| 1 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aoleztug.jpg]] |
| 2 | |
| 3 | ->''"She'll thaw out if you stick your finger up her ass."'' |
| 4 | -->-- '''Sleepy''', ''Manga/MadBull34'' |
| 5 | |
| 6 | Manga Entertainment is an influential, yet controversial, anime distribution/production company. Despite its name, the company distributes {{anime}} rather than {{manga}}. The company was originally founded in the United Kingdom in 1987 before expanding into the North American market in 1994, after the purchase of the American licensor L.A. Hero, which subsequently became Manga Video USA. |
| 7 | |
| 8 | Manga, like many other companies at the time, chose to concentrate on dubbed versions of its licenses instead of subtitling. However, instead of {{bowdleriz|e}}ing for mass appeal, Manga embraced the racier and gory aspects of anime. Their dubs gained a reputation to match, thanks to several infamously [[ObligatorySwearing gratuitous]] examples of {{Cluster F Bomb}}s being dropped ([[AvoidTheDreadedGRating in order to get an "18" adults-only rating]]). They weren't above the occasional {{Macekre}}, either. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | Despite this (or perhaps ''because'' of it), Manga Entertainment did well, and was flush with investor cash, which was used to co-produce ambitious projects like the original ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'' movie. Confusing matters, Manga UK traditionally advertised its anime releases as "manga videos", [[IAmNotShazam and the term apparently took hold for a while]]. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | Manga UK also licenses titles from international companies to release them in the UK market. For example, Manga UK has a licensing agreement with Creator/VizMedia that allows them to distribute popular titles such as ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' and ''Manga/DeathNote''. Manga UK is also the current British distributor for Creator/FUNimation titles. Many of their earlier releases were licensed from Creator/StreamlinePictures (e.g. ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' and the animated ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' movie). |
| 13 | |
| 14 | The company had a close relationship with the US-based Creator/BandaiEntertainment, with whom they've collaborated numerous times, most notably on ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'', where it's difficult to tell which company actually holds the license (Manga does, but sublicensed all production to Bandai). The company also had a presence on American cable television, with the former ''Ani-Monday'' block on Creator/{{Syfy}} consisting of both recent and old Manga Entertainment titles. Manga Entertainment technically had a presence on American television years before that: Manga Entertainment's titles were the majority (though not all) of the anime shown on Starz Encore Action's Animidnight block for years; the Encore channels are owned by Starz, which was owned by the same company that owned Manga Entertainment at the time and said company would later sign a distribution deal with Syfy when Ani-Monday started, which is why Manga Entertainment had such a strong presence on both Animidnight and Ani-Mondays, and both blocks shared much of the same programming. For a long time, in the early 2000s, Animidnight was the only place one could consistently catch uncensored anime on American television, and much of it was Manga Entertainment titles, whose 18+ dubs fit well with adult oriented network. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | Manga Entertainment started out as a unit of music executive Chris Blackwell's Island World, which was purchased by [=PolyGram=] in December 1994. Following a dispute with [=PolyGram=] over attempted ExecutiveMeddling on Creator/RobertAltman's ''The Gingerbread Man'', based on a screenplay by Creator/JohnGrisham, Blackwell left [=PolyGram=] in 1997 and took a lot of his Island World assets, including Manga Entertainment, with him, incorporating them into his Palm Pictures venture; [=PolyGram=] would continue to distribute until it went bankrupt and was folded into Universal in 1998. Since 2005, the UK division operated independently from the North American division, both of which were owned by Anchor Bay, a subdivision of Creator/{{Starz}} Media. Manga USA ceased licensing new products after ''Anime/{{Redline}}'' in 2011. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | In 2015, both Manga UK and Anchor Bay UK were bought from Starz by managing director Colin Lomax. Manga UK currently shares a working relationship with fledgling company Animatsu Entertainment, with the latter company handling production and international rights. Anchor Bay UK became Platform Entertainment and now has exclusive rights to the Manga branding and catalog in the UK and Ireland. Manga UK would later be acquired by Creator/{{Sony|Pictures}} via Funimation in 2019. In 2021, Funimation would mostly retire the Manga UK brand, releasing future titles under the Funimation name alone [[note]] Only select legacy titles, like Dragon Ball, would keep the Manga branding [[/note]]. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | As of 2022, the Manga UK is now operating as the UK division of Website/{{Crunchyroll}}. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | |
| 23 | In 2016, Creator/LionsGate acquired Starz and its properties, and merged both Anchor Bay Entertainment and Manga USA into their home entertainment division. Since the acquisition, Manga USA's website announced plans for a relaunch, which as of 2021 has yet to happen. |
| 24 | |
| 25 | Distributors for the American unit over the years included: |
| 26 | * [=PolyGram=] Video on behalf of Palm Pictures (February 28, 1995-December 7, 1998) |
| 27 | * RYKO Distribution on behalf of Palm Pictures (December 7, 1998-April 24, 2002) |
| 28 | * Warner Home Video on behalf of [[Creator/WarnerBros Warner Music Entertainment]] (April 24, 2002-February 27, 2004) |
| 29 | * Warner Music Entertainment (February 27-May 13, 2004) |
| 30 | * Anchor Bay Entertainment (May 13 2004-September 2011) |
| 31 | |
| 32 | ---- |
| 33 | !! The series Manga Entertainment has released include: |
| 34 | |
| 35 | [[index]] |
| 36 | * ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' (their first UK release, Streamline dub and subtitled versions) |
| 37 | * ''Anime/AngelCop'' |
| 38 | * ''Manga/{{Appleseed}}'' (1988 OVA with hilarious UK-produced [[ClusterFBomb dub]]) |
| 39 | * ''Manga/BattleAngelAlita'' |
| 40 | * ''Manga/BlackButler'' (both anime, UK distribution only; Creator/{{Funimation}} holds the license in North America) |
| 41 | * ''Manga/BlackLagoon'' |
| 42 | * ''Manga/BlackMagicM66'' |
| 43 | * ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' (UK distribution only; Creator/VizMedia holds the license to the series and the films listed below in North America) |
| 44 | ** ''Anime/BleachFadeToBlack'' |
| 45 | ** ''Anime/BleachHellVerse'' |
| 46 | ** ''Anime/BleachMemoriesOfNobody'' |
| 47 | ** ''Anime/BleachTheDiamondDustRebellion'' |
| 48 | * ''Anime/BloodTheLastVampire'' |
| 49 | * ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'' and its follow-up, ''Bubblegum Crash!'' (UK release, original series used Creator/AnimEigo dub, ''Crash!'' later redubbed by Manga) |
| 50 | * ''Anime/DeadLeaves'' (Funded and co-produced the film) |
| 51 | * ''Manga/DescendantsOfDarkness'' |
| 52 | * ''Anime/{{Devilman}}'' |
| 53 | * ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' (UK distribution only; currently licensed by Creator/DiscotekMedia in North America) |
| 54 | ** ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' (UK distribution only; currently released by New Video Group in North America) |
| 55 | ** ''Anime/DigimonAdventureTri'' (UK distribution only; Shout! Factory holds the North American distribution rights) |
| 56 | * ''Anime/DominionTankPolice'' (''New Dominion Tank Police''; they produced the English dub of the original) |
| 57 | * ''Franchise/DragonBall'' (UK distribution only; Funimation holds the license in North America) |
| 58 | ** ''Manga/DragonBall'' (first series) |
| 59 | ** ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' |
| 60 | ** ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' |
| 61 | ** ''Anime/DragonBallZKai'' (as ''Dragon Ball Z Kai'') |
| 62 | ** ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' |
| 63 | * ''Manga/FairyTail'' (anime, UK distribution only; UK license now held by Anime Limited. Funimation holds the license in North America) |
| 64 | * ''Anime/FirstSquad'' |
| 65 | * ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' (the first 36 episodes of the TV series, which were dubbed with a new soundtrack by Reinforced Records, and the Streamline dub of the 1986 film) |
| 66 | * ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemistTheConquerorOfShamballa'' (UK distribution only) |
| 67 | ** ''[[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood]]'' (UK distribution only) |
| 68 | ** ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemistTheSacredStarOfMilos'' (UK distribution only) |
| 69 | * ''Film/GameraGuardianOfTheUniverse'' (Had their own bizarre '90s British rave music filled dub commissioned) |
| 70 | * ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'' (Co-producers of the first movie; cooperated with Creator/BandaiEntertainment on ''[[Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex Stand Alone Complex]]'' and (eventually) the second film) |
| 71 | ** ''Anime/GhostInTheShell1995'' |
| 72 | ** ''[[Anime/GhostInTheShell1995 Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence]]'' |
| 73 | ** Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex |
| 74 | * ''Anime/GiantRobo: The Day The Earth Stood Still'' (Picked up from U.S. Renditions and dubbed to completion on VHS. Creator/MediaBlasters redubbed and re-released the series on DVD) |
| 75 | * ''Anime/{{Gunbuster}}'' (Picked up from U.S. Renditions, VHS only) |
| 76 | * ''Manga/{{Guyver}}'' (12-episode OVA) |
| 77 | * ''Manga/HighschoolOfTheDead'' (anime and OVA, UK distribution only; Creator/SentaiFilmworks holds the license in North America) |
| 78 | * ''Manga/KOn'' (Anime series and the movie, UK distribution only; licensed by Creator/SentaiFilmworks in North America) |
| 79 | * ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' movie (Streamline dub) |
| 80 | * ''Anime/LupinIII'': |
| 81 | ** The first movie, under the title of ''[[Anime/TheMysteryOfMamo The Secret of Mamo]]'' (UK VHS, it got a Manga-produced dub that was extremely rare, but is now readily available in the US thanks to [[Creator/DiscotekMedia Discotek Media]]. They later did a UK DVD, but it had the Creator/{{Geneon}} dub instead) |
| 82 | ** The second movie, ''Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro'' (originally a Streamline title, they did a VHS release for the UK with the Streamline dub, then it got a Manga US-produced dub, which may be the ''least'' profane pre-2001 dub they made. [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids Doesn't mean it's safe for kids]], though Discotek's release includes a "family friendly" version of the Manga dub) |
| 83 | ** ''Anime/LupinIIIYearlySpecials'' |
| 84 | *** The first TV movie, under the title of ''[[Anime/LupinIIIByeByeLibertyCrisis Goodbye Lady Liberty]]'' (UK VHS only, this dub is also very rare, but was also rescued by Discotek. [[Anime/LupinIIIBloodSealEternalMermaid Until 2018]], this was the only special outside Funimation's block with an English dub) |
| 85 | ** ''Anime/LupinIIITheWomanCalledFujikoMine'' (UK distribution only) |
| 86 | * ''Anime/MacrossII'' |
| 87 | * ''Anime/MacrossPlus'' |
| 88 | * ''Manga/MadBull34'' (Now licensed by Creator/DiscotekMedia in the US) |
| 89 | * ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'' (anime; UK distribution only) |
| 90 | * ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' (Paid through the nose for the rights to films ''Death and Rebirth'' and ''End of Evangelion'', which they currently no longer have) |
| 91 | * ''Anime/NinjaScroll'' |
| 92 | * ''Anime/{{Noein}}'' (now licensed by Creator/{{FUNimation}}) |
| 93 | * ''[[Anime/SuperDimensionCenturyOrguss Orguss 02]]'' |
| 94 | * ''Anime/PatlaborTheMovie'' |
| 95 | ** ''Anime/Patlabor2TheMovie'' |
| 96 | * ''Anime/PerfectBlue'' (Now distributed by [=GKIDS=]) |
| 97 | * ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' (most of the franchise save for most of the Miramax-distributed films; UK distribution only; Viz distributes in North America) |
| 98 | ** ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'' |
| 99 | ** ''Anime/Pokemon2000'' |
| 100 | ** ''Anime/Pokemon3'' |
| 101 | ** ''Anime/PokemonHoopaAndTheClashOfAges'' |
| 102 | * ''Anime/ProfessorLaytonAndTheEternalDiva'' (UK distribution only; Creator/VizMedia holds the license in North America) |
| 103 | * ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' (UK distribution only; Creator/AniplexUSA holds the license in North America |
| 104 | * ''Anime/ReadOrDie'' (the original 3-episode OVA) |
| 105 | * ''Anime/{{REDLINE}}'' (notable as the US division's final license so far) |
| 106 | * ''Anime/RoyalSpaceForceTheWingsOfHonneamise'' (Re-released by Creator/BandaiEntertainment with the Manga dub) |
| 107 | * ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' (UK home video distribution only) |
| 108 | * ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' |
| 109 | ** ''Anime/StreetFighterIITheAnimatedMovie'' (now licensed by Creator/DiscotekMedia in the US) |
| 110 | ** ''Anime/StreetFighterIIV'' |
| 111 | ** ''Anime/StreetFighterAlphaTheAnimation'' |
| 112 | ** ''Anime/StreetFighterAlphaGenerations'' (was actually produced specifically for the international market with no Japanese release until it got included in a Japanese release of ''[[Film/StreetFighterTheLegendOfChunLi The Legend of Chun-li]]'') |
| 113 | * ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'' (first anime only, UK distribution only; Creator/AniplexUSA holds the license in North America) |
| 114 | * ''Manga/{{Tactics}}'' (license-snipe from Creator/ADVFilms; Manga's release retained ADV's dub) |
| 115 | * ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' (Helped Creator/BandaiEntertainment negotiate the agreement to air the series on the Sci-Fi Channel) |
| 116 | * ''Manga/{{Tokko}}'' |
| 117 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie'' (UK distribution only; Creator/ShoutFactory published the 30th anniversary HD version and holds the North American distribution rights) |
| 118 | * ''Anime/VampireWars'' |
| 119 | * ''Manga/ViolenceJack'' |
| 120 | * ''Anime/WelcomeToTheSpaceShow'' |
| 121 | * ''Manga/{{X 1999}}'' |
| 122 | * ''Franchise/YuGiOh'' |
| 123 | ** ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' (UK distribution only; released by New Video Group in North America) |
| 124 | ** ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'' (UK distriution only; release by New Video Group in North America) |
| 125 | ** ''Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL'' (UK distribution only; released by New Video Group in North America) |
| 126 | ** ''Anime/YuGiOhBondsBeyondTime'' (UK distribution only; released by New Video Group in North America) |
| 127 | [[/index]] |
| 128 | ---- |
| 129 | * KeepCirculatingTheTapes: The US division has allowed many licenses to lapse, and while some have been rescued by other companies, some have not, leaving the latter group in this realm. |
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