Flower Mound, TX – (10/29/14) – FUNimation announced today the start of a new initiative–the FUNimation Broadcast Dub. Fans will soon be able to watch the English dubbed episodes of select shows that are currently broadcasting in Japan. FUNimation has experience with broadcast dubs, having had previous success dubbing the hit series Space Dandy for U.S. broadcast on Adult Swim. FUNimation Broadcast Dubs will be available exclusively for FUNimation subscribers commercial-free and streaming in 1080 HD.
Currently, new episodes are simulcast with Japanese audio and English subtitles shortly after the original broadcast in Japan. Once the series has finished simulcasting, final materials are received from Japan and work begins on the English dubbed home video release.
However, with this new initiative, select series will be dubbed into English using the broadcast/simulcast materials from Japan just weeks after broadcast. When asked why the company has decided to launch FUNimation Broadcast Dubs, founder and president Gen Fukunaga replied, “We know that anime fans have a strong interest in English dubs, so we are doing everything we can to get them to the fans as soon as possible.”
Following the release of the FUNimation Broadcast Dub, FUNimation will continue to produce a final English dub for the DVD/Blu-ray release, using materials from Japan’s DVD/Blu-ray release. This final version can be different from the broadcast version, including uncut footage not seen in the broadcast.
Two shows have been chosen from the current Fall 2014 season to launch the initiative–Laughing Under the Clouds and Psycho-Pass 2.
Fans will be able to watch Episode 1 of Laughing Under the Clouds in English on November 1st at 12:30pm ET/ 11:30am CT on http://funimation.com/laughing-under-the-clouds. A new episode will be released every Saturday at 12:30pm ET/ 11:30am CT. New episodes in Japanese with English subtitles are released every Friday at 2:28pm ET shortly after broadcast in Japan.
Series synopsis:
When swords were outlawed in the eleventh year of the Meiji era, the mighty samurai population began to dwindle. Those who rejected the ban on blades rebelled, causing violent unrest to erupt throughout the countryside. To combat the rise in criminal activity, an inescapable lake prison was constructed. Three young men, born of the Kumo line, were given the duty of delivering criminals to their place of confinement – but could there be more to their mission than meets the eye?
Episode 1 of Psycho-Pass 2 will be available in English on November 8th at 1:00pm ET/ 12:00pm CT on http://funimation.com/psycho-pass. A new episode will be released every Saturday at 1:00pm ET/ 12:00pm CT. New episodes in Japanese with English subtitles are available every Thursday at 12:50pm ET/ 11:50am CT shortly after broadcast in Japan.
Series synopsis:
Inspector Akane Tsunemori and her comrades at the Criminal Investigation Department return for the mind-blowing continuation of the popular sci-fi series set in a world where the justice system can read your mind – and justice is dispensed from the barrel of a gun. Pick up after the dramatic conclusion to season one, and see what happens to Akane after she learns the truth about the Sibyl System!
For more information about FUNimation Broadcast Dubs, check our interview on the Nerdist at http://nerdist.com.
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