Manga Entertainment

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Manga Entertainment's logo.

Manga Entertainment is a licensor and distributor of Japanese animation in the United States and United Kingdom. The company was founded in London in 1991, and began to operate in the US in 1994. It is now headquartered in Chicago, with offices in London, Los Angeles and Tokyo.

The company's principal business is the distribution of anime movies and TV series on DVD, but Manga Entertainment have also released some of their titles in cinemas. Ghost in the Shell, Perfect Blue and Ninja Scroll. Despite their name, the company does not sell manga.

Manga Entertainment is owned by Starz Media, which is owned by Liberty Media.

1 About Manga Entertainment
2 Controversy
3 Manga Force
4 Anime licenced by Manga Entertainment
5 Anime Showcase
6 References
7 External links

[edit] About Manga Entertainment

Manga Entertainment is an entertainment company that specialises in the production of new animation, for example the Korean animation Iron Kid [1], usually studios are aided by Manga offering finiancial assistance. (Ghost in the Shell) However Manga is primarily involved in the distribution of anime around the world but most prevently in Europe and the U.S.A.. The company has also released several of its titles theatrically as in the case of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence.

Manga has also played its part in the dubbing of anime, when it is not sub-licensing a production that has already been licensed by another company like Akira which was redubbed by Geneon in 2001, like Bounty Dog and Lupin III: Bye Bye Liberty Crisis.

Manga is a division of Starz Media, a subsidiary of Liberty Media Group, a venture capital firm specialising in the entertainment and media sectors. Manga is also part of Palm Pictures an entertainment business dedicated to bringing asian cinema and music into the western world.

Manga Entertainment originally opened in London in 1991 in order to bring anime to the European market and 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. Indeed many accuse Manga of creating the collapse of the anime industry in the UK due to this release. Indeed the controversy in 1987 left the industry reeling until interest was renewed in the genre in the late 1990's.

The company's success is rooted in its catalouge which includes animes like Akira, Neon Genesis Evangelion and also more recent releases of Noein and Naruto.

Managing Director, Kaoru Mfaume, oversees Manga Entertainment's worldwide operations. Mfaume was named MD of Manga’s U.S. operations in October 2005. His tenure at Manga follows an extensive career in the anime industry originally working as a consultant to various companies in localisation and acquisitions 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.

The Manga logo is now an established, respected and valued brand in the anime marketplace. Manga DVD releases are distributed throughout all key retailers in North America and Europe.

Manga was rumoured to be releasing its first blu-ray HD disc on Tuesday 23rd January 2007 however this was not the case as erroneous information was given out and Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society will be released instead on standard DVD. [2]

[edit] Controversy

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A frequent complaint is that the name of the company is inaccurate and, because of its early prominence in the release of anime in the west, has lead to a perception that anime as a whole is called Manga. Manga technically refers to printed Japanese comics rather than animation. However, even in Japanese, the word is often used to refer to both printed and animated material, in the same way as the English word "cartoon."

Manga is also known for releasing many DVDs with technical problems including edited content (Lupin III, Virus Buster Serge, Macross II, Ghost Sweeper Mikami), low quality DVD transfers from PAL materials (Angel Cop), overall low quality video (Macross Plus Movie), replacing original music (Street Fighter II V, Fist of the North Star, Orguss 02), defective DTS audio tracks (Ghost in the Shell:Stand Alone Complex)[3] and dubtitles instead of true translated subtitles (affected discs include Akira, Red Hawk, Ghost Sweeper Mikami, Orguss 02, Angel Cop, and Street Fighter Alpha Generations).

[edit] Manga Force

Manga Force
The Manga Force logo
Editor	{{{editor}}}
Categories	Anime
Frequency	fortnightly
Publisher	Manga Entertainment
First Issue	2007
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Website	http://www.mangacollection.co.uk
ISSN	unknown

From January 2007 Manga 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.

[edit] 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 sublicenses a number of titles such as Akira and Naruto from American companies who do not have a UK division.

[edit] Current Licences UK

AD Police (BBFC: 18)
Adventures with Iczer (BBFC: 12)
Akira (BBFC: 15)

Manga Entertainment's UK release of Akira
Amon Saga (BBFC: 15)
Appleseed (1988 OVA version) (BBFC: 15)
Armageddon (BBFC: 12)
Blackjack (anime) (The Movie) (BBFC: 12)
Blood: The Last Vampire (BBFC: 15)
Bubblegum Crash (BBFC: 12)
Casshan (BBFC: 12)
Choke (BBFC: 18)
Dangaioh (BBFC: 15)
Dark Myth (BBFC: 15)
Dead Leaves (BBFC: 15)
Detonator Orgun (BBFC: 15)
Ghost in the Shell (BBFC: 15)

Manga Entertainment's 'Ghost in the Shell' Region 1 DVD Cover.
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (BBFC: 15)
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (BBFC: 15)
Golgo 13 (BBFC: 18)
Heat Guy J (BBFC: 12)
Kai Doh Maru (BBFC: 15)
Karas (BBFC: 12)
Landlock (BBFC: 15)
Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Demon Womb (BBFC: 18 - Edited)
Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend (BBFC: 18 - Edited)
Macross Plus (BBFC: 12)
Madox 01 (BBFC: PG)
Millennium Actress (BBFC: PG)
Naruto (BBFC: 12)
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth (BBFC: 15)
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (BBFC: 15)
New Dominion Tank Police (BBFC: 12)
New Gall Force (BBFC: PG)
Ninja Scroll (BBFC: 18 - Original release - Edited, 10th anniversary edition - Uncut)

Manga's Ninja Scroll DVD cover
Orguss 02 (BBFC: 15)
Otogi Zoshi (BBFC: 15)
Perfect Blue (BBFC: 18)
Razor Blade Smile (BBFC: 18)
Read or Die (OVA) (BBFC: 15)
Robotech (BBFC: 12)
She, The Ultimate Weapon (BBFC: 15)
Street Fighter Alpha (BBFC: 15)
Street Fighter Alpha Generations (BBFC: 12)
Street Fighter 2 (BBFC: 15)
Survive Style 5+ (BBFC: 15)
Sword for Truth (BBFC: 18)
Tetsujin 28 (BBFC: 12)
Tetsujin 28: The Movie (BBFC: PG)
The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb (BBFC: 15)
Tokyo Fist (BBFC: 18)
Tokyo Underground (BBFC: PG)
Vampire Hunter D (OVA version) (BBFC: 15)
Vampire Wars (BBFC: 18)
Virus Buster Serge (BBFC: 12)
X: The Movie (BBFC: 12)
Zeoraima (BBFC: 15)

[edit] Current licenses North America

Amon Saga
Angel Cop [17+]
Appleseed (OVA) [16+] [TV-14] [MPAA: Restricted]
Black Jack: A Surgeon with the Hands of God [15+]
Blood: The Last Vampire [17+]
Bounty Dog
The Castle of Cagliostro [9+] [MPAA: PG-13]
Dangaioh [13+]
Dead Leaves [17+]
Devilman
Ghost in the Shell (along with Polygram Films) [17+]
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (along with Bandai Entertainment) [13+] [TV-14]/[TV-PG/TV-14/TV-MA]
- Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd Gig [13+] [TV-14]/[TV-MA]
Ghost Sweeper Mikami (Movie) [16+]
Giant Robo [13+]
Highlander: Vengeance
Kaidohmaru
Karas [13+]
Landlock
Legend of the Overfiend [18+] [MPAA: NC-17]
Macross II [13+]
Macross Plus [13+]
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth [15+]
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion [17+]
Ninja Scroll [18+]
Noein
Orguss 02 [13+]
Perfect Blue (along with Miramax Films) [17+] [MPAA: Restricted]
Psychic Wars
Rayearth (OVA) [10+]
R.O.D.: Read or Die [15+]
Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (along with Columbia Pictures) [13+] [MPAA: PG-13]
Street Fighter II V [13+]
Street Fighter Alpha: The Movie [13+]
Street Fighter Alpha: Generations [13+]
Shadow Skill (OVA and movie)
Sword for Truth
Vampire Wars
Violence Jack
Virus Buster Serge
X the Movie [TV-14] [MPAA: Restricted]

[edit] US Spanish-language releases

Ninja Scroll
Patlabor the Movie 1 (expired)

[edit] Expired licenses North America

Guyver [13+]
Fist of the North Star (TV) [13+]
Patlabor 1: The Movie [10+]
Patlabor 2: The Movie [10+]
New Dominion Tank Police
Red Hawk [15+]
Dark Myth
Black Magic M-66 [16+]
Wings of Honneamise
Gunbuster [13+]

Both Patlabor Movies were subsequently licensed by Bandai Visual, who released remastered and redubbed versions of the movies on DVD on April 25, 2006. Bandai Visual has also released a subtitled-only DVD set of Gunbuster on February 20, 2007.

[edit] Anime Showcase

DVD cover for Anime Showcase

Anime Showcase is a promotional DVD which is being distributed for Manga by HMV in the UK. The price of the DVD is £3.99 and includes variuos snippits of different animes including...