Who’s To Blame For Bandai’s “Shutdown?”

Well, they are not completely shutting down. Bandai Entertainment will not be releasing anymore new manga, DVD and Blu-rays. Instead, it will be licensing and sub-licensing its shows to the Internet, television broadcasters and merchandising. The decision was made in Japan by the contents Strategic Business Unit (SBU). As a result, people at Bandai Entertainment are going to lose their jobs due to the restructuring of the company. Now who is to blame for this event?

Getting to Know: Robert Napton and Bandai Entertainment Part 3

Please read Part 2 of the interview before reading Part 3

Anime and Manga

Napton grew up watching Speed Racer and Kimba and felt the series were different, but did not know the reason. In 1979, he learned the origins of said shows during his youth, when he came upon a series called Star Blazers, which also originated from Japan. As a result of his new found interest, he participated in fan clubs and obtained newsletters and information about anime in the United States. In 1984, Napton moved to Los Angeles and noticed the appearance of anime at local clubs and conventions.

Getting to Know: Robert Napton and Bandai Entertainment Part 2

Please read Part 1 of the interview before reading Part 2

History and Business of the Bandai

Bandai Entertainment has over a decade of history. It was “run by President Ken Iyadomi, who is one of the pioneers of bringing anime to the U.S. going back to the late 1980s.” The sub-division was started to “satisfy the growing need for the U.S. anime market which really took off in the 1990s and with the advent of DVD you really started seeing anime sections in DVD stores.”

Getting to Know: Robert Napton and Bandai Entertainment Part 1

This is a vintage interview I did with Naption. Unless new historical information has been discovered, I presume some of the information has not changed. Hope you enjoy the interview!!

Introduction

Please welcome the person who oversees publishing and marketing at Bandai Entertainment, the Director of Marketing, Mr. Robert Napton. (Applause) Before joining team Bandai, Napton has worked in the anime industry for 6 years at a company called Books Nippan (Nippan Shuppan Hanbai, USA), which was from 1988 to 1994. “We released the first subtitled VHS of anime in Gunbuster and other anime titles and imported anime books, cds, and other merchandise from Japan for sale in the U.S. I was a part of the team that did that for the company.”

In September 2009, Eureka Seven – Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers

NCM FATHOM TEAMS AGAIN WITH BANDAI ENTERTAINMENT TO BRING EXCLUSIVE ONE-NIGHT ANIME EVENT TO THE BIG SCREEN THIS FALL

Eureka Seven – Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers Highly Anticipated U.S. Debut Hits Select Movie Theaters Nationwide this September

Los Angeles & Centennial, Colo. – July 3, 2009 – NCM Fathom, the alternative entertainment division of National CineMedia, announced today an agreement with Bandai Entertainment to present the English-dubbed version of Eureka Seven – Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers exclusively in select movie theaters nationwide on September 24th. Through this agreement, Eureka Seven – Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers will be shown in a one-night event featuring an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the animation production and the making of the English version of Eureka Seven.

News: The U.S. Debut of Sword of the Stranger

THE U.S. DEBUT OF SWORD OF THE STRANGER – A ROUSING SAMURAI ANIME EPIC – HITS MOVIE THEATRES NATIONWIDE FOR A ONE NIGHT EVENT

Tickets Now on Sale for Exclusive In-Theatre Anime Event

Appearing in More than 360 Movie Theatres on February 5^th

Centennial, Colo. – Jan. 6, 2009 NCM Fathom and Bandai Entertainment presents Sword of the Stranger, an exhilarating samurai anime tale straight from Japan, on the big screen in a special one-night event on Thursday, Feb. 5^th at 7:30 p.m. local time. This unique theatre event (English dubbed) that brings the story of a nameless samurai to movie theatres will feature an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Sword of the Stranger at studio BONES as well as never-before-seen interviews with the English voice actors, director Masahiro Ando, and legendary producer Mashiko Minami.

Tickets for this special event are available at www.FathomEvents.com and presenting theatre box offices. For a complete list of theatre locations and prices, visit the website (theatres are subject to change).

Acclaimed Japanese anime studio BONES (“Cowboy Bebop,” “Full Metal Alchemist,” “Soul Eater”) brings Sword of the Stranger to life for this one-night exclusive event. Hunted by the Mings from China, a young boy named Kotaro and his loyal dog Tobimaru meet a nameless samurai who is haunted by his past – a memory so terrible he has vowed to never draw his sword again. Among the Mings is Luo-Lang, a ruthless Western swordsman with the Chinese name who has walked the earth in search of a worthy rival. When both groups clash with a feudal lord and monks torn between faith and survival, the truth behind the Mings’ pursuit of Kotaro tests the bond between the boy and the samurai.

“Bandai Entertainment is proud to partner with NCM Fathom for the American debut of Sword of the Stranger – this film has some of the most stunning action cheorography ever seen in anime film,” said Robert Napton, marketing director for Bandai Entertainment, Inc. “Anime and samurai fans won’t want to miss this visually amazing and emotionally compelling event at their local movie theatre, where this film was meant to be seen.”

Sword of the Stranger, which was recently submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for consideration for Best Animated Feature of 2008, appears on the big screen in high-definition with Cinema Surround Sound in more than 360 select AMC Entertainment Inc., Celebration! Cinema, Cinemark Holdings, Inc., Clearview Cinemas, Cobb Theatres, Georgia Theatre Company, Goodrich Quality Theatres, Hollywood Theaters, Kerasotes Showplace Theatres, Marcus Theatres, National Amusements and Regal Entertainment Group movie theatres, as well as Arlington Theatre (Santa Barbara, CA) and Palace Cinema 9 (South Burlington, VT) through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network – North America’s largest cinema broadcast network.

“NCM Fathom has experienced great success bringing anime events to the big screen in limited engagement events and we are excited to bring Sword of the Stranger to anime fans across the country this February,” said Dan Diamond, vice president of NCM Fathom.

About National CineMedia, Inc.

National CineMedia (NCM) LLC operates the largest digital in-theatre network in North America through long-term agreements with its founding members, AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), the three largest theatre operators in the U.S., and through multi-year agreements with several other theatre operators. NCM LLC produces and distributes its FirstLook pre feature program; cinema, lobby and online advertising products; comprehensive meeting and event services and other entertainment programming content. NCM LLC’s national network includes over 17,000 screens of which approximately 15,000 are part of the company’s Digital Content Network (DCN). NCM LLC’s network covers 176 Designated Market Areas® (49 of the top 50). During 2007, approximately 689 million patrons attended movies shown in theatres currently included in the network (excluding Consolidated Theatres and Star Theatres). National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) owns a 42.3% interest in and is the managing member of NCM LLC. To learn more about National CineMedia Inc., visit the company’s website at www.ncm.com.

About Bandai Entertainment

Bandai Entertainment Inc. is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings (USA) Inc. and the premier distributor of Japanese animation on DVD and programming for television broadcast in North America. Additional company and product information is available through our website at www.bandai-ent.com.

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NCM Fathom Press Release