We have a new home! AnimEigo is now part of MediaOCD!
Here, we'll try to answer your burning questions about what this means for us, the future, and your favorite AnimEigo anime titles.
Q: Will anything be going out of print?
A: There will be a few minor changes. Most DVDs will go out of print if there's already a Blu-ray edition, as most new buyers will opt for the better quality version. For example, Otaku no Video DVD Edition is now out of print. However, we will do our best to keep classic AnimEigo titles in print indefinitely!
Q: Will you be licensing new titles?
A: Yes! We plan to start slowly, but by 2025 we hope to release around one new title per month, give or take.
Q: Will you be producing any new DVDs?
A: While we will keep a few best-selling DVDs in print for as long as they keep selling, all new releases will be Blu-ray only.
Q: Will you license any live action movies?
A: Live action films will be moving to our new live action sibling label, Whole Grain Pictures. Check it out!
Q: What can we expect from new AnimEigo releases going forward?
A: The important things will not change: you can expect faithful, easy-to-read, and meticulously complete subtitles. You can expect a curated selection of amazing classic anime. You can expect a personal approach and friendly customer service. You can still expect to find our discs at the usual online retailers. We are still a small team of dedicated fans, not a big corporate conglomerate!
We do plan to update some things: a stronger social media presence, new forays into merchandise, and some more recent anime titles (although still ones that have stood the test of time). We will also use more current Japanese romanization standards and typesetting for our subtitles moving forward.
Q: Will you still do Kickstarters?
A: Check out our separate crowdfunding page! Robert and Natsumi, the original founders, still have one or two amazing projects left to announce. After that, who knows? If we (MediaOCD) decide to do some, we'll probably wait til R&N finish theirs so as not to create confusion over who's in charge.
Q: Who is this 'MediaOCD' company, and what are they doing with my anime!?
A: MediaOCD is a small company founded by Justin Sevakis, that has been producing high quality anime Blu-rays since 2011. We've produced every Blu-ray ever published by Discotek Media and NIS America, and also worked with many other publishers. And actually, we've already made three discs for AnimEigo as their authoring company: the retail edition of Megazone 23, both Kickstarter and retail versions of MADOX-01, and the samurai film Sword of Desperation. Betcha didn't even notice!
Q: Will you be doing 4K UHD Blu-rays?
A: We already are! The forthcoming Kickstarter project Macross II will get a UHD release! UHD is tricky, but we got this. Over 50% of UHD anime discs in the US market were made by us! As for future titles, not all anime will benefit from the format and it is quite expensive, so we'll decide new ones on a case-by-case basis.
Q: What sort of anime will you license?
A: Generally, we're looking at less pervy titles from 2010 or earlier, but we're not bound to any specific rules. Any boutique label will, to some extent, reflect the tastes of the owners. However, as anime professionals with over 25 years of experience, rest assured that we know how to license some real classics, and may even introduce you to a few you've never heard of.
Q: Can I suggest a title for you to license?
A: We generally know what's available and what would sell, but thanks for your input!
Q: I have a question! How do I contact you?
A: help@mediaocd.com is a good place to get in touch. We're also on many social networks, although we're still spinning those up. Links will be posted shortly.
Q: I have some of your stuff posted online...
A: Anime of ours posted in their entirety, or in a way that makes watching the whole thing unnecessary (complete recaps, condensed, etc.) is not allowed and we will be taking those down. Commentary, informational posts, and short meme posts are generally OK with us. We usually don't control all the rights in the world, though, so we can't control what other involved companies may do or claim. Please note that we cannot give you outright permission to post most video projects with our footage without contacting the original owners in Japan, and in those cases money must be involved.
Q: I own a shop and I would love to carry your products!
A: Great! You can order wholesale via our distributor, MVD Entertainment Group. Please note that only video products are available via MVD; merchandise is usually exclusive to our web store.
Q: Will you produce new English dubs in the future?
A: Such a day seems pretty far off, but it will most likely happen! It would really have to be the right show, though, and not a long series. That's likely too expensive for us.
Q: I live outside the USA! Can I buy your products?
A: First of all, check Amazon and other local specialty retailers in your area – they may already carry our discs! Right now, we are still looking for direct fulfillment partners in Canada and the UK. (Classic AnimEigo had some, but we could not continue those relationships for various reasons.) We are actively working on this, so please check back soon. However, some titles are licensed for sale in North America only, so you won't be able to order those from overseas.
You may be able to find some discs that have been imported to local retailers, but we don't have any control over that.
Q: Will your shop carry things from other companies?
A: We have nothing to announce right now, but who knows!
Got some burning question we missed? Let us know! Thanks so much for your patience while we sort everything out and get started. The future is bright, indeed.
-Justin @ MediaOCD