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Funimation to Stream The Asterisk War Anime

Funimation announced last week that it will stream The Asterisk War television anime series as it airs in Japan. The anime premiered in Japan on October 3.

Funimation describes the story:

Less than a century ago a meteor collided with the planet's surface and the resulting disaster caused the next generation of humanity to develop a wide variety of amazing abilities. In the center of the meteor's crater lies Rikka, a system of six academies known as the Asterisk. Ayato Amagiri enters the Asterisk as a transfer student hoping to compete in a special battle event known as the Festa. However, he quickly finds himself on the bad side of one of the strongest fighters around—the beautiful but fiery Julis-Alexa von Riessfeld. To stand against her he'll have to rely on his own sword-wielding ability, but when the tables turn, will they be able to team up to take down the competition?

Anime Consortium Japan (ACJ) announced last week that the Daisuki service is streaming the series. Crunchyroll also began streaming the series on October 3.

Aniplex of America announced last month that it licensed the television anime of author Yuu Miyazaki and illustrator okiura's The Asterisk War: The Academy City on the Water (Gakusen Toshi Asterisk) light novel series.

The main cast includes:

Atsushi Tamaru as Ayato Amagiri

Ai Kakuma as Julis-Alexia von Riessfelt

Nao Toyama as Claudia Enfield

Shiori Izawa as Saya Sasamiya

Ari Ozawa as Kirin Todo

Additional cast includes:

Haruka Chisuga as Sylvia Lyyneheym, Queenvale Girls' Academy's student council president
Nobuo Tobita as Shuma Sakon, Allekant Academy's student council president
Omi Minami as Fan Xinglou, Seventh Jie Long School's student council president
Takahiro Sakurai as Ernest Fairclough, St. Gallardworth Academy's student council president

Yūma Uchida as Eishiro Yabuki
Takanori Hoshino as Lester MacPhail
Chinatsu Akasaki as Ernesta Kuhne
Mutsumi Tamura as Camilla Pareto
Yumi Uchiyama as Irene Urzaiz
Juri Nagatsuma as Priscilla Urzaiz
Tomokazu Sugita as Dirk Eberwein

Manabu Ono (A-Channel, Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere, The irregular at magic high school, Saki) is serving as general director of the series at A-1 Pictures. Kenji Seto (Wooser no Sono Higurashi Kakusei-hen, assistant director on A-Channel and Saki) is directing the series, Tetsuya Kawakami (Nanana's Buried Treasure, Robot Girls Z, Shigofumi - Letters from the Departed, Toei Robot Girls) is handling the character designs and serving as animation director, Rasmus Faber (Lagrange - The Flower of Rin-ne theme songs) is composing the music, and Flying Dog is producing the music.

Shiena Nishizawa is performing the opening theme song, and Maaya Sakamoto is performing the ending theme song "Waiting for the rain."

The anime is also inspiring a PlayStation Vita game in 2016.

Miyazaki launched the novel series in 2012, and Media Factory published the eighth volume on May 25. The light novels have inspired a manga by Ningen, as well as the Gakusen Toshi Asterisk Gaiden: Queenveil no Tsubasa spinoff manga by Shou Akane.

Thanks to Notorious_P.I.G. and Rukiia for the news tips