FUNI Acquires BakaTest & Vampire Bund
FUNimation has announced its acquisition of digital, broadcast, and home video distribution rights, and merchandise rights to the current Baka to Test to Shokanju and Dance in the Vampire Bund anime television series. The English subtitled first two episodes of “Baka and Test – Summon the Beasts” and the first four English subtitled episodes of Vampire Bund are streaming on the FUNimation site now. New weekly episodes will premiere online next week, just days after Japanese TV broadcast. Streaming viewing for both series is free. Episodes will be available for permanent download at $1.99 per episode.
Nice shows, although Vampire Bund could certainly be better. Free simulcasting is nice, although it seems almost pointless considering that both shows are scheduled to end later this month. I wonder if the bizarre half-translated title “Baka and Test” was a licensor demand.
Update: Yes, we’re getting Vampire Bund, but not all of it. FUNimation has confirmed that it will only release the series in America in a censored version.
FUNimation Entertainment is known for releasing the titles we license in their original, uncut form, as their creators intended. However, after viewing the unedited as well as the Japanese broadcast edit of the series Dance in the Vampire Bund, we have determined the series contains controversial elements which, when taken out of context, could be objectionable to some audiences.
With this in mind and with approval of the licensor, we will edit select scenes from the series in streaming and home entertainment release. These are scenes which are inappropriate for U.S. viewing and are not essential to the storyline.
Dance in the Vampire Bund is a complex and dark drama cited by press and fans as one of the best anime series out of Japan this season. Its strong story is what brought the series to our attention and why we are bringing it to the U.S.
Related Posts
About The Author
john
Add a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
If the programs are going to end, then the move to simulcast is just posturing. Neither of the two titles interest me, personally, but I suppose there’s always room for more pale-skinned lolita vampire anime or magical-tween anime….
It also seems FUNi edited out the nudity in the vampire anime. But I’d be a little surprised (disappointed?) if they censored the home video release too… perhaps the terms of their licensing agreement stretches farther than one might think (and it’s not just FUNimation covering their own butts).