Synch-Point was an anime licensing company, originally formed in 2001 as a subsidiary of Digital Manga. It was headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and mainly focused on English dubs. Their aim was to stay as close as possible to the original Japanese script, while at the same time localizing them for a western audience.
The company's name is a reference to a fansubbing term; as explained on their website, "It is a visual or audio cue that marks the 0:00:00 start on their time codes. It is our tribute to fandom, without which the anime industry would not have come this far. Synch-Point also refers to where two things come together. And in this case it is where Japanese and American cultures meet to produce anime for an American audience."
Their most famous dub is easily FLCL, which was praised by many—even by those who normally dislike dubs—for its excellent casting and writing, as well as managing the feat of localizing a series many thought would be hard to translate due to its usage of Japanese puns and pop-culture references (which the dub got around by replacing them with English puns and references). Director Kazuya Tsurumaki hand-picked the English voice actors himself, because it was important to him that they had the same "essence" as the Japanese voice actors; he was particularly impressed by the voice of Haruko, then-newbie Kari Wahlgren.
In 2002, the company was purchased by Japanese media giant Broccoli, who used Synch-Point as their main North American video distributor. However, their output of newer titles slowly grew more sparse; aside from FLCL, most of their titles didn't sell well, which often resulted in dubs for them going unfinished. The company went on an indefinite hiatus in 2004, and was ultimately shut down in 2008, due to Broccoli deciding to withdraw from the American market.
During the company's lifespan, they licensed:
- Aquarian Age Saga II: Don't Forget Me...
- Di Gi Charat (licensed by Sentai Filmworks)
- FLCL (currently licensed by Funimation)
- I'm Gonna Be an Angel! (allegedly dubbed the whole series, but only three volumes were ever released)
