No-Name's Hot Links: Anime Producers

*Anime Studios* These are the original studios that produce the anime we love to watch. By checking their web sites, you can get a good idea of what they've done, what they're doing, and where they're going.
	AIC is responsible for shows like Ninja Mono, Tenchi Muyo, Ah! My Goddess and a number of now classic pre-Geneon Pioneer distributed anime shows.
	Gundam, Cowboy Bebop, The Big O, Crest of the Stars and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex are just a couple reasons to take note of Bandai Entertainment.
	The studio that brought you Wings of Honneamise, Nadia, and Evangelion is on-line! Visit the site with their cute mascot character and see what they have to offer. There are Japanese and English pages at this site, so you won't be lost. Check it out!
	They gave us Nausicaa, Totoro, Laputa, Whisper of the Heart, and many other masterpieces, including Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. Please note that Ghibli's site is Japanese only now.
	In their own words: Plastic Pixel's an independent American animation studio producing Japanese styled animation, located in the San Francisco bay area. "The Fourth Power" is their premier project, which will be a 100 minute anime movie, to be released direct-to-video as four 25 minute episodes.
*Anime Companies* The domestic anime companies make it possible for us to enjoy our anime in English. Whether the shows are subtitled or dubbed, or both, the point is that they expend incredible amounts of time and money to bring the anime to us.
	Funimation is currently the hugest domestic anime company. They've tacked really big shows like Dragon Ball and Detective Conan (aka. Case Closed). Fullmetal Alchemist is one of our favorite Funimation shows. Their Operation Anime provides us with hints for running the club in their newsletter, invited a few of us to see a pair of their movies in the theater as part of Anime Bento, and their representative joined us for the Fan Club un-panel at Fanime '05 which was very cool.
	AnimEigo is arguably the oldest of the domestic companies, and is well-known for having translated and made available shows like Bubblegum Crisis, Urusei Yatsura, Orange Road, and the extremely different Spirit of Wonder.
	Manga Entertainment, originally from Great Britain, has made itself into a real presence on the American scene by acquiring titles like Giant Robo, Patlabor, Macross Plus, and Ghost in the Shell.
	Viz Video is the company that produces and distributes the domestic version of the ever-popular Ranma 1/2, as well as other shows like Maison Ikkoku, the Mermaid stories, Please Save My Earth, and Naruto.
	Sentai Filmworks rose from the ashes of A.D. Vision and ADV Films. Angel Beats, Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden, Pet Shop of Horrors, Rozen Maiden and Yozakura Quartet are a few of their shows that we have particularly enjoyed.
	While NIS America sometimes gives the impression that it is run by and for Prinnies from Disgaea, it is the distributor of anime titles including the romantic comedy Toradora!.
*Anime Companies of the Past* Some companies that longer are around played a big role in bringing Anime to the English speaking world.
	Seemingly from out of nowhere one year, A.D. Vision burst onto the scene, and became the biggest game in town and finally was split up into various pieces including Sentai Filmworksv and SXION23 (Section 23 Films). With a stable of shows that begin with 801 TTS Airbats, Devil Hunter Yohko, and going right onto Blue Seed and more, this is a company we'll long remember. No-Name Anime participated in their ADVocates club program and for several years Kristen "the Anime Club Girl" sent us monthly packet of goodies. A highlight was when ADV sent us episode 1 of Le Chevalier D'Eon in time for us to show it before the US DVD release.
Central Park Media	Central Park Media is another company that is now longer around. CPM originally started with some great titles like Dominion Tank Police and such, and is the source for some sought-after shows like Revolutionary Girl Utena. Software Sculptors is one of their brands which was reputed to have some of the better translations around when it first started. Their line of titles includes Here is Greenwood, Slayers, and Metal Fighter Miku. Once-upon-a-time, CPM sent us sampler DVDs through their Anime University program and had an on-line fanzine Gogai! Gogai!.
	Media Blasters has grew from one of the "newbie" companies into a powerhouse of its own and then disappeared into Rare Flix. They had the licenses to some really great shows, including one of our favorites, Magic Users Club.
	Geneon is no longer active in America. Funimation and other companies now distribute its titles. Master Keaton and R.O.D the TV are later Geneon shows we've enjoyed. Old-timers like us remember Geneon as Pioneer which put out some memorable shows like Tenchi Muyo, Phantom Quest Corps, and El Hazard.

Last updated on December 27, 2011