Funimation, one of the primary distribution companies responsible for bringing anime hits from Japan to the U.S., recently unveiled the new English voice acting cast for the highly anticipated Ghost in the Shell: Arise series. The full lineup was announced during the Summer 2014 Otakon event in Baltimore, Maryland and was published on the official Funimation blog on August 9. Fans of the iconic cyberpunk lore will get to see their favorite characters once again, including Major Kusanagi, Chief Aramaki, Batou, and Togusa.
The Upcoming Arise Release
The events in the new Arise series aren’t exactly a follow up to Stand Alone Complex – it’s actually a prequel that takes place about three years before the Ghost in the Shell world that we’re used to. So it seems fitting that “a brand new cast has been chosen to voice the younger characters,” according to an announcement made by Funimation in May 2014. Trailers for the new series have been floating around online since last year, revealing that the series will only consist of four episodes which aired first in Japan in June 2013. While Funimation hasn’t posted an official release date, the English dubbed versions can already be pre-ordered from their official online store.
The U.S. Demand for Anime
Entertainment industry professionals cannot turn a blind eye to the demand for anime and English dubbing. According to the Anime News Network, U.S. anime sales boomed at over $2.4 billion in 2009. However, these numbers reflect the sale of older media types, including DVD and television airtime. So how is the anime industry fairing in an entertainment climate that is dominated by digital streaming services? Let’s take a look at Crunchyroll, one of the premier paid anime streaming services available in the U.S. It’s very similar to Netflix for Japanese animated content. According to Crunchyroll investors , this media company has been earning at least $25 million a year while doubling their user base each year.
Looking Back at the Classics
The Ghost in the Shell franchise first hit Japan as a manga series, as many hit classics do. The storylines grew with subsequent films and a television series, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex . The themes of cyber warfare, biomechanical bodies, transhumanism, and cyberterrorism provided readers and viewers with running commentary on some of the issues we’ve seen regarding digital security in our current era. For example, the Laughing Man storyline about mass hacking incidents runs parallel to news about the Anonymous hacktivists in our own reality.
Stand Alone Complex enjoyed widespread, positive reception in the United States. It wasn’t until 2012 that American audiences were able to view this television series, broadcast by Toonami on Cartoon Network late at night. It received an A+ score from the Anime News Network along with numerous awards in Japan. It’s no surprise that this show has been successful at capturing the imaginations of viewers in the United States. As wearable electronics and prosthetic limbs continue to advance exponentially, it doesn’t seem too difficult to envision a future that is reliant on cybernetics.
