An Update On Geneon

08 Oct, 2007

Posted by: Mochi In: Anime News

First the (mostly) good news:

On one of ANN’s forum threads, Corey Fischer of Ocean Productions has said that the dubbing for Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage will be completed…using the same voice actors. He has no news about distribution, however.

Avatar_exADV (subtitler) has said in an entry on his blog that subbing for the first two seasons of Nanoha and the first season of Zero no Tsukaima are proceeding. He also mentions that the shows will be dubbed. He, also, has no news about distribution.

Now this may or may not be good news, but Geneon Entertainment (USA)’s President and CEO, Eiji Orii, wrote the following letter:

The pdf file from ANN can be seen here.

It is good that Geneon has heard the fans and has replied to them. I would consider this a hopeful message, but the line, “We will release more information to the public once we have any concrete plans, if any.” has me a little concerned, particularly the tag, “if any”. I suppose it’s now wait and see.

ANN Story: Geneon USA President & CEO Sends Message to Fans

67 Responses to "An Update On Geneon"

1 | Chris

October 9th, 2007 at 3:03 pm

Well, at least they’re not completely closing shop…

I still haven’t had a chance to take a look at Black Lagoon, so I’ll make sure to pick it up. That, and Ergo Proxy vol. 6.

2 | shiki

October 9th, 2007 at 8:26 pm

I picked up the last volume of Fate/Stay Night, call it my last show of support for “big G” for a while. The “if any” clause is very depressing.

3 | mochi

October 10th, 2007 at 12:55 pm

@ Chris & shiki

Hopefully a more definitive statement will be released soon…with luck, it will detail their new plans.

I have pretty much gotten all I want from their new releases, so now I’m filling in some holes (as my budget permits) like the Ah! My Goddess movie and Lain and maybe some Trigun.

4 | Karin

November 2nd, 2007 at 3:43 pm

Will they complete karin dvd?

5 | mochi

November 4th, 2007 at 11:51 am

@ Karin

Unfortunately, there is very little information about this. Since Karin’s release schedule was similar to Black Lagoon’s, it is possible that the dub work has been completed and all that has to be done is to find another distributor…but, that is just speculation. Right now, Karin is available through Vol. 3 (through episode 12).

6 | shiki

November 4th, 2007 at 3:04 pm

I want a box set of karin, so I hope the find a new distie… the fact that it looks like it’s release schedule is going to be interrupted despite almost certainly being completed… I just have a hard time believing that they’d abandon any of their already finished products. Such a waste for them.

7 | Mandy

November 13th, 2007 at 4:07 pm

I hope that the rest of Kyo Kara Maoh, Shonen Onmyoji, and Hellsing Ultimate will be released on DVD in the (near) furture!

8 | Angel_Lain

November 22nd, 2007 at 1:52 am

I really hope that some where down the road that Kyo Kara Maoh, and Saiunkoku may be finished. I can’t see with how close Kyo Kara Maoh was to being finished that it isn’t possibly already dubbed completely. I guess I’ll just have to keep watch.

9 | Sukisho816

December 8th, 2007 at 10:03 pm

Oh, I hope they finish putting out KKM I would like to know the rest of the story.

10 | Mandy

December 9th, 2007 at 12:08 am

I have downloaded and watched the Kyo Kara Maoh (78 + 1st of OVA), Shonen Onmyoji (20 out of 26), and Hellsing Ultimate (3 and on going) fansub episodes, but I love these series so much that I want to own them all on DVD! That’s why I hope that some day they will release the rest.

11 | mochi

December 11th, 2007 at 10:06 am

@ Angel_Lain, Sukisho816, & Mandy

For what it’s worth, the first season of Kyo Kara Maoh! was shown on ImaginAsian TV. The last episode aired at the end of October. The interesting thing is that they broadcast both the dubbed and the subbed versions. Depending on their contract with Geneon, it may be possible they can show the entire second season subbed.

Unfortunately, ImaginAsian TV has a rather small footprint in the US (Northern Virginia, Los Angeles, NYC, Princeton (NJ), Edison (NJ), San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, & Hawaii). If you live in LA, though, they offer free Video-on-Demand.

Incidentally, KKM! will have a third season. 39 episodes will begin airing in April 2008 in Japan.

12 | Mandy

December 11th, 2007 at 12:26 pm

Are you talking about Kyou Kara Maou R? I’ve seen the first episode. I thought that it was an OVA, but if its going to be 39 episodes it must be a third season. =)

13 | mochi

December 11th, 2007 at 12:56 pm

@ Mandy

No, it is not Kyo Kara Maoh R. Your first impression was correct; KKMR is a 3-episode OVA.

The third season is currently in production. Studio DEEN and director Junji Nishimura are returning to work on the project. All the main seiyuu are reprising their roles as well.

The series is scheduled to be televised on NHK-BS2 starting in April of 2008.

14 | marc

December 20th, 2007 at 10:14 am

i hope you release kyo kara maoh season two soon an on Amazon.com i have all the dvds up to season 2 vol.6 and also please do the ova and next series.

15 | Mandy

December 20th, 2007 at 6:30 pm

Sadly, there is no knowing when the rest (of KKM) will come out on domestic dvd. I also have all the dvds for KKM (and other series) they have released in the US so far and was suprised when I found out Geneon’s decision. Even though I have downloaded and watched all the eps so far (fansub of KKM R ep 2 recently came out), I love the series (and many others) and wanted to own them on domestic dvd. So I also hope that it wont be too long before the rest of these series are released on dvd in the US and can complete my collection.

P.S: Because of what’s happened with Geneon, Amazon.com wont have the next volume in these series until someone decides and/or is able to continue the release of them on domestic dvd. So, you wont see them on Amazon.com or anywhere else for now (unless you buy imports).

16 | mochi

January 2nd, 2008 at 9:23 am

@ Mandy

Let’s hope that the parent company, Geneon (in Japan), decides to let Geneon USA take the approach which Kadokawa Pictures USA has taken. They license shows (like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya) and sub-contract other companies to take care of dubs, distribution, and marketing (in the case of Haruhi - Bang Zoom! Entertainment was used for dubbing and Bandai Entertainment was used for distribution and marketing).

17 | Amy

January 3rd, 2008 at 8:45 am

So Karin and When They Cry is on hold for now. How lame I hope the same thing doesn’t happen like with Tactics 5 no where to be found. I wonder if I should sell my sets since they are not going to be in production but how will they let us all know what is going to happen. I think I would have had blue balls if they did the same with Ergo Proxy. :\

18 | Amy

January 3rd, 2008 at 8:54 am

Called Geneon and they said that my guess was as good as theres. They’re not sure if another company will buy the licence to complete the sets. I’m just glad I haven’t watched them yet to get into it. Keep posted on the Geneon site for details.

19 | mochi

January 3rd, 2008 at 1:21 pm

@ Amy

The direct approach…I like it.

Though, when you say, “Keep posted on the Geneon site for details”, do you mean Geneon USA’s website? If so, unless the people you spoke with said news would be posted there, the site hasn’t been updated since October.

20 | Amy

January 3rd, 2008 at 1:36 pm

Hmm she didn’t specify that. Maybe she just wanted me off the phone. I guess were all left in the dark. I went on here but didnt see anything http://www.geneonanimation.com.

21 | Mochi

January 4th, 2008 at 11:12 pm

@ Amy

It may be possible they will start updating the site again. Geneon USA still has some activity in the US anime scene. Apparently, they are helping to get the Hellsing Ultimate IV dub ready. The cable channel, Starz Edge, is planning to broadcast Hellsing Ultimate during February and they had part 4 listed on their schedule. Geneon said the English dub would not be ready for their listed air date (2/18). Since the Japanese release wasn’t scheduled until 2/22, this is not surprising. It will be interesting to see if Starz Edge will actually be able to air an English dub of part 4.

22 | Smith

January 9th, 2008 at 5:32 pm

I hope they do release the rest of Karin. By the way, Where is there information about Geneon USA having some activity? Just wondering how that information was found out that is all. Well, hopefully someone will take over the unfinished DVD’s it’s not good to have incomplete sets. Maybe they’ll release them in boxed sets.It’s more of a waiting game I suppose.

23 | Amy

January 9th, 2008 at 6:51 pm

Your right, for now I just pretend they don’t exist. I’m just glad I never watched the first episode to get on it. I’ll just wait till there all out and then ill get it cause if not it’s a let down.

24 | Smith

January 9th, 2008 at 10:09 pm

Unfortunately for me I watched the first two episodes and I’m upset they didn’t finish it. I’m watching the subbed but still even when watching subbed I’m thinking this would have made a good dub(even though there are 12 dubbed but still it’s not complete)..=(. Karin is a good series so far..but the best advice would be to not watch it or else you’d feel a little upset about it. Just my opinion of course..=)

25 | Mochi

January 14th, 2008 at 7:52 pm

@ Smith

Geneon USA has had some recent, mostly housekeeping, activity. Late last year, they had to work with RightStuf! to deal with some defective Saber clocks which were part of the LE version of Fate/Stay Night, Vol. 6. More recently there is the Hellsing Ultimate issue mentioned above. Anime News Network wrote about it…below is the link:

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-01-04/hellsing-ultimate-4-unavailable-for-starz-edge-next-month

Also, I have been trying to reach Odex about Karin. Odex was sub-contracted by Geneon to do the English dub. I wanted to ask them if they had completed the dub…if so, then that would make things easier for anyone (including Geneon) to complete the DVD releases. However, their website has been down for several days now.

Sorry for the delay with the reply, but the New Year has been quite busy for me.

26 | Smith

January 14th, 2008 at 10:43 pm

Thank you for the information. Please update as soon as possible. Hope you had a good New Year. I hope Odex is up soon but, I can wait.

27 | Blammo

January 25th, 2008 at 9:56 pm

Is is that hard to find a distributer ? Amazon could be a great choice!

28 | ravensangst

February 27th, 2008 at 9:06 am

I’m new to all of this, and imagine my surprise when completing vol. 2 disk 6 of “Kyo Kara Maoh!” through Netflix and noticing that, “Hmmm…the story doesn’t seem to be quite done.” WHAT??? So I pop on again and find out that the distributor just STOPPED distributing them? How could you not at LEAST finish projects you had already started? Not only STARTED, but had gotten 15 disks into!? Sigh… What HAPPENED with the company to make them just halt production? That seems weird especially since Geneon seemed to be doing so well.
..so now anyway, did I see that disks 7 and 8 may be available?

29 | Schloopie

March 4th, 2008 at 12:34 pm

Damn it! I got the first 3 volumes of hellsing ultimate and the first season of black lagoon, and now nobody knows when (if ever) the rest of either will come out! This sucks!I was really looking forward to the second season of black lagoon, and hellsing ultimate is one of the best anime i’ve had the pleasure of watching. SHIT!

30 | Blammo

March 9th, 2008 at 7:43 am

The way i see it, the only way geneon’s titles could come out is if another company buys the licences from geneon and do the dubbing and subbing work all over again. I’m pretty sure that those licences aren’t cheap and for now, no one says that they are intrested in doing that. My guess is that you have beter chances at winning the lotery than seeing those releases one day!

31 | Amy

March 9th, 2008 at 8:21 am

I just sold all of my unfinished ones to specs
I got like 50 bucks for 6 dvds. I didn’t even want to watch them so I just sold them instead.

32 | Blighter

March 28th, 2008 at 5:00 am

Your best bet to finish watching Kyou Kara Maou is go to a funsub site and download the last 11 episodes. (68-78) While I preferred the english dubbed episodes it was well worth worth it watching the final few with just english subtitles
as I was desperate to see how the second season ended. And unlike the end of season 1 they end of season 2 was done so that could have been it for the series. I am glad though a third season is coming out but then it will probably years if ever before it is english dubbed.

33 | ravensangst

March 29th, 2008 at 10:51 am

Thanks Blighter!
I probably WILL have to download the last episodes, just to finish the story, cause it looks like they’re probably never going to be dubbed…sigh. Well, hopefully someone will pick up season 3.

34 | Tiarra

April 2nd, 2008 at 7:45 pm

i really hope that they do finish kyo kara maoh but im mad that geneon didn’t plan these things ahead of time that way by the time they stopped distributing it would be okay because someone else would have picked it up but Nooo they just stopped and now we all have to wait, hope, and wonder when all of our stuff is coming out IF it will come out and that makes me upset and i just think that being in this situation really SUX

35 | Smith

May 9th, 2008 at 11:31 am

So, how many Geneon series have been licensed? Which ones? I hope some have been, though I think some may have. It would have been nice if they did complete the series before Geneon had problems. At least the Geneon in Japan is still going strong.

36 | Smith

July 9th, 2008 at 8:58 pm

Well, good news! Geneon has found a distributor! Funimation! I’m so excited, the series I was looking forward to(Karin) will be released. Thought you’d all like to know, but I’m sure you knew that already.

37 | Tiarra

July 10th, 2008 at 4:19 am

hey i kno that evry1 here prob knows that funimation is the distributor for geneon and just in case ur wonderin wat r some of the releases here they r

Funimation has scheduled the first anime DVD releases from its distribution deal with Geneon Entertainment (USA):

August 19: Black Lagoon season 1, Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage volume 1, Elemental Gelade volume 1

September 2: Karin volumes 1-4, Kyo kara Maoh! season 2’s volume 1-7

September 9: Shakugan no Shana series box

September 16: Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage volume 2, Fate/stay night
series box, Hellsing Ultimate volumes 1-4, Rozen Maiden series box

September 23: Kamichu! series box, Paradise Kiss series box

September 30: When They Cry - Higurashi volumes 1-4

Funimation announced at Anime Expo 2008 on Thursday that it had agreed to manufacture, sell, and distribute selected DVD titles from Geneon Entertainment in North America. Geneon Entertainment had ceased in-house distribution of its own titles last September.

38 | Amy

July 10th, 2008 at 6:27 am

GREAT I will be looking for Karin & when they cry when it comes out

39 | marc

July 12th, 2008 at 8:00 am

thank god kyo kara maoh is back i hope amazon puts it in stock so i can get it.

40 | Smith

July 12th, 2008 at 12:58 pm

I hope Funimation or someone licenses the rest of the Geneon titles. Last Exile is one that I would like for someone to license, but I can wait.. for a little bit, and Disgaea(however it is spelled).

41 | Tiarra

July 12th, 2008 at 6:57 pm

yea i’ve seen last exile its pretty gud not 2 bad but u don’t hav 2 wait if u go 2 http://www.rightstuff.com they still hav the series and the box set for that so if u want it u can buy it there

42 | Tiarra

July 12th, 2008 at 7:01 pm

wait don’t click that link it doesn’t go 2 the right place just go 2 google and click rightstuff and it should b the 1st one you see so u shouldn’t miss it also i tried 2 look 4 karin and when they cry but u would hav 2 pre-order 2 get those

43 | Smith

July 13th, 2008 at 2:55 pm

I know Rightstuf had a sale a little while back and I should have bought them at that time. I believe they were $5 for each DVD or something. Unfortunately, I waited to long to order them and well, they all sold out, also I wanted to get them all not just a few..I hope that deal happens again, but I don’t think so. As for buying the boxset it’s a little on the expensive side..I think somewhere around $100 or so.

44 | Tiarra

July 13th, 2008 at 4:48 pm

well yea they do hav 1 for 188.98 but that’s for the limited edition they also hav a regular box set for 89.98 don’t pay attention 2 the retail price just look at the your price cuz that’s the 1 that you’ll hav 2 pay it’s a lttle camafloged but if you look you should c it

45 | Smith

July 13th, 2008 at 8:55 pm

That’s still pretty high though.

46 | Blighter

July 13th, 2008 at 10:38 pm

A cheaper way to go to watch anime is netflix. They currently have Last exile in instant watch with unlimited viewing time. Not only, netflix has a complete near-complete selection of anime that has been dubbed on DVD including any new ones that come out. I know I sound like like an ad but I swear by netflix for anime, I have not found a better place for anime yet for the price.

Now if Kanon 6 would just come out grrrrrr nothing like a distributor change to mess things up.

47 | Rachel

July 15th, 2008 at 11:32 am

I have to second what Blighter says about Netflix. You can check anime out through them, and if you like the series, you can buy it later when you have the cash. I personally buy used DVDs on Amazon. It’s hella cheaper than new and if look hard enough, you can get something new or like new for 1/4 of the price. Just because anime is listed as $89.90, doesn’t mean you can’t get it cheaper elsewhere.

48 | John

July 24th, 2008 at 8:36 pm

Hey, does anyone know if the new releases of Karin episodes 13-24 that Funimation said they were releasing in September are dubbed? I hope because I can’t understand Japanese and I’m not into subtitles. Also, does anyone think that it might be possible for someone to post Karin episodes 13-24 dubbed online( when the DVD comes out), because I would have not clue where to get the DVD or I’d hate to have to buy it and have it be subbed.

49 | Smith

July 25th, 2008 at 12:06 am

Well, I’m not sure when they would be released but I was informed on the Funimation forums that there would be the rest of the series but I was not told when they would be out. I hope they are dubbed I doubt Funimation would disappoint us, however, it is not up to them whether they can dub it or not, the license is still in Geneon’s possession they just have distribution rights. Hope that helps. I prefer dubs anyway.

50 | Tiarra

July 25th, 2008 at 5:12 pm

i pretty sure that the karin eps are gona b dubbed so don’t worry and if they weren’t going 2 then it would say subbed only or something like that

51 | John

July 25th, 2008 at 7:39 pm

Thanks for the info that Karin will be back and that it will be dubbed(thank god). But what I don’t know is if the new dubbed episodes(13-24) will only be on DVD. I have only watched Karin online and I don’t want to buy one DVD out of the series, plus I don’t like to buy over the internet and I wouldn’t have any place to buy it near me. What I’m asking basically is will it be possible for someone to take the new Karin episodes and put them online if they were only released on DVD?

52 | Tiarra

July 26th, 2008 at 7:58 am

it might be online shortly or soon after it comes out it really depends on when some ppl get and are able 2 post it online but hopefully it shouldn’t be to long

53 | John

July 26th, 2008 at 2:04 pm

Thanks for letting me know.

54 | Smith

July 26th, 2008 at 7:11 pm

It would be nice to watch the episodes online that way I can see if it would indeed be a good series to buy, though from the first subbed episode I liked it but I was watching it when there was no news of Karin being re-released so I am glad to know that it will be re-released in the near future. Just I hope that the other 2 volumes will be released very shortly after the first 4 but if they are going to be dubbed I can wait. I hope Funimation is allowed to distribute more of Geneon’s titles in the near future, and also that it will be able to license some of ADV’s canceled series.

55 | Tiarra

July 26th, 2008 at 10:38 pm

Well its possible that it might happen so don’t give up hope

56 | Smith

July 31st, 2008 at 7:07 pm

I’m just glad Karin will be released.

57 | Tiarra

July 31st, 2008 at 7:24 pm

Well this is just the starting point i’m sure that funimation will release more anime titles from geneon in the future

58 | Tiarra

August 2nd, 2008 at 6:01 pm

Here are some titles that funimation is getting from adv and geneon

Devil May Cry, Kanon scheduled along with more Geneon titles via Funimation

——————————————————————————–

The Right Stuf online anime retailer has added the first former ADV titles that Funimation licensed from Sojitz:

October 7: Devil May Cry volumes 1-3

October 14: Kanon volume 6

Right Stuf also added the following Geneon titles that are now distributed through Funimation:

October 7: Elemental Gelade series box, Ergo Proxy series box, The Story of Saiunkoku volumes 1-3

October 14: Karin volume 5, Kyo kara Maoh! season 2’s volume 8, Shonen Onmyouji volumes 1-3

October 21: Ninja Vixens movie collections 1-2 (live-action works)

October 28: Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage volume 3, Rozen Maiden - Träumend volumes 1-2

Funimation scheduled the first anime DVD releases from its distribution deal with Geneon Entertainment (USA) in September.

59 | Smith

September 12th, 2008 at 3:39 pm

Are there any plans of Geneon licensing or at least Funimation licensing the rest of the incomplete series such as Shakugan no Shana and others?

60 | Tiarra

September 12th, 2008 at 6:06 pm

As far as i kno they have the 1st complete box set of shakugan no shana out but i don’t know if they plan 2 bring out the second season

61 | Dwayne Tan

September 27th, 2008 at 2:19 pm

Hey everyone, I’ve been looking for the rest of Karin myself. I played Makoto in Episode 18 and I know for a fact the English dub was completed by Odex. Please let me know when it does come out. I’m anxious too!

62 | Tiarra

September 27th, 2008 at 10:27 pm

well the 5th karin comes out in oct 14 and the 6th one comes out in nov 25th but you can pre-order them if you want at rightstuf or another place if you prefer

63 | ravensangst

October 11th, 2008 at 8:27 pm

YEAH!!! I get to finish my Kyo Kara Maoh! Finally, I’ve been feeling anxious that I would never be able to. Thank freaking goodness that someone’s cleaning up Geneon’s mess.

64 | Tiarra

October 12th, 2008 at 9:20 am

Yea i kno wat u mean i was scared that i would have 2 wait a long while b4 some1 came and finished kyo kara maoh so i’m really happy 2 hear that some1 is gona finish it

65 | Smith

October 25th, 2008 at 1:49 pm

So, Funimation is distributing the entire series of Kyo Kara Maoh? Did Geneon license the third season also? I hope Funimation will continue the rest of the incomplete series even if they aren’t licensed by Geneon for example, Shakugan no Shana season 2. So far I haven’t heard any news about them doing that. Of course to keep continuity I’m sure if they do license the other season(s) of other Geneon titles, they will have the same voice actors. I hope that Funimation will continue to distribute other titles of Geneon like Last Exile, Trigun, and Samurai Champloo to name a few.

66 | Tiarra

October 25th, 2008 at 5:37 pm

Well so far i haven’t heard any news about shakugan no shana either but i’m pretty sure that they will since they’ve got the first season out i’m sure it’s just that they are busy trying to make sure that all of the other shows get out as well since geneon stopped right in the middle/around the end with alot of them so just be patient i’m sure they’re working on it

67 | Smith

October 26th, 2008 at 9:24 pm

I’ll try to be patient. After all many people had to wait 9 months just to get at least some of Geneon’s titles. Thank you for the encouragement.

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