Anime is on the rise globally, and nowhere is that more clear than in the United States. The industry has put a tight grip on fans young and old thanks to hits like My Hero Academia and Chainsaw Man. Now, interest is rising in old-school anime, and one of anime’s oldest distributors is hope to meet these demands by joining MediaOCD.
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Earlier today, MediaOCDd confirmed its acquisition of AnimEigo. The acquisition immediately caught the eye of fans given the history of AnimEigo. The company is the oldest operating anime distributor for English regions. Now, the home video distributor is undergoing acquisition by MediaOCD, and the transfer will occur over the coming months.
“”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,” Justin Sevakis, the CEO of MediaOCD shared in a new statement.
As for the operations team at AnimEigo, Robert Woodhead and Natsumi Ueki admit they are excited about this deal. The husband-wife duo have overseen work at AnimEigo for years now, and despite its age, the company has been pushing for classic releases. For example, the pair helped releaseย Magazine 23, Bubblegum Crisis, and more in recent years. Plus, AnimEigo crowdfunded over $400,000 USD in its bid to release Macross II in English. According to this acquisition deal, Woodhead and Ueki will continue overseeing operations at AnimEigo short term, but they hope to ease into retirement soon.
“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,” Woodhead shared.
If you are not familiar with AnimEigo, the brand dates back to 1988 as Woodhead help establish the company with Roe Adams. The pair helped usher in anime distribution across the United States when the medium was seen as incredibly niche. If you happen to have any anime on VHS from decades ago, there is a good chance AnimEigo was responsible for its release. The company helped pave the way for other distributors like Funimation and even Crunchyroll to come up. And now, AnimEigo is ready to tackle a new era under MediaOCD.ย
What do you think about this anime acquisition? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!
