Welcome to a special Otakon edition of AniWeekly, the column that talks all about your Japanese animes!

This weekend, fans from across the country converged in Baltimore for Otakon. The event, which features over 30,000 attendees each year, is one of the largest in the country. A convention of this size seizes the news cycle, as companies bring show their best and brightest projects to rooms full of eager attendees.

In The News

Go Speed Racer, Go! FUNimation announced that they licensed Speed Racer for North America. The company will release the series in both dubbed and subtitled format, and will include episodes that were never aired in North America.

Ladies versus Butlers versus dubs. Media Blasters announced that Ladies Versus Butlers! will receive an English dub. The series will be dubbed by MB Voiceworks, and directed by Brittany Lauda. The current cast includes:

• Tomomi Saikyou: Amber Lee Connors (Dust: An Elysian Tail, Holy Knight)
• Kaoru Daichi: Brittany Lauda (Queen’s Blade Rebellion, Holy Knight)
• Akiharu Hino: Daniel J. Edwards (Yu-Gi-Oh!, Anything Goes revival (Broadway))

Omakase! Viewster announced that they’re rolling out a new subscription service. Known as Omakase, Viewster’s service will include ad-free HD streams, and a merchandise box à la Loot Crate.

It’s a show about an idol, that’s not Love Live! Viewster announced that they’ll begin streaming Key The Metal Idol on their service. The series will be available across the globe, outside of Japan and Asia.

Riding the comet to parts unknown. Bandai Visual opened a teaser site for an original anime project titled Comet Lucifer. The series will kick off on Japanese TV this October.

From The AniBlogging Community

A bit of summer reading to brighten your day. Lauren at Otaku Journalist delivers a list of five titles worth reading, all available through Crunchyroll’s manga library. I have to second Princess Jellyfish. That series is just lovely!

Talkin’ with Thomas Romain. Anime Diet’s GendoMike had a chance to talk with animator Thomas Romain. The two talked about the industry, life in the trenches, and that crazy Shirobako salary chart. It’s a great read, that really deserves a look

Manga mania! Manga Therapy delivers a brief thought on Barnes & Noble’s recent “Manga Mania” push.

Weekly Fun Stuff!

Ever at a loss for what to watch? Frederator’s Cartoon Hangover has you covered! This time around, the crew goes over their picks for twelve shows that fans simply need to watch.

Huge props to the crew for including a number of niche favorites, like Princess Tutu and Nichijou!