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Native name | 東映株式会社 |
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Romanized name | Tōei kabushiki gaisha |
Formerly |
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Company type | Public KK |
TYO: 9605 | |
Industry | Film and television Video games |
Founded | October 1, 1949 (as Tōkyō Eiga) |
Founder | Keita Goto |
Headquarters | 2-17 Ginza 3-chome, , Japan |
Area served | Worldwide, with a focus in Japan |
Key people | Noriyuki Tada (Chairman) Fumio Yoshimura (President and CEO) |
Products | Motion pictures, publicity materials |
Services | Film and TV distribution and marketing |
Revenue | ¥ 66,300,000,000 (As of March 2006) |
Number of employees | 343 (As of March 1, 2019) |
Subsidiaries |
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Website | www |
Footnotes /references [1] [2] |
Toei Company, Ltd. (東映株式会社, Tōei Kabushiki gaisha , an acronym for Tōkyō Eiga Haikyū (東京映画配給) lit. 'Tokyo Film Distribution'; /ˈtoʊ.eɪ/ ) is a Japanese entertainment company. Headquartered in Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo, it is involved in film and television production, distribution, video game development, publishing, and ownership of 34 movie theaters. Toei also owns and operates studios in Tokyo and Kyoto and holds shares in several television companies. The company is renowned for its production of anime and live-action dramas known as tokusatsu , which incorporate special visual effects. It is also known for producing period dramas. Internationally, Toei is the majority shareholder of Toei Animation and is recognized for its franchises such as Kamen Rider and Super Sentai .
Toei is one of the four members of the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (MPPAJ), and is therefore one of Japan's Big Four film studios.
Toei's predecessor, the Toyoko Eiga Company, Ltd. (東横映画, Tō-Yoko Eiga, "Toyoko Films"), was incorporated in 1938. It was founded by Keita Goto, CEO of Tokyo-Yokohama Electric Railway , the direct predecessor to the Tokyu Corporation. It had erected its facilities immediately east of the Tōkyū Tōyoko Line; they managed the prewar Tōkyū Shibuya Yokohama studio system. From 1945 through the Toei merger, Tokyo-Yokohama Films leased from the Daiei Motion Picture Company a second studio in Kyoto.
On October 1, 1950, the Tokyo Film Distribution Company was incorporated as a subsidiary of Toyoko Eiga; in 1951 the company purchased Ōizumi Films. The current iteration of Toei was established on April 1, 1951. Through the merger, they gained the combined talents and experience of actors Chiezō Kataoka, Utaemon Ichikawa, Ryunosuke Tsukigata, Ryūtarō Ōtomo, Kinnosuke Nakamura, Chiyonosuke Azuma, Shirunosuke Toshin, Hashizo Okawa, and Satomi Oka.
In 1955, they purchased the Kyoto studio from Daiei. [3] In 1956, Toei established an animation division, Toei Animation Company, Limited at the former Tokyo-Ōizumi animation studio, purchasing the assets of Japan Animated Films (日本動画映画, Nihon Dōga Eiga, often shortened to 日動映画 (Nichidō Eiga)), founded in 1948. Toei was a pioneer in the use of "Henshin"/"character transformation" in live-action martial-arts dramas, a technique developed for the Kamen Rider , Metal Hero and Super Sentai series; the genre currently continues with Kamen Rider and Super Sentai.
In September 1964, Toei leaves the Tokyu Corporation. [3]
In 1972, Toei started to distribute foreign films in Japan. [3]
In 1975, they opened a theme park at Kyoto Studio, the Toei Kyoto Studio Park. [3]
Toei started producing films in 1953. This list compiles the films by their original release date, their common English titles and Japanese titles. The Japanese titles are not necessarily direct translations of their English counterparts.
For feature films, Toei established itself as a producer of B-movies, that were made to fit into double bills and triple bills. [4] [5] It is predominantly known in the west for its series of action films and television series. [5]
Release date | English film title | Original title | Notes | Ref(s) |
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1954 | Weak-kneed from Fear of Ghost-Cat | Kaibyo koshinuke daisodo | [6] | |
1956 | The Phantom Cat | Kaibyo Ranbu [7] | [8] | |
1956 | The Swamp | Kaidan Chidoriga-fuchi | [9] | |
1957 | Ghost Story of Broken Dishes at Bancho Mansion | Kaidan Bancho sara yashiki | [10] | |
1958 | Ghost-Cat of Karakuri Tenjo | Kaibyo Karakuri Tenjo | [6] | |
March 19, 1959 | Planet Prince | Yusei oji | Chapter 1 | [11] |
May 26, 1959 | Planet Prince - The Terrifying Spaceship | Yūsei Ōji - Kyōfu no Uchūsen | Chapter 2 (both chapters edited into a 1962 feature version called Prince of Space ) | [11] |
1959 | Ghost from the Pond | Kaidan hitotsu-me Jizo | [12] | |
October 19, 1959 | The Final War | Daisanji sekai taisen - yonju-ichi jikan no kyofu | A New Toei Co, Ltd. Production; released in U.S. in 1962 | [13] |
1960 | Alakazam the Great | Saiyu-ki | A Toei Animation Co, Ltd. Production | [14] |
July 19, 1961 | Invasion of the Neptune Men | Uchu kaizoku-sen | Starred Sonny Chiba as Space Chief | [15] |
1961 | Ghost of Oiwa | Kaidan Oiwa no Borei | [16] | |
1962 | Ghost Music of Shamisen | Kaidan shamisen-bori | [16] [17] | |
1964 | Jakoman and Tetsu | Jakoman to Tetsu | [18] | |
1965 | House of Terrors | Kaidan semushi otoko (Ghost of the Hunchback [19] ) | [20] | |
1965 | Ghost of the One-Eyed Man | Kaidan katame no otoko | [21] | |
March 5, 1966 | The Magic Serpent | Kai tatsu daikessen | [22] | |
July 1, 1966 | Terror Beneath the Sea | Kaitei Daisensō | U.S./ Japanese co-production | |
1967 | Yongary, Monster from the Deep | Dai koesu Yongkari | South Korean/Japanese co-production | [23] [24] |
December 1, 1968 | The Green Slime | Gamma sango uchu dai sakusen | U.S./ Japanese co-production | [25] [26] |
1968 | Fear of the Snake Woman | Kaidan hebionna | [12] | |
August 13, 1969 | Killer's Mission | Shokin kasegi | [27] | |
1969 | Horrors of Malformed Men | Kyofu kikei ningen | [28] | |
1970 | Voyage Into Space | Giant Robo (Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot) [29] | Episodes of the Japanese TV series re-edited into a TV movie for U.S. release | [30] |
May 23, 1970 | A Kamikaze Cop | Yakuza deka | [17] | |
October 17, 1970 | Kamikaze Cop, Marihuana Syndicate | Yakuza deka, Marihuana mitsubai soshiki | [17] | |
1970 | Venus Flytrap (film) | Revenge of Dr. X (U.S. video title) | Based on a 1950s unproduced screenplay by Ed Wood (uncredited) | [31] |
August 25, 1972 | Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion | [32] [33] | ||
December 30, 1972 | Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 | [34] [33] | ||
July 29, 1973 | Female Convict Scorpion: Beast Stable | [35] [33] | ||
1974 | The Street Fighter | Gekitotsu Satsujinken | starred Sonny Chiba; spawned 2 sequels, Return of the Street Fighter and Street Fighter's Last Revenge | [31] |
April 29, 1977 | Legend of Dinosaurs & Monster Birds | Kyoryu-kaicho no densetsu | [36] [37] | |
April 29, 1978 | Message from Space | Uchu kara no messeji | Starred Sonny Chiba and Vic Morrow | [38] [39] |
1979 | The Inferno | Jigoku | [40] | |
January 30, 1981 | Time Slip (a.k.a. G.I. Samurai [41] ) | Sengoku jieitai | starred Sonny Chiba | [42] |
October 13, 1990 | The Pale Head | Shiroi te | A Kansai Telecasting Corp/Toei-Tokyo Production | [43] [44] |
2001 | The Firefly | Hotaru | Toei 50th Anniversary film | [45] |
2012 | A Chorus of Angels | Kita no Canaria tachi | Toei 60th Anniversary films | [45] |
2012 | Hayabusa: Harukanaru Kikan | Toei 60th Anniversary films | [45] | |
September 3, 2013 | Space Pirate Captain Harlock | a.k.a. Harlock: Space Pirate | Toei Animation Production | [46] |
December 5, 2015 | 125 Years Memory | Kainan 1890 | Co-produced by Toei, Creators' Union, Böcek Yapım | [47] |
May 17, 2019 | First Love | Hatsukoi | Distributor, produced by OLM | [48] [49] |
June 25, 2021 | The Goldfish | Umibe no Kingyō | [50] | |
2023 | The Legend and Butterfly | Toei 70th Anniversary film | [45] | |
2023 | Shin Kamen Rider | Reboot of the original 1971 series by Hideaki Anno | ||
Year | Title |
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1971–present | Kamen Rider franchise |
1975–present | Super Sentai franchise |
1982–present | Metal Hero franchise |
1993–present | Power Rangers franchise |
1994–1996 | VR Troopers |
1995–1996 | Masked Rider |
1996–1998 | Big Bad Beetleborgs (later Beetleborgs Metallix) |
2008–2009 | Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight |
2023 | Voltes V: Legacy |
Saburō Yatsude ( 八手 三郎 , Yatsude Saburō, alternatively read as Saburo Hatte) is a collective pseudonym used by Toei Company television producers, and formerly Toei Animation producers, when contributing to their various anime and tokusatsu series; similar to Sunrise's Hajime Yatate. The use of the pen name began with The Kagestar and has been used throughout the Super Sentai (in the adapted Power Rangers series starting with Ninja Storm , the credits list Saburo Hatte. Before this, the credits listed "Original Concepts by Saburo Yatsude") and Metal Hero Series as well as for Spider-Man , Choukou Senshi Changéríon , Video Warrior Laserion , Chōdenji Robo Combattler V , Chōdenji Machine Voltes V , Tōshō Daimos , Daltanius , Space Emperor God Sigma , Beast King GoLion and Kikou Kantai Dairugger XV . The name is also used as a contributor to the soundtracks for the series.
Toei Animation stopped using Saburo Yatsude in 1999, and they began to use Izumi Todo instead. The first anime that was created by Izumi Todo was Ojamajo Doremi .
In the Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger series, Saburo Hatte is an actual person who is godlike within the fictional reality that the show takes place in. In fact, his hand appears at the end of the first half of the series to cover the camera lens and end the show, later having the second half be made under Malseena's influence while in the hospital in the real world.
In the Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger spinoff, Super Animal War's third episode, he is portrayed by Jun Hikasa.
On April 3, 2016, an unknown Toei staff member going by Saburo Yatsude was interviewed while wearing a "Giraffe Zyuman" mask in reference to Zyuohger. [51]
The Super Sentai Series is a Japanese superhero team metaseries and media franchise consisting of television series and films produced by Toei Company, and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi. The shows are of the tokusatsu genre, featuring live action characters and colorful special effects, and are aimed at children. Super Sentai airs alongside the Kamen Rider series in the Super Hero Time programming block on Sunday mornings. In North America, the Super Sentai series is best known as the source material for the Power Rangers series.
Daimajin is a series of Japanese films. The trilogy of films were all shot simultaneously and released in 1966 with three different directors and predominantly the same crew. The series was produced by Daiei Film and contained similar plot structures involving villages being overthrown by warlords, leading to the villagers attempting to reach out to Daimajin, the great demon god, to save them.
The Kamen Rider Series, also known as Masked Rider Series, is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. Kamen Rider media generally features a motorcycle-riding superhero with an insect motif who fights supervillains, often known as kaijin.
Shun Sugata is a Japanese actor.
Engine Sentai Go-onger is Toei Company's thirty-second installment in the Super Sentai metaseries of Japanese tokusatsu television series. It aired from February 17, 2008 to February 8, 2009, replacing Juken Sentai Gekiranger and was replaced by Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. The program was part of TV Asahi's 2008 Super Hero Time block alongside Kamen Rider Kiva. Its footage was used for the American series, Power Rangers RPM and was dubbed into Korean as Power Rangers Engine Force.
Kamen Rider Den-O is the seventeenth installment in the popular Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu programs. It is a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei. It premiered January 28, 2007 on TV Asahi, and concluded airing on January 20, 2008. Its lead actor Takeru Satoh is the first Kamen Rider Series lead born in the Heisei period of Japanese history. It aired on the Super Hero Time slot alongside Juken Sentai Gekiranger.
Tensou Sentai Goseiger is the title of Toei Company's 34th entry in its long-running Super Sentai franchise. It follows an angelic motif as well as a trading card theme. It joined Kamen Rider W, and later Kamen Rider OOO, as a program featured in TV Asahi's Super Hero Time programming block. It aired from February 14, 2010 to February 6, 2011, replacing Samurai Sentai Shinkenger and was replaced by Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. The series ties in with the arcade game Super Sentai Battle: Dice-O, with the characters using cards resembling Carddass cards used in the game to transform and access various weapons, similar to the concept of Kamen Rider Decade and its link to Kamen Rider Battle: Ganbaride. Goseiger's footage was later used for the 2013 Power Rangers series Power Rangers Megaforce and its second season Super Megaforce.
Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger is Toei Company's 35th entry in its long-running Super Sentai metaseries of Japanese tokusatsu television series following Tensou Sentai Goseiger. It follows a Pirate motif, joining Kamen Rider OOO and then Kamen Rider Fourze as a program featured in TV Asahi's Super Hero Time programming block. It aired from February 13, 2012 to February 19, 2013, replacing Tensou Sentai Goseiger and was replaced by Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters. The catchphrase for the series is "Let's make it showy!".
Daiei Film Co. Ltd. was a Japanese film studio. Founded in 1942 as Dai Nippon Film Co., Ltd., it was one of the major studios during the postwar Golden Age of Japanese cinema, producing not only artistic masterpieces, such as Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950) and Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu (1953), but also launching several film series, such as Gamera, Zatoichi and Yokai Monsters, and making the three Daimajin films (1966). It declared bankruptcy in 1971 and was acquired by Kadokawa Pictures.
Discotek Media is an American entertainment company based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, focused on distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series.
Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger is the Toei Company's 37th entry in its long-running Super Sentai metaseries of Japanese tokusatsu television series aired on TV Asahi from February 17, 2013 to February 9, 2014, replacing Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters and was replaced by Ressha Sentai ToQger. The program joining Kamen Rider Wizard and later Kamen Rider Gaim in TV Asahi's Super Hero Time programming block. Its footage would later be used for the American Power Rangers season, Power Rangers Dino Charge and its follow up season, Dino Super Charge, and gained a South Korean-exclusive sequel, Power Rangers Dino Force Brave. This is the first Super Sentai series to be shot in Full HD at 1080p, as Shinkenger up to Go-Busters was only shot in 720p.
Shirō Sano is a Japanese actor.
Shuriken Sentai Ninninger is a Japanese television series, the 39th entry of Toei's long-running Super Sentai metaseries, following Ressha Sentai ToQger. It is the third ninja-based Sentai, and the fourth to be based on Japanese mythology and culture and aired from February 22, 2015 to February 7, 2016, replacing Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger and was replaced by Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger. The program joining Kamen Rider Drive, and later, Kamen Rider Ghost in the Super Hero Time line-up on TV Asahi affiliate stations, until concluding on February 7, 2016. Ninninger also serves as the 40th anniversary of the franchise. The lead screenwriter for the series is Kento Shimoyama and Kousuke Yamashita serves as the series' composer. Its footage is used for the American Power Rangers season, Power Rangers Ninja Steel and its follow-up season, Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel.
Kenji Misumi was a Japanese film director. He created film series such as Lone Wolf and Cub and the initial film in the long-running Zatoichi series, and also directed Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice, starring Shintaro Katsu. He died at age 54.
Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger is a Japanese Tokusatsu drama and the 40th entry of Toei's long-running Super Sentai metaseries, following Shuriken Sentai Ninninger. It aired from February 14, 2016 to February 5, 2017, replacing Shuriken Sentai Ninninger and was replaced by Uchu Sentai Kyuranger. The program joining Kamen Rider Ghost, and later, Kamen Rider Ex-Aid in the Super Hero Time line-up on TV Asahi affiliate stations. Released as part of Super Sentai's 40th anniversary and Toei's "Super Hero Year", Zyuohger is the sixth series in the franchise whose central theme is animals, after Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan, Choujyu Sentai Liveman, Chōjin Sentai Jetman, Seijuu Sentai Gingaman, and Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger. The series also has a Minecraft-inspired and Rubik's cube motif. The lead screenwriter for the series is Junko Kōmura.
Kamen Rider Amazons, known in the overseas market as Amazon Riders, is a 2016 Japanese tokusatsu web drama. It is a darker and more mature reimagining of the 1974 television series, Kamen Rider Amazon, and part of Toei's Super Hero Year, celebrating the 45th anniversary of the Kamen Rider Series. Amazon Riders was originally exclusively released through Amazon Video in Japan starting April 1, 2016. It was also broadcast on television on BS Asahi starting July 3, 2016, and Tokyo MX starting July 6, 2016. In a similar vein as the reboot films based on the Shōwa era series, Kamen Rider: The First & Kamen Rider: The Next, Kamen Rider Amazons takes place in an alternate universe separate from the main series timeline.
Kamen Rider Ex-Aid is a Japanese tokusatsu drama in Toei Company's Kamen Rider Series. It is the eighteenth series in the Heisei period run and the twenty-seventh series overall. Toei registered the Kamen Rider Ex-Aid trademark on June 13, 2016. The show premiered on October 2, 2016, one week after the finale of Kamen Rider Ghost, joining Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger and later, Uchu Sentai Kyuranger in the Super Hero Time line-up.
Kamen Rider Saber is a Japanese tokusatsu drama, the 31st entry of Toei Company's Kamen Rider franchise, and the second series to debut during the Reiwa period. The series premiered on September 6, 2020, joining Mashin Sentai Kiramager, and later, Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger in the Super Hero Time line-up after the finale of Kamen Rider Zero-One before being succeeded by Kamen Rider Revice on September 5, 2021. The series is notable for its use of a fantasy setting, along with its storybook theming.