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Skip Beat! Anime's Indiegogo Campaign Launches
posted on by Karen Ressler
Pied Piper, Inc.'s Indiegogo campaign to release Skip Beat! on DVD and Blu-ray in North America with an English dub launched on Tuesday at 12:00 EST. The campaign will run until March 31.
The campaign's goal is US$210,000 for localization costs, including a basic English dub. The company has also set stretch goals to enhance the quality of the English dub by bringing notable voice actors, ADR directors, and scriptwriters on board. Stretch goals also include behind-the-scenes videos.
Pied Piper's Ann Yamamoto said that the company acquired the license from TV Tokyo, and TV Tokyo is requiring the English dub as a condition of release. Pied Piper will not be able to release the series on a subtitle-only format.
The Indiegogo crowdfunding platform allows the funds will be collected regardless of the success of the campaign. "I decided to go with flexible funding for a scenario where we come very close to the goal, such as reaching $190,000," Yamamoto explained. "I didn't want the dub team to be left with the zero funding. I think our biggest danger is that fans might assume that since Skip Beat! is such a strong title, doesn't need their help. Nothing could be farther from the truth."
Voice actors Mela Lee, Cristina Vee, and Jason C. Miller are producing the English dub.
Pied Piper describes the series:
In the 25-episode shojo series, 16-year-old Kyoko Mogami is devastated to learn that her long-time crush Sho Fuwa has been using her as a servant while he waltzes to stardom. She vows to beat him at his own game and joins a rival talent agency, and in the process transforms from a docile people-pleaser to ingenious creative talent. The anime's riveting story arcs include Kyoko's discovery of friendship with fellow actress Kanae (“Moko”) Kotonami and her tumultuous relationship with romance-challenged star Ren Tsuruga, who slowly leads her away from revenge and returns her to the path of love.
The television version of Yoshiki Nakamura's Skip Beat! shōjo manga premiered in Japan in October 2008. The series is available streaming on Crunchyroll. Viz Media publishes the original manga in North America.
In 2013, Pied Piper collaborated with Directions and Studio Rikka to successfully run a Kickstarter for a Blu-ray release of the Time of Eve anime film. The project earned US$215,433 in total, 1,196% of the original funding goal and enough to fund an English dub produced at NYAV Post.
