Another of the behind the scenes folks from Funimation, Lance Heiskel handles a lot of the technical stuff that Funimation produces. He also likes to analyze certain aspects of the marketing side, so listen to what he has to say!

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Another of Funimation’s finest, Clarine Harp handles the production for just about every Funimation DVD you can name! On top of that, you can hear her as China in Hetalia: Axis Powers!

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Hello and welcome back to another awesome edition of the YuleBlog. Will our heroines have destroyed each other like they were poised to do in the last episode? Let’s find out!

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Well, it looks like Tsubasa didn’t beat Hibiki to a bloody pulp. She still hasn’t gotten much better at fighting though. According to the head guy, it’s been a month since then and things aren’t going well. Well it is only the third episode, I’m sure we’ll get there eventually.

Looks like all this extra work is taking its toll on Hibiki. Kinda hard working full time as a superhero and still doing homework. Flashback time. This scientist is kinda creepy the way she talks about Hibiki. These armed gear must be the sword and spear that Tsubasa and Kanade had. Tsubasa’s has evolved a bit, but Hibiki doesn’t seem to have one yet.

Who the heck is this guy to be able to block that huge sword like it was nothing? Not only did he make a huge crater, he blew his own shoes off. These agency people are more interesting than they first let on. Here in Tsubasa’s flashback, we see that she still can’t stop thinking about Kanade’s death.

Suddenly, we have an urgent text. Time for a meeting so I guess homework will have to wait. Nothing like depressing words while you get changed. Looks like we might get an explanation about Noise today. From what I can tell, the Noise has been around forever, but it was usually pretty rare. It seems like it’s all gathering around here for something called Durandal.

Now, I don’t know how actual history works, but I do know that Durandal is the name of Eliwood’s sword in Fire Emblem. Seems like this Durandal isn’t too different. While Heavenrend and Gungnir are mostly fragments, Durandal is mostly complete. It sounds like it takes more song power to trigger it though. On top of that, someone is trying to hack the computer to find out more about Durandal.

Ryoko sure does like to talk about herself. I feel like I need an adult every time she’s let loose near Hibiki though. And now Hibiki is in trouble again. I like how everyone else keeps saying this isn’t an anime. Good thing we finished all our homework, too bad we have to skip out on watching shooting stars because of work though.

Hibiki’s friend is more understanding than most people would have patience for. Now it’s time for an Aoi Yuuki song performance. Looks like she’s getting the hang of fighting, even without a weapon. It helps when every punch or kick works just as well. Getting angry also seems to trigger something. Reminds me of the berserker mode from Evangelion.

Good thing Nana Mizuki showed up to finish off the last one. Who is this new person? And why are they wearing the relic from episode one? Since Symphogear is all about cliffhangers, we’ll have to find out next time.

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QUESTION TIME!

You can watch Symphogear either on Funimation or Niconico! Both are the same, but Niconico has a unique comment feature, so check it out after you’ve watched the episode at least once to avoid spoilers!

In the first of many awesome bite-sized Funimation interviews, we had the social media manager, Justin Rojas come on and talk about all the recent stuff Funimation has been up to!

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Today, FUNimation announces the cast for Panty & Stocking, FUNimation will announce new series at Anime Central, and AM2 will welcome SIXH.

Sources:
• Story 1

  ADR Director – Collen Clinkenbeard , Head Writer – John Burgmeier

  Script Writers – Jamie Marchi, Leah Clark, Jared Hedges

  Fastener – Christopher Bevins, Corset – Chris Ayres

  Scanty – Colleen Clinkenbeard, Kneesocks – Cherami Leigh

  Brief – Joel McDonald, Chuck – Ian Sinclair

  Garterbelt – Christopher R. Sabat ,Stocking – Monica Rial, Panty – Jamie Marchi

• Story 2

  FUNimation Entertainment Announces New Acquisitions at Anime Central

  Flower Mound, TX ? April 28, 2012 -FUNimation Entertainment announced today at Anime Central it has acquired the home media rights to the feature film King of Thorn and series Eureka 7: AO (Astral Ocean).

  In addition, FUNimation has acquired the simulcasts rights for Eureka 7: AO. Full episodes will begin on www.funimation.com during spring 2012.

  A brief synopsis for each series is listed below:

  Eureka 7: AO (Astral Ocean) ? The story is set on Okinawa’s isolated island of Iwado, which has seen a growing movement advocating a return to an autonomous government. Ao Fukai, a 13-year-old boy with a missing father, lives on the island with an old doctor named Toshio and is about to enter middle school. Ao’s mother was taken away a decade ago by unknown individuals. Naru Arata, Ao’s 13-year-old childhood friend and the story’s heroine, lives with her father, older sister, and grandmother. She has a “Yuta” power awakened within her due to an incident when she was young. A mysterious entity called “Secret” suddenly appears and launches an attack on the Scub Coral lifeform on the island. Ao launches a certain military FP called “Nirvash” aboard a Japanese military transport in his fervent desire to protect the island.

  King of Thorn: Panic spreads worldwide as the Medousa Virus?a fatal pandemic that solidifies the body to stone?threatens to wipe out the human race. 160 infected individuals are selected to be cryogenically frozen while a cure is developed. Kasumi is one of those chosen for the experimental program. Forced to enter without her twin sister, Shizuku, her distress multiplies when she awakens to find the facility overrun with thick, thorny vines and ravenous monsters. As Kasumi and six others fight a losing battle to escape this labyrinthine nightmare, questions cloud her distorted mind. Where is her sister? Why did their only salvation mutate into a deathtrap? If they survive, how much longer do they have to live?

• Story 3

  AM2 WELCOMES GUEST OF HONOR SIXH AND THE U.S. WESTCOAST DEBUT OF THE FASHION ROCK OPERA

  Fashion Unites Visual Kei Artistry With the Imagery of. Popular with the 3Ghost-Kei2 Theme in an Epic Show

  LOS ANGELES, Calif. (April 27, 2012) -AM2 is proud to welcome the return of fashion designer, Sixh, as an official Guest of Honor as he will have the U.S. Westcoast debut performance of his Fashion Rock Opera that showcases his latest 3ghost-kei2 (gothic and host) themed line at a fashion show at this summer1s most anticipated anime, Japanese music and manga event! More info and attendee registration can be found at www.am2con.org

  The fashion line Sixh. unites visual-kei artistry with the imagery of popular host and hostess clubs. A new theme, ghost-kei, is created by combining the words 3gothic2 and 3host2 into 3ghost2. Combined with the live band performance and vocals by Sixh, himself, this will be a show that no fashionista can miss! Without a doubt, Sixh.1s cool, carefree ideas are not restricted by ordinary rules of fashion or society. More information can be found at www.s-inc.com/hnaoto@sixh/

  3We are blessed to have Sixh1s latest fashion sensation showcase their fashions at our event in such a unique and artistic way,2 states AM2 representative Chase Wang, 3Our attendees will have a truly amazing experience as they see fashions that stimulate all their senses and see a true artist at work!2

  Sixh. Biography Japanese designer Naoto Hirooka1s gothic and lolita fashion line h. NAOTO has accumulated positive reviews and praise from both Japanese and Western markets. After receiving positive stimulation from collaborations with charismatic visual-kei artists, h.NAOTO starts the 3h.ism2 project in the mid 2000s based on the theme of fashion and music co-existing in one entity.

  In 2007, the success of h.ism leads to collaboration with the young fashion design duo IBI and MINT. 3Sixh.2 is born.

  Started by IBI, the fashion line Sixh. unites visual-kei artistry with the imagery of popular host and hostess clubs. A new theme, ghost-kei, is created by combining the words 3gothic2 and 3host2 into 3ghost2. MINT launches the line with the New Japan Mode Collection featuring its relaxed character, 3MINT Neko2, and Six.h flourishes from there. Without a doubt, Sixh.1s cool, carefree ideas are not restricted by ordinary rules of fashion or society.

  Also in 2007, Sixh. expands from a fashion brand into a band with the same name. IBI sings vocals with MINT on the bass, joined by guitarist NARI . Sixh.1s unique musical presentation crosses the Western standard of 3rock2 with the fashions of ghost-kei.

  In 2010, Sixh.1s ladies1 collection 3MelT2 joins the line-up with designer MIKA in the lead. It mixes sexiness with a touch of devilish cuteness by using gorgeous butterflies and roses as the main motifs. IBI1s Ageha-kei fashion line is also in the works.

  h. NAOTO1s fashion line and band Sixh. is constantly adapting and merging with ever-evolving Japanese counterculture. At heart, Sixh. is the sixth sense beyond the five senses! http://www.s-inc.com/hnaoto/sixh/

  3 Day Passport Holders that also stay within the official hotel room block will be treated to a 3private2 panel/meet-and-greet with Guests of Honor during the convention-The official hotel is the Anaheim Hilton Hotel.

  Please note that ALL Guest of Honor activities (i.e. panels, autographs, appearances, etc.) are ALL Passport preferred activities. There will also be a private Meet & Greet event for each Guest of Honor EXCLUSIVELY for Attendees that are 3 Day Passport Holders and Anaheim Hilton Room Block Attendees (room key proof is required).

  Current AM2 Official Guests of Honor include Putumayo, Andrea Libman, Quinton Flynn and Toshihiro Kawamoto.

  Attendees can avoid the anticipated huge lines at autographs, premiere screenings, workshops, main events, concerts and panels by purchasing a Passport fast pass for the event. The Passport fast pass will also provide holders with premier seating options at Main Events and at Concert events as well as major discounts with theme parks (including Disneyland and the grand opening of Cars Land, Knotts Berry Farm, etc.), retailers and local restaurants. Bypass the lines and get your Passport today and experience the difference!

  AM2 current activities include Exhibit Hall, AMV1s, Arcade, Summer Festival, Behind the Voice Actors Studio, Masquerade, Dances, Fashion Shows, Table Top, Console Gaming, Workshops, Panels, Concerts and more!

  Brathzo, Icarus Kid, Kazha, Lucid and Momotoma join Summer Festival join other announced performer Ant1Nett

  AM2 Premieres, screenings and exclusive screenings include ACE ATTORNEY, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: THE STAR OF MILOS, KAIBUTSU-KUN THE MOVIE, KAIJI 2 and more!

  Current Major Sponsors Include: Anime News Network and Snakebyte USA.

It’s time for another rousing edition of the YuleBlog! This week, we’ll dive right back into where we last left off, so let’s stop wasting time and get right to it!

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When we last left our plucky heroine, if you can describe Hibiki as such, she was transforming into one of those awesome musical warriors. Kinda wish I could do that, but I bet you have to be a girl to do it. How sexist. That’s right, Gungnir is Kanade’s old weapon/armor/whatever.

Let’s take this time to talk about Synchrogazer. Another of Nana Mizuki’s awesome anime themes lately, it has a lot going on in it. You have Hibiki and Tsubabsa transformed and fighting Noise, but who’s this other chick the show? We’ll have to learn more about her later. So as we saw in the first episode, every fight sequence is accompanied by its own insert song. Hibiki is voiced by Aoi Yuuki, the person who voiced Victorique in our last series, Gosick. she has a nice singing voice. Too bad Hibiki doesn’t quite have the hang of this whole thing yet. She’s not doing bad for a first-timer though. That and she has to watch out for this little girl.

Here comes the cavalry in the form of Tsubasa. Nana Mizuki will show us how it’s done. You charge in with swords and energy blasts and that is a huge sword. Tsubasa has obviously been at this for a while. Well it’s nice to have a drink, but now we’ve dropped it from transforming back. It looks like having your life saved comes with a nondisclosure agreement. Makes me hope my life isn’t put in danger. And now Hibiki is being taken away by this organization.

Here we are at school at night. Now we’re in an elevator, which apparently goes at mach speed. Just where exactly are we being taken? So much for smiles won’t help, we’re having a party thrown in Hibiki’s honor. I like how this guy wears a tie, but just tucks it into his pocket. Looks like we’re deep in the heart of some FBI type place.

They obviously know what’s going on, so hopefully they can tell us. But first, we have to agree not to tell anyone that we’re super transforming singing warriors. And we also have to strip. Wait, why do we have to strip? Now we’re back in the dorm with Hibiki’s friends whose name I can’t remember. Apparently Tsubabsa is going international, which is always good. Nothing can possibly go wrong from not telling our best friend about what’s going on. Why don’t these girls sleep in their own separate beds.

Meanwhile, in the a shower with Tsubasa, she’s having flashbacks of fighting with Kanade. Obviously she’s upset of how Hibiki is using Kanade’s suit. As you can imagine, being a part of some super secret organization kinda sucks away most of our free time. Oh we had to have an examination yesterday. Stripping suddenly makes sense now. Everything seems normal after the first transformation, aside from the fact that we can do it.

It’s time for explanations, so everyone pay attention. Tsubasa’s relic is called Heavenrend, an appropriate name. Looks like it takes the idle form of a necklace. There are a bunch of crystals like it, and Tsubasa only has a fifth of the original. I would imagine having more makes you more powerful. By singing, you activate the power of the relic and use the power to transform it into a Symphogear. But if Tsubasa’s is a necklace, we did our relic come from?

If you all take moment to think back to what happened two years ago, Hibiki kinda got shot by something and almost died. Turns out they were fragments of Gungnir from when Kanade tried to block the Noise attacks, and now they’re stuck right next to Hibiki’s heart. Kanade is a super touchy subject for Tsubasa, probably because she hasn’t been able to talk to anyone about it. “With great power comes great responsibility.” Suddenly we’ve turned into Spiderman.

Since no one else can fight the Noise, we kinda have to rely on Hibiki and Tsubasa. I wish I knew where exactly the Noise came from, but hopefully we’ll get to that later when it’s more important. In classic fashion, Tsubasa doesn’t want to work with Hibiki right away. we’ll have to go through several episodes of bonding to fix that. And now we’re under attack by Noise. Time to go fight.

It doesn’t look like there’s a whole lot of them. Except they turned into one giant monster. That’s just a bigger target for Tsubasa. Hibiki comes on with the assist, and Tsubasa finishes it off with a big flashy attack. Great teamwork guys, what are you gonna do next? Oh… they’re gonna fight each other. This seems counter productive, but we’ll have to wait for next time to see how it turns out. For now, we have the true ending. It’s a pretty decent song, but I like Synchrogazer better so I won’t be talking about it too much.

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QUESTION TIME! A little expository, but I feel we’ve learned plenty of vital information. How long will it take for Hibiki and Tsubasa to actually get along? Only time will tell!

You can watch Symphogear either on Funimation or Niconico! Both are the same, but Niconico has a unique comment feature, so check it out after you’ve watched the episode at least once to avoid spoilers!

Today, Dragon Age Origin anime to show at selected shows, One Piece film will be written by Suzuki Osamu, and Castlevania: The Adventure will be traveling outside of Japan.

Sources:
• Story 1
• Story 2
• Story 3

It’s time once again for another rousing addition of the YuleBlog! Following a new mantra, we’ll now be taking a look at series that have finished. This way, I don’t end up doing a surprise double season, and you guys can see more different series. This season, we’ll be taking a look at the musical wonder, Senki Zesshou Symphogear!

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So we start out here in the rain. Ominous sayings that involve birds singing even as they die. Obviously not symbolism for anything. Here we are at a graveyard. Either this whole series is going to be really depressing, or it’s going to be told in flashback.

Yup, there’s the flashback cue. So spoiler alert, this Hibiki chick is going to end up dead. Doesn’t that just inspire confidence and make you want to keep watching? I know I’m excited. So here we are, two years ago. We have a concert for a group called Zwei Wing. This must be Hibiki. And here we have the members of Zwei Wing, Tsubasa and Kanade. One is obviously more shy about performing than the other.

Apparently something is super important about this concert today. Oooh, glow sticks. Words to live by here: enjoy your performance or no one else will. We’re only 5 minutes in to this show and we have an awesome concert insert song. this one is called Gyakkou no Flugel, and it looks pretty cool. The animation for it is very well choreographed. One of the reasons it sounds so good is that Tsubasa is Nana Mizuki, who always does a great job singing. I’m not one for concerts, but this one looks like it’d be fun to go to. Plenty of lasers always makes for a great show.

Meanwhile, we have some science stuff happening downstairs. And now for another song, this one is Orbital Beat. Too bad it got cut off, I like it better. This here is the Noise, the unexplained evil for this series. Apparently it turns people to dust. And now for the signature of the series, the transforming singers. By singing a song, Kanade and Tsubasa transform and get super powers and awesome weapons. It’s a little more impressive than yelling Henshin. The attacks even get half a second with the name displayed. It has less flair than calling it, but they have to keep singing, so they can’t really stop to yell attack names.

Why is Hibiki still here? If everyone else is gone, she should have gone with them. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of this brand of stupidity as the series goes on. Maybe she’s just super ditzy. Good thing Kanade is here to save her. Doesn’t look like she stands much of a fighting chance though. And now Hibiki is dead. That’s it everyone, series over. Time to go home.

Seriously though, let’s see how Kanade handles this new development. She’s singing in… Latin? I can’t tell. Whatever it is, Tsubasa doesn’t want her to, so it’s obviously a kamikaze attack. Yup, she’s dying. First episode and someone is already dead.

Meanwhile, back in the present we have a private music academy. Do you get the theme of the show yet? Hibiki is showing that, once again, she is a huge ditz. Good thing she has friend who’s willing to put up with her. Looks like Tsubasa is still singing after Kanade’s death. Good for her. That’s an interesting shaped scar.

Looks like the Noise are still an issue, and normal weapons don’t work at all. Feels like Evangelion. Only instead of giant robots, we have Nana Mizuki to fight them with music and swords. I prefer this method. These attacks are pretty vicious, but they have some cool names. I like the Blue Flash one. When Tsubasa isn’t busing killing things, she’s just a regular high school student.

Hibiki’s friend has a decent point. No one really goes for CDs int his digital age, but they are a nice collectible. Oh snap, there are piles of ash everywhere. That means there’s Noise about. Good for Hibiki for being brave and helping out a little girl, but she doesn’t really inspire confidence. She’s trying really hard though, I have to give her tons of credit for that. Having someone die for you must be a great motivator to save someone else. Oh darn, the Noise caught us.

And in a surprise twist, Hibiki is a transforming singer. Apparently her song weapon is Gungnir. I’m no psychic, except for that I’ve seen the series already, but I think that’s Kanade’s old weapon. Looks like the first the transformation is a little rough, but we’ll have to wait for next week. The song here at the end is actually the opening for the series, Synchrogazer by Nana Mizuki. I’ll talk more about it next time. No episode preview, I guess we’ll just have to be in the dark about it.

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QUESTION TIME! First impressions are always fun. What do you think of this season’s pick? Is it too much to know that Hibiki is already as good as dead?

You can watch Symphogear either on Funimation or Niconico! Both are the same, but Niconico has a unique comment feature, so check it out after you’ve watched the episode at least once to avoid spoilers!

Today, Start with original Black/White starters in Pokemon Black/White 2, the end of “Mirai Nikki” is just the begining,

Sources:
• Story 1
• Story 2
• Story 3 NSFW

Live from a convention near you, it’s Greg Wicker! Greg’s been out and about at tons of conventions turning classic game shows into fabulous prizes just for you, so listen to see how you can win!

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