Marooned on One Piece Island

We at FUNimation try to create new and exciting ways to get you all closer and more involved with the anime you love. We think this event might be our craziest yet.

With One Piece returning to Toonami this Saturday at 1:00 am ET, we wanted to do something over the top to celebrate its return.

So starting at 5pm CT today our ‘host with the most’ from The FUNimation Show, Scott Porter, will be locked in a room at the FUNimation office and will not be let back out until he has watched every episode of One Piece up to episode #207, where Toonami is starting off on Saturday.

Yes, that will take the rest of the week (until late Saturday actually). Yes, we know it’s insane - that’s why it’s awesome!!!

We will have a live stream over at our FUNimation Live YouTube page of Scott locked in the room watching One Piece going 24-hours a day. The camera will even be going when he sleeps*. He will be interacting with all of you via our the live stream chat and our other social sites.

There will also be a chance to win One Piece prizes throughout the broadcast, so be sure to stay tuned to FUNimation.com/news and all the FUNimation social sites for updates.

*We are letting him sleep (a little) during this event since otherwise this could kill him or at the very least mess him up so much that he won’t be able to tell the difference between a glass of water and a penguin.

This week is all about One Piece. We have the release of One Piece Season 4 Voyage 5 on DVD today and then this weekend we have the premiere of One Piece on Toonami!

That’s right, if you haven’t seen our multiple posts, One Piece is coming to Toonami and we’re starting with episode 207. We know this might be a bit hard to follow if you haven’t been watching the series, so to help you we’ve created some special recap and character profile videos for you on the official website http://onepieceofficial.com.

In addition to One Piece, we also have Darker Than Black - The Complete Season 2 Box Set on BD/DVD Combo and My Bride is a Mermaid joins our Super Amazing Value Edition line.

So, are you excited about One Piece on Toonami?

FUNimation and Adult Swim confirmed today that the shonen anime series One Piece will join the Toonami block. The announcement was first made during the Toonami panel at Momocon on March 10th. The series will premiere on the network late Saturday night on May 18th at 1:00am ET. It will begin with episode 207 (“Great Adventure At Long Ring Long Land!”). Soul Eater will then move to its new time slot of 1:30am ET. 

The Japanese broadcast is up to episode 591, and FUNimation currently streams the simulcast of the series Saturday nights on http://onepieceofficial.com

For more information about the series, please visit the website, or the official Facebook page.

series synopsis:
Monkey D. Luffy refuses to let anyone or anything stand in the way of his quest to become the king of all pirates. With a course charted for the treacherous waters of the Grand Line and beyond, this is one captain who’ll never give up until he’s claimed the greatest treasure on Earth: the Legendary One Piece! Fiendish Fishmen, merciless Marines, surly sea monsters, and devious Devil’s Fruit users all try to stop this unusual man with the body made of rubber, but as long as Luffy has his loyal friends along for the adventure – nothing can stand in the way of their dreams!

If you’d like a refresher course on the One Piece characters, check out FUNimation’s One Piece 101 YouTube videos.

‘Tis the season for giving! With that, your friends at FUNimation Entertainment, VizMedia, Namco Bandai, and Neon Alley have put together the ultimate One Piece Holiday Giveaway!

Just click the image above to enter, or you can click this link. This contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec). You must be at least 17 years of age to enter.

From now until December 26th, you can enter to win one (1) of five (5) One Piece Prize packs featuring:

- One Piece Collections 1 – 4 on DVD
- One Piece: Pirate Warriors for PlayStation 3
- A Neon Alley 6-month subscription
- The Shonen Jump Alpha 2012 Yearbook w/ limited edition button set.

Enter. Like. Share.
Spread the word to your friends to increase your chances of winning!

Be sure to “Like” our official One Piece Facebook page for all the latest information, updates and inside scoop on contests!

We’ve got two releases for you on this New Release Tuesday. First up, Steins;Gate - Part One on BD/DVD Combo! If you’re a time travel aficionado, then don’t miss out on this series! Digital fans can also download the series via their Xbox and PlayStation later today, with episode 1 FREE for a limited time.

series synopsis:

The microwave is a time machine. Okarin proved it. The self-anointed mad scientist nuked bananas into some gelatinous version of the future. Or maybe it was the past. Doesn’t matter. No one thought he could do it, but he did it anyway. He sent text messages through time to people he knew. To his friends. Some of them female. Pretty. He should have been more careful. He should have stopped. Tampering with the time-space continuum attracts unwelcome attention. Clandestine organizations of nefarious origins take notice. SERN. Always watching. Okarin knows; he can feel their eyes. That s why he started the top secret Future Gadget Lab. To stop them. You should join. We get to wear lab coats, and it’s dangerous. Danger is exciting because it’s deadly. The microwave is a time machine.

If you’re fans of the series, then be sure to outfit your future gadgets with these FREE Steins;Gate downloads.

• Mobile wallpapers for iOS and Android devices
• Facebook Cover photos and avatars
• Animated GIFs of some of your favorite scenes

But, I promised you two releases today, didn’t I? We also have One Piece: Collection Eighton DVD available now! This is the last of the Collections, and now you’ve got Season 4 Voyages to look forward to.

synopsis:

The Straw Hats go from sailing on a cloud to being surrounded by Marines in this unedited twenty-seven episode collection of awesome! Lightning bolts rain from the heavens and innocent citizens run for cover as Luffy and Eneru go toe to toe to determine the fate of Skypiea. The heinous holy man has Angel Island by the throat, and Nami and Luffy must risk their lives in a desperate attempt to chase away his looming cloud of death! When the final bell rings, the Straw Hats find themselves plummeting toward the Marine stronghold of Navarone! This impenetrable island is surrounded by stone walls, and the only hope for escape is a daring dash into the freedom of the deep blue sea. The sailing certainly won’t be smooth, and it’ll take all hands on deck to survive this scrape!

But, that’s not the only One Piece action that’s available. Our friends at Namco Bandai Games have released One Piece: Pirate Warriors as an exclusive download on the PlayStation Network. Download it today and join Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates on his quest to become the Pirate King. Check out the promo video, and get more information on the Namco Bandai website.

And if all that excitement just isn’t enough for you guys, digital fans can download Shakugan no Shana Season 2 episode 1 for FREE on iTunes, Xbox, and PlayStation later today. So, be sure to check your digital vendor of choice later.

So, what are you getting today?

Be sure to watch One Piece on Neon Alley this fall!  Watch their sizzle reel above.

Neon Alley is the only 24/7, scheduled, anime network featuring all English dubbed, uncut content direct to your TV through your Playstation3 game console.  Log onto the official Neon Alley website for more information: http://www.neonalley.com/

It’s no secret that a lot of anime fans are also K-Pop fans. Just walk around any anime convention and you’ll see cosplayers dancing to “Gee” by Girls Generation, or one of the many popular Super Junior dances, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

This year, Otakon was able to book the up-and-coming K-Pop group VIXX, and we were lucky enough to get an interview! Unfortunately, we weren’t able to film the interview, but here are a few excerpts below:

FUNimation: You debuted in May and now you’re performing in the U.S. What has that experience been like?

VIXX: Our American friends here gave us great joy on stage. They made being on stage so fun for us. So, we are so grateful for that.

FUNimation: FUNimation handles anime like Dragon Ball Z, Fullmetal Alchemist, and One Piece in the U.S. Do you watch anime? If so, what are some of your favorites?

VIXX: One Piece! I really like One Piece. Especially, Chopper. I can even draw some of the One Piece characters. We also like Evangelion, Gundam, and Naruto.

We couldn’t resist having them record our slogan, which they were kind enough to do. So, thank you N, Leo, Ken, Ravi, HongBin, and Hyuk!

Turns out that the VIXX mascot/logo is anime inspired! The VIXX Robot, ROVIX, was created by Charles Chang. ROVIX is an homage to all robots. He has Taekwon V eyes, Gundam’s V, Mazinger Z’s Mask, and Grendizer’s horn. ROVIX is made with all the best parts of the robots, and symbolizes how the 6 members of VIXX gathered and became a group. Apparently, his birthday is June 20th and he can speak Korean, English, Japanese, and is in the process of learning Chinese. Pretty ambitious robot!

For more from their trip to Otakon, check out their VIXX TV episode 9 here. Check out minute 5:24! Chopper makes a guest appearance!

If you want to learn more about VIXX you can follow them on their official channels:

Official Homepage: http://www.RealVIXX.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/RealVIXX
Facebook: http://facebook.com/RealVIXX
Twitter: http://twitter.com/RealVIXX

VIXX has just released their second single, “Rock Ur Body.” You can buy it now on iTunes. We’ve been playing it on repeat for the last two days!

So, tell us. Do you like K-Pop? What are some of your favorite bands?

San Francisco, CA, August 21, 2012 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, continues the digital anime convergence as it announces that Toei Animation, with FUNimation® Entertainment acting as the agent, has licensed the celebrated pirate anime action/adventure series, ONE PIECE, for broadcast on Neon Alley, the new 24-hour anime channel VIZ Media launching this Fall exclusively to the Playstation Network and the PS3 game console. Episodes to air on Neon Alley will be presented uncut and with dubbed English dialogue.

Neon Alley, featuring the world’s best anime titles all dubbed and uncut in English and presented in HD (when available), is the first platform designed to be studio agnostic, with a diverse array of titles from other leading anime producers and distributors. Programming will include weekly exclusive premieres of hit titles fans love, alongside a mix of new, cutting edge titles they didn’t know they were missing. Neon Alley will be a subscription-based service, subsidized with limited commercial advertising to keep the launch price to consumers at a low $6.99 per month.

“We’re excited to partner with Toei and FUNimation to bring the smash hit ONE PIECE to fans across North America on Neon Alley,” says Brian Ige, Vice President, Animation. “Fans should stay tuned for the Neon Alley launch date and programming details, and prepare to set sail with Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat pirates this Fall!”

ONE PIECE is based on a massively popular manga (graphic novel) series created by Eiichiro Oda, that is also published in North America by VIZ Media (rated ‘T’ for Teens). In the venerable anime adventure, Monkey D. Luffy refuses to let anyone or anything stand in the way of his quest to become king of all pirates. With a course charted for the treacherous waters of the Grand Line, this is one captain who’ll never drop anchor until he’s claimed the greatest treasure on Earth – the Legendary One Piece!

For more information on Neon Alley, please visit www.NeonAlley.com.
For more information on Toei Animation, please visit: www.Toei-Anime.co.jp
For more information on FUNimation, please visit: www.funimation.com
For more information on VIZ Media, please visit http://www.VIZ.com.

About Toei Animation Inc.
TOEI ANIMATION has been distributing its popular Japanese Animation films and derivative character licensing through local partners all over American regions for over 13 years. TOEI ANIMATION INCORPORATED (TAI) established in Los Angeles in March 2004, looks forward to spreading the world-renowned Japanese animation studio’s extensive library and pursuing co-production projects in North and Latin America and other English-speaking territories worldwide. The main business operations of TAI include film licensing in all media and emerging platforms, merchandise licensing and co-productions with local establishments. Visit www.toei-anime.co.jp/english/index.html.

About FUNimation® Entertainment
FUNimation® Entertainment is the leading anime company in North America. FUNimation has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands. They manage a full spectrum of rights for most of their brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution. For more information about FUNimation Entertainment and its brands, visit www.funimation.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan’s largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

What an exciting Friday morning in the FUNimation Entertainment studios! Sonny Strait, the voice of Usopp, is here recording the “Sogeking Theme Song” for One Piece.

This is our last One Piece 101 for a while. As the Straw Hats make their way through East Blue, foes lurk behind every turn looking for a fight. Check out some of Monkey D. Luffy’s greatest hits as he shows us just how powerful the Gum Gum Fruit really is.

So, did you enjoy the One Piece 101 series? Would you like to see more?

Don’t forget to watch new episodes of One Piece every Saturday only on http://onepieceofficial.com/