Anime Expo 2011

noitaminA Industry Panel

Despite a late start time of 8 p.m., the notaminA panel at Anime Expo 2011 still boasted well over a hundred attendees interested in a more sophisticated brand of anime. Funimation's brand manager Charlene Ingram led the panel, opening with a brief introductory video highlighting the titles under the Noitamina brand.

Ingram also gave an overview of what the brand is about. Noitamina ("Animation" spelled backwards) is Fuji TV's block of innovative anime series designed to appeal to broader tastes outside the traditional anime fanbase.

Ingram then showed trailers of various Noitamina series that are available either through video streaming site or DVD/Blu-ray release. The first was Paradise Kiss, available on DVD (although currently hard to find). Voice actor Patrick Seitz, who played George in the Paradise Kiss dub, was also on hand as a special guest to discuss his experience working on the show. After that came trailers for Jyu-Oh-Sei: Planet of the Beast King (available on DVD from Funimation) and Antique Bakery (recently released on DVD by Right Stuf). The crowd then went wild for sci-fi thriller Eden of the East, with its second and concluding movie DVD Paradise Lost due out from Funimation on August 23rd.

The panel then moved on to a trailer for dark comedy Tatami Galaxy and vampire drama Shiki, which are both streaming on the Funimation website. Shiki will also come out on Funimation DVD and Blu-ray in Spring 2012, with the dub helmed by ADR Director Mike McFarland.

The trailer for Princess Jellyfish also got a big reaction from the audience, and fans can look forward to a DVD and Blu-ray release in 2012. The Princess Jellyfish dub will be directed by Christopher Bevins with a script adapted by Bevins, Patrick Seitz and Chuck Huber. Sci-fi series Fractale, which is available streaming through Funimation's site, will also come out on DVD and Blu-ray in 2012. The panel ended with a promotional trailer for the recently-concluded [C] - CONTROL (available through streaming) and a prize giveaway.