AnimEigo

Last updated

AnimEigo
Company typePrivate
IndustryEntertainment (anime)
Founded1988;36 years ago (1988) in Ithaca, New York
Founders Robert Woodhead
Roe R. Adams III
Headquarters Wilmington, North Carolina, United States
Area served
United States and Canada
Key people
Robert Woodhead
Roe R. Adams III
Natsumi Ueki
Janice Hindle
ProductsAnime, samurai cinema
OwnerMediaOCD (2024–present)
Website www.animeigo.com

AnimEigo is an American entertainment company that licenses and distributes anime, samurai films and Japanese cinema. Founded in 1988 by Robert Woodhead and Roe R. Adams III, the company was one of the first in North America dedicated to licensing anime and helped give anime a noticeable following in the region. Over its history, the company has released many anime titles, such as Urusei Yatsura , You're Under Arrest, Vampire Princess Miyu , Otaku no Video , the original Bubblegum Crisis OVA series, and Kimagure Orange Road .

Contents

Their name is a portmanteau of "anime" and "eigo" (英語), the Japanese word for the English language.

History

The company was founded in 1988 in Ithaca, New York, by Robert Woodhead and Roe R. Adams III. [1] It is now based in Wilmington, North Carolina, and run by Natsumi Ueki, Woodhead's wife. [2] Their first release was Metal Skin Panic Madox 01 . [3] In July 2003, the company signed a deal with Koch Entertainment to help market and distribute their titles in the United States and Canada. [4]

Between 2010 and 2013 the company lost a lot of its titles. For example, in February 2010, they announced they lost the rights to the Oh My Goddess! OVAs. [5] In April 2010, the company announced they were unable to license the remaining episodes of Yawara! . [6] They later lost the rights to the episodes they had previously licensed. [7] In February 2011, the company announced they had lost the rights to Urusei Yatsura , one of their more popular titles. [8] The company also lost the rights to the You're Under Arrest and Battle Royal High School anime series, as well as the Zatoichi , Lone Wolf and Cub , and Portrait of Hell live action movies. [9]

In October 2013, AnimEigo launched their first Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund a new release, specifically to re-release Bubblegum Crisis as a limited edition Blu-ray. [10] The Kickstarter was successfully funded in October 2013, and the Blu-ray was subsequently released in December 2014. [11] They also successfully kickstarted re-releases of Otaku no Video , Riding Bean , A.D. Police Files , Gunsmith Cats , Megazone 23 , Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01 , and Macross II: Lovers Again . [12]

In February 2024, MediaOCD, a post-production firm owned by Anime News Network founder Justin Sevakis, acquired AnimEigo's video distribution business. Woodhead and Ueki will stay on to assist in the transition and see existing projects to completion. After that, they plan to retire. [13]

Distribution

The company streams their titles on Hoopla, RetroCrush, Tubi, and CONtv. [14] Some of their titles were on Hulu and VRV (via VRV Select), but they have been removed. [15] [16]

The company is well known for the quality of its translation and subtitles, and pioneered such techniques as multi-color subtitles, overlapping dialogue, and supertitles that explain important cultural, linguistic and historical tidbits. They also include comprehensive cultural and linguistic liner notes with their releases. [17] [18] Alert viewers will often find subtle references to pop culture and current events hidden in the subtitles when they match what the characters are actually saying. Sometimes the references are blatant; in episode 18 of Super Dimension Fortress Macross , the dying Roy Fokker not only repeats the famous words of Mr. Spock from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few..." but adds Captain Kirk's reply – "or the one". [19]

They also licensed two Lupin III films: Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy and Lupin III: Legend of the Gold of Babylon . Because of legal issues surrounding the Lupin name (which was used by author Monkey Punch without permission from the estate of Maurice Leblanc), the titles were released as Rupan III (which is the romaji pronunciation of Lupin). Even after the Lupin name passed into public domain in the 1990s, they continued to distribute the films as Rupan III. [20]

Productions

Releases are only listed if the subtitling, dubbing, or other (localization) production work was handled by AnimEigo; rather than being licensed or redistributed from prior versions.

In print

In print [21] [22]
TitleReleaseMediumDub producerNotes
SubtitleDub
A.D. Police Files 19931995Show (3)Southwynde StudiosAlternate dub
Bubblegum Crash 19921994Show (3)Southwynde Studios
Bubblegum Crisis 19911994Show (8)Southwynde Studios
BushidoMovie
Eleven Samurai Movie
Graveyard of Honor (1975) Movie
Metal Skin Panic: MADOX-01 19901995Show (1)Swirl FilmsAlternate dub
Onimasa Movie
Otaku no Video 1993Show (2)
RevengeMovie
Revenge of a Kabuki Actor Movie
Samurai Vendetta Movie
Shinobi no Mono Movie
Shinobi no Mono 2: Vengeance Movie
Shinobi no Mono 3: Resurrection Movie
Shinsengumi ChroniclesMovie
Sleepy Eyes of Death 1: The Chinese Jade Movie
Sleepy Eyes of Death 2: Sword of Adventure Movie
Sleepy Eyes of Death 3: Full Circle Killing Movie
Sleepy Eyes of Death 4: Sword of Seduction Movie
Sleepy Eyes of Death 5: Sword of Fire Movie
Sleepy Eyes of Death 6: Sword of Satan Movie
Sword of Desperation Movie
The Blind MenaceMovie
The Clone Returns HomeMovie
The Dagger of Kamui 1995Movie
The Great SamuraiMovie
The Loyal 47 Ronin Movie
The Samurai I Loved Movie
The Secret of the UrnMovie
Vampire Princess Miyu (OVA) 1996Show (4)Swirl FilmsAlternate dub
You're Under Arrest (OVA) 19951995Show (4) Coastal Studios

Out of print

Out of print [21] [22]
TitleReleaseMediumDub producerNotes
SubtitleDub
13 Assassins (1963) Movie
Arcadia of My Youth 1993Movie
Ashura 2007Movie Coastal Studios
Baoh: The Visitor 19951995Show (1) Coastal Studios
Battle Royal High School 19961996Show (1)Southwynde Studios
Battle of Okinawa Movie
Black Rain Movie
Crusher Joe: The Movie 19971997Movie Coastal Studios Alternate dub
Crusher Joe: The OVAs 19971998Show (2) Coastal Studios
Genesis Survivor Gaiarth 19931995Show (3)Swirl Films
Growing Up With Hello Kitty2012Short (16) Coastal Studios 12 episodes dubbed
It's Tough Being a Man Movie
Kimagure Orange Road Show (48)
Kimagure Orange Road OVA Show (8)
Kimagure Orange Road: The Motion Picture Movie
Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy 19951995Movie Coastal Studios AKA Rupan III: The Fuma Conspiracy
Miyamoto MusashiMovie
Oh My Goddess! 19942001Show (5) Coastal Studios
Shogun Assassin 3: Slashing Blades of Carnage 2007Movie Coastal Studios
Shogun Assassin 4: Five Fistfuls of Gold 2008Movie Coastal Studios
Shogun Assassin 5: Cold Road to Hell 2008Movie Coastal Studios
Shōnan Bakusozoku Show (13)3 episodes subtitled
Spirit of Wonder: Miss China's Ring 19961996Show (1) Coastal Studios
The Ballad of Narayama Movie
The Geisha Movie
The RazorMovie
The Razor 2Movie
The Razor 3Movie
The Wolves Movie
Tora-san, His Tender Love Movie
Tora-san's Cherished Mother Movie
Tora-san's Grand Scheme Movie
Urusei Yatsura (Those Obnoxous Aliens) 1992-20061995Show (195)Southwynde Studios2 episodes dubbed

Alternate dub

Urusei Yatsura 1: Only You 19952003MovieSwirl Films
Urusei Yatsura 3: Remember My Love 19952004MovieSwirl Films
Urusei Yatsura 4: Lum the Forever 19952004MovieSwirl Films
Urusei Yatsura 5: The Final Chapter 19952004MovieSwirl Films
Urusei Yatsura 6: Always My Darling 19962005MovieSwirl Films
Wakeful NightsMovie
Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl Show (124)40 episodes subtitled
You're Under Arrest (TV) 20022002Show (47) Coastal Studios
Zatoichi meets Yojimbo Movie
Zatoichi the Outlaw Movie

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References

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