×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

News
Funimation Adds Fairy Tail, Live-Action Treasure Hunter

posted on by Egan Loo
1st 48 episodes of Fairy Tail fantasy adventure with English dub on DVD/BD in 2011

The North American anime distributor Funimation announced at its Sakura-Con panel on Friday that it licensed the first 48 episodes of the Fairy Tail fantasy adventure television anime series and The Treasure Hunter (Ci Ling) live-action film.

The Fairy Tail television anime series adapts Hiro Mashima's manga of the same name. In the story, a teenaged girl named Lucy Heartfilia aims to join the world's most notorious mage guild, Fairy Tail. During a daring rescue, Lucy encounters Natsu "Salamander" Dragneel, a quirky Fairy Tail member and a teenaged practitioner of the ancient Dragon Slayer magic. Lucy is eventually welcomed into the Fairy Tail guild as she, Natsu, and other members go on various quests together.

Funimation has already begun dubbing this anime, and it will release the first 48 episodes on DVD and Blu-ray Disc later this year. Tyler Walker is directing the English dub with Todd Haberkorn as Natsu.

The anime studios A-1 Pictures and Satelight have been producing the Fairy Tail anime for TV Tokyo, and Crunchyroll has been streaming the anime outside Japan since the anime premiered in October of 2009. A second year of the anime (after the first 48 episodes) began last October. Del Rey published the 12th volume of the manga in North America last September, and Kodansha will take over the manga as of the 13th volume next month.

In The Treasure Hunter, Kevin Chu (Kung Fu Dunk) directs Jay Chou (Green Hornet, live-action Initial D) and supermodel Lin Chi-ling in an international adventure for buried treasure. Eleven Arts will release the film in theaters in late this summer, and Funimation will release the film on DVD and Blu-ray in the fall.

Update: More background information added.

Image © Hiro Mashima - Kodansha/Fairy Tail Guild, TV Tokyo


discuss this in the forum (94 posts) |
bookmark/share with: short url

this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history

News homepage / archives