3 new Funimation releases that are perfect for an anime marathon

Funimation’s recent releases include something for everyone, so we have decided to help out and break down the top three titles worth adding to your collection.

Funimation is and always has been the anime distribution juggernaut of the US and are most consistent in releases, premieres, theatrical releases, and countless anime merchandise. With so many titles and productions, comes hours of anime worth binge-watching, so we took the liberty of giving you a little bit of information of five new titles that will appease genuine anime fans or could be possible gateway series for those unfamiliar with the medium.

Attack on Titan (Season 3: Part 1)

Attack on Titan has not only been a hard-hitting anime from the beginning, but it has become a major addition to pop culture. The series follows what is believed to be the last remaining chunk of humanity, who live behind a series of walls from towering titans that murder, eat and destroy everything in sight. The series is best described as an action/adventure with horror attributes, but the newest season changes the game wonderfully.

For those of you who aren’t up to date on AOT, season three has elevated the series into something with many twists and turns to keep every viewer (even the most analytical ones) on the edge of their seat. This first half of season three contains some of AOT’s best work to date and each episode gets closer to unraveling the truth behind so many secrets that have existed in the long-running series dating back to the very first episode. It can be considered to be a reminder that there are titles that maintain their strengths and simultaneously branch out as they realize the detail-oriented fanbase’s needs.

The first half of season three leads to an even crazier back-end and, if you want to be in the know about everything AOT, we highly recommend you pick up the third season before heading off into the inevitable final stretch of the pulse-pounding anime that is so loved by anime fans of all ages. While spoiling it sounds like fun, we won’t go that far – but we can say that a new genre is added, and it fits in seamlessly.

Free! Dive to the Future (Season 3)

What better way to spend summer as an anime fan than to watch a sports-centric series such as the extremely popular title Free! The anime originally focused on a group of high school students with their own unique attachment and passion for competitive swimming, which has since grown into a more mature adaptation of something that initially felt carefree. Now, by the time the third season picks up, we have been reintroduced to two of the main characters (Makoto and Haru), who are starting college and beginning to sincerely question what the next stage of their life entails.

With Free! Dive to the Future, it breaks the mold that most sports-anime follow by elaborating on the post-teenage years. From the very beginning, it tackles random moments of adulting such as apartment hunting and the challenges of discovering the next step for what you love vs making a living. For Haru, swimming is and always will be his one true love, with the series beginning to accelerate his eventual growth into a professional athlete. The series avoids straying from the sometimes cheesy predictability this genre can rely on, keeping each heat and development something that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Due to the success of the franchise, Free! is said to receive a 2020 film that will coincide with the Tokyo Olympics, and we can only imagine it will be incorporated into the series.

All Out!! (Complete Series)

To have two sports series highly ranked is something that reinforces the recent exploration of depth in the genre, as the rugby title All Out!! continues the success of series like Free! and Haikyuu. The series began as a popular manga before being adapted into a 25-episode anime that depicts the tales of an unlikely rugby team. Each character making up the quirky group brings something different to the table, with some being more reluctant or others hoping to prove themselves as a true athlete. The one thing they all have in common is that they develop a true team spirit, which is regularly tested and consistently changing.

All Out!! feels like a great example of introducing a sport to a new audience and seemingly appreciates the notion of character writing. For example, each character the anime expands on makes connections drawn to their passion for the sport whether it’s an outlet for their less than stellar home life or even overcoming fears of youth and confronting personal demons. All Out!! may not have nail-biting action of intense drama but remains an anime that deserves some appreciation and a chance to shed anyone’s preconceived notions about what something of its nature is limited to.

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These are just a few noteworthy titles now available from Funimation, but there are plenty more worth picking up. So check them out here, and let us know your thoughts on anime worth watching.

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