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Manga Entertainment, LLC

Type	Subsidiary of Starz Media LLC
Founded	1991
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California[1]
Key people	Andy Frain, Chris Blackwell, Marvin Gleicher, Laurence Guinness, Mike Preece
Industry	Entertainment (Anime)
Products	Anime theatrical and direct marketing and production
Website	http://www.manga.com/

Manga Entertainment is a producer, licensor and distributor of Japanese animation in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Australia and New Zealand. It also co-produces some anime series, including Ghost in the Shell, Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation, Highlander: The Search for Vengeance and Eon Kid,^[2], usually through financial contributions toward production costs. It is a division of Starz Media, a subsidiary of venture capital firm Liberty Media. It 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).

Despite their name, the company's principal business is the distribution of anime rather than manga, although they have published some manga in the United Kingdom under the Manga Books imprint such as Crying Freeman.^[3]

[edit] History

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 (which was translated and dubbed in English by Streamline Pictures). The success of Akira was unprecedented and the Manga Entertainment company was quickly created. The U.S. arm debuted in July 1994 with an office near Chicago, Illinois; their first North American release was Macross Plus on late February 1995. Manga Entertainment 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. This can be seen when Manga released Ninja Scroll and Ghost in the Shell, the latter being the only Japanese animated film to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Top 40 Video Sales chart (August 24, 1996). The company has also become associated with controversy concerning the distribution of hentai anime Urotsukidoji in Europe and Australia.

Managing Director, Kaoru Mfaume, oversaw Manga Entertainment's worldwide operations until he left in 2007.^{[verification needed]} 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 and Iron Kid, and is a permanent member of the Ghost in the Shell Production Committee.

[edit] Divisions

[edit] Manga Entertainment Australia

The first presence of Manga Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand was in 1991, when Manga Entertainment UK sub-licensed Akira to Ronin Films Pty Ltd. Akira was a commercial success in Australia when it was released in cinemas nationwide. Manga then transferred that license to 21st Century Pictures Pty Ltd in 1992 and then received a VHS release. Manga UK tried to get Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend released in the country for a cinema-wide release, but was refused classification by the OFLC, which in turn was banned outright in Australia. Due to the recession in Australia at the time, Manga Entertainment and Island Records did not think it was a good idea to set up an Australian subsidiary until 1994, when Manga Entertainment Australia Pty Ltd. was established. Manga Australia re-submitted Urotsukidoji for classification, which was then classified R18+ without cuts. It received a cinema-wide release but then the Classification Review Board made the OFLC cut it before a VHS release date was announced. Manga then gave Siren Entertainment the distribution rights to most of their titles. Manga Entertainment merged with its new distributor, Madman Entertainment, in 2003 before being sold to IDT.

[edit] Manga Entertainment UK

In January 2007, the company's United Kingdom division began releasing 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 ran for fifty issues.

[edit] References

1. ^ "About Us." Manga Entertainment. Retrieved on February 5, 2009.
2. ^ "Manga Entertainment Announces International Partnership for Iron Kid". Anime News Network. September 8, 2005. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2005-09-08/manga-entertainment-announces-international-partnership-for-iron-kid. Retrieved November 5, 2007. 
3. ^ Shirow, Masamune (1995) [1985]. Appleseed Volume One: The Promethean Challenge. trans. Studio Proteus (UK ed. ed.). London: Manga Publishing. ISBN 1-900097-01-X. 

[edit] External links

• Official website