Over the weekend, during Katsucon in National Harbor, MD anime publisher FUNimation Entertainment made a few announcements that should have fans pretty excited.
The first title that the company announced is the science fiction comedy series Level E, which was co-produced by Studio Pierrot (Emma – A Victoria Romance, Blue Dragon) and David Production (Ristorante Paradiso). The anime is based on the manga from Yoshihiro Togashi (Yu Yu Hakusho) and is directed by Toshiyuki Kato. The series follows an alien prince who crash lands on earth, losing all of his memories in the process and begins living alongside an earthling, causing plenty of problems for the poor guy.
Level E is expected to begin streaming at FUNimation’s Official Site in March of 2012. No home video release date has been given at this time.
The second title revealed is the Sengoku Basara – Samurai Kings full length movie directed by season two's director Kazuya Nomura and produced by the anime studio Production I.G. (Eden of the East, xxxHOLIC). It is based on the Capcom video game series of the same name and is a stylized over the top retelling of Japanese history during the Sengoku Period.
Here is a description of the film from FUNimation Entertainment.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi is defeated, but feudal Japan isn’t safe yet. The fallen villain’s most loyal and lethal minion – Ishida Mitsunari – is obsessed with carrying on Toyotomi’s legacy of violence in the name of vengeance. Ishida brutally cuts a bloody path across the countryside, even as Tokugawa Ieyasu attempts to rally Date Masamune, Sanada Yukimura, and the nation’s other warlords toward an era of harmony. Unfortunately, for peace to finally be achieved, the fires of war must be unleashed once more.
Anime fans can look for the Sengoku Basara – Samurai Kings movie to be available in the fourth quarter of 2012. To learn more about the series or to watch the first and second seasons online you can visit the Official Site.
Also revealed during the event was that FUNimation would be launching a mobile app in late March that will give anime fans the opportunity to stream anime episodes, clips and trailers. The free version of the app will give viewers access to promo episodes, clips and trailers but they will have to deal with banner ads and commercials while the paid version will give viewers access to complete series with only commercials. Elite Video subscribers will be able to have full access with no banner ads or commercials using either the paid or free app.
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