2G2D Claims Another Victim in the American Anime Industry: ADV Goes Bust

[Great Rumbler]

A.D. Vision, the parent company of ADV Films, has announced that it is shutting down after transfering its assets to several other companies that will continue its operations. AEsir Holdings has acquired selected programming from ADV's film library along with other intellectual property. The SXION 23 (Section23 Films) home video distribution company will assume account servicing and distribution operations for AEsir's assets. Valkyrie Media Partners has acquired 100% of ADV's Anime Network television unit, while Seraphim Studios has acquired ADV's Amusement Park Media production unit.

Former ADV Films staffer Chris Oarr has notified ANN that several former staffers have been hired by SXION 23 and the other companies.

Update: All of the new companies are officially based in Houston, the home of A.D. Vision. SXION 23's business filing was dated on May 20, while AEsir Holdings, Valkyrie Media Partners, and Seraphim Studios were filed eight days later on May 28. SXION 23, Valkyrie Media Partners, and Seraphim Studios share the same address in western Houston, 8 miles (13 kilometers) from A.D. Vision. Sentai Filmworks, another business entity for which A.D. Vision and Amusement Park Media handled distribution and production, is also located in western Houston.

Update 2: SXION 23, Valkyrie Media Partners, and Seraphim Studio are filed under Griffin D. Vance IV's name. Griffin Vance was A.D. Vision's former Senior Vice-President of Business and Legal Affairs, but he now operates his own law practice. Vance's law firm shares the same postal address as SXION 23, Valkyrie Media Partners, and Seraphim Studio.

Update 3: The Anime Network confirms that, since it "has always been a separate entity from ADV," it will continue to operate.

Update 4: According to Anime Corner Store owner Robert Brown, former ADV Films Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Mike Bailiff will now head up Sales and Marketing at SXION 23 (Section 23). Brown reports that SXION 23 has all of ADV's former licenses and most of its staff, but not ADV's former owner John Ledford. SXION 23 will continue to distribute the current orders and future pre-orders that ADV used to fulfill, without changing their schedules.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-09-01/adv-films-shuts-down-transfers-assets-to-other-companies

That just leaves Bandai and Funimation as the only major distributors of anime in America.

Also, it's kind of ironic that most of Cental Park Media's backlog actually got picked up by ADV.

[Human Snorenado]

This is not a victory for 2G2D.  This is a victory for good taste in general.

[Eel O'Brian]

downloading, fan subs, etc.

[Don Flamenco]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

those aren't tears!

[close]

[Great Rumbler]

This is a victory for good taste in general.

ADV has had a lot of good anime series and movies, but they have also been at the forefront of some of the seedier aspects of non-hentai anime. Plus, for the past year or two they haven't done much of anything.

[Madrun Badrun]

seedier aspects of non-hentai anime?

[bork]

ADV is essentially still around, just now as several smaller companies, all based in the same area as ADV was.  A lot of the same staff even went to these companies. 

Does anyone really care?  I thought otakooz just downloaded everything anyway.

[Great Rumbler]

seedier aspects of non-hentai anime?

One of ADV's big things was the jiggle-counter, for a while anyway. It's not that hard to figure out what it was used for.

Does anyone really care?  I thought otakooz just downloaded everything anyway.

Some people probably don't care and I know there are people that are rejoicing right now, but a collapse in the American anime industry would only be a bad thing for anime fans since it means less money going back to Japan to support new shows there.

ADV is essentially still around, just now as several smaller companies, all based in the same area as ADV was.  A lot of the same staff even went to these companies.

Yeah, technically it still exists, but I see this as more of a last ditch effort to try to salvage the company.

[Diunx]

I'm downloading fansubs right now and I don't even watch anime.

[Oblivion]

Himumu Claims Another Victim in the American Anime Industry: ADV Goes Bust

what you meant to say

[Rman]

They didn't do a good job with their terrible pricing, but that had a lot to do with the insane licensing fees that most Japanese animation companies charge.

[Don Flamenco]

They didn't do a good job with their terrible pricing, but that had a lot to do with the insane licensing fees that most Japanese animation companies charge.

why does japan always fail at weird stuff like this...

it's like konami and music games.  if they weren't so restrictive and stuck in the mud, they could've had the music game genre tied around their fingers. 

there aren't many big players in anime in the U.S., but there's gotta be a profitable way to market it that isn't $30 for 4 episodes.

[Joe Molotov]

This better not affect the release of Clannad: After Story.

[Mr. Gundam]

As strange as it may sound to someone who's been into anime for at least the last ten years, Funimation is pretty much the only hope for anime in North America. Bandai Entertainment doesn't know what they're doing anymore, which makes me sad since they will never let anyone else release Gundam here.

[Great Rumbler]

They didn't do a good job with their terrible pricing, but that had a lot to do with the insane licensing fees that most Japanese animation companies charge.

there aren't many big players in anime in the U.S., but there's gotta be a profitable way to market it that isn't $30 for 4 episodes.

This is why Funimation has become the biggest player in the anime industry in just a few years, THEY STARTED RELEASING BOX SETS OF NEW SHOWS.

[Human Snorenado]

This is a victory for good taste in general.

ADV has had a lot of good anime series and movies

DOES NOT COMPUTE

[bork]

seedier aspects of non-hentai anime?

One of ADV's big things was the jiggle-counter, for a while anyway. It's not that hard to figure out what it was used for.

They did this with more than just Agent Aika?

Does anyone really care?  I thought otakooz just downloaded everything anyway.

Some people probably don't care and I know there are people that are rejoicing right now, but a collapse in the American anime industry would only be a bad thing for anime fans since it means less money going back to Japan to support new shows there.

I think that issue is going to be more Japan-centric than outside stuff.  Your average anime fan probably doesn't give a shit; you can't beat fan subs, distributed via the internet for free, that come out incredibly fast.  I'd like to know if things are this "bad" in Japan too; the anime sections at video stores I'd go to over there did seem to be getting smaller.  And let's not even talk about the bone-headed decision TO ONLY SELL DVDs and BLU RAYS TOGETHER.  You want Ghost In The Shell on Blu Ray?  TOUGH SHIT, YOU GOTTA FORK OVER 9,000 YEN AND GET THE DVD TOO! 

In the U.S., retail anime releases seems to have had their day.  It's certainly still popular, but it speaks volumes how things have changed/how badly fansubs are killing the market when huge stores like Best Buy cleaned out all their stock.

They didn't do a good job with their terrible pricing, but that had a lot to do with the insane licensing fees that most Japanese animation companies charge.

why does japan always fail at weird stuff like this...

it's like konami and music games.  if they weren't so restrictive and stuck in the mud, they could've had the music game genre tied around their fingers. 

there aren't many big players in anime in the U.S., but there's gotta be a profitable way to market it that isn't $30 for 4 episodes.

Over there, the same DVD costs a whopping $70 FUCKING DOLLARS.  For a single DVD!     I still can't wrap my head around it.  There's box sets that go for like $400-$500, too.  I want to say that a Dragonball Z movie boxset, with 13 movies, was priced at 50,000 yen when it came out.  Absolutely insane.

IIRC, the anime companies over there never lower their prices because they have found that otaku will always pay the money for this stuff; it's always the same people buying anime, so they don't care about expanding their market.  That's what I read somewhere, anyway.

[Himu]

I have claimed another victim. RIP adv thanks for the memories. You published the best anime ever, Rurouni Kenshin Trust and Betrayal. For that I am thankful and have purchased it three times over the years over three different releases.

Godspeed, you devil.

[Great Rumbler]

seedier aspects of non-hentai anime?

One of ADV's big things was the jiggle-counter, for a while anyway. It's not that hard to figure out what it was used for.

They did this with more than just Agent Aika?

Plastic Little and Burn Up W too, that I know of.

DOES NOT COMPUTE

They were actually co-producers for the excellent Kino's Journey. Plus, they had Cromartie High School, Diamond Daydreamers, Full Metal Panic, Excel Saga, Dirty Pair, Slayers, Robotech, Princess 9, Sakura Wars, and...uh...maybe something else that I can't think of at the moment.

[ferrarimanf355]

They didn't do a good job with their terrible pricing, but that had a lot to do with the insane licensing fees that most Japanese animation companies charge.

there aren't many big players in anime in the U.S., but there's gotta be a profitable way to market it that isn't $30 for 4 episodes.

This is why Funimation has become the biggest player in the anime industry in just a few years, THEY STARTED RELEASING BOX SETS OF NEW SHOWS.

Funimation has the Initial D license, right?

[Oblivion]

They were actually co-producers for the excellent Kino's Journey. Plus, they had Cromartie High School, Diamond Daydreamers, Full Metal Panic, Excel Saga, Dirty Pair, Slayers, Robotech, Princess 9, Sakura Wars, and...uh...maybe something else that I can't think of at the moment.

I think Triumph is implying all anime is shite.

[Great Rumbler]

They didn't do a good job with their terrible pricing, but that had a lot to do with the insane licensing fees that most Japanese animation companies charge.

there aren't many big players in anime in the U.S., but there's gotta be a profitable way to market it that isn't $30 for 4 episodes.

This is why Funimation has become the biggest player in the anime industry in just a few years, THEY STARTED RELEASING BOX SETS OF NEW SHOWS.

Funimation has the Initial D license, right?

Yeah, they picked it up a few years ago. I think they've only released the first season, though.

They were actually co-producers for the excellent Kino's Journey. Plus, they had Cromartie High School, Diamond Daydreamers, Full Metal Panic, Excel Saga, Dirty Pair, Slayers, Robotech, Princess 9, Sakura Wars, and...uh...maybe something else that I can't think of at the moment.

I think Triumph is implying all anime is shite.

 

[Bebpo]

Only "most" anime is shit.  Like 98%. 

You can't even bring in that argument where most hollywood movies are shit cause at least you get 5-10 good movies from Hollywood a year, some years you're lucky if you get 1 good anime series.  Most years it's like 1-2 max, which suuucks.  The ratio used to be better before the 2000s, but now the industry is commercially driven to the point of producing only shit anymore.

I would further this and say the Japanese game industry is heading down the same path and is at a very high ratio of shit:good, but I think it needs a few more years to fully fall into total forgotten industry territory.

[Himu]

Yes but, anime has a higher shit ratio than other forms of entertainment because anime fans have zero taste.

we're talking about the same group that puts Chibi Princess Mimi Kawaii X on par with something like Cowboy Bebop on a regular basis.

so of course most anime is shit, but the problem is that unlike other forms of entertainment, with anime it's a lot harder to find someone who watches anime and has any taste at all.

This is why when it comes to anime I rely on like 3-5 good friends who have taste in anime I trust before I watch it.

With movies or games or books I'm willing to go in blind because there's a chance they'll be decent or good.

But with anime there's a 50% chance it'll be nothing but loli's or furry shit.

There's a difference.

[drew]

ADV has had a lot of good anime series and movies, but they have also been at the forefront of some of the seedier aspects of non-hentai anime. Plus, for the past year or two they haven't done much of anything.

i dont think you get the point, just the fact that it is an anime company makes it a bastion of bad taste

[Great Rumbler]

ADV has had a lot of good anime series and movies, but they have also been at the forefront of some of the seedier aspects of non-hentai anime. Plus, for the past year or two they haven't done much of anything.

i dont think you get the point, just the fact that it is an anime company makes it a bastion of bad taste

ADV reveled in it, though. Probably only rivaled by CPM in that regard.

Most years it's like 1-2 max, which suuucks.  The ratio used to be better before the 2000s, but now the industry is commercially driven to the point of producing only shit anymore.

Spring already brought us Eden of the East, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Sengoku Basara. What more do you want?!

[Bebpo]

Eden of East has been the only good anime of 2009 and even that wasn't a "great" anime as the middle 3-5 eps of penis-cutting-lady was awful gonzo shit and had no place in the otherwise intelligent show.  The latest Hellsing OAV ep was good too, but that is 1ep a year :X

FMA2 is weak and sucks compared to the good eps of the original series.  Basara, I dunno, some people like it but I thought it was dull as hell and couldn't make it past ep2.  Fall season looks total shit with no standouts unless you want to see an even crappier Darker Than Black with its sequel.

The only potentially good anime on the horizon is the Eden of East movies & Gundam Unicorn OAV & the rest of the Hellsing OAVs; and that's pretty much all 2010 stuff.

[Himu]

Agreed.

I think pre-2004-2005 we saw more interesting anime but now you're lucky to get one great show a year.

[Great Rumbler]

Agreed.

I think pre-2004-2005 we saw more interesting anime but now you're lucky to get one great show a year.

2G2D