Anime Limited & Viewster Industry Panel Announcements at London MCM Comic Con May 2015

During the course of the Comic Con weekend Anime Limited, along with their close-streaming-partners Viewsters, opted to do two panels; the first of which hosted on Friday afternoon saw Anime Limited provide further clarification on upcoming titles while the short panel on Saturday morning (which we recorded) saw a re-cap of license announcements as well as information regarding their partnership with Viewster.

So; Let’s begin with the announcements; during the course of the two panels, and through their website, Anime Limited announcement that they had acquired the UK rights to Durarara X2, Fusé: Memoirs Of A Huntress, Sword Art Online II and both seasons of Aldnoah Zero. All four titles will be released on DVD and Blu-ray, with most (if not all) receiving the traditional ‘Collectors Edition’ treatment.

Release details are still ‘tentative’ but Anime Limited plan to release Aldnoah Zero as a two part set, with the first half being released later this year; the same can be said for Durarara X2 – although unlike Aldnoah Zero it should be released as a complete season. Sword Art Online II on the other hand will be released in four part instalments, just like Season 1 was, and any other release option is ‘out of the question’ – however to compensate Limited Edition versions will contain artbooks featuring exclusive content. Finally the cinematic animated film Fusé: Memoirs Of A Huntress will be released in August.

With announcements out of the way Anime Limited went on to clarify certain details surrounding upcoming titles, namely screenshots of potential artwork for Sword Art Online II, 009 Re:Cyborg and Tokyo Ghoul and that Full Metal Panic should be out by the end of the year. Speaking of Tokyo Ghoul Anime Limited also confirmed that it would be the ‘uncut’ version of the series; which everyone will be glad to hear.

Moving away from Anime Limited’s announcements saw Viewster’s own Hank Smith, with some help from Jeremy Graves, take centre stage in announcing that a selection of Anime Limited’s upcoming titles, such as Vision of Escaflowne and Fate/Kaleid, as well as a few of their back-catalogue titles, such as Duarara and Outlaw Star, are now available to stream for FREE on viewster.

For those unfamiliar with Viewster it’s a FREE online streaming service that allows fans from around the globe to watch a selection of anime for free; it’s not just older titles either as Viewster are constantly updating their selection with new simulcasts and fan-favourite shows. Viewster is currently available through your web browser but apps are available for ios, android and the Xbox 360 with an Xbox One app coming soon.

So to sum up:

Anime Limited Announcements:

• Aldnoah Zero (DVD & Blu-ray; Part 1 in Q4 2015, Part 2 in 2016)
• Duarara X2 (DVD & Blu-ray in TBC
• Fusé: Memoirs Of A Huntress (DVD & Blu-ray in August 2015)
• Sword Art Online II (DVD & Blu-ray; 4 Part instalments with Part 1 in August 2015)

Viewster Catalogue Updae:

• Duarara
• Fate/Kaleid
• Outlaw Star
• Vision of Escaflowne

Unlike other anime distributors Anime Limited may not have quantity, but they do believe in quality so it will be interesting to see how these new anime licenses turn out; especially Sword Art Online II. Viewster on the other-hand has already updated its content – and as long as you have a stable (2mbps) internet connection you’ll be able to watch them just fine.