Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the anime industry in both Japan and western markets were impacted. While in Japan this resulted in many seasons in the Spring 2020 season being outright postponed, companies like Funimation Entertainment were also impacted when it came to offering their traditional simuldub schedules – although have since transitioned to their ‘Dub From Home’ model.
For those not aware, simuldubs are an initiative introduced to anime streaming a few years ago in western markets, aimed at those who enjoy watching episodes with English dubbing rather than the original Japanese audio. While not available on all titles managed by each major publisher, it is the answer to having to wait years for an official home video release to enjoy a show in English. Instead, episodes are localised weeks if not days after the original Japanese broadcast, involving professional voice actors, without any drop in voice acting or localisation quality.
Although Kaguya-sama: Love is War Season 2 was not directly impacted by COVID-19 in terms of its production, it has taken Funimation a little bit longer to release an English dub for the season. As of today, Episode 1 will be available dubbed in English via the FunimationNow video-on-demand streaming service, presumably along with others partnered with it (Such as AnimeLab here in Australia).
The lead voice cast for Kaguya-sama: Love is War Season 2 consists of:
Character | Voice Actor |
Kaguya Shinomiya | Alexis Tipton |
Miyuki Shirogane | Aaron Dismuke |
Chika Fujiwara | Jād Saxton |
Yu Ishigami | Austin Tindle |
Hayasaka | Amanda Lee |
Nagisa | Bryn Apprill |
Kashiwagi’s Boyfriend | Brandon McInnis |
Narrator | Ian Sinclair |
Only Episode 1 will only be available from today, with more expected over the coming weeks. The first season of Kaguya-sama: Love is War is only available with its original Japanese voice overs.
About Kaguya-sama: Love is War
From a good family? Check! A good personality? Check! Shuchiin Academy is where all these elite students with bright futures flock to. As the two leaders of the student council, Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane have supposedly fallen in love… But after almost half a year, nothing has happened!? They both have too much pride and can’t be honest. Things have gotten troublesome, and they are now caught in a war of “How to get the other to confess their love first.”