Fifteen Simulcast Shows Selected for English Language Dubbing; Titles Include "D.Gray-man HALLOW," "SERVAMP," "Tales of Zestiria the X," and Love Live! Sunshine!!
FLOWER MOUND, Texas, July 14, 2016 — (PRNewswire) — Last night, during Funimation® Entertainment's Dubbletalk™ show on Twitch TV, FunimationNow subscribers and anime fans were treated to a first-ever, special sneak peek of this season's Broadcast Dubs. This morning, Funimation is releasing the complete details on its Broadcast Dubs line-up for Summer 2016. Encompassing a total 15 titles in all, the Summer 2016 season will feature the biggest Broadcast Dubs line-up ever for the company. To address the ever-increasing, fan demand for Broadcast Dubs, Funimation is pioneering near simulcast English dubbing or "near simul-dubs." The company's studio will now be producing some Broadcast Dubs as soon as two weeks after an episode airs in Japan versus Funimation's current four week production time. All Broadcast Dubs will stream in commercial-free 1080p each week and are available exclusively to All-AccessPass subscribers. Funimation kicks off its Summer 2016 Broadcast Dubs line-up this Saturday, July 16, with "FIRST LOVE MONSTER" at 10:30 a.m. Central / 11:30 a.m. Eastern.
"We promised our subscribers last month that we had a lot more in store for them this summer – and today's announcement fulfills that promise," said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and founder of Funimation. "With a line-up of 15 Broadcast Dubs – our biggest ever – and a total of 21 simulcast series, our subscribers have a whole lot to look forward to this season. Whether you're a sub or dub fan, I know you'll find the one for you."
The Summer 2016 Broadcast Dubs line-up includes six titles that have also been added to the simulcast line-up which was partially announced on June 23. These six new series are "The Heroic Legend of Arslan: Dust Storm Dance," "Puzzle & Dragons X," "Show by Rock!! Short!!," "Cheer Boys!!," "Planetarian" and "The Disastrous Life of Saiki K." (Synopses for all six are provided at the end of this press release). With these additions, Funimation's Summer 2016 season will feature a total of 21 simulcasts and 15 Broadcast Dubs.
"FunimationNow is the only streaming service that offers Broadcast Dubs. And this season, we'll be bringing subscribers our biggest season line-up ever – 15 Broadcast Dubs in total," said Mike DuBoise, EVP and COO of Funimation. "We're also very excited to bring subscribers new Broadcast Dubs sooner than ever before. Producing a Broadcast Dub within two weeks – 'near simul-dubs' – is a monumental achievement for our studio and further cements Funimation's leadership in the anime industry."
As compared to simulcasts, which feature Japanese language audio and English subtitles, Broadcast Dubs are the same original TV versions of an anime series but feature a new English language audio track specially produced by Funimation. Simulcast episodes stream within as little as 30 minutes after their original air date in Japan whereas Funimation's Broadcast Dubs stream as early as 2 weeks after their original air date, to allow time for production of the English dub. Broadcast Dubs allow All-AccessPass subscribers to enjoy English dubs for a wide selection shows months before they are released on home video. In many cases, the Broadcast Dubs will be different than the home video English dub due to additional footage not shown in the original Japanese TV broadcast. The English dub version of a home video release is produced using the final Blu-ray/DVD materials from the licensor in Japan.
In addition to exclusive access to Broadcast Dubs, All-AccessPass members can also watch Funimation's entire library of content – from the latest simulcast shows to an almost endless catalog of dubbed and subtitled anime episodes and movies – all in commercial-free, high quality video. Paid subscriptions to FunimationNow start as low as $4.99 per month and are available at funimation.com/subscribe.
An archived episode of last night's episode of Dubbletalk featuring the Summer 2016 Broadcast Dubs sneak peek can be viewed on Funimation's Twitch TV channel here.
Summer 2016 Broadcast Dubs Line-up by Premiere Date1
FIRST LOVE MONSTER - July 16
The Heroic Legend of Arslan: Dust Storm Dance2 - July 19
Puzzle & Dragons X - July 19 (U.S. & Canada); July 20 (U.K. & Ireland)
SERVAMP - July 20
Love Live! Sunshine!! 2 - July 30
Show by Rock!! Short!! - August 1
Cheer Boys!! - August 2
Tales of Zestiria the X - August 3 (U.S. & Canada); August 4 (U.K. & Ireland)
D.Gray-man HALLOW - August 3 (U.S. & Canada); August 4 (U.K. & Ireland)
Planetarian - August 4
Handa-kun - August 5 (U.S. & Canada); August 6 (U.K. & Ireland)
The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. - August 7
Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School – Future Arc - August 10 (U.S. & Canada);
August 11 (U.K. & Ireland)
Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School – Despair Arc - August 11
Endride3
1 U.S., Canada, U.K. and Ireland. Premiere date same for all countries unless otherwise noted.
2 U.S. and Canada only.
3 Carryover from spring season.
For more information on Funimation's Summer 2016 Broadcast Dubs, visit funimation.com/broadcastdubs.
Additional Summer 2016 Series Synopses (Not included in the June 23rd announcement)
The Heroic Legend of Arslan: Dust Storm Dance
From the creator of "Fullmetal Alchemist" comes the conclusion of an epic adventure. The Lusitania forces continue to hold rule over the Kingdom of Pars despite Arslan's fierce battle against Lord Silver Mask. Arslan continues to fight for his rightful throne, but there are still many conflicts left to resolve. But the biggest mystery – who are his parents? And is that an answer he's prepared to face?
Puzzle & Dragons X
From the studio Pierrot, that brought you "Kingdom" and "Tokyo Ghoul" comes a series based off of the hit game "Puzzle & Dragons." Dorogoza Island is rich in "Drop Energy" that players can use on friendly monsters. Once strong enough, they can face enemies in puzzle wars. Winners reap rewards, but what happens to the losers? Only the brave can take on these monstrous challenges!
Show by Rock!! Short!!
The ladies of Plasmagica are back along with the other bands from "Show By Rock!!" in this short new series. See what it's like in the daily life of a rock star between jam sessions, band practice, and just hanging out together. What are the ups and downs of stardom? Have the rowdy boys of Shingan Crimsonz finally calmed down? Check out the latest in the musical world of Midi City.
