ANIMAX

:''For the animation studio, see Animax Entertainment.''
is a Japanese anime satellite television network, established and owned by Sony Corporation, and dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. Headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, its shareholders include Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sunrise Inc., Toei Animation Inc., TMS Entertainment Inc., and Nihon Ad Systems Inc. [4] ''Sunrise official website - corporate outline'' - Sunrise, official corporate outline, ''About Us'' section. [5] [6] [7] ''Sony Pictures Entertainment to Launch Animax Asia'', Press Release, SPE, 29 October 2003, Anime News Network.
Operating across Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Latin America, and most recently in Europe (launching across Central Europe from April 2007, Germany from June 2007, and soon in the United Kingdom, Poland, Italy, Spain and France)[8][9] and Africa, Animax is the first and largest 24-hour network dedicated to anime in the world. [10] ''Sony Pictures Entertainment to Launch Animax Asia'', Press Release, SPE, 29 October 2003, Anime News Network. Its title is a portmanteau of the words and .[11]

Contents
History
Japan
Asia
Latin America
North America
Europe
Germany
Australia
Africa
Programming
Translation and dubbing teams
See also
Notes and references
External links
Official sites

History


Animax's prior logo, used from its foundation to 2006

Japan

Established on May 20, 1998 by Sony, originally premiered in Japan on June 1, the same year, across the SKY PerfecTV! satellite television platform.1 Headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, and presided by Masao Takiyama, Animax's shareholders and founders include Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sunrise Inc., Toei Animation Inc., TMS Entertainment Inc., and Nihon Ad Systems Inc. Its founders also include noted anime producer and production designer YoshirÅ Kataoka. [1] ''Sunrise official website - corporate outline'' - Sunrise, official corporate outline, ''About Us'' section. [5] [6] [7] ''Sony Pictures Entertainment to Launch Animax Asia'', Press Release, SPE, 29 October 2003, Anime News Network.
Animax also exhibits affiliations with anime pioneer Osamu Tezuka's Tezuka Productions company, Pierrot, Nippon Animation, and numerous others. [7] It has been involved in the production of several anime series, such as '' [17], ''Ultra Maniac'', ''Astro Boy'', '', ''Aishiteruze Baby'', ''Shakugan no SHANA'', and many others. [18]
Noted Japanese celebrities and personalities to have appeared on Animax include actress Natsuki Kato and seiyū Yukari Tamura, among numerous others. Animax also hosts and organizes several anime-based events and concerts across Japan, such as the annual , an annual live concert during which renowned Japanese bands, artists and seiyū perform to a live audience, often held at ZEPP Tokyo, [19] and the , an annual anime scriptwriting competition offered by Animax since 2002 to honour the best original anime scripts and storylines of the year. Recent recipients of the award include: the fourth, winner in 2005, , produced by Toei Animation, the third, winner in 2004, , produced by Sunrise, the second, winner in 2003, , produced by TMS Entertainment, and the first, winner in 2002, , produced by Toei Animation. [20]
Apart from operating its business primarily as a television network, Animax has also begun operating a mobile television service. In February 2007, Animax announced that it would be launching a mobile television service of its network on the mobile phone company MOBAHO! from April 2007, having its programming being viewable by the company's mobile phone subscribers. [21]
Asia

Animax launched separate Asian versions of the channel featuring its anime programming within separate networks and feeds in the respective regions and languages beginning in 2004. The first one was launched in Taiwan on January 1, 2004, and in Hong Kong on January 12, 2004. A week later, Animax launched in Southeast Asia on January 19, 2004, featuring its programming within feeds in English audio, as well as Japanese audio, with English subtitling, and other languages in the region, becoming the company's first English language network. [22]
On July 5 2004, Animax started operations in South Asia, featuring its programming within an English-language feed. On April 29, 2006, Animax started its operations in Korea, featuring its programming within a separate Korean feed. On August 31, 2006, Animax launched a Malaysian feed of Animax.
Latin America

Animax launched a Latin America network on July 31, 2005, following Sony's acquisition of Locomotion. Animax Latin America began operating across the entire region and broadcasting its anime programming in separate Spanish and Portuguese feeds across Spanish-speaking countries in the region and Brazil respectively, becoming the region's largest anime television network.
Over the years, Animax has aired various anime series, primarily being dubbed in Venezuela, and most of whom have never been shown before in the region. Its programs include ''Wolf's Rain'', ''Noir'', ''Last Exile'', ''Twin Spica'', ''Planet Survival'', ''Excel Saga'', ''Samurai 7'', ''Gun Frontier'', ''Vandread'', ''Gantz'', ''Heat Guy J'', ''Galaxy Angel'' and ''Lunar Legend Tsukihime''.
Starting January 2007, Animax changed completely its lineup and some anime series that were removed before returned. Animax Latin America announced a renewal in its image and projection from August 2007, as well as the premiere of a new programming block (named ''Lollipop'') where adult-oriented series will be destinated to, including hentai (beginning with ''Immoral Sisters'').[23][24]
North America

Animax has sponsored several anime-based events across North America, including hosting an anime festival, in association with other anime distributive enterprises such as Bandai Entertainment and VIZ Media, across Sony's San Francisco-based entertainment shopping complex Metreon in October 2001, during which it aired numerous of its anime titles across the centre, including special ''Gundam'', ''The Making of Metropolis'', and ''Love Hina'' screenings. [25]
The noted international business newspaper ''The Financial Times'', reported, in September 2004, of Sony planning and being "keen" to launch Animax across the United States and North America, after Sony had signed an agreement with the largest cable company in the United States, Comcast, with whom it had co-partnered in a US$4.8 billion acquisition of legendary Hollywood studio MGM, to bring at least three of Sony's television networks across the region.[26] [27]
On June 13, 2007, Sony Pictures Television International officially announced that Animax would be launching its mobile television service, Animax Mobile, in Canada from July 2007, on Bell Digital's mobile phone service.[28] This would be Animax Mobile's third major expansion, after initially launching the mobile television service in Japan from April 2007 and Australia from June 12, 2007. [29]
Europe

Main articles: Animax Hungary

In April 2007, Animax launched across several countries in Europe, including Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, with Sony announcing plans to launch in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Poland and other major countries in the continent, with discussions at an advanced stage. The launch marked Animax's first major expansion into Europe.
Germany

On May 14, 2007, Sony announced Animax would be launching in Germany from early June 2007, becoming the country's first ever television network solely dedicated to anime programming. [30][31][32] Animax launched in the country from June 5, 2007 on Unity Media's digital subscription television service in the regions of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse and other regions.[33] Among the first anime series premiering on Animax Germany were ''.hack//SIGN'', ''DragonBall'', ''Earth Girl Arjuna'', ''Eureka Seven'', ''Gundam SEED'', ''Oh! My Goddess'', ''One Piece'', ''Record of Lodoss War'', ''School Rumble'', ''The Candidate for Goddess'', ''X'' and numerous others.[34]
Australia

Animax launched its mobile television service, Animax Mobile, in Australia from June 12, 2007, on mobile phone company 3 mobile's mobile phone service, being viewable across 3G-capable mobile phone handsets across the country.[35] Its initial programming on its launch consisted of four full-length anime series, ''Blood+'', ''Last Exile'', ''R.O.D -The TV-'', and ''.
Africa

In August 2007, it was announced that Animax would be launching across several countries in Africa, including South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique and Lesotho, on the DStv satellite service.[36][37]

Programming


Main articles: List of programs broadcast by Animax

Animax's programming is dedicated to anime, and it has been acknowledged as the largest 24-hour anime-only network in the world 10. Its viewer reach has been quoted as spanning over "40 million homes across 42 countries" in Asia, Europe and South America, as of August 2007. It has broadcast numerous anime series, including ''17, ''Cowboy Bebop'', ''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'', the entire ''Mobile Suit Gundam'' series, ''Honey and Clover'', ''Blood+'', ''InuYasha'', ''Fullmetal Alchemist'', ''Eureka 7'', ''Urusei Yatsura'', ''Ranma 1/2'', ''Rurouni Kenshin'', the ''Dragon Ball'' series, ''Cardcaptor Sakura'', ''Tsubasa Chronicle'', ''Chobits'', ''Vision of Escaflowne'', ''Death Note'', ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''Ouran High School Host Club'', ''Wolf's Rain'', ''Future Boy Conan,'' ''Haikara-san ga Tooru'', ''Emma - A Victorian Romance'', ''Trinity Blood'', ''Darker than Black'', ''Wangan Midnight'', as well as several OVA series and anime films, such as ''Steamboy'', ''Metropolis'', ''Memories'', ''Tokyo Godfathers'', ''Ghost in the Shell'', '', '', '', ''Appleseed'', ''Escaflowne'' and many others.
Translation and dubbing teams

Animax have translated and dubbed numerous anime series themselves via its original English translation and dubbing teams for broadcast across its English-language networks in Southeast Asia and South Asia, some of which were not licensed by North American distributors and do not have any English adaptation counterparts, such as ''Detective School Q'', ''Dokkiri Doctor'', ''Twin Spica'', ''Zettai ShÅnen'', ''Clamp School'', ''Emma: A Victorian Romance'', ''Future Boy Conan'', the highly-rated ''Honey and Clover'' and ''Jigoku ShÅjo'' series, and numerous others. Animax have also produced and aired uncensored English versions and dubs of anime series, among the most notable of them being their dub of ''Cardcaptor Sakura'', which was shown uncensored and retained all of the original names, plot details and dialogue, and numerous others.
For broadcast across its English-language networks, Animax have also broadcast English dubs produced by other enterprises, such as Bandai Entertainment, The Ocean Group, Bang Zoom, Geneon Entertainment, VIZ Media, Central Park Media, and numerous others, airing their dubs of ''Cowboy Bebop'', ''Witch Hunter Robin'', ''Mobile Suit Gundam'', ''Brain Powerd'', ''Please Teacher!'', ''Galaxy Angel'', ''Arjuna'', ''Jubei-chan'', ''Tsukikage Ran'', ''Angel Tales'', ''Saber Marionette'', ''Appleseed'', ''Alien 9'', the ''InuYasha'' films, ''Fullmetal Alchemist'', ''Yukikaze'' and several others.

See also



Animax TaishÅ

List of programs broadcast by Animax

Notes and references



1. ''Animax official website - corporate profile''
2. ''Animax official website - corporate profile''
3. ''Animax official website - corporate profile''
4. ''Animax official website - corporate profile''
5. ''Toei Animation official website - history section'', Toei Animation official website.
6. ''Toei Animation - official website - English section - History'' Toei Animation official website.
7. Animax's official website - Official Partners - Animax official website, Official Partners section, links page.
8. Sony drives Animax across Europe
9. Animax Heads to Europe
10. ''The Anime Biz'' - By Ian Rowley, with Hiroko Tashiro, Chester Dawson, and Moon Ihlwan, ''BusinessWeek'', June 27 2005.
11. Inter-Wikipedia article
12. ''Animax official website - corporate profile''
13. ''Toei Animation official website - history section'', Toei Animation official website.
14. ''Toei Animation - official website - English section - History'' Toei Animation official website.
15. Animax's official website - Official Partners - Animax official website, Official Partners section, links page.
16. Animax's official website - Official Partners - Animax official website, Official Partners section, links page.
17. ''Official Ghost in the Shell information site'', Production I.G official website.
18. Animax's corporate page at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
19. Animax Summer Festival 2005 - Report, Excite.co.jp.
20. Animax Award official site, Animax official website.
21. Animax Official Press, Animax Official Press.
22. ''Animax Asia - Corporate Profile'' - ''Animax-Asia official website''.
23. Immoral Sisters (OAV) - Anime News Network
24. Animax Latin America - Anime News Network
25. ''Sony Metreon media release'', ''Anime News Network'', 9 October, 2001.
26. ''Sony and Comcast plan new channels'', Tim Burt, ''The Financial Times'', 22 September, 2004.
27. ''Animax could be available in North America soon.'', ''Anime News Network'', 23 September, 2004.
28. Sony Pictures Television International's Global Animax Brand Goes Mobile
29. Sony's Animax Channel Goes Mobile in Australia - Further Information
30. Animax, the Animé Channel from Sony Pictures Television International, to Launch in Germany
31. Animax toons in Teutons
32. Animax Channel Expands into Germany with Unity Media
33. Sony launches anime channel Ed Meza
34. Animax Germany official website
35. Anime channel for mobiles
36. Sony Brings Anime Channel to Africa
37. SPTI to Launch SET, AXN Channels in Africa

External links


Official sites


Animax's official website

Animax Asia


Animax Taiwan


Animax Hong Kong


Animax South Asia


Animax Korea

Animax Latin America


Animax Brazil

Animax Germany


Animax Hungary


Animax Romania


Animax Czech Republic


Animax Slovakia

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