- This article is about Manga Entertainment, the anime distributor. For Manga, a term for Japanese comics, see Manga.
Manga Entertainment is a producer, licensor and distributor of Japanese animation in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Australia and New Zealand.
Manga Entertainment was founded by Andy Frain for Chris Blackwell's Island International Group in 1991. The company's first release Akira was both critical and commercial success,citation needed and led the company to license more anime for release in the Europe, Australia and subsequently the United States. Manga Entertainment became a hugely successful brand, consistently achieving Top 20 entries in the UK video charts.citation needed
The company's distribution was initially focused in the UK, Australia and Europe before expanding to the U.S in 1994. Manga's USA branch became Manga Entertainment Inc. and focused on the North American anime market. Manga Entertainment's Australian division became Manga Entertainment Australia Ltd., but Manga Entertainment in the UK still have control over a majority of Manga Australia's catalogue. Andy Frain resigned from Manga in November 1995 to start Touchwood Animation Ltd but he retained a minority share in the company which he sold back to Blackwell prior to Manga's acquisition by IDT. In November 1995 Marvin Gleicher replaced Frain as CEO, with Mike Preece as UK managing director.
Despite their name, the company's principal business is the distribution of anime rather than manga, although they have published some manga in the UK under the Manga Books imprint such as Crying Freeman.[1]
The company
Manga Entertainment is an entertainment company that co-produces animation such as Ghost in the Shell and Eon Kid,[2], usually through financial contributions toward production costs. However Manga is primarily involved in the distribution of anime in Europe and the U.S. Manga is a division of Starz Media, a subsidiary of venture capital firm Liberty Media.
Manga Entertainment UK does not license some anime to Australia because Madman Entertainment has already secured the rights the license and distribute to the titles below and are at least 6 months ahead of Manga UK:
Manga has also played a part in dubbing anime, when it is not sub-licensing a production that has already been licensed by another company (e.g., Akira, licensed and redubbed by Geneon in 2001, Bounty Dog, and Lupin III: Bye Bye Liberty Crisis).
Manga Entertainment originally opened in London in 1991 in order to bring anime to the European market. The companies first release was the film Akira. The success of Akira was unprecedented and the Manga Entertainment company was quickly created. The U.S. arm debuted in July 1994 and the company now operates internationally from Chicago. Manga has become a very well known brand around the world due to its continuing distribution of anime, which have proved to be a great success with fans around the world e.g. Ghost in the Shell This can be seen when Manga released Ghost in the Shell which was the first and only Japanese animated film to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Top 40 Video Sales chart (August 24, 1996), but has also become associated with controversy concerning the distribution of hentai anime Urotsukidoji.
Managing Director, Kaoru Mfaume, oversaw Manga Entertainment's worldwide operations until he left in 2007. His tenure at Manga followed an extensive career in the anime industry originally working as a production and development executive before becoming Manga’s Vice President of Acquisitions. He has served as executive producer on a number of high profile anime projects including Dead Leaves, Blood The Last Vampire, Street Fighter Alpha Generations, Iron Kid and is a permanent member of the Ghost in the Shell Production Committee.
Company history
Siren Entertainment was Manga's distributor in Australia from 1993 to 1995, after which Manga's distributor in Australia became Madman Entertainment, which is now Australia and New Zealand's No.1 Anime Distributor and Licensor. Anime was known in Australia as Robotech and Astro Boy in the mid to late 80's (Astro Boy and Robotech both licensed by Manga), but when Akira was released in Australian Cinemas in 1991, that all changed and Manga Video popularised Anime in the 90's and changed the name of anime in Australia to Manga. This changed again when Manga Australia's new distributor, Madman Entertainment started opertating and the term, Manga, was changed to Anime again.
Manga Australia merged into Madman Entertainment in mid 2003 but still licenses Anime to Australia so Madman Entertainment could distribute them. Until 2003, Madman had a menu on a previous version on the website which had Madman brands that you could go to, and Manga was one of them. Manga's old web domain name, www.manga.com.au is now used by Madman for it's Manga comics website. Manga's old Australian domain was www.sirenent.com.au/manga, but that website is now defunct because Siren Entertainment stopped distribution of Manga's products. Manga has lost a few anime licenses in Australia due to the quality Australia demands when it comes to DVDs, but Madman has released most of Manga Australia's lost licenses. Notable licenses lost are The Castle Of Cagliostro, Macross Plus: The Movie, Wings of Honneamise, Space Adventure Cobra, and Project A-ko.
If anime wasn't being touched by Madman Entertainment would be distributed by Polygram until 1999. Polygram started distributing volumes 2 and 3 of Violence Jack, but not 1 due to the Australian OFLC banning volume 1 from retail sale. Chris Blackwell moved Manga Entertainment to Chris's new company, Palm Pictures. But Manga was bought out by IDT Entertainment a few years after Manga was bought by Palm Pictures. It is now headquartered in Chicago, with offices in London, Los Angeles Australia(Manga Australia's distributor, Madman Entertainment) and Tokyo.
Manga UK products
Manga Force
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From January 2007 Manga UK started to produce a fortnightly magazine aimed at promoting both the company itself through the use of some of its more revered titles. Issue one for example used Ghost in the Shell. The magazine will run for fifty issues and cost £8.99 for each issue after the first issue which was £2.99.
Anime Showcase
DVD cover for Anime Showcase
Anime Showcase is a promotional DVD which is being distributed for Manga UK by HMV. The price of the DVD is £3.99 and includes various snippets of different anime including:
- Noein - Episode 1
- Heat Guy J - Episode 1
- Otogi Zoshi - Episode 1
- A five minute preview of Hellboy: Sword of Storms
- Trailers For 'Tokyo Zombie', 'Noein', 'Tactics' and others.
A second Anime Showcase DVD was recently released. Priced at £3.99 (or free with selected Manga DVDS), it contained the following-
- Bleach - Episodes 1 & 2
- Naruto - Episodes 1 & 2
- Trailers for various Manga properties.
Anime licenced by Manga Entertainment
As of 2005, Manga Entertainment owns the English rights to 57 anime titles. Their UK arm, Manga Entertainment UK, also sub-licenses a number of titles such as Akira and Naruto from American companies who do not have a UK division.
Current Licenses
United Kingdom (DVD Region 2)
Australia (DVD Region 4, Distributed By Madman Entertainment, formerly by Siren Entertainment and Polygram)
- Akira (OFLC: M, Theatrically Released in 1991 by Island Visual, Manga Entertainment UK, Ronin Films and ICA Projects)
- Amon Saga (OFLC: M)
- Anime Classics (OFLC: R 18+, A boxset containing Ninja Scroll, Akira and Ghost In The Shell, a re-branding of Manga UK's Manga Classics)
- Appleseed OVA (OFLC: M, Previously released on VHS by itself and bundled with Battle Angel Alita)
- Blackjack (OFLC: M)
- Blood: The Last Vampire (OFLC: M)
- Dead Leaves (OFLC: MA 15+)
- End Of Evangelion (OFLC: M)
- Ghost in the Shell (OFLC: M, Theatrically released in 1995 by Manga Entertainment Australia)
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (OFLC: M)
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG (OFLC: M)
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Individual Eleven (OFLC: M)
- The Professional: Golgo 13 (OFLC: R 18+)
- Highlander: The Search for Vengeance (OFLC: M)
- Kai Doh Maru (OFLC: M)
- KARAS (OFLC: M)
- Macross Plus (OFLC: PG)
- Millenium Actress (OFLC: PG)
- Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth (OFLC: M)
- Ninja Scroll (First VHS Production Certification, Manga's USA uncut version, OFLC: MA 15+, Re-Issued VHS Certification OFLC: R 18+, using Manga's Australian and UK BBFC cut for the VHS, edited DVD and the uncut DVD version, Theatrically Released in 1994 by Manga Entertainment Australia)
- Patlabor: The Movie (OFLC: PG, re-released as a 2 disc DVD collection with Patlabor 2, Theatrically released in 1995 by Manga Entertainment Australia and Siren Entertainment)
- Patlabor: The Movie 2 (OFLC: PG, re-released as a 2 disc DVD collection with Patlabor 1, Theatrically released in 1996 by Manga Entertainment Australia)
- Perfect Blue (OFLC: MA 15+ Theatrically released in 1999 by Manga Entertainment UK and Madman Entertainment)
- Shadow Skill (OFLC: M)
- Street Fighter Alpha: Generations (OFLC: M)
- Street Fighter Alpha: The Movie (OFLC: M)
- Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (OFLC: M, Theatrically released in 1996 by Manga Entertainment Australia, Columbia Tristar and Sony Music Entertainment Australia)
- Street Fighter II V (OFLC: M)
- Urotsukidoji: Legend Of The Overfiend (OFLC: R 18+, Edited, Theatrically released in its uncut form by Manga Entertainment Australia in 1992)
- Urotsukidoji: Legend Of The Demon Womb (OFLC: R 18+, Edited, Theatrically released by Manga Entertainment Australia in 1995)
- Virus Buster Serge (OFLC: M)
- Wicked City (OFLC: R 18+, Previously released on VHS bundled Monster City a.k.a Demon City Shinjuku on 1 tape and by itself)
- X: The Movie (OFLC: MA 15+)
Expired licences in Australia
by Manga's Name, Monster City, released on 1 tape from Manga, and bundled with Wicked City on 1 tape)
- Fist Of The North Star (OFLC: M)
- Giant Robo (OFLC: PG, M)
- Landlock (OFLC: M)
- Macross Plus: Movie Edition (OFLC: PG)
- Macross II (OVA version by Kiseki Films, OFLC: PG, Manga's movie version, OFLC, M)
- Orguss 02 (OFLC: PG)
- Project A-ko (OFLC: PG, M, Re-released by Madman Entertainment)
- The Castle of Cagliostro (OFLC: PG Re-Released By Madman Entertainment,)
- Wings Of Honneamise (OFLC: M, Re-Released By Madman Entertainment under Bandai Visual's Honneamise Label, Theatrically released by Manga Entertainment Australia in 1995)
- Mystery Of Mamo(OFLC: M, Re-released by Madman Entertainment)
- Space Adventure Cobra (OFLC: M, Re-released by Madman Entertainment, Theatrically released by Manga Entertainment Australia in 1995)
- The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb (OFLC: M)
- Violence Jack (OFLC: RC, R 18+, Distribution of the Violence Jack OVA's was scrapped in Australia a few months after Violence Jack 1 was refused classification. But 2 and 3 went through without a problem.)
Yet to be released on DVD by Manga Entertainment in Australia (Still Licensed)
North America (DVD Region 1)
See also the list of anime licensed by Manga Entertainment.[3]
US Spanish-language releases
- Ninja Scroll
- Patlabor the Movie 1 (expired)
Expired licenses in North America
Both Patlabor Movies were subsequently licensed by Bandai Visual USA and released through its Honnemise distribution label. Their releases included remastered video and audio and new English dubs for both movies (they were released in 2006). Bandai Visual USA also released a subtitled-only DVD set of Gunbuster February 2007, as well as a DVD/Blu-Ray twin set of Wings of Honneamise in September 2007.[4]. Giant Robo has since been relicensed by Media Blasters which has also re-released the series on DVD.
Controversy
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A frequent complaint is that the name of the company is misleading.citation needed Manga refers to printed Japanese comics rather than animation. This lead to many Western consumers to believe manga was also an animated medium.citation needed
Manga is also known for releasing many DVDs with technical problems low quality DVD transfers from PAL materialscitation needed, overall low quality videocitation needed), defective DTS audio tracks [5] and subtitles for the hearing impared instead of translated subtitles.citation needed
References
External links
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