Media OCD Acquires AnimEigo

 As physical media has fallen out of favour most of the Western world's anime distributors have closed (or been swallowed by mergers). We've seen iconic brands like Funimation and Manga Entertainment, some with 30 years plus of history, disappear. One of the last standing is AnimEigo, now North America's longest established anime label. It has now been announced that Media OCD will acquire AnimEgo.

AnimEgo was established in 1989 by Robert Woodhead and Roe R. Adams III. The label was one of the first to release anime with English subtitles on VHS tapes and was responsible for the US release of several iconic titles including Bubblegum Crisis,  Urusei Yatsura, Oh! My Goddess, You're Under Arrest, Megazone 23 and many more. The company endured, surviving the bursting of the anime bubble in the mid-noughties and various other ups and downs in the industry. They made the jump from VHS to DVD, then to Blu-Ray. Over recent years the company has been largely associated with issuing high-quality special editions funded through KickStarter. The change of ownership will have no impact on current or future crowdfunded releases.

AnimEigo's home video releases will continue to be available at retailers through  MVD Entertainment Group, who will also continue distributing AnimEigo's digital releases. The digital storefront will continue to operate under new management and will migrate to Media OCD's servers in the coming months.

Media OCD is a media production and replication company owned and operated by Anime News Network founder Justin Sevakis. The company is renowned for the extremely high quality of its restorations and discs and has produced discs for Discotek Media, Anime Ltd, Eleven Arts and more.

AnimEigo owners/operators Robert Woodhead and Natsumi Ueki will assist Media OCD during the transition period. Woodhead says he will assist Sevakis "over the next few years". Woodhead and Ueki will continue to manage current and future KickStarter projects, ensuring all promised goods are delivered. Woodhead and Ueki plan to "ease into retirement".

This deal secures the future of one of the US's oldest anime brands, and with Media OCD's reputation, and Sevakis's passion for the material it's hard to imagine it being in much better hands. It's going to be exciting to see where the company goes next!

[source]