Bandai Visual


Bandai Visual Co., Ltd., formerly known as AE Planing, Network Frontier, and Bandai Media, was a Japanese anime, film production and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai Company, Limited and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings, Inc.
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 Content Strategic Business Unit. Its subsidiaries included the Emotion Music Company, Ltd., and Lantis Company, Limited music publishing labels. Until 2012, it was involved in the production and distribution of several anime titles, including those it has directly produced itself and anime series produced by the anime studio Sunrise, an alternate anime studio subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. In September 2017, Bandai Visual acquired the anime studio Actas.
In February 2018, it was announced Bandai Visual would be merged with Lantis into a new branch of BNH, called Bandai Namco Arts. The reorganizing took effect as of April 1, 2018. Bandai Visual remains only as a label of the new company.

History

Bandai Visual is currently a fully owned subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. Bandai Namco 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. On December 18, 2007, Bandai Namco announced that it had owned 93.63% of Bandai Visual's shares since the end of November. The remaining shares were delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange on February 15, 2008 after Bandai Namco acquired the remaining 10% of the shares.

Subsidiaries

Bandai Entertainment

Bandai Entertainment was a subsidiary of Bandai America, founded in 1998. Their first releases were under the AnimeVillage.com label up until 1999 when Bandai Entertainment started releasing its titles. Despite its name it was not directly established by Bandai Visual. Originally separate from Bandai Visual USA, Bandai Namco Holdings announced that Bandai Entertainment would absorb Bandai Visual USA in 2008. Headquartered in Cypress, California, it licensed anime properties from various Japanese companies for North American distribution; most of those licenses coming from Bandai and its sister company Sunrise. The company also licensed manga series for release with English translation, and published American-made graphic novels. As with many North American anime distributors, Bandai Entertainment offered a 'fan support' program to facilitate public screenings of licensed content at anime clubs and anime conventions. 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. 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. Many former Bandai Entertainment titles have been re-licensed by other companies like Funimation, Aniplex of America, Discotek Media, Media Blasters, Nozomi Entertainment, Ponycan USA, Viz Media, Maiden Japan, NIS America & Sentai Filmworks.

Beez Entertainment

Beez Entertainment was the European branch of Bandai Entertainment that also distributed anime and music and were also owned by Bandai Namco Holdings. 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. Their anime releases were licensed in North America by Bandai Entertainment and Bandai Visual USA.

Bandai Visual USA

Bandai Visual USA was established in 2005 to distribute and market Bandai Visual's productions in North America. Unlike Bandai Entertainment, Bandai Visual USA's releases were of high quality and were aimed at collectors. Their titles were released under the Honnêamise label. Bandai Visual USA's anime products were distributed in North America initially by Image Entertainment and later, Geneon Entertainment USA and in Europe by Beez Entertainment. On May 23, 2008, Bandai Namco Holdings announced that Bandai Visual USA would be merged into Bandai Entertainment. Bandai Visual USA was dissolved on July 1, 2008.

Honnêamise

Honnêamise was Bandai Visual USA's boutique label that distributed deluxe editions of anime and artsier products. The label's namesake comes from . The label was shut down on July 1, 2008 when Bandai Visual USA was absorbed into Bandai Entertainment. The label's releases were distributed by Geneon Entertainment USA and Image Entertainment.

List of licensed anime

Emotion

Emotion debuted on November 21, 1983.

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

C.MOON was an OVA-only label which was active July 1986 to October 1995.
TitleYearStudioNotes
Call Me Tonight July 1986AICNever released on DVD
Wounded Man July 1986 – August 1988MadhouseNever released on DVD
Campus Special Investigator Hikaruon January 1987AICNever released on DVD
Body Jack: Tanoshii Yutai Ridatsu January 1987Studio TigersNever released on DVD
Maryū Senki March 1987 – July 1989AICNever released on DVD
May 1988 – July 1990GainaxNever released on DVD
Beat Shot! May 1989GainaxNever released on DVD
Riki-Oh June 1989 – August 1990Magic BusNever released on DVD
Mandaraya no Ryouta September 1989Animate FilmNever released on DVD
Demon Hunter Makaryūdo November 1989Studio FantasiaNever released on DVD
Kimama ni Idol February 1990Toei AnimationNever released on DVD
Onimaru April 1990Magic BusNever released on DVD
My Neighbor Tocoro May 1990Magic BusNever released on DVD
A.D. Police Files May 1990 – November 1990AIC & ArtmicNever released on DVD
St. Michaela School Travels June 1990 – July 1990Visual 80VHS release only
Phantom Yūsha Densetsu January 1991Magic BusNever released on DVD
Koha Ginjiro May 1991 – November 1991Animate FilmNever released on DVD
The Gakuen Chōjo-tai June 1991Magic BusNever released on DVD
Genocyber May 1994 – July 1994ArtmicNever released on DVD
Butt Attack Punisher Girl Gautaman May 1994 – October 1994PierrotVHS release only
Graduation January 1995 – October 1995Studio FantasiaNever released on DVD

Bandai/Bandai Visual (Debuted in 1988)

Music

In August 2009, Bandai Visual had their first music release on US iTunes with Lantis Sounds. In September 2009, Bandai Visual teamed up with NAMCO for their periodic release of game sounds to iTunes USA.

Headquarters

Bandai Visual's headquarters are in Ebisu, Shibuya, Tokyo. When Bandai Visual was established in August 1983, its headquarters was in Kōjimachi, Chiyoda, Tokyo. In December of that year the headquarters moved to Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo and in June 1984 to another building in Roppongi. In May 1985 the headquarters moved to Shibuya, Tokyo and in March 1990 to Shinjuku, Tokyo. In August 1991 the headquarters moved to Taitō, Tokyo and in March 1994 to another location in Taitō. In September 2004 the headquarters moved to the Shiodome Sumitomo Building in Shiodome, Minato, Tokyo. The headquarters moved to the current location in November 2014.