On October 1, 2021, at 11:00am EDT, Nozomi Entertainment, the anime localization branch of Right Stuf, Inc., launched a Kickstarter campaign to dub all 26 episodes of the 1985 Dirty Pair TV series. Their goal is $275,000, with a stretch goal of $295,000. Currently, they have raised $215,157 from 899 backers — just over 78% of their goal.

Nozomi describes the series:

In the 22nd century mankind may be technologically advanced, but there are still some problems that can only be fixed by a couple of women who won't back down from a fight! These are the adventures of Kei and Yuri, two official Trouble Consultants for the World Welfare Works Association (WWWA) who use their brains, brawn, and looks to solve any problem. They call themselves the "Lovely Angels," but because their solutions often result in chaos and mass destruction, the rest of the universe has dubbed them the "Dirty Pair"!

Previously, Nozomi released Dirty Pair on DVD in 2010. If their campaign is successful, this will be the first time the TV series is available in HD outside of Japan. It will also be the third time they have dubbed a previous release through crowdfunding. The other two being Aria the Animation in 2017 and Emma — A Victorian Romance in 2018.

If you wish to own this release, the minimum pledge to receive the Blu-ray set is $60. There is also a $250 tier that includes the Dirty Pair OVAs, Movies, and Dirty Pair Flash.

The estimated delivery for this campaign is August 2022. If you wish to watch the series before pledging, it is currently streaming subtitled in English on Crunchyroll, VRV, and Retro Crush.

Nozomi’s “Let’s Dub the Dirty Pair TV Series!” Kickstarter campaign will end on October 31, 2021, at 11:00am EDT.

UPDATE 10/2/21 3:40pm EDT: Jessica Calvello, who plays Yuri in the OVA, will reprise her role if the campaign is successful.

UPDATE 10/4/21 5:22am EDT: The $275,000 goal has been met. As of this update, the campaign has raised $280,243 from 1,187 backers with 27 more days to go.

[Source: Dirty Pair TV series Kickstarter]

The 12-episode anime adaptation of Keisuke Itagaki’s manga Baki: Son of Ogre will premiere worldwide on Netflix tomorrow September 30, 2021. According to the official Grappler Baki Twitter account, all 12 episodes will be released simultaneously.

This season will feature Baki traveling to America to face Biscuit Oliva in a fighting tournament held in the Arizona State Prison. Considering the length of the season, it is highly unlikely that Pickle, the antagonist of the following arc, will make an appearance outside of a cliffhanger in the final episode.

Son of Orge is the third series of the manga, proceeded by New Grappler Baki and Grappler Baki. This will be the fifth season of Grappler Baki overall, and the third season produced by Netflix. The first two seasons were produced by the record label Free-Will in 2001 and released by Funimation as a single series in 2005 as Baki the Grappler.

[Source: Grappler Baki Twitter]

Academy Award-nominated director Mamoru Hosada’s eighth feature film Belle will be making its debut in the United States at the 59th edition of the New York Film Festival (NYFF59), courtesy of GKIDS.

There are currently two showtimes listed on the NYFF59 website:

• Saturday, September 25, 2021 @ 12:00pm in Alice Tully Hall
• Friday, October 1, 2021 @ 3:30pm in Walter Reade Theater

GKIDS describes the film:

Suzu is a 17-year-old high school student living in a rural village with her father. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. One day, she enters “U,” a virtual world of 5 billion members on the Internet. There, she is not Suzu anymore but Belle, a world-famous singer. She soon meets with a mysterious creature. Together, they embark on a journey of adventures, challenges and love, in their quest to become who they truly are.

The film had its world premiere at the 74th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, on July 15, 2021. Anime News Network reported that it received a 14-minute standing ovation. It opened the following day in Japan in IMAX and regular theaters.

NYFF59 will be held September 24 – October 10, 2021. Proof of vaccination will be required to attend.

Belle is listed with a 121-minute runtime and will screen in Japanese with English subtitles. Tickets go on sale on September 7, 2021.

[Source: New York Film Festival listing]