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Funimation's Escaflowne Dub Casts Alexis Tipton as Merle

Funimation's Kickstarter campaign for The Vision of Escaflowne anime series' new English dub posted an update on Sunday. The update revealed that Alexis Tipton (Rosario + Vampire's Moka, Haganai's Rika, Space Dandy's Honey) will play the cat-girl Merle.

The campaign also outlined the differences between the different editions of the anime that Funimation will offer:

• Neither the Standard Editions of Part 1 and Part 2 nor the movie will have a box when purchased in retail outside the Kickstarter.
• The Standard Edition of Part 1 will include a rigid chipboard box when purchased through Kickstarter pledge. This box is exclusive to Kickstarter backers at the $65, $125, and $155 levels. This box fits Part 1 and Part 2 in it together. If the $250,000 stretch goal is achieved, this box will be upgraded to include foil print!
• The Collector's Edition includes a wider chipboard box that fits the complete series, the movie, the bonus discs of the original dub, and the artbook. (The TBA item is also included, although it will not be in the box itself.) This box has different artwork from the Kickstarter Edition Part 1 box. The Collector's Edition with box will be available in retail.
• The Kickstarter-exclusive Collector's Edition box, just announced yesterday, has an upgrade with a specialty effect premium print finish--intended to really make that box pop on shelf (more details coming soon!). This box is what you get at the $175 tier and up in the Kickstarter, and no customers outside of the Kickstarter will be able to buy this version. This is not tied to a stretch goal, so if you pledge to any eligible tier with the Collector's Edition by March 30, you will receive this version regardless of where the Kickstarter pledge total finishes!

Also another quick clarification: we intend to include all of the artwork present in the Kickstarter Exclusive version of Part 1, Part 2, and the Movie in the Collector's Edition artbook, in addition to a ton of additional pieces, so those collectors definitely won't miss out on any of the gorgeous illustrations!

Also another quick clarification: we intend to include all of the artwork present in the Kickstarter Exclusive version of Part 1, Part 2, and the Movie in the Collector's Edition artbook, in addition to a ton of additional pieces, so those collectors definitely won't miss out on any of the gorgeous illustrations!

The campaign previously revealed that Caitlin Glass (Fullmetal Alchemist's Winry, Ouran High School Host Club's Haruhi, Danganronpa's Kyoko, Attack on Titan's Petra) will voice the heroine Hitomi Kanzaki, and Aaron Dismuke (Fullmetal Alchemist's Alphonse Elric, Blood Blockade Battlefront's Leonardo Watch, The Heroic Legend of Arslan's Arslan) will voice the main male character Van Fanel. Sonny Strait will direct the English dub.

The campaign will reveal a new voice actor for the dub at every US$10,000 mark. As of press time, the campaign has raised US$$237,472, and had reached its first stretch goal at US$200,000. The release will now include a special feature with the English cast, including interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. The campaign will end on March 31.

The company plans to release the director's cut of the series in HD on Blu-ray Disc, including scenes that were not available when Bandai Entertainment's original English dub was released. Kelly Sheridan, Kirby Morrow, and Jocelyne Loewen played Hitomi, Van, and Merle, respectively, in Bandai Entertainment's dub.

Funimation will also make a new matching dub for Escaflowne: The Movie. Funimation will release both a standard edition and a collector's edition for the series. The standard edition will be a Blu-ray Disc/DVD combo pack, and both discs will have the director's cut with the new dub. The collector's edition will have the new dub on Blu-ray Disc and the old dub on DVD. The release will also include an exclusive interview with director Kazuki Akane and creator Shōji Kawamori.

The rewards for the campaign include pre-orders of exclusive Kickstarter editions of both parts of the release, featuring 13 episodes each of the HD complete uncut version of the series in Japanese with English subtitles as well as the new English dub. The Kickstarter edition also includes exclusive art cards. Other rewards include digital wallpapers, on-disc credit listings, pre-orders of Escaflowne: The Movie, theatrical-sized posters, the series' soundtrack, and collector's edition box sets that feature an art book and an unannounced exclusive item, among others.

One backer who donates US$5,000 will receive a tour of the Funimation office, a bag of Funimation merchandise, and a chance to do voice work that will appear in the new English dub. This reward has already been claimed.

The campaign's remaining stretch goals include art booklets and foil printing for the Kickstarter edition of the release for US$250,000, and an invitation to meet director Kazuki Akane at an exclusive VIP party at a major U.S. anime convention for US$500,000.

Thanks to Adam for the news tip