Aniplex of America announced at its panel at Anime Boston on Friday that the Sword Art Online television anime series will air on Toonami starting this August.The show's dub cast stars Bryce Papenbrook as Kirito and Cherami Leigh as Asuna. Other cast members include Cassandra Lee as Leafa, Christine Marie Cabanos as Silica, Sarah Williams as Lisbeth, and Patrick Seitz as Agil.
Sword Art Online adapts Reki Kawahara's light novel series of the same name. The story revolves around a boy named Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya who enters a virtual-reality, massively multi-player online (MMO) world called "Sword Art Online." There is no escape from this world unless the player clears the game, but "game over" means the death of the player. Crunchyroll streamed the 25-episode series outside of Japan as it aired.
Aniplex of America also outlined its home video release of Sword Art Online on Blu-ray Disc and DVD, listed below the break.
The Blu-ray Disc box sets will come with a soundtrack CD on volumes 1 and 3, English cast interviews on volumes 2 and 4, a 16-page booklet, illustration pin-ups, and Bushiroad collectible cards. The Blu-ray Disc sets will also include audio commentary by creators and Japanese cast, and the "Sword Art OFFline special animation. The Blu-ray Discs will also come in a rigid box with illustrations by original character designer abec, and will include clear Blu-ray Disccases with double-sided wraps of Japanese cover designs. Both the Blu-ray Discs and the DVDs will include Japanese and English audio, and English and Spanish subtitles. The DVD sets will also feature a mini pin-up poster, and O-sleeve case, and a clear DVD case with double-sided wraps of Japanese cover designs.
Each Blu-ray Box will retail for US$112.98 but will have a store price of US$89.98. Each DVD set will retail for US$49.98 but will have a store price of US$39.98.
