FUNimation Channel Official Blog

My very poor attempt to hide the names of entrants.

We’re about 5 days away from San Diego Comic-Con, aka Geek Retreat Week. FUNimation Channel will be there at booth #4135. We’re across the CBS booth. Our contest for the new 42″ HDTV set ends on July 28, so hop on over to the Get FUNimation Channel site and enter your info for a chance to win.
While at Comic-Con, we have another thing to introduce and hope would become a mainstay. We are giving away limited edition FUNimation Channel t-shirts at the show. In order to pick up the exclusive shirt, you would need to:

1) Stop by the booth and fill out the channel request card

2) After filling out the card, you tear and keep the top part of the card and…

3)  follow FUNimation Channel on Twitter (FUNiChan)

4) We will Tweet t-shirt giveaway times.

The supply is VERY LIMITED so when I Tweet the time, calmly head over to the FUNimation booth, show me the top part of the channel request card and Voila! Free limited edition shirt. The shirt is given away on a first-come, first-served basis – fyi. I’ll give you a hint – it won’t be during mid-day.

In addition to the t-shirt giveaway, when you fill out the channel request card you are still entering to win a $250 anime prize pack. We haven’t announced the winner from AX yet. We will as soon as they are confirmed.

In August, we should have some news about the channel expanding. We think you will be pleased. A press release will be posted as soon as it is approved. But for now, just patiently wait for the news. Feel free to guess though.

And now to list what’s up on Comcast VOD:

On Demand –> The Cutting Edge –> Funimation Anime–> Funimation Platinum

• Samurai 7 eps 1 – 5 Special
• D. Gray-man eps 1 - 10 Special
• Soul Eater eps 43 – 45
• My Bride is a Mermaid eps 6 – 9

On Demand –> The Cutting Edge –> Funimation Anime –> Funimation Free

• Case Closed ep 89
• Nana ep 16
• Honey and Clover ep 6
• Baccano! ep 7
• Claymore eps 7 – 8
• Aquarion eps 5 – 6
• Buso Renkin ep 23
• Monster eps 23 – 24
• Bamboo Blade eps 13 – 14
• Escaflowne eps 13 – 14

The awesome folks over at Bang Zoom Entertainment put together some promos for us. Take a look at this month’s highlights for Comcast On Demand:

And for the latest on what’s airing on the 24/7 channel, jump to funimationchannel dot com.

Later!

Hey all! How’s your summer so far? Good we hope. If you came out to Anime Expo last week in LA, thanks for stopping by the booth and requesting the channel to expand on your system. Just so you guys know, the card requests and online requests are working. We had some successful meetings with operators so far and its all because you guys are helping us out. Comic-Con is coming up and the channel will be there to give more viewers a chance to request the channel. Other surprises are in store – so it may be a good idea for you to follow the channel on Twitter.

We’ve got some new titles appearing today on Comcast VOD. Here’s what’s up:

The Cutting Edge –> Funimation Anime –> Funimation Platinum

• Soul Eater eps 36 – 42
• Shigurui eps 1 – 5 (episode 1 is a Freeview)
• Casshern Sins eps 1 – 5 (episode 1 is a Freeview)

The Cutting Edge –> Funimation Anime –> Funimation Free –> By Genre

• Case Closed ep 88
• Nana eps 14 – 15
• Suzuka eps 5 – 6
• Romeo x Juliet eps 1 – 2
• Baccano ep 6
• Buso Renkin eps 21 – 22
• Monster eps 21 -22
• Bamboo Blade eps 11 – 12
• Escaflowne eps 11 – 12

And to find out what anime title is currently airing on the 24/7 service, head over to FUNimation Channel’s grid after the jump.

Later folks!

We made it to the end of the month. Can you believe this year is half-way through? Where did those days go? On another note, next week is Anime Expo. This show is your big chance to get heard by your satellite and digital cable providers. To be a part of the movement to expand the 24/7 channel, stop by the FUNimation booth in the exhibit hall and fill out the channel request cards onsite. Not attending the show? No problem. Just go to the Get FUNimation Channel site and fill out your request there. Follow the channel on Twitter and Facebook to get the latest updates from the channel. I’ll be live-Tweeting at the show. You might want to pay attention to some of our tweets at the con.

Its a light refresh day on VOD. Here’s what’s up on Comcast VOD:

• Case Closed ep 86
• Honey and Clover ep 04
• Nana ep 13
• Suzuka ep 03
• Suzuka ep 04
• Baccano! ep 04
• Buso Renkin eps 18 – 19
• Monster eps 18 – 19
• Bamboo Blade eps 08-09
• Escaflowne eps 07-08

And to find out what’s currently playing on FUNimation Channel linear, jump to the online grid.

Have you seen those show re-caps on VOD hosted by the folks at Anime TV? What do you think of them?

See you at Anime Expo!

Hey folks! I’m on my way to Somerset, NJ and spend some quality time at AnimeNEXT. If you live in the Tri-State and Eastern Pennsylvania areas and haven’t filled out the request form online to get FUNimation Channel, you can stop by the FUNimation booth and fill out the cards this weekend. Remember, these cards are our best way to show those cable and satellite execs that you guys are vocal and want the channel.

Here’s what’s new this week on Comcast VOD:

On Demand –> The Cutting Edge –> Funimation Free –> By Genre–> Drama-Comedy

On Demand –> The Cutting Edge –> Funimation Free –> By Genre –> Action-Fantasy

• Case Closed ep 85
• Nana eps 11.5 – 12
• Honey and Clover ep 03
• Kenichi eps 37 – 38 <— Last ep airing
• Baccano ep 03
• Claymore eps 03 -04
• Tsubasa Chronicle eps 37 – 38
• Aquarion eps 01 – 02
• Monster eps 15 – 17
• Bamboo Blade eps 06 – 07
• Jubei-Chan eps 05 – 08
• Escaflowne eps 05 – 06

*Programming Disclaimer: Programming is subject to change without notice and at any time.

Last week I visited the Uniqlo SOHO store in NYC and briefly met Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima. Let me just say it in pictures:

photo by Amanda Nanawa	photo by Tasayu Tasnaphun
photo by Tasayu Tasnaphun	photo by Tasayu Tasnaphun

Did I geek out? A bit. I played it cool though. And on that rare occasion we were able to take pictures inside the store. Usually, they never allow people to do that during normal shopping days. But that day wasn’t normal by any standard. The line seriously stretched out and down Broadway and wrapped around the corner. They finally have the new Evangelion 2.22 You Can [Not] Advance t-shirts in stock. I managed to pick one up:

photo by Tasayu Tasnaphun
Shout-out to Tas for allowing me to share some of his pics.

Don’t forget, you can find out what anime title is playing now on the channel by going to the site. And you can follow the channel via .
We are also on:
FUNimation Channel

Promote Your Page Too

See you at the shows and keep requesting FUNimation Channel for your cable and satellite service!

The month is almost over . But Summer is literally around the corner.
And to our friends in Canada – Monday the 24th is Victoria Day! My fave holiday. Why? BEER! In Canada, they call a case of beer “two-four” and since the holiday is commonly called May Two-Four or May Long Weekend, it also means lots of beer will be bought and consumed. I’ll also take this moment to say please drink responsibly – no matter what the holiday. How will you celebrate the day our fine neighbors in the North?

Switching gears, FUNimation Channel now has an *Official* Facebook Page. Better late then never! Go ahead and “Like” it and share that love to other Facebook mates. Just jump to http://www.facebook.com/FUNimationChannel.

Our compadres over at FUNimation Entertainment has added a tab on their Facebook page that allows you to request FUNimation Channel to be carried by your service provider. Go ahead. You do make a difference.

Here’s what’s up on Comcast VOD this week:

On Demand —> The Cutting Edge –> FUNimation Anime –> FUNimation Free

• Case Closed ep 82
• Monster ep 10
• Kenichi ep 35
• Nana ep 09
• Buso Renkin ep 14
• Jubei-Chan eps 01-04

And for the latest on what’s on linear, head over to FUNimation Channel’s site and jump to Show Schedule. Highlights this month are Nabari No Ou and El Cazador De La Bruja.

Stay tuned for more news and updates. We think you’ll be pleased.

So Mother’s Day is this weekend in the US. I’m going to spend the weekend taking my mom out for shopping. She loves shopping. She also loves Case Closed and Monster. Moms can be so awesome. Has your mom surprised you with an anime title you thought she wasn’t going to watch? Feel free to share your tales below. I’m sure there’s a mother out there who doesn’t mind watching a bit of Nana with a dose of Tsubasa Chronicle.

Here’s what’s up today on Comcast VOD:

On Demand –> The Cutting Edge –> Funimation Anime –> Funimation Platinum (PPV VOD)

• Evangelion 1.11
• Genghis Khan
• Case Closed movie 3 The Last Wizard of the Century
• Slayers Revolution ep 13 and re-air of ep 10
• Soul Eater eps 24 – 26
• Strike Witches eps 11 – 12 *Series ends June 4
• Hunter X Hunter eps 29 – 31 re-air

On Demand –> The Cutting Edge –> Funimation Anime –> Funimation Free (Free VOD)

• Case Closed eps 79 – 80
• Monster eps 6 – 7
• Kenichi eps 32 – 33
• Nana eps 6 – 7
• Tsubasa Chronicle eps 31 – 34
• Black Cat ep 24
• Buso Renkin ep 12
• Black Blood Brothers ep 12
• Gundam SEED Destiny eps 49 – 50

And for the latest on what’s airing on the linear service, jump to this link to get caught up. Stay tuned next week for some news and updates related to the linear channel.

* Programming Disclaimer: All Programming is subject to change at any time and without notice.

Its the last day of the month and May is literally around the corner. Got any plans for the weekend? I’ll be running in the Long Branch Half-Marathon this Sunday. The weather should be nice by race day. And its the start of Golden Week in Japan. What is Golden Week, you ask? Clicky here for the quick explanation of the holiday only Japan can pull off. I mean four national holidays celebrated within seven days. Talk about efficient.

Tomorrow – May 1st – is the one year anniversary of the launch of FUNimation Anime on Comcast VOD. Whoo hoo! Feel free to comment below on favorite shows you have seen or shows you want to see return. The channel has lots of plans this summer so stay tuned to the blog.

And a reminder, May 1st is the memorial service for Carl Macek. Please visit Robotech dot com‘s site for additional details. They were kind enough to post a message I sent them offering my personal condolences to the company and his family. His contribution to the anime industry was immense. I hope that the new generation of anime viewers will one day appreciate the passion and fervor that Carl displayed throughout his career in the industry. If you can’t attend the memorial service and would like to help the family in their time of need, you can visit Carl’s site and donate what you can.

And now for some of those VOD updates on Comcast:

On Demand –> The Cutting Edge –> Funimation Anime –> Funimation Platinum (PPV VOD)

• Slayers Revolution Eps 11 – 12

On Demand –> The Cutting Edge –> Funimation Anime –> Funimation Free (Free VOD)

• Case Closed Ep 78
• Kenichi Ep 31
• Nana Ep 05
• Black Cat Ep 23
• Buso Renkin Ep 11
• Black Blood Brothers Ep 11

And for the latest on what’s up on linear, go to funimation channel dot com slash schedule after the jump.

One last thing to mention to new viewers starting to catch the offering on Comcast - about 90% of the anime titles offered under Funimation Anime are FREE. The other 10% are PPV VOD.

*Programming Disclaimer: Scheduling is subject to change without notice at any time.

Last week was fun. The folks in Seattle, WA were very nice in welcoming me to their convention. Congratulations again to our $250 Anime Prize Pack winner from the show.  Stay tuned to this blog because in the near future, we will unveil a whole slew of new things for the channel. We will also have a dedicated site for the campaign we launched last week at Sakura-Con. Good times ahead!

A couple things this week on Comcast VOD. We had some delays in receiving some titles over the holidays so some shows are going to extend episodes for an additional week. I blame lots of chocolate for the delay. I’ll note the shows below.

This week on Comcast VOD:

On Demand —> The Cutting Edge —> Funimation Anime —> Funimation Platinum

• Evangelion 1.11
• Slayers Revolution eps 3 – 5 (extended for an additional week)
• Soul Eater eps 16 – 18 (extended for an additional week)
• Strike Witches eps 3 – 5 (extended for an additional week)
• Hunter X Hunter eps 32 – 34

On Demand —> The Cutting Edge —> Funimation Anime —> Funimation Free

• Case Closed eps 69 – 70 (extended for an additional week)
• Black Cat ep 20
• Buso Renkin ep 8
• Black Blood Brothers ep 8
• Gundam SEED Destiny ep 46

And highlights this month on linear include El Cazador De La Bruja, Monster, Nabari No Ou, Nana and Honey and Clover. For the schedule jump here.

Here are some pics from Sakura-Con. I might be attending C2E2 in Chi-town next week. Still waiting for final confirmation on that. If you are attending, give a shout-out! And keep checking this blog for latest updates on the I Want My FUNimation Channel HD campaign. It will be an all out effort.

Don’t let these cosplayers efforts go in vain. Let your cable or satellite operator know that you pay a lot for your service and that adding The FUNimation Channel to your linear lineup will make all your bitterness go away (or at least some of it go away).

I made it out of the rainy East Coast to arrive at a rainy Northwest Coast. Oh irony. And I’m hearing there’s a wind advisory today in the Puget Sound area of Seattle, WA. Challenging for cosplayers today who are attending Sakura-Con, I’m sure. Its my first time visiting Seattle and first time attending Sakura-Con. I’ll be at the FUNimation booth today and Saturday so stop by. I would love to meet you.

We are starting a major grassroots marketing push to launch The FUNimation Channel HD linear to more cable and satellite systems in the US. That debuts here at Sakura-Con. We need you guys – your feedback needs to be heard by the cable operators. I’ll explain more at the FUNimation industry panel on Saturday but basically, we have survey cards that we are asking all anime fans and viewers to fill out. Our target is to get thousands of survey cards filled out and delivered to Comcast Seattle to make them understand that The FUNimation Channel HD is a channel that makes a big difference and serves everyone – not just the anime fan – but everyone. What cable systems are telling us in meetings is that they don’t hear or read feedback from enough viewers to have the channel launched linear on Comcast. Let’s make some noise guys. We’re pretty close but we really need viewer support like never before. This is your big chance to make a huge difference and prove that The FUNimation Channel HD is as necessary to you as ESPN HD or HBO HD.

I know that some people think that your emails or calls to your cable or satellite operator doesn’t make a difference. That its basically money that gets a channel launched linear on systems. Actually, it takes both – money and your voices. Fans and viewers DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Let’s get this campaign rolling. Let your cable and satellite operators know that “I WANT MY FUNIMATION CHANNEL HD!”.

And now for your VOD updates on Comcast:

On Demand —> The Cutting Edge —> FUNimation Anime Platinum (Transactional VOD)

• Initial D Third Stage movie
• Case Closed 6 movie The Phantom of Baker Street
• Slayers Revolution eps 6 – 7
• Soul Eater eps 19 – 20
• Strike Witches eps 6 – 7
• Hunter X Hunter eps 29 – 31

On Demand —> The Cutting Edge —> FUNimation Anime (Free VOD)

• Case Closed eps 71 – 73
• Monster eps 1 – 5 xD
• Kenichi eps 27 – 30
• Nana eps 1 – 4
• Tsubasa Chronicle eps 27 – 30 <— Season 2 :bloody:
• Black Cat ep 19
• Gundam SEED Destiny ep 45

And here are some programming highlights for linear viewers. Thanks to jlaking for pointing out that tomorrow – April 3rd – marks the start of Monster on The FUNimation Channel linear. Its Monster Month on VOD and linear!

Other highlights include El Cazador De La Bruja, Nabari No Ou and new episodes of  Honey and Clover and Nana. For the latest listings, go visit The FUNimation Channel’s grid at the jump. And programming is subject to change without notice.

Have a Happy Easter weekend and stay dry. Remember, “I WANT MY FUNIMATION CHANNEL HD!”

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We’ve made it out of the 2000s decade. Now its full steam ahead into a new decade. The anime industry went through a lot of changes in the last decade; having gone through its ups and its downs. I think the most important thing that happened here in the US was seeing anime becoming more accessible to viewers – whether it was through VOD, streaming or linear. We’re working to continue expanding and this new year we’ll unveil some new features on The FUNimation Channel. Stay tuned…

Here’s a smathering of what’s up today on Comcast On Demand:

Comcast On Demand —–> The Cutting Edge —–> FUNimation Anime

• Soul Eater eps 4-6 (back-to-back eps special)
• NANA eps 24-27
• Dragonaut eps 16-18
• Spice and Wolf eps 9-11
• D. Gray-man eps 43-45
• Hunter X Hunter eps 14-16
• xxxHolic ep 21
• Negima! ep 15
• Shuffle! ep 15
• Solty Rei ep 14
• Glass Fleet eps 17-20
• Case Closed eps 52-53
• Devil May Cry eps 5-6
• Gunslinger Girl Il Teatrino eps 5-6

As always, visit The FUNimation Channel‘s site and jump to their Schedule to see when your favorite shows are airing.

Got any anime-related resolutions for the new year? Feel free to post them here and maybe if you say it and write it a lot, you’ll be able to make that goal. I resolve to run a little faster and get healthier while watching some anime.