:anime: FUNimation Takes Up "Salty Ray"

Acting out on their continuing love for all things GONZO, FUNimation officially announced at Anime Expo 2006 their licensing of Solty Rei [Link 1] [Link 2]. The pleasant show, featuring designs by Range Murata, was once in the center of a rare instance where an anime distributor takes on a fansubbing group head on. The company caused the website of a group to be temporarily pulled after they caught them subbing such GONZO-animated fare like Solty Rei and Tsubasa Chronicle. Although they have never said anything about being their licensor, FUNimation acted in a way that suggested they were and that GONZO shows were of their territory (in addition, they were seen to have shows on their site that were already licensed by them). The controversial event reignited discussions involving the sticky issue of licensing and fansubbing.