Funimation, the market leader in anime globally, along with partner Aniplex of America, will be releasing a brand new theatrical adventure Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night, part of the official canon of the long-running anime series.
The film will be released in theaters and on IMAX screens on December 3 in the United States and Canada (with tickets on sale November 5); December 9 in Australia and New Zealand (with tickets on sale November 9); and coming soon to the United Kingdom, Ireland and Latin America. The film will be released both in Japanese with English subtitles as well as dubbed in English.
Based on the original story from Reki Kawahara (Dengeki Bunko), Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night travels back to the beginning of the saga where players find themselves trapped inside the world’s first VRMMORPG, Sword Art Online, with no way out. The film introduces the story through Asuna’s perspective as she struggles to cope with the realities of her new world and her fateful encounter with Kirito. The film also introduces a new mysterious character, Mito, but not much is known about her.
The film is directed by Ayako Kono with animation production from A-1 Pictures. The cast features Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Japanese voice) / Bryce Papenbrook (English voice) as Kirito, Haruka Tomatsu (Japanese voice) / Cherami Leigh (English voice) as Asuan, and Inori Minase (Japanese voice) as Mito.
Meanwhile, fans of Deku and co. are preparing for the theatrical arrival of My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission this month. Tickets are on sale starting today in the United States and Canada at Fandango.com; starting October 5 in Australia and New Zealand; and from October 8 for the U.K. and Ireland.
The film, shown in both English subtitles and dub, arrives in more than 1,500 theaters in the United States and Canada on October 29; in the United Kingdom and Ireland (October 29); Australia, New Zealand and South Africa (October 28), and coming soon to Latin America (in Spanish and Portuguese). The film opens on November 11 in Denmark, Norway and Iceland. with tickets on sale October 8; opens in Sweden on October 29 and coming soon to Finland through Funimation Global Group’s Wakanim, all with subtitles in English as well as in each country’s corresponding language (except Iceland).
Not only will fans get to see the anime blockbuster first on opening weekend, Funimation is also giving away a My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission Vol. W Specialty Manga Booklet to ticket holders in the U.S. and Canada on opening weekend. The 76-page collectible book gives an unprecedented look inside the making of the movie, including original drawings of characters by manga creator Kohei Horikoshi along with a Q&A. It also includes a specialty manga. Limit one book per ticket holder, while supplies last.
In My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission, U.A. High School students Izuku Midoriya, Shoto Todoroki, and Katsuki Bakugo face the greatest crisis in My Hero Academia history, with only two hours to save the world! During their internship with the number one Pro Hero Endeavor Agency, Deku and his new friend Rody find themselves wanted nationwide for a crime they didn’t commit. Can Deku and his friends stop Humarise’s global plans of eliminating all Quirks? This film is not yet rated.
My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission is the third My Hero Academia film and comes on the heels of the launch of the fifth season of the My Hero Academia series currently streaming on Funimation. The previous two films are My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (2020) and My Hero Academia: Two Heroes (2018).
