With the first day of Funimationcon 2020 over and the second of two days just around the corner, it is time to recap the announcements of the day. North American anime publisher Funimation Entertainment spent the day announcing a wealth of new acquisitions. The announcements were mostly centred around their FunimationNow video-on-demand streaming service and (presumably) the international streaming services they are involved with (such as AnimeLab in Australia).
Also confirmed was news around theatrical releases (Aniplex of America partnering with Funimation Films to distribute Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train) in cinemas, and the expansion of their international streaming services to Mexico and Brazil later this year.
A complete list of announcements can be found below in one handy post:
Classics Being Introduced to Digital Platforms in North America
All 220 episodes of the original Naruto anime series will be added to FunimationNow both subbed and dubbed from 6 July 2020.
The next batch of dubbed episodes for One Piece will be going live in August 2020 via digital storefronts.
Titles Streaming This Season
Super Hxeros – Now Live
Earth faces an unprecedented threat from an invasion by the mysterious Kiseichuu. The Kiseichuu feed on human sexual energy, known as H-energy, weakening the human population. High school student Retto Enjo is a member of the hero group, HXEROS, and together they fight to save the Earth—with or without clothes.
Lapis Re:LiGHTs – 4 July 2020
Tiara has just been accepted to the Flora Girls Academy for young witches. Her lifelong dream of becoming a powerful “light” to cleanse the world of magical beasts is now possible. But not before she hits the magical music books! Oh, and little did Tiara know that she’s about to take center stage in a classroom full of potential dropouts. Challenge accepted.
Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation Season 2 – 7 July 2020
Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation follows the two titular characters as masters of magic law. They deal out justice to dastardly spirits and manage cases ranging from terrifying possessions to ghosts that you might just not want to deal with. Hey, it happens!
Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! – 10 July 2020
To Uzaki Hana, nothing sounds worse than being alone. That’s why she’s made it her mission to keep her upperclassman Sakurai Shinichi company. The problem is, all he wants is some peace and quiet!
Deca-Dence – July 2020
Set in a world where all of humanity lives on a giant moving fortress, this series follows the fight against a legion of treacherous kaiju!
Confirmed Title Streaming Later in 2020 and 2021
By the Grace of the Gods – Fall 2020
By the Grace of the Gods centers around Ryoma, a 39-year-old who gets reincarnated into a fantastical new world after dying from blood loss by hitting his head on the ground after a particularly intense sneeze. Now suddenly an 8-year-old boy, Ryoma starts his new life living in solitude in the forest, studying the slimes that surround him.
Akudama Drive – October 2020
Adachi and Shimamura – Fall 2020
Known for skipping class on the regular, two girls lives become intertwined when they find each other on the second floor of the gym. From there, Adachi and Shimamura’s friendship slowly grows as they play ping-pong and hang out. But when something happens that changes their relationship, how will they react?
Higurashi: When They Cry – NEW – Fall 2020
New kid Keiichi Maebara is settling into his new home of peaceful Hinamizawa village. Making quick friends with the girls from his school, he’s arrived in time for the big festival of the year. But something about this isolated town seems ‘off,’ and his feelings of dread continue to grow. With a gnawing fear that he’s right, what dark secrets could this small community be hiding?
Maesetsu! Opening Act – Fall 2020
Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World – Fall 2020
Follow the cool, disgraced knight of the science kingdom who faces off against the ice princess sorceress of the rival magic kingdom. Did we mention? They’re also falling hopelessly in love with each other.
Ikebukuro West Gate Park – Fall 2020
Based on a series of urban mystery novels (and their live-action adaptation), IWGP follows the coolheaded Makoto as he navigates the pressures of an encroaching gang life in the G-Boys due to his friend, King, being a leader.
Makoto sees an opportunity to become a troubleshooter for the gang as a way to keep things calm and protect his friends, but when someone close to him is killed and a rival gang kicks off a turf war, Makoto will find it a bit tough to stay cool.
Dropout Idol Fruit Tart – Fall 2020
Dropout Idol Fruit Tart follows a group of show business dropouts—rookie idol Sakura Ino, promising newcomer Midori Hemo, former child actor Sekino Roko, former model Maehara Nina and former musician Nukui Hayu—who all live in a dormitory together.
But when it’s revealed that the dorm is set to be demolished, manager Kajino Hoho has a plan: Start a new idol group called Fruit Tart with the girls, and pay off a hefty 100-milliion yen debt.
MARS RED – 2021
The World Ends with You – 2021
Complete the mission…or face erasure. That’s all Neku knows after regaining consciousness in the middle of a busy intersection without his memories. Now he and his partner must fight to survive a life-or-death game in this twisted tale with more turns than the urban labyrinth of Tokyo they’re trapped in.
