Anime distributor Funimation announced at its Otakaon panel on Saturday that it has licensed the following anime: Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar (Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari), Space Battleship Yamato Resurrection, One Piece Film: Strong World, Fairy Tail: Hōō no Miko film and Akira.

It has also added additional rights to Aquarion Evol, Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, Sankarea, and Maken-Ki! Battling Venus, as well as licensing season two of Fairy Tail and season five of One Piece.

More information under the break.

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Funimation has now acquired the streaming, home entertainment, theatrical and merchandise rights to complete the Tenchi Muyo! anime franchise. Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar is a sequel to the original anime series and is set in an alternate world where Kenshi Masaki, the half-brother of the original anime protagonist, is summoned from Earth to end the war on Geminar.

The company will be releasing Space Battleship Yamato Ressurrection, the first film from the Yamato space opera in 26 years, to home entertainment. The film is set in 2220, or 21 years after the first Yamato story and 17 years after the story of the last film, Final Yamato. The story features the older version of the first movies’ cast as they attempt to protect a transport fleet that carries Earth’s last inhabitants.

Along with 24 additional episodes of Fairy Tail and the Fairy Tail movie, Fairy Tail: Hōō no Miko has also been licensed by Funimation. With the trailer of it released in Japan, the film itself revolves around a mysterious girl named Eclair who has lost all her memories, except for the fact that she must deliver two Phoenix Stones. The entire world is at risk and the Fairy Tail guild is caught in this entire adventure. The creator of the Fairy Tail manga, Hiro Mashima, is in charge of story planning and visual design as well as drafting guest character designs and image concept art. The film opens in Japan on August 18. 

In addition to acquiring season five of One Piece, which will span the entire Enies Lobby arc, Funimation is also planning to release the One Piece Film Strong World. This will be the second One Piece film that Funimation will be releasing after the eighth movie, The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta. Strong World was released in December 2009 to honor the 10th anniversary of the anime and the manga creator Eiichiro Oda personally oversaw the film’s production.

Also, Funimation has acquired the home entertainment rights to Katsuhiro Otomo’s film Akira. Bandai Entertainment had previously reissued the film on DVD in February of this year, and the most recent U.S. reissue before that was a Blu-ray Disc in February 2009 by Bandai Visual USA. Streamline Pictures and Geneon Entertainment released the film in the past.

The company will also be releasing Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine television anime series. Funimation previously announced that it had acquired streaming rights to the series, but it has now acquiring home entertainment and digital rights.

In addition, Funimation has added the broadcast, home entertainment, theatrical, and merchandise rights to Sankarea. The company streamed this series as it aired in Japan as well.

Finally, the company has added the home entertainment, broadcast, pay per view and merchandise rights to Maken-Ki! Battling Venus. Last year, Funimation and Niconico had streamed the series as it aired in Japan. The series revolves around a boy named Takeru Oyama who is enrolled in a school where the students fight with mysterious items called Maken.

Personally, I am looking forward to all of Funimation’supcoming releases. They are definitely going to be on everyone’s wishlists! 

[Anime News Network]