July 2008 Archives

This is something I should have reported on at the time, but it apparently slipped my mind. In addition to the two episodes streaming on their website and on Gaia (as reported previously), FUNimation are also now streaming episodes of Kiddy Grade (and other of their series) free on Youtube (four episodes at time of writing) and also as higher quality download-to-rent files on the PS3 Playstation Network for something like $1.99 for 24hrs rental (region locked so I can't comment much). They are all, naturally, dubbed only.

Since the Youtube episodes have just been thrown up there in segments I've put together some playlists:

Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
All episodes

Related links:
Funimation, YouTube Set Up Branded Online Channel (Anime News Network)
FUNimation® Entertainment and YouTube Strike Content and Advertising Agreement (ANN)
Funimation, BONES Anime on PlayStation Video Service (ANN)
FUNimation on PlayStation 3 Video Service (Anime on DVD)
Anime on the Playstation Video Store (AoD forums)
Funimation streaming episodes on Youtube (AoD forums)
FUNimation Moves On to the PS3 (gia)
From YouTube to FUNTube (gia)

The Gocky Club site has been updated. As well as a new top image (the old top image has been archived to a new gallery page) the products page has been updated to indicate that the Gocky Colour 2 book I reported previously has been postponed, so volume 22 is instead going to be a regular issue. Cover art (under the cut) is of Kamishiro Mana and Amano Utsumi from Gigantic Formula, although there is no information on what the content will be.

Gotoh's blog also has a new entry for the first time in ages, the best I can make out by babelfishing is that he's working on something new but cannot say what it is. Kiddy Grade 2 would be nice please..

The second box containing the last 12 episodes arrived today, pictures and screenshots at the album linked below. The sound layer, which is about 15 mins long, starts with Norio Wakamoto (Chevalier) being Norio Wakamoto but, as with last time, Liquiy (Ikue Kimura) then arrives to much hilarity. She calls him "oji-sama" and the rest of the drama mostly seems to consist of the word "oppai" repeated over and over again. The Gotoh interview clocks in at under 3 minutes and is at that same radio telescope array as the last two. I wasn't as impressed with the background animation for the sound layer, which is basically a repeating animated eclipse of the moon nor with the menu animation, however I have ripped it again for completeness. The new cover art was again present on the bonus DVD as a jpg file.

Kiddy Grade DVD Box 2

Ga-rei zero, the anime adaption of the Ga-rei manga by Segawa Hajime is, like Kiddy Grade 2, to be animated by asread. According to Moonphase it is now scheduled to air this Autumn. Since they only have two completed series under their belt where they were the lead producers (Shuffle! and Minami-ke Okawari) they are unlikely to take on two series at once, making it look less and less likely that we'll see Kiddy Grade 2 air this year - which is frankly extremely disappointing given that is is well over a year since the pilot DVD went on sale.