help from any other companies, so it would help if we get a clearer answer than "development and marketing of Anime".

 

[Riza Hawkeye]

2 FMA questions

1) Can you confirm whether Fullmetal Alchemist's songs will be dubbed? I've heard that Sony has not given the rights to the songs to FUNimation to dub them and am just looking for confirmation.

2) Can you tell me what will be the closing theme(s) played during Fullmetal Alchemist's Adult Swim run?

 

[Beat]

WhEn wIll yoU rEleeeeasE nAruto on dVd!?!?


but seriously,

What exactly is the company planning on doing with the joint venture with ADV and Geneon, and how will it benefit the anime loving fans? From reading the PR, it says "development and marketing of Anime", that's great and all, but it must be sometihng really special. One company can develop and market an anime, with no help from any other companies, so it would help if we get a clearer answer than "development and marketing of Anime".

That was my question as well.

Also, do you have any desire to distribute your anime library to channels besides Cartoon Network?

 

[bigddan11]

1) So...when is FUNi going to release Episodes 1-52 of Case Closed on DVD?

Maybe you just haven't paid attention, but episodes 1 through 4 of Case Closed are out on DVD. They were released the same day as episodes 53 through 55.

 

[Killtacular]

I'd like to know what the status of Kodocha is. I know that FUNi was pitching it to Cartoon Network (I mean this can just be assumed of any of their titles)... and how is the casting going for that? Has there been extensive casting for the lead character, cause it would take a special VA to pull off cheesy (but cute) hip hop in every episode and also having the kind of range to deliver comedic AND dramatic lines successfully.

 

[Conekiller]

-How much, if at all, does Funimation have their hands in the US version of One Piece?

can we expect little giveaways with the Fullmetal Alchemist DVDs similar to the Kiddy grade trading cards (which rule, by the way)

 

[Majin_Megabyte]

1) Can you confirm when is the Dragon Ball Boxset for the uncut verison of the Emperor Pilaf Saga (Dragon Ball episodes 1-13) is coming out?

2) My little sister ask me to ask this question. In the upcoming Fruits Basket boxset is there going to be anything special in it beside the artbox, and the 4 dvds?

 

[True Noir]

1. What is the next possible anime that FUNI is thinking about licencing?

2. FUNI has licenced quite a few titles. FMA is already going to be on Adult Swim. Will any of FUNI's other licences be on Cartoon Network or any other network? (Kiddy Grade, Fruits Basket, Samurai 7)

 

[MrBananagrabber]

Any heads up on what some of the Fullmetal Alchemist DVD extras are going to be, or a full cast list?

As far as Case Closed goes, have you been satisfied with how it's doing on TV? Have any more episodses/movies been picked up for Adult Swim?

Any tidbits on Samurai 7 you can share with us?

Thanks for taking the time to drop by.

 

[JohnCrichton]

1. What was up with you guys having One Piece at one time?

2. Naruto... what's the deal, man?

3. Any chance you guys wanna delve into Kamen Rider?

 

[Sketch]

Don't trouble the poor guy with your tokatatsu needs John... Though I'd love to see that as well AND Sailor Moon.

1) You guys interested in Hunter X Hunter? It seems odd that no one has licensed it yet and it seems right up your alley. But I assume you might be waiting until YYH is done or at least in it's final stretch.

2) How are you localizing Kodocha?

3) Any word on releasing One Piece?

4) Did you guys persuade 4kids into letting you release uncut verisons of YGO and Shaman King or did they see the demand for them and come to you?

5) What merchandising plans do you have for FMA within the next year?

 

[G1Ravage]

-Why do FUNimation's English scripts continue to sway away from the original Japanese scripts, often leaving out important lines that were in the original Japanese dub? (i.e., Tenchi Muyo! GXP; Yu Yu Hakusho to an extent) Other anime distributors such as Bandai and ADV continue to produce very accurate English dubs.

-Why does FUNimation continue to fill the ending credits of anime with their own credits, rather than the TRUE credits of the show? The ending credits of anime such as Tenchi Muyo! GXP and Yu Yu Hakusho contain only the names of FUNimation's staff for 98% of the credits sequence, and then only give credit to the "main" staff of the Japanese studio in the last 2%.

 

[Killtacular]

I recommend that we give Lance a day to read these questions and answer them, before piling more on. Let's take a break on the interrogation.

 

[TnAdct1]

A question that I have to ask:

Is Funi going to try to write an English version of "Ultra Relax", the second (and IMO, better of the two) OP to Kodocha?

 

[maximumzero]

Any possible way I can order a new slipcover for my TMNT Vol. 5 release. The binding is incorrect and a Raphael image is repeated twice.

What's with the release of Case Closed DVDs? We get a 1-4 release then like 53-57 (Or something close to that). What's up with that?