Sakura-Con 2014: Aniplex Industry Panel

Aniplex of America's E.J. Rivera hosted the Aniplex panel on the Friday of Sakura-Con. He started with playing a sizzle reel of Aniplex titles before making the audience pose like Kill La Kill's Mako, while filming a brief video, then finally announcing some of the special guests in attendance, including the staff from Sword Art Online. Tomohiko Ito and Shingo Adachi and Magi's Koji Masunari and Toshifumi Akai. Next up Rivera announed the special musical guest Elisa, who's new single "Millenario", is being used as the ending theme for Aniplex's new streaming title "The Irregular at Magic High School."

The panel then started with Aniplex titles that are currently streaming, including Kill La Kill, World Conquest Zvezda Plot, The Irregular at Magic High School, Mushi-shi Season 2, Nanana's Buried Treasure, Mekaku City Actors, and Nisekoi – First Love

Next up came titles that are now available on either DVD or Blu-Ray:

-Magi (season 1) will be on DVD in two sets
-Sword Art Online (season 1) will be on Blu-Ray and DVD in 4 sets, with each set featuring a Weiss Schwartz Sword Art Online card.
-The 3rd Madoka Magica movie – Rebellion is a Blu-Ray collectors edition import direct from Japan, if ordered from the Aniplex website it wil come with a poster.
-The Blue Exorcist Movie will be on Blu-Ray and DVD, the series is currently showing on Toonami at 1:30am early Sunday morning.
-Fate/Zero is available on Blu-Ray and DVD in two sets and both come with a Weiss Schwartz Fate/Zero card.
-Blast of Tempest will be available on DVD
-The uncensorted version of Vividred Operation will be on DVD
-Oreshura will be on DVD

Coming soon from Aniplex is Aniplex +, which is essentially a store front for items directly from Japan. Available currently are a couple figures of Homura from the Madoka series, a Kimono version and a timeshift version. Also available is a Madoka Mist-Graph, one of which was being displayed at the Aniplex booth.

The next titles in the Monogatari series include Nekomonogatari Black and White, which are coming out on Blu-Ray on April 22nd and June 24th respectively. Servant x Service will also come out on June 24th but on DVD only.

Some special announcements came next, including the English version of the Sword Art Online light novel (Vol 1) being available from Yen Press. On May 20th the Persona 3 movie comes out on Blu-Ray in both a Collectors and Standard edition, and at Anime Expo, Aniplex and Bang Zoom will be holding an open audition for the dub of Magi Season 2.

Next, Rivera held a brief Trivia session, with prizes including Kill La Kill and Madoka posters, before launching into a brief Q & A, which included the following news (or non-news):

-No news on whether Kill La Kill will be on Toonami
-No new news on the Idolm@ster movie.
-No audio drama CD for the Monogatari series
-The Gun Gale arc of Sword Art Online will debut this summer but no new info.
-The Magi season 2 dub audition will be held at Anime Expo in association with Bang Zoom!
-No new news on a Garden of Sinners re-release
-Currently no thoughts on a dub version of the Madoka Magica – Rebellion movie
-Mushi-Shi season 1 rights are currently held by Funimation

Rivera ended the Aniplex panel with a rundown of their schedule for the Sakura-Con weekend.