The panel began with Adam Sheehan welcoming attendees. He explained his roles, and explained the flow of the panel in general. Afterwards, he dove straight into the first topic: Anime and the Economy. Adam reassured the audience that FUNimation is doing fine. He thanked the fans for their support in all venues, from video-on-demand to DVD sales. He praised the fans' honesty first and foremost. Anime fans, he explained, are brutally honest, from outright thanks over the acquisition of One Piece, to thinly veiled threats over Dragon Ball Z's edits.

Between 2008 and 2009, Adam revealed that there was only a 3-DVD difference in releases. Overall, the DVD releases are up for 2009. he moved on to a segment he called "Geekonomics", which revealed a 17% growth in new product. He continued, explaining that FUNimation is careful to not flood the market. He explained that the larger buyers, such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart all pick up FUNimation's major releases, while niche titles, such as Rumbling Hearts sell well through online sites, such as Right Stuf. As a whole, FUNimation is very careful to not inflate the market as a whole.

The next topic, Anime Online, highlighted all of the venues in which FUNimation streams and offers download-to-own options. FUNimation has worked to push their titles onto the Internet through as many venues as possible. Streaming sites include the following venues:

• Veoh
• hulu
• Gaia Online
• joost
• Anime News Network

On the download-to-own front, the following vendors offer FUNimation's product:

• iTunes
• XBox Live Marketplace
• PlayStation Network
• Direct 2 Drive
• Amazon

Adam explained that FUNimation will continue to support both the download-to-own and streaming ventures with regular content updates. He used the digital distribution talk to promote FUNimation's own streaming video portal. Currently, the service features over 500 streaming episodes: some subtitled, some dubbed, some in both formats. Most videos are accompanied by advertisements for the DVD release of the given series, though they try not to be too invasive.

The panel shifted to FUNimation's video on demand offerings at this point. The biggest factor was FUNimation hitting Comcast's VoD lineup. Adam mentioned that the FUNimation channel offers both free episodes as well as paid content, and that they are happy with the channel's performance to date. The network made money from the very beginning, unlike a large number of upstart television networks. Slowly but surely, the FUNimation channel is gaining steam, and should be available on all major cable and satellite providers by next year.

Adam continued, explaining that FUNimation wants to add some value for convention attendees that come to their booth. To do so, they've unveiled a line of convention exclusives. These items range from extra items with purchases (at Anime Boston, bonus items were offered with purchases of Shin-chan or Kenichi), to early releases of DVD sets (Gad Guard, and Ikki Tousen were exclusive to FUNimation's booth until Tuesday).

After explaining business as usual, Adam shifted the focus of the panel to recently-released titles. The first title in the lineup was Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple - an action-comedy produced by TMS. He said FUNimation was pleased with the title's performance, saying that it exceeded expectations tenfold. The first volume is currently available, while volume 2 is scheduled to hit stores on June 16.

The next title in the lineup was Shigurui: Death Frenzy - a political action series that "makes Basilisk look like Hello Kitty." The series is currently available on both DVD and Blu-Ray. D.Gray-Man was next in the docket, with volume 1 currently available. Adam likened it to Fullmetal Alchemist, so I have to wonder: is it safe to call the series Fullmetal Gray Man? Anyway, the second part will hit stores on June 23.

Gonzo's Last Exile was solicited next. Sheehan referred to it as "an absolute must." The series is currently available on DVD. After Last Exile, Adam highlighted Heroic Age, which is reminiscent of a modern-day Star Blazers.Currently, the first part of Heroic Age is available, with the second volume slated to hit on June 30.

Up next was Murder Princess... a, er... "charming" series that our editor-in-chief has the "pleasure" of reviewing. Sheehan called it "quick and fun," but the staff says otherwise. The series is currently available in a single collection. He briefly mentioned Shin-chan's latest release, but quickly moved on to Romeo x Juliet. Best described as "Romeo and Juliet in the Final Fantasy universe," the series is a Gonzo-fied retelling of the Shakespearian classic. Sheehan was particularly proud of the dub, which was written to integrate lines from the original play, among other changes. The first part will hit stores on June 23.

Adam quickly stepped through the last three titles on the list: Kaze no Stigma, Samurai Champloo, and One Piece. Kaze no Stigma's first volume, the complete collection for Samurai Champloo, and the first part of the second season of One Piece will all hit on June 30.

After One Piece, Sheehan shifted the focus to the new announcements. The first title he mentioned was Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. He acknowledged that there were online buffering issues, and that it was being worked on. Unfortunately, with "tens of thousands" of viewers, they are struggling with bandwidth issues at the moment. After noting the issue, Sheehan showed a trailer for the Fullmetal Alchemist OVA. He said that he hopes to have the title in stores by Comic Con, which begins on July 23.

Sheehan moved on to Sgt. Frog, which has seen a rocky path to its American release. The series was previously held by ADV Films, who never actually released the title. FUNimation acquired the series in the batch of Sojitz licenses that they scored last year. However, FUNimation were not sure how to approach the series, since it contains a number of obscure references to subcultures of anime fandom like Gunpla (Gundam models). They finally decided that they would leave all of the series's references intact. The first boxed set will hit stores on September 22.

After announcing Keroro, a trailer for the single new title announcement of the panel, Spice and Wolf, was played. Unfortunately, as Anime Vice posted the information early, the impact of the announcement was muted somewhat.

After the trailer, Sheehan revealed that they would announce the English dub cast for Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone. To help announce the lineup, Adam called ADR director Mike McFarland to the table. McFarland revealed that the entire original cast was considered and spoken to. However, a number of the cast hadn't acted since the first release of Evangelion in 1998. The lineup revealed is as follows:

• Shinji = Spike Spencer
• Rei = Brina Palenska
• Gendou = John Swasey
• Misato = Allison Peet
• Ritsuko = Coleen Clinkenbeard
• Toji = Justin Cook
• Edelbra = Phil Parsons
• Ibuki = Kaitlin Glass
• Hyuuga = Mike McFarland
• Kensuke = Greg Ayres
• Kaworu = Jerry Jewel
• Asuka = Leah Clark
• Fuyutsuki = Kent Williams
• PenPen = Monica Rial

Spike Spencer and Allison Peet are reprising their roles fromt he original release. John Swasey is reprising his role from the Evangelion Director's Cut. Currently, FUNimation only has the rights to the first film. A Blu-Release is not planned at the moment, but FUNimation is trying to get a theatrical relaese for the film. When asked about the Blu-Ray and digital releases, McFarland revealed that the rights weren't offered to FUNimation yet.

The floor was opened to audience questions at this point. The first question focused on FUNimation's TV broadcasts. The guest asked if FUNimation could use the Second Audio Program to push a subtitled release for the series. Sheehan stated that SAP concerns were at the sole discretion of the broadcaster.

The next question was pointed at Slayers Revolution. The guest wanted to know if voices were picked, and if FUNimation was considering the original voice cast. McFarland said that the voices weren't chosen yet, but they were talking with the original cast, to see if they could get voices to return for the dub. Recording for the series has not started yet.

The next guest asked about Phantom, namely, if FUNimation had DVD rights for the series. Sheehan said it was possible, as they were negotiating for DVD rights. However, FUNimation currently only has the digital rights to the series.

The final question was an inquiry about Sailor Moon. Namely, did the recent survey hint that FUNimation had the license? Sheehan bluntly said "We don't have it." However, does FUNimation want it? "Does a bear shit in the woods?" FUNimation doesn't know how Toei feels about licensing the series to FUNimation.