Summer 2010 Simulcast Overview
With the first month of the summer anime season just about over, American simulcasters are pretty much set on what they'll be delivering to us this time around. Though with yet another new title just added this weekend, & one promised title still not yet begun, it's never really over. The most interesting thing about this season is the number of sources that new simulcasts are coming from, more than ever before. We got new stuff coming from Crunchyroll, FUNimation, Anime Network, & even Viz. As a result, nearly every new series coming out of Japan this summer is being simulcasted somewhere.
Crunchyroll started out slow with their announcements, but eventually got a decent amount of new shows up. It's still not as many titles as they did last year, but luckily we have the other simulcasters stepping up their game now. As for CR, this season they added Asobi ni Ikuyo, Occult Academy, Strike Witches 2, Tono to Issho, & just added last week Mitsudomoe. In addition, they still continue to run new episodes of Bleach, Fairy Tail, Giant Killing, Heroman, Kaasan- Mom's Life, Lilpri, Naruto Shippuden, Reborn, Uraboku, & Yumeiro Patissiere.
FUNimation really stepped up their simulcast game this season by adding a load of new titles in addition to their ongoing simulcasts of One Piece & Rainbow. Their deal with noitaminA continues, & as such are streaming the current two series- Shiki & live-action Moyashimon. Yes, a live-action series being simulcasted on an anime site & famous anime block & Japanese TV. They also added another new series called Legend of the Legendary Heroes. Besides those, the rest of Funi's new simuclasts are sequels to titles they already own (even though none of them have been released on DVD here yet). They are Black Butler II, Sengoku Basara Two, & Sekirei 2: Pure Engagement. All these seem to have different contract & can be streamed at different periods after they air in Japan. Legends & the noitaminA series for example can stream the same day they air in Japan. Black Butler is on a one week delay, while Basara is on a two week one. Sekirei, on the other hand, has yet to even begin simulcasting yet, even though it's been airing in Japan for over three weeks now.
Considering all the sequel series FUNimation is streaming this summer, it's quite odd that they're not simulcasting Strike Witches 2 as well. At least Crunchyroll got it, but it does make you wonder. Considering that Funi probably had first dibs on the SW2 considering they got season one, does this mean the series hasn't been selling well enough for them & they have no plans to release the sequel? Let's hope that isn't the case, but it is suspicious.
For the second season in a row, the Anime Network is simulcasting a series. & unlike the last time,they're the only ones streaming it. Perhaps the biggest show of the season, it's High School of the Dead. Unfortunately, only the first two episodes were put up for free. For the rest you either have to pay for a subscription for their website, or rent the episodes on YouTube. But this IS one amazing show. & while not exactly simulcasted, they are streaming new episodes of Maid-Sama every week as well.
Finally, Viz was a surprise contender this season. Sure they're no stranger to simulcasts, what with their streams of Shippuden & (more recently) Bleach. But when they announced that they added Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan it was quite a surprise. It's based off a Shonen Jump manga so it does make some sense, though not one that's ever been released in the US. But considering the English title they gave to the series, (the Japanese title being the quite different Nurarihyon no Mago), one would have to think they plan on licensing the manga as well.
VizAnime: http://www.vizanime.com
Crunchyroll: http://www.crunchyroll.com
FUNimation: http://www4.funimation.com/video
Anime Network: http://www.theanimenetwork.com/Watch-Online