Monday, May 9, 2022

Funimation is being phased out as a brand

That's what was announced a couple months ago, but it's taken awhile to really even start the process.  There are now currently no Simuldubs streaming only on Funimation's website.  But a good number of completed shows still are like the recently finished The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation out of Debt.

But those recent shows will probably be the ones they prioritize getting moved over, especially ones with upcoming sequels.  I'm more worried about older shows that are even within the Anime fandom still somewhat of Niche if not outright obscure.  Some of these I feel could easily get lost in the shuffle, heck they could be shows who Funmation's license to was limited to begin with and thus the new management may not see the value in renewing.

There are currently 5 shows that have been on my mind a lot in the last half a year or so and that I've been dependent on Funimation to watch and are still at this moment not on Crunchyroll yet.  Kanon, Pretear, Shattered Angels, Chaos;HEad and Legend of The Legendary Heroes.  

Plus Serial Experiments Lain I know is currently only on Funimation but that's a pretty important show I doubt they'll let fall though the cracks, but I wouldn't put anything entirely past them.

There's also plenty on Funmation so Niche even I haven't watched it yet.

Those 5 I listed above are the main concerns for me personally partly because I happen to own a few Physical Home Media releases.  Some are shows I like that I would depend on Funimation to watch Legally (at least Dubbed) if I hadn't spent more money on Anime then I probably should have including Steins;Gate, Robotics;Notes, A Certain Scientific Railgun and it's second season Railgun S, Lucky Star, YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love At The Bound of This World, Burst Angel, Record of Lodoss War and it's TV Anime spin off show, Aria the Scarlet Amo, Noir, Witch Hunter Robin and El Cazzador de la Bruja.

Annoyingly a couple of those shows are on Hulu but only Subbed.  I really wish Hulu had the same requiring a Dub policy that Netflix has, seeing a show I know has been dubbed on there but discovering they only have the Sub kinda feels like being blueballed.  Railgun T has it's Dub on Hulu but not the prior seasons, that has me worried even T could be taken off eventually.

But again the Raildex franchise and Steins;Gate are big and popular enough that I'm sure their Dubs will be added to Crunchyroll or somewhere before Funimation's streaming site gets shut down completely.  But even the other SciADV shows are at risk I fear given how much the loudest people in that fandom hate them.

There are plenty of Shows Funmation had in the past that because the license couldn't be kept up are now not legally streamable anywhere, or at least the Dub Funimation made for it isn't, like Magical  Girl Lyrical Nanoha and it's second season As, or their Dub of Case Closed/Detective Conan's first 123 episodes and 6 movies.  Not to mention Air a sister show of Kanon and Clannad.

I have no idea whether or not Madlax ever was among what Funmation obtained from ADV's old library, but I know it isn't on Funimation right now even though it's sister shows are.  By unfortunate coincidence it's the only of that trio of shows I don't own physically.

There are also a few recent shows that Funmation has made a point not to put on their app but sell on home media release alone.  Actually a good percentage of Anime films tend to not be allowed to Stream, I suspect that's because of the old fashioned attitudes some of the studios back in Japan have.

Wixoss is actually a fairly recent show that it seems Funmation has already let go of. 

1 comment:

  1. *Cries in 1999-2006 anime*
    The future sucks. That's it, I'm burning all my stuff..


    to BluRay

    ReplyDelete