AnimEigo / MediaOCD Thread

[Member-571539]

Hot damn. I figure it best to start up an AnimEigo thread.

https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/lat...video-business

MediaOCD Announces Acquisition of AnimEigo Home Video Business

MediaOCD has announced the acquisition of AnimEigo, the oldest existing anime distributor in English-speaking territories. The agreement will see AnimEigo's mass-market video distribution business transferring to MediaOCD "over the coming months" as it joins MediaOCD's Whole Grain Pictures home video label.

If you grew up with anime VHS tapes, chances are pretty good that you owned at least a few AnimEigo releases, and now their legacy is set to continue under new management. The AnimEigo brand will remain intact under MediaOCD, and current and future limited-edition crowdfunded projects will be released under the brand. AnimEigo Blu-rays and DVDs will also continue to be available through MVD Entertainment Group and regular retail channels.

AnimEigo is operated by Robert Woodhead and Natsumi Ueki, a husband-and-wife team who have recently re-released classics like Megazone 23, Bubblegum Crisis and Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01. The company's latest crowdfunding effort is MACROSS II, which was successfully funded to the tune of $404,396 with the help of nearly 4,000 backers. Woodhead and Ueki will continue to manage this and other upcoming Kickstarter projects, overseeing production and fulfillment while providing support for previous crowdfunded AnimEigo releases.

Here's what MediaOCD CEO Justin Sevakis had to say about the acquisition:

“I am beyond excited to continue the legacy of AnimEigo … I grew up withAnimEigo VHS tapes, and preserving both the brand and its philosophy is of utmost importance to me. The entire MediaOCD team is dedicated to bringing the AnimEigo touch to a whole new generation of anime fans.”


Robert Woodhead—who plans to "slowly ease into retirement" along with Ueki—added:

"We believe Justin is the right person to continue the AnimEigo tradition of quality and fan support … We look forward to helping him with this transition over the next few years. We can't wait to see what new paths his fresh perspective will lead him to explore."

[Tylerfan]

Better them than Sony

[SteamfloggerBoss]

This makes a lot of sense as he is definitely getting up there. I look forward to seeing what Justin and company are able to do under the Animeigo name.

[El_Fez]

For a second, I had a Dirty Pair-induced panic attack. But seeing that Justin is just as pissed at that kickstarter clusterf**k as the rest of us, I'm sure that this will go WAY better than the TRSI/Shittyroll handover.

Good on you, Mr Woodhead! You deserve it!

[jsevakis]

Originally Posted by El_Fez

For a second, I had a Dirty Pair-induced panic attack. But seeing that Justin is just as pissed at that kickstarter clusterf**k as the rest of us, I'm sure that this will go WAY better than the TRSI/Shittyroll handover.

Not to worry. Robert and Natsumi will be staying on to fulfill MACROSS II and other Kickstarters until the last copy is out the door.

[sonicyogurt]

That is tremendously exciting news. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

[El_Fez]

Lol!

[keitaro]

Great news for AnimEigo and MediaOCD. I like to know what other projects AnimEigOCD has in store for us.

[bigdrudogg]

I'd also like to salute Animeigo on they're sale, super professional and first class company!! I also grew up on there anime/samurai films!!

I look forward to what the future holds!! (hopefully even more anime/samurai films

[DukeTogo84]

With Media OCD buying out AnimEigo I REALLY hope there is some focus on Japanese live action films. A lot of Japanese companies seem to be licensing out happy right now (Toei, Kadokawa, Nikkatsu, and Shochiku) that there are literally hundreds upon hundreds of great titles to pick from.

Media OCD does great work with their encodes, the AnimEigo branding, and it just seems perfect for some Japanese titles. .

[milo bloom]

Very glad to hear that Mr Justin's company is taking on something like this and not just another venture capitalist looking to strip assets.

[Naiera]

Originally Posted by keitaro

Great news for AnimEigo and MediaOCD. I like to know what other projects AnimEigOCD has in store for us.

Patience...

[El_Fez]

So I saw this over on the DT subreddit that might be of slight value to you guys:

Second, will this change the relationship MediaOCD has with Discotek long term? Based on another comment you've made, sounds like that is a no.

Third, any vision for doing normal license acquisitions or will you keep Animeigo focused on Kickstarter?

Fourth, will you be keeping the Animeigo name long term? (please?)

(I skipped #1 since it was just a "good job!")

When Robert (AnimEigo) made me the offer at Otakon, I went right to Selby (Discotek) with the news and his reaction was "we can sell your stuff here at the booth!"

Yes, there will be more normal releases in the future.

OH GOD YES, that was the whole point of it, for me

Also, I don't know how serious he was about it, but over on ANN, Justin mentioned that he had the idea of selling AnimEigo shirts someday soon too. Me, I hope he was serious, as I would love an AE shirt to go with my other Boutique Studio tees like Severin and VS.

[LexInHD]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

With Media OCD buying out AnimEigo I REALLY hope there is some focus on Japanese live action films. A lot of Japanese companies seem to be licensing out happy right now (Toei, Kadokawa, Nikkatsu, and Shochiku) that there are literally hundreds upon hundreds of great titles to pick from.

Media OCD does great work with their encodes, the AnimEigo branding, and it just seems perfect for some Japanese titles. .

A while back, Robert expressed a desire to revisit the live action titles that were once released by his company, so there might have been some movement on that before the sale happened.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by LexInHD

A while back, Robert expressed a desire to revisit the live action titles that were once released by his company, so there might have been some movement on that before the sale happened.

Maybe? A lot of their titles are now with other labels and even the Shinobi No Mono films were just announced yesterday.

There are still a lot of good ones, and they still seem to have the rights the Royal 47 Ronin.

Would love to see 13 Assassins, The Great Killing, 11 Samurai, Bushido, and Revenge which only has a release in the UK get BD upgrades. It sounds like Justin currently doesn't have plans for samurai films, but hopefully in the future.

[SteamfloggerBoss]

Originally Posted by El_Fez

So I saw this over on the DT subreddit that might be of slight value to you guys:



(I skipped #1 since it was just a "good job!")



Also, I don't know how serious he was about it, but over on ANN, Justin mentioned that he had the idea of selling AnimEigo shirts someday soon too. Me, I hope he was serious, as I would love an AE shirt to go with my other Boutique Studio tees like Severin and VS.

Hell yeah this rules. Thanks for sharing it as I don't really do much reddit.

[IdeaOfEvil]

I know it's a bit early to talk about this, but how is Justin going to differentiate AnimeIGO from what Discotek already offers in practice? In the past, on these very forums, when asked about title acquisitions, Justin has given eyebrow raising answers to some stuff that might not translate well into what AnimEigo fans want. The biggest example I can think of was when people used to ask Justin about Macross and Robotech, and his response was usually, "Macross has a history of never selling well. So, even if we could why would we even bother..." etc.

So, what titles could we expect Justin to try and license with that kind of mindset? Will AnimEigo still go after more obscure OVA's, or will it turn into a, "whatever's available" catalogue that Disco fills the void of? And not only that, but we always hear about Discotek using all their resources towards putting as much on-disc features that they can while not focusing too much on packaging - which Justin has held up as a boon to the DT label. Yet, AnimEigo has been amazing with their various KS premium sets and chipboard boxes and has never shied away from offering their releases in great packaging. Does that theory now get thrown out the window?

Again, it's early. But just what is AnimEigo going to become under Justin when he's promoted anime being released in a certain way that Robert has done the opposite of (in some cases)? There's no question about Justin's abilities and love for anime all around. But he does say things that might leave AnimEigo fans left out to dry.

[theberserker22]

Surely this is just building to a Saint Seiya Kickstarter

[Member-571539]

Some interesting Twitter comments I came across.

“One question (and maybe you can't answer it yet): Will the Animeigo Kickstarters continue? I've backed them all and they are some of my favourite releases of classic anime.”

https://twitter.com/worldofcrap/status/1758269418994643436?s=46

Originally Posted by Justin Sevakis

He has at least 1-2 more in the works, not sure yet whether I'll continue them. I might, but he has a level of creator access that I just... don't. I have to see what's possible.

https://twitter.com/animeigo/status/1758314694085890519?s=46

Originally Posted by Robert Woodhead

Well Justin, for a small additional fee, Natsumi might be willing to vouch for you. :P

---

"Really curious if this means we'll be getting some live action Japanese films from you?"

https://x.com/worldofcrap/status/175...993177840?s=20

Justin Sevakis:



---

"Now you just have to change your last name to O'Donnell, grow a mustache, get some books, and make all your employees call you JOD."

https://twitter.com/worldofcrap/status/1758167373356675502?s=20

Originally Posted by Justin Sevakis

Still not licensing MD Geist

[zakurowrath]

Wow this is such awesome news, when I backed the Macross II kickstarter researching the history behind AnimEigo made me feel confident I had made a great decision for a series I remember stumbling across as a young kid really sparking my interest for classic cel painted anime series, now their legacy & work lives on with MediaOCD, it's a wonderful day to be an anime fan!