Aniplex
Latest
With Funimation deal, Sony's PS4 will be a must-have for anime fans
Japanese animation has exploded in popularity over the past few years, thanks to increased availability on streaming services like Crunchyroll, Hulu and Amazon. It was popular enough for Funimation, which specializes in translating anime for American audiences, to launch its own service in 2016. It's no surprise that larger media companies came looking for a piece of the pie, with Sony grabbing a 95 percent majority stake in Funimation this week.
Persona 4 Golden anime begins July 10, US streams confirmed
US viewers will be able to tune in to the first episode of Persona 4: The Golden Animation when the series begins airing on July 10. Aniplex revealed it's streaming the anime on its own online channel, with new episodes promised every Thursday - there's no word yet on times but we can only hope they'll be aired at midnight. The presumably subtitled streams will also be available to watch on Hulu, Crunchyroll and Daisuki.
First Persona 3 movie heads West with English subs
Aniplex is bringing Persona 3: The Movie #1 - The Spring of Birth on Blu-ray to 50 countries including the US and Canada on May 20. However, it'll only be subtitled in English, so don't expect to hear the dubbed voices that you're familiar with from the PS2 game. Aniplex is releasing both the Collector's Edition and the Standard Edition of the movie, and you can pre-order them now for $80 and $60 respectively - their regular prices are $100 and $75. Both editions include trailers, commercials, and audio commentary in addition to the feature film, but these specifically won't be subtitled. The Collector's Edition adds a soundtrack CD, exclusive box art, stickers, illustration cards and an 48-page booklet that Aniplex is providing a translation for. The Spring of Birth is the first chapter of the movie series based on Persona 3, and it hit Japanese cinemas last year. The second film, A Midsummer Knight's Dream, opens in the country on June 7. [Image: Atlus]
