FUNimation Ent. has acquired digital, broadcast, theatrical, DVD and merchandising rights to the 13-episode supernatural anime series Shikabane Hime: Aka (Corpse Princess) from King Record Co. Starting Friday, Oct. 24, FUNimation will deliver English-subtitled streaming episodes through video-sharing partners YouTube.com, Joost.com and Hulu.com, as well as www.funimation.com. Produced by Gainax, the series currently airs on Japan’s AT-X network.
Based on the manga by Yoshiichi Akahito, Shikabane Hime is a horror-action show that tells the tale of a living dead girl named Makina, voiced by Japanese television star Nana Akiyama. Aided by a secret society of monks, She must hunt down and destroy her own kind if she is to ever find peace.
‘Often by the time a licensing deal is signed to bring a series from Japan to the U.S., the episodes are already available as illegal downloads,’ notes Gen Fukunaga, president and CEO of FUNimation Ent. ‘In bringing this series to anime fans within days of its premiere we are not only offering unique content and increasing the awareness of the series, but we are offering a legal online alternative to illegal file sharing.’
Gainax co-founder Hiroyuki Yamaga and Gurren Lagann producer Yasuhiro Takeda co-produced Shikabane Hime: Aka, which is directed by Masahiko Murata and written by Shou Aikawa (Fullmetal Alchemist). FUNimation Ent. plans to expand its distribution channels and offer similar digital content to U.S. anime fans in the future.
