We’ve been getting a lot of questions today regarding the Anime News Network Answerman column, where Justin Sevakis states that Crunchyroll holds the home video rights for Free! Season 1. We know that many of you fans have been very curious about the home video rights situation, ever since our initial announcement of the simulcast of season 2 (Free! -Eternal Summer-).
We would absolutely love to make an English dub for season 1 and distribute it on home video, and we would be more than happy to work with Crunchyroll to make it happen. We have reached out to Crunchyroll to see if they would be interested in collaborating on this release; however, we have not heard back yet. Stay tuned for future developments though—we’re excited to report that we will be announcing the dub cast for season 2 very soon, so please follow our Free! -Eternal Summer- Facebook page or Tumblr to be the first to hear the news!
Wonderful news. I appreciate your efforts in attempting to collab on season one and that season 2 was streamed and will be dubbed by Funimation. As a huge fan, it is very much so appreciated!
Appreciate the honesty on the matter and wish you luck on your endeavors to pull this off.
Thank you! We really hope we can get a collaboration on this one. We’re big fans of the show here at the office, and we want the fans to get a matching dub cast and a great home video treatment. 🙂
well it seems like u guys at Funimation got Yona and Crunchyroll has that awesome anime too so I don’t see Y not right ????
Which means Season 2 will be dubbed before Season 1? That’s a bit of odd news. It reminds me of the order you dubbed One Piece.
That was due to 4kids and their craptastic ownership of the OP license back then. They even had a custom dub that retained the 4kids names (like “Zolo”) as it aired on Toonami at the time.
I am SO very thankful that you’re doing what you can to get the video rights to season 1! I hope everything works out so you can make a limited edition box set (I don’t even buy Blu-Ray/DVD combo packs but I would love to get a limited edition one for this series because I love it that much). I also hope this makes way for more merchandise as well! I’m glad you are announcing a cast so soon too! I just really really hope Rin Matsuoka will be voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch heheh.
I find it extremely unlikely JYB will fly over to Texas from L.A just to do a 13 episode anime. Sure, LA voices came for Attack on Titan, but the hype for that was 10X bigger than that of Free, plus AoT is twice as long. More episodes=more payment.
I have been one of the fans that has been very curious about Free! Iwatobi Swim Club. While I am happy about FUNimation picking up the streaming and home video rights to Free! Eternal Summer. This is an anime series treasure very much and it will be incomplete without Season 1.
I really hope Crunchyroll agrees. I mean what is the reason in not putting to use a license like Free! Iwatobi Swim Club’s. This is a series would buy either in Limited or regular edition since that loyal to it.
I hope they do it. I just tweeted them about it… I’ll check their forum to see if there’s any thread on it yet.
I love Crunchyroll and hope that you guys can come to an agreement, because I love Free! and really would love a dub of the first season and would love to have it on bluray.
I was really happy that Season 2 remained on Crunchyroll, despite you guys picking it up. *crosses fingers*
OK
Don’t expect it soon, there’s still some rights besides the home video rights to work out, because I’m sure Funimation would like to be able to stream at the least, the S1 dub here on the site…
I simply cannot contain my happiness. I’m going to be checking back everyday to find out the dub cast, I can’t wait to see who you guys line up for it.
Now all my friends are going to have to hear about this for days.
I read that Answerman column and was rather surprised to find out what the deal was with season one. This is a very smart move by the folks at Funi since it would be incredibly frustrating to potentially only see a physical product for season two. I just hope that fans of the show understand that it is ultimately up to Crunchyroll and the licensor in Japan to approve this, and that even with approval, it will take time.
Wait…the dub cast is being announces soon???
Not one year after it first aired???
I’m impressed, Funimation.
Well, this is Crunchyroll Forum’s Free! thread. If you want to put some pressure on them to come to the bargaining table guys, this is probably the place to do it. Just don’t be rude since that helps no one.
http://www.crunchyroll.com/forumtopic-804753/free-discussion-thread-season-1-2?pg=0
I asked two weeks ago, with no reply, still.
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If I choose to get the special offer now, for $54.95 for 12 months, will I be billed now and my subscription be extended by a year? Will I be billed when the the extension takes place, and will it be at the reduced price still? Current subber. I used a trial a while back, and I bought myself the gift subscription for a year.
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I waited so long for a reply in the comments and in several emails and queries through this site.
I asked two weeks ago.
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If I choose to get the special offer now, for $54.95 for 12 months, will I be billed now and my subscription be extended by a year? Will I be billed when the the extension takes place, and will it be at the reduced price still? Current subscriber. I used a trial a while back, and I bought myself the gift subscription for a year.
@yafada, I think I replied back to your comment a few weeks ago. But, if you want to go ahead and private message me I can reply again. Please make sure your private messages are turned on so I can message you back.
What is wrong with your site’s caching? I can’t get things to load properly unless I comment.
Crunchyroll has the home video rights?-falls of his chair- I thought crunchyroll was nothing more then a streaming service. It would be kinda weird if Crunchyroll doesnt accept this offer from Funi, i mean its not like they have exprience with dubbing or DVD releases right?
Anyways good to hear another show gets to be dubbed by Funimation 😀
Hope Funimation announce the dubs of Maken-ki two, Buddy complex, C3 anime, Brothers Conflict, Date a live s2, Dragonar Academy, Kingdom,
Selector Infected WIXOSS, Terror in Resonance, Tokyo Ravens.
And the releases of My-hime, My otome, Lucky star, Banner of the Stars, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 2006
And then im a happppppy guy :D.
CR did dub and release 5 cm per Second in conjunction with Bandai and Bang Zoom! awhile back, so they’re not completely inexperienced with dubbing and physical media.
This is determination, my friends. I appreciate Funimations efforts in making this happen! You guys make my day! Hopefully Crunchyroll agrees…
Yay! Really looking forward to it. Just one little suggestion…J. Michael Tatum as Rei. ^-^
I’m not a huge fan of this show, but I do like good English dubs.
Seems like this title is a company favorite so the dub might get some special treatment? Personally I hope you put in some effort to get some talent you don’t usually use.
e.g. Blake Shepard, Andrew Love (Houston) and Matthew Mercer, Vic Mignogna (LA)
Though I’m sure fan favorites like Josh Grelle and J. Michael Tatum will still be cast.
Hey, are you guys at Funimation planning on releasing any merchandise soon? The only merchandise available now is foreign and it would be awesome if you did!
So when is the first dubbed episode coming out or do we have to buy the DVD
Don’t know if it’s ever been done before but I have to ask: Any chance of FUNi collaborating with Crunchyroll to release s1 on BD, the same way you’re planning s2? I know Discotek will release a subbed-only vers. on DVD but I so dearly want to own all of Free! on BD; KyoAni so excels at the shiny animation so I want to go all-out and it just wouldn’t feel right to have half DVD, half BD.
I actually jumped outta my chair when I learned FUNi had s2. Fingers crossed for the future!
I’m guessing that there hasn’t been anything new related to season one rights? I loved the arc for season one and would love to hear the same voice actors from season two “show” their talent off again. Hope and a prayer everyone. 😉
Is the first season of Free! Being dubbed as well? I’ve never seen this anime and was waiting for the first to be dubbed
Is season 1 still getting a dub? 🙂