Author: Gabriel Persechino-Forest Published: January 22nd, 2018
Last article I promised a “Part 2” of this topic and this is it. A look at five more licenses that seem to be in limbo for all intents and purposes.
5 – Rock Lee & his Ninja Pals
Image Source: TV Tokyo
Back in 2012, VIZ licensed, dubbed and then streamed Rock Lee and his Ninja Pals but unlike other properties of the Naruto franchise, it never saw a physical release. Even Australia (Through Madman Entertainment) released the title on home video; although only on DVD. It seems strange that VIZ never did anything with this, perhaps the streaming numbers were bad, but at this point it seems likely a release won’t surface, or not from VIZ at least.
4 – Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Image Source: TV Tokyo
The popular new entry in the Naruto franchise, Boruto, seems certain to see a physical release at some point. Yet, the lack of any information on the series is somewhat disconcerting. VIZ holds the license for Boruto and the physical release rights as well. While it is currently being streamed on Crunchyroll, there is no news of a dub or of a home video release; not even a confirmation of such projects being in the works. While we’ve seen through Funimation’s handling of Dragon Ball Super and VIZ’s handling of Hunter x Hunter that high profile series can stay silent until they are ready to release, it can still be a long and uncertain wait for fans. If I had to bet, an announcement will probably be made for the physical release either after they pass episode 100 or when the Shippuden DVD sets have finished their release.
3 – Strike Witches: Operation Victory Arrow
Image Source: Official Website
Both seasons of Strike Witches and the movie have been licensed, dubbed and released by Funimation and the new Brave Witches series has already received a dub and is almost guaranteed to see a release within the near future. But what of the 2014 OVA Operation Victory Arrow? Funimation has neither licensed nor even mentioned the OVA and with their uneven history with OVAs of even established franchises as well as the time that has gone by since its release, it makes it doubtful we will ever see a physical release of this segment of the franchise.
2 – Blood+
Image Source: Production IG promotional material
The series premiered in 2005 and found its way, dubbed, on American TVs in 2007. It was then released on DVD in volume releases that remain incomplete to this day and was then released in two, 25 episodes box sets in 2009. Both of these sets are now out of print. We still don’t know what is going to happen with this series: If it will ever return, if it will get a BD release and so on… But with Sony, who holds the license, having purchased Funimation, perhaps this opens up new possibilities for the near future; or so the fans hope.
1 – Mushishi: The Next Chapter (Or Season 2)
Image Source: Official Website
Mushishi was licensed by Funimation, dubbed and released in 2007 – 2008 in volumes, then in a box set in 2008 and finally, hit SAVE Edition in 2011. The first season however, was not re-released on blu-ray and looks unlikely to see such treatment in the near future. The Mushishi series eventually saw a sequel 1 hour special (Hihamukage), a sequel series (Next chapter) and a movie (Adapting the last arc of the manga); all of which have been licensed by Aniplex but never released. Like other old Aniplex licences, we haven’t heard anything about it either.
At one point, Madman Australia was listing a release for the second season and indicated it contained a dub, but this listing was removed within days. With so much time having passed, Mushishi being an unpopular (Or at least not lucrative enough for major companies to care) franchise in the west and many conflicting signals as to the state of the license, it’s anyone’s guess if the rest of Mushishi will ever be released.
This is it, for now at least. There are countless more titles in a similar situation and perhaps I’ll make another article on the topic at some point. But for now, I want to move towards different subjects. As usual, if you have information or an opinion on the following titles and their situation, don’t hesitate to comment.