Wikipedia

Bandai Visual

Bandai Visual Co., Ltd.[a]was a Japaneseanime,film production,and distribution company, established byBandaiand a subsidiary ofBandai Namco Holdings.They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America.[1][2][3]

Bandai Visual Co., Ltd.
Native name
Chu thức hội xã バンダイビジュアル
Kabushiki gaishaBandai Bijuaru
Formerly
  • AE Planning
  • (1983–1989)
  • Bandai Media
  • (1988–1992)
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryAnime
FoundedAugust 23, 1983;41 years ago(1983-08-23)
Defunct2018(2018)(as a company)
FateMerged withLantis
SuccessorBandai Namco Arts
HeadquartersEbisu, Shibuya,Tokyo,Japan
Key people
  • Kazumi Kawashiro
  • (president and CEO)
Number of employees
167
Parent
Subsidiaries
  • Actas
  • Bandai Entertainment
  • Beez Entertainment
  • Emotion
  • Lantis
Websitebandaivisual.co.jp/

Most of the anime and films that have been distributed and licensed by Bandai Visual have been released under the Emotion label. After the reorganization of Bandai Namco Holdings in 2006, Bandai Visual headed the group's Visual and Music ContentStrategic Business Unit.Its subsidiaries included the Emotion Music Company, Ltd. (whose logos also include theMoaifrom Easter Island), andLantismusic publishing labels. Until 2012, it was involved in the production and distribution of severalanimetitles, including those it has directly produced itself and anime series produced by the anime studioSunrise,an alternate anime studio subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. In September 2017, Bandai Visual acquired the anime studioActas.[4]

In February 2018, it was announced Bandai Visual would be merged with Lantis into a new branch of BNH, calledBandai Namco Arts.The reorganizing took effect as of April 1, 2018. Bandai Visual remains only as a label of the new company.[5]

History

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Origins and expansion (1983–1996)

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On August 23, 1983, Japanese toy manufacturerBandaiestablished AE Planning Co., Ltd. (Account Executive Planning), an animation and film distributor, inKōjimachi,Chiyoda.[6][7]Bandai created AE Planning following the success of Emotion, its film distribution division, in 1982, and was part of Bandai's corporate reorganization and alteration of its business strategies.[8]AE Planning primarily distributedoriginal video animations(OVAs) from other companies, most notablyPierrot'sDallos(1983).[8]Beginning in October 1984, it licensed and distributedlaserdiscfilms in Japan.[6]After Bandai agreed to a business alliance withThe Walt Disney Companyin 1987, AE Planning became a distributor of Disney animated films across the country.[7]

In March 1989, AE Planning renamed itself Bandai Visual Sales and opened a second office inShōwa-ku, Nagoya.[6]Alongside its publishing and distribution ofVHSreleases for television series such asUltramanandMobile Suit Gundam,Visual Sales operated the Emotion Theater movie theater in Bandai's B-Club Shop inTakadanobabauntil its closure in 1997. Bandai Visual Sales was renamed again to Bandai Visual Co., Ltd. in August 1991.[6]In the same year, it absorbed Bandai's Media Division as a means to unify the latter company's home video distribution businesses. The acquisition also gave Bandai Visual ownership of the Emotion label, which was used for its music, anime re-releases, and other products.[7][8]As the company continued generating profits, it began expanding its operations into other entertainment industries. In 1996, Bandai Visual began publishing video games under the Emotion Digital Software brand, releasing titles such asReturn to Zork,MechWarrior 2: Arcade Combat EditionandChoujikuu Yousai Macross: Ai Oboete Imasu ka.[9][10]

Mainstream success and Bandai Entertainment (1996–2005)

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In April 1996, Bandai Visual publishedMobile Suit Gundam Wing,the sixth mainline installment in theGundammedia franchise. Though it was a moderate success in Japan,Gundam Wingwas especially popular in the United States, being credited for single-handedly popularizing theGundamfranchise for Western audiences. Following the show's success, Bandai established a subsidiary named Bandai Entertainment Inc. inCypress, Californiaas a subsidiary of its United States division, Bandai America. Though Bandai Visual did not have any direct control over Bandai Entertainment, the latter company often licensed many of Visual's anime series for publishing and distribution in North America, such asCowboy Bebop,The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya,and multipleGundamsequels.[11]Bandai Entertainment also published English-translatedmangaseries and Americangraphic novels,[12]in addition to offering a "fan support" program to facilitate public screenings of licensed content atanime clubsandanime conventions.[13]

Bandai Visual was listed onJASDAQmarket in November 2001; by that time, the company was worth over¥2.1 billion (US$20 million).[6][14]In January 2003, the company acquired Emotion Music and made it a wholly owned subsidiary, as a means to further expand into the music industry.[15]Bandai Visual also began supplying content for broadband distribution networks, such as theBandai Channeltelevision station.[16][17]

Namco Bandai takeover and merge with Lantis (2005–2018)

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Bandai Visual was a wholly owned subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings.[18][19]Namco Bandai announced on November 8, 2007, that it would buy the voting shares it did not own between that date and December 10, 2007, and turn the company into a wholly owned subsidiary.[20][21]On December 18, 2007, Namco Bandai announced that it had owned 93.63%[22]of Bandai Visual's shares since the end of November.[20]The remaining shares were delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange on February 15, 2008, after Namco Bandai acquired the remaining 10% of the shares.

For current company, seeBandai Namco Arts.

In February 2018, it was announced Bandai Visual would be merged with Lantis into a new branch of BNH, calledBandai Namco Arts.The reorganizing took effect as of April 1, 2018. Bandai Visual remains only as a label of the new company.[5]

Subsidiaries

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Bandai Visual USA / Bandai Entertainment

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Bandai Visual USAwas established in 2005 inCypress, Californiato licenseanimeproperties from various Japanese companies for North American distribution; most of those licenses coming from Bandai and its sister companySunrise.The company also licensedmangaseries for release with English translation, and published American-madegraphic novels.[12][23]Bandai Visual USA's releases were of high quality and were aimed at collectors. Their titles were released under the Honnêamise label (named after their Bandai Visual's first production,Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise). Bandai Visual USA's anime products were distributed in North America initially byImage Entertainmentand later,Geneon Entertainment USAand in Europe byBeez Entertainment.[24][25]On May 23, 2008, Bandai Namco Holdings announced that Bandai Visual USA would be merged into the newly formedBandai Entertainmentwhich was consummated on July 1, 2008.[26]

The company confirmed on January 2, 2012, that they would stop offering new DVD, Blu-ray disc and manga releases by February, but would continue to produce their current library of content. Bandai Entertainment was restructured to focus on licensing anime to other companies.[27]On August 30, 2012, Bandai America announced that it will shut down Bandai Entertainment and discontinue distributing their home video and print catalog on March 1, 2013. They made their final shipment to retailers on November 30, 2012.[28]Many former Bandai Entertainment titles have been re-licensed by other companies, includingFunimation,Crunchyroll,Aniplex of America,Discotek Media,Media Blasters,Nozomi Entertainment,Viz Media,Maiden JapanandSentai Filmworks.

Most of the notable titles that Bandai Entertainment held includedK-On!,The Melancholy of Haruhi SuzumiyaandLucky Star.

Beez Entertainment

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Beez Entertainment was the European branch of Bandai Entertainment that also distributed anime and music and were also owned by Bandai Namco Holdings.[29]The name is an acronym for Bandai Entertainment European Zone. Following the discontinuation of Bandai Entertainment, Beez has also stopped releasing anime in the European market.[30]Their anime releases were licensed in North America by Bandai Entertainment and Bandai Visual USA.

Honnêamise

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Honnêamise was Bandai Visual USA's boutique label that distributed deluxe editions of anime and artsier products. The label's namesake comes fromRoyal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise.The label was shut down on July 1, 2008, when Bandai Visual USA was absorbed into Bandai Entertainment. The label's releases were distributed byGeneon Entertainment USAandImage Entertainment.

Music

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In August 2009, Bandai Visual had their first music release on US iTunes with Lantis Sounds. In September 2009, Bandai Visual teamed up withNamco Bandai Gamesfor their periodic release of game sounds (classic and new) to iTunes USA.[31][32]

Notes

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  1. ^Japanese:Chu thức hội xã バンダイビジュアル,Hepburn:Kabushiki gaishaBandai Bijuaru

References

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  1. ^"Bandai Visual"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on November 26, 2005.RetrievedMarch 7,2007.
  2. ^"NAMCO BANDAI Holdings Inc. – Group Companies".Archived fromthe originalon March 7, 2007.RetrievedMarch 7,2007.
  3. ^"IR information: Press release Third Medium-Term Plan".Archived fromthe originalon September 30, 2007.RetrievedMarch 7,2007.
  4. ^"Bandai Visual AcquiresGirls & PanzerAnime Studio Actas ".Anime News Network.RetrievedSeptember 5,2017.
  5. ^ab"Bandai Namco Holdings Merges Lantis With Bandai Visual, Launches New Subsidiaries".Anime News Network. February 9, 2018.RetrievedAugust 13,2018.
  6. ^abcde"Corporate History".www.bandaivisual.co.jp(in Japanese). Bandai Visual. September 2017. Archived fromthe originalon September 24, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 8,2021.
  7. ^abcGrant, Tina (2003).International Directory of Company Histories(Volume 55 ed.).St. James Press.p. 44.RetrievedOctober 23,2020.
  8. ^abcNikkei BP Technical Research Department (June 17, 1999).Đệ tam chương ビジネスの sĩ tổ みが変わる nhất. Bản 権ビジネスの thể chế を kiến trực す ● tác phẩm phát biểu の tràng として căn phó くOVA” 『アニメ・ビジネスが変わる―アニメとキャラクター・ビジネスの chân thật[Chapter 3 — Business Structure Changes 1. Reviewing the Copyright Business System ● OVA Rooted as a Place to Present Works” “Animation Business Changes-The Truth About Anime and Character Business] (in Japanese).Nikkei BP.pp. 88–89.ISBN4-8222-2550-X.
  9. ^"リターン・トゥ・ゾーク — RETURN TO ZORK" (in Japanese). No. 13.SoftBank Group.Sega Saturn Magazine Japan. December 8, 1995. p. 4.
  10. ^"Sega Saturn Soft Review - siêu thời không yếu tắc マクロス ái ・おぼえていますか" [Sega Saturn Soft Review — Choujikuu Yousai Macross: Ai Oboete Imasu ka] (in Japanese).SoftBank Group.Sega Saturn Magazine Japan. June 20, 1997. p. 147.
  11. ^Gramuglia, Anthony (October 21, 2020)."From Bandai to 4Kids, the Anime Distributors That Didn't Survive".Comic Book Resources.Valnet. Archived fromthe originalon October 27, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 9,2021.
  12. ^ab"Bandai Entertainment".Archived fromthe originalon July 17, 2007.RetrievedJuly 22,2007.
  13. ^"Bandai announces anime club support program".Anime News Network. December 2, 2002.RetrievedJanuary 2,2012.
  14. ^Masuda, Hiromichi (July 25, 2007).アニメビジネスがわかる[Understanding The Anime Business]. NTT Publishing. p. 206.ISBN9784757122000.
  15. ^"バンダイＶ, trứ tác 権 sự nghiệp khai thủy…エモーションＭを tử hội xã hóa"[Bandai Visual starts copyright business... Makes Emotion Music a subsidiary].Braina News(in Japanese). Braina. January 30, 2003. Archived fromthe originalon March 27, 2006.RetrievedJanuary 10,2021.
  16. ^Ann Wright, Jean (July 18, 2013).Animation Writing and Development - From Script Development to Pitch.CRC Press.p. 28.ISBN9781136144059.
  17. ^Ito, Daichi (May 12, 2001)."BBコンテンツの hùng “バンダイチャンネル” の chiến lược ～ブロードバンドオリジナルの tác phẩm が lai niên にも đăng tràng ～ ".BB Watch(in Japanese). Impress Group. Archived fromthe originalon September 8, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 10,2021.
  18. ^"NAMCO BANDAI Holdings Inc. to Fully Acquire Bandai Visual Co., Ltd. and Bandai Networks Co., Ltd".Reuters.January 15, 2008.Archivedfrom the original on February 13, 2008.RetrievedJanuary 19,2008.
  19. ^"Bandai Visual Co. Ltd.: Private Company Information".BusinessWeek.January 19, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon February 22, 2008.RetrievedJanuary 20,2008.
  20. ^abSchilling, Mark(December 17, 2007)."Bandai Namco buys up subsidiaries".Variety.
  21. ^Schilling, Mark(November 8, 2007)."Bandai taking over subsidiaries".Variety.
  22. ^"NAMCO BANDAI Holdings announces complete takeover of BANDAI VISUAL".KatanaXtreme.com. Archived fromthe originalon July 13, 2011.RetrievedDecember 25,2007.
  23. ^"Bandai Visual Establishes US Office".Anime News Network.RetrievedMarch 31,2013.
  24. ^"Bandai Visual USA to Launch Honneamise Label".Anime News Network.RetrievedMarch 31,2013.
  25. ^"Bandai Visual USA New Licenses and Distribution Label".Anime News Network.RetrievedMarch 31,2013.
  26. ^"Bandai Visual USA to be Liquidated by September".Anime News Network.May 23, 2008.Archivedfrom the original on May 25, 2008.RetrievedMay 23,2008.
  27. ^"Bandai Entertainment to Stop Releasing New DVDs, BDs, Manga".Anime News Network. January 2, 2012.RetrievedJanuary 2,2012.
  28. ^"Bandai Entertainment to Discontinue Home Video, Manga, Novel Sales".Anime News Network.RetrievedAugust 31,2012.
  29. ^"About Beez: Company Profile".Beez Entertainment. Archived fromthe originalon May 12, 2009.RetrievedDecember 28,2007.
  30. ^France's Beez Entertainment Stops Releasing New Anime - News.Anime News Network (January 5, 2012). Retrieved on 2014-05-12.
  31. ^"Bandai Visual's new project – game sounds on iTunes".J!-ENT.RetrievedSeptember 2,2009.
  32. ^"Bandai Visual and Namco Games partner up for Game Sounds"(PDF)(Press release) (in Japanese). Bandai Visual. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on September 26, 2011.RetrievedSeptember 2,2009.
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