Gonzo (company)
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(formerly GDH K.K.) is a Japanese
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
studio owned by ADK that was established on February 22, 2000. Gonzo is a member of
The Association of Japanese Animations The Association of Japanese Animations (AJA; , ) is an industry group consisting of 52 affiliate animation production companies. AJA's duties AJA's scope of duties are to work on various issues concerning the Japanese animation industry, w ...
. The company's predecessor Gonzo K.K. was established on February 11, 1992 by former
Gainax Gainax Co., Ltd. (stylized as GAINAX; ja, 株式会社ガイナックス, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ) is a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise, Roya ...
staff members, but was later absorbed into its parent company, GDH K.K. on April 1, 2009 and it would assume the Gonzo trade name for itself.


History

*September 1992: Gonzo, Inc. established by former Gainax members. *May 1996: Digimation K.K. established. *May 1999: Gonzo Inc. changed its company name to Gonzo K.K. *February 2000: GDH established. *May 2000: Creators.com K.K. established. *April 2002: Gonzo K.K. and Digimation K.K. merge; the combined company is renamed Gonzo Digimation K.K. *November 2003: Future Vision Music K.K. established. *July 2004: Gonzo Digimation K.K. changed its company name to GONZO K.K.; Creators.com K.K. changed its name to G-creators K.K.; Gonzo Digimation Holding changed its company name to GDH K.K. *July 2005: Gonzino K.K. established. *September 2005: Warp Gate Online K.K. becomes subsidiary. *December 2005: GDH Capital K.K. established and Warp Gate Online K.K. changed its company name to Gonzo Rosso Online K.K. *February 2006: GK Entertainment established. *April 2009: GDH K.K. merged with its subsidiary, Gonzo K.K., and changed its name to Gonzo K.K. *June 2019: Gonzo transfers some of the properties to
Studio Kai is a Japanese animation studio based in Suginami-ku. It was founded by ADK Emotions in June 2019. History Studio Kai was founded by ADK Emotions in June 2019. In July 2019, Gonzo transferred some of its anime production, intellectual property ...
. *November 2019: Okinawa Gonzo was dissolved. *March 2020: It was revealed that the company planned to execute a reverse stock split. If approved, it would reduce the number of issued shares from 38,800 down to 24, making the company a wholly owned subsidiary of ADK in the process. After making Gonzo into an wholly owned subsidiary of ADK, it will transfer all of its shares in the company to Shinichiro Ishikawa.


Financial issues

The studio had a financial problem in their closing account in the 2008–2009 term and stated its deficit was estimated over US$30 million. The Tokyo Stock Exchange announced that on July 30, 2009 Gonzo would be delisted from the exchange. This delisting is the conclusion of a notification made to investors in March 2008 that the studio's financial liabilities exceeded its total financial assets. Since Gonzo was unable to reverse this, paperwork for delisting was filed at the end of June. The studio is still able to operate, and its parent company GDH has absorbed it in an effort to consolidate management. The combined company now simply refers to itself as Gonzo. By April 2009, the merger was complete. As part of the restructuring, GDH also sold the Gonzo Rosso game development subsidiary, GDH Capital financing subsidiary, and remaining shares of Tablier Communications initially acquired in March 2006. Gonzo Rosso K.K. was sold to Chushou service kikou kabushikigaisha (division of Incubator Bank of Japan, Limited) on 31 March 2009. Since this deficit, Gonzo has started to post better earnings due to the release of titles such as ''Rosario + Vampire'' to western online streaming services such as Netflix. The marketing of these products to western audiences has returned Gonzo to financial stability, and Gonzo posted higher than expected profit margins in the April–September 2012 period.


Works


TV series


OVAs

*1998–2000 – '' Blue Submarine No. 6'' *1999–2000 – ''Melty Lancer: The Animation'' *2002–2003 – '' Gate Keepers 21'' *2002–2005 – ''
Yukikaze (anime) is a Japanese military science fiction novel series written by Chōhei Kambayashi. First published as a series of short stories, a collected ''bunkobon'' volume was released by Hayakawa Publishing in 1984. It was followed by two sequels, re ...
'' *2004 – '' Kaleido Star Aratanaru Tsubasa Extra Stage'' *2007 – '' Bakuretsu Tenshi -Infinity'', ''
Strike Witches is a Japanese media mix originally created by Fumikane Shimada via a series of magazine illustration columns. The franchise has since been adapted into several light novel, manga, and anime series and various video games. ...
'', '' Red Garden: Dead Girls'' *2018–2021 – ''
Hori-san to Miyamura-kun is a Japanese '' shōnen'' web manga series written and illustrated by Hiroki Adachi, under the pseudonym Hero. It was self-published on Hero's website, ''Dokkai Ahen'', from February 2007 to December 2011 in a four-panel format. The se ...
'' (#4–5)


ONAs

*October 2001 – '' Zaion: I Wish You Were Here'' *July 2018 – '' Calamity of a Zombie Girl'', with Stingray *December 2018 – '' Saint Seiya: Saintia Shō'', production by
Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' ''GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' ''Mazinger Z'', ''Galaxy Express 999'', ''Cutie Honey'', ''Dr. Slump'', ' ...
*June 2019 – '' 7 Seeds'' *August 2019 - ''
Hero of Robots ''Hero of Robots'' is a Taiwanese trading card arcade game developed by International Games System and published by SNK that debuted in 2011. Gameplay Hero of Robots is a hybrid arcade game similar to Mushiking. When the new card is obtained, the ...
''


Films

*January 2006 – ''Gin-iro no Kami no Agito'' Also known as '' Origin: Spirits of the Past'' *July 2006 – ''
Brave Story is a Japanese fantasy novel written by Miyuki Miyabe. It was serialized in various regional newspapers between November 11, 1999 and February 13, 2001, before being published in two hardcover volumes by Kadokawa Shoten in''Brave Story'' ...
'' *January 2009 – '' Afro Samurai: Resurrection'' (with Paramount Network Originals) *November 2013 – '' Bayonetta: Bloody Fate'' *February 2016 – '' Last Exile: Fam, The Silver Wing: Over the Wishes'' *November 2017 – '' Full Metal Panic 1: Boy Meets Girl'' *January 2018 – '' Full Metal Panic 2: One Night Stand'' *January 2018 – '' Full Metal Panic 3: Into the Blue''


Games

*1996: '' Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete'' (
PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
/
Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...
) – contributed anime sequences *1997: ''
Silhouette Mirage ''Silhouette Mirage'' is a 2D action side-scrolling video game developed by Treasure and released in 1997. The game's primary mechanic is the two opposing attributes, "Silhouette" and "Mirage" and the way they are able to cause damage to each othe ...
'' – contributed anime sequences *1997: ''
Grandia is a series of role-playing video games developed by Game Arts and published over the years by Entertainment Software Publishing, Sony Computer Entertainment, Ubisoft, Hudson Soft, Enix, Square Enix and GungHo Online Entertainment. Games in th ...
'' - contributed animation support *1998: '' Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete'' (
PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
/
Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...
) – contributed anime sequences *1998: ''
Radiant Silvergun is a shoot 'em up developed by Treasure. It was originally released in Japanese arcades in 1998 and subsequently ported to the Sega Saturn later that year. The story follows a team of fighter pilots in the far future who are battling waves o ...
'' – contributed anime sequences *1999: '' The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999'' (
Sega Dreamcast The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Nint ...
) - contributed anime intro sequence *1999: '' Genso Suikogaiden Volume 1: Swordsman of Harmonia'' contributed intro FMV and character stills *2001: '' Genso Suikogaiden Volume 2: Duel at Crystal Valley'' – contributed intro FMV and character stills *2001: ''
SkyGunner ''Sky Gunner'', often stylized as ''SkyGunner'', is a 3D third-person combat flight simulation video game for the PlayStation 2. The game's setting and art style has elements of steampunk. It was developed by PixelArts and was released in Jap ...
'' – contributed anime sequences *2002: ''
Suikoden III is a role-playing video game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 video game console, and the third installment in the '' Suikoden'' video game series. It was released in 2002 in Japan a ...
'' – contributed intro FMV *2003: '' Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner'' – contributed anime sequences *2008: ''
Phantasy Star 0 also known in Australia and Europe as Phantasy Star: ZERO and sometimes in North America as Phantasy Star Ø, is a Nintendo DS game in the '' Phantasy Star'' series, developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. The game was released in Japan ...
'' – contributed anime sequences *2009: '' BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger'' – contributed anime sequences in home version *2009: '' Summon Night X: Tears Crown'' – contributed anime sequences *2010: ''
Super Street Fighter IV is a 2010 fighting game produced by Capcom. It is an updated version of ''Street Fighter IV'' and has been said to mark the definitive end of the ''Street Fighter IV'' series. Having been deemed too large an update to be deployed as Downloadable ...
'' – contributed anime ending sequences *2010: '' BlazBlue: Continuum Shift'' – contributed anime sequences in home version


Music videos

*2004: " Breaking the Habit" by
Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer ...
*2007: "Freedom" by
Blood Stain Child Blood Stain Child (stylised as BLOOD STAIN CHILD) is a Japanese melodic death metal band from the city of Osaka. The band's musical style combines melodic death metal with electronic and trance. The band formed under the name "Visionquest" in 19 ...
*2008: "Forsaken" by
Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of the ...


Shorts

*2013: ''The Midnight Animals''


Manga

*2001: ''
Vandread is a Japanese anime series directed by Takeshi Mori (director), Takeshi Mori and created by the List of animation studios, animation studios Gonzo (company), Gonzo and Media Factory. The series is composed of two seasons (''Vandread'', ...
'' *2002: ''
Vandread is a Japanese anime series directed by Takeshi Mori (director), Takeshi Mori and created by the List of animation studios, animation studios Gonzo (company), Gonzo and Media Factory. The series is composed of two seasons (''Vandread'', ...
'' (Vandread Special Stage) *2003: ''
Kiddy Grade is a Japanese 24-episode anime series produced in 2002 and created by gímik and Gonzo Digimation and directed by Keiji Gotoh. The series is licensed and distributed in North America by FUNimation Entertainment. In October 2006, ne ...
'' (Kiddy Grade Versus) *2003: ''
Kiddy Grade is a Japanese 24-episode anime series produced in 2002 and created by gímik and Gonzo Digimation and directed by Keiji Gotoh. The series is licensed and distributed in North America by FUNimation Entertainment. In October 2006, ne ...
'' (Kiddy Grade Reverse) *2004: '' Bakuretsu Tenshi'' (Angel's Adolescence) *2005: ''
Gankutsuou ''Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo'' is a Japanese anime television series produced by Gonzo. An adaptation of the 1844 novel ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' by Alexandre Dumas, the 24-episode series aired on Japanese television between Oct ...
'' *2005: ''
Speed Grapher ''Speed Grapher'' (stylized as ''SPEED GRAPHER'') is a 2005 anime series produced by Gonzo. The series ran for 24 episodes from April to October 2005 on TV Asahi. It tells the story of former war photographer, Tatsumi Saiga and his quest to ...
'' *2007: ''
Romeo x Juliet Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a priest ...
'' *2007: ''
Red Garden ''Red Garden'' (stylized as ''RED GARDEN'') is a Japanese anime television series produced by Gonzo which premiered in Japan on TV Asahi on October 3, 2006. The plot revolves around four girls who become involved in a series of supernatural mu ...
'' *2007: ''Getsumen to Heiki Miina'' *2008: ''Blassreiter – Genetic''


International distribution

Many of Gonzo's titles were licensed for North American distribution by
Geneon (abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Tokyo, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Minato, Tokyo. It is primarily involved in the production and distributi ...
,
ADV Films A.D. Vision Holdings, Inc. (known simply as ADV and also referred to as ADV Films) was an American multimedia entertainment distributor headquartered in Houston, Texas, and founded in 1992 by video game fan John Ledford and anime fans Matt Gre ...
, and
Funimation Entertainment Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
.
ADV Films A.D. Vision Holdings, Inc. (known simply as ADV and also referred to as ADV Films) was an American multimedia entertainment distributor headquartered in Houston, Texas, and founded in 1992 by video game fan John Ledford and anime fans Matt Gre ...
UK branch was the UK distributor for Gonzo titles licensed by ADV, with the exception of ''
Gantz ''Gantz'' (stylized as ''GANTZ'') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroya Oku. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Young Jump'' from June 2000 to June 2013, with its chapters collected i ...
'', as it was licensed by
MVM Films MVM Entertainment, also known as MVM and MVM Films, is a British licensor and distributor of Japanese animation. The company also sub-licenses anime titles from US anime companies such as Media Blasters, Geneon, Nozomi Entertainment, Urban Vision, ...
. ''
Gad Guard is a 26-episode anime television series created by animation director and screenwriter Hiroshi Nishikiori, manga artist and mechanical designer Yoshitsune Izuna, and Gonzo. Produced by Media Factory, GDH, IMAGICA Imageworks, Hakuhodo, Amb ...
'', ''
Hellsing ''Hellsing'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano. It was serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha's ''seinen'' manga magazine '' Young King OURs'' from May 1997 to September 2008, with its ch ...
'', and ''
Last Exile is a Japanese anime television series created by Gonzo. It featured a production team led by director Koichi Chigira, character designer Range Murata, and production designer Mahiro Maeda. The three had previously worked together in '' Bl ...
'', which were titles originally licensed by Geneon, were also licensed by ADV Films UK, although they're no longer licensed since the company's closure.
MVM Films MVM Entertainment, also known as MVM and MVM Films, is a British licensor and distributor of Japanese animation. The company also sub-licenses anime titles from US anime companies such as Media Blasters, Geneon, Nozomi Entertainment, Urban Vision, ...
was the UK licensee for the majority of Gonzo titles licensed by
Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
in the US, with the exception of '' Afro Samurai'', which was initially distributed directly in the UK by GDH and later by
Manga Entertainment UK Crunchyroll Ltd., trading as Crunchyroll UK and Ireland, is a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Founded in 1987 as Island World Communications, the company operated as Manga Entertainment Ltd. until 2 ...
who also licensed ''
Strike Witches is a Japanese media mix originally created by Fumikane Shimada via a series of magazine illustration columns. The franchise has since been adapted into several light novel, manga, and anime series and various video games. ...
'' (season 1), '' Origin: Spirits of the Past'', and recently ''
Last Exile is a Japanese anime television series created by Gonzo. It featured a production team led by director Koichi Chigira, character designer Range Murata, and production designer Mahiro Maeda. The three had previously worked together in '' Bl ...
'' and ''
Hellsing ''Hellsing'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano. It was serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha's ''seinen'' manga magazine '' Young King OURs'' from May 1997 to September 2008, with its ch ...
''. ''
Welcome to the N.H.K. is a Japanese novel written by Tatsuhiko Takimoto. It was published by Kadokawa Shoten in Japan in January 2002, and in English by Tokyopop in October 2007. The story revolves around a 22-year-old ''hikikomori'', an asocial recluse, who gets ...
'', ''
Pumpkin Scissors is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ryotaro Iwanaga. Originally serialized in ''Magazine GREAT'' in 2002 it was later moved to ''Monthly Shonen Magazine'' in October 2006. The manga has been licensed by Del Rey. An anime ad ...
'', and ''
Red Garden ''Red Garden'' (stylized as ''RED GARDEN'') is a Japanese anime television series produced by Gonzo which premiered in Japan on TV Asahi on October 3, 2006. The plot revolves around four girls who become involved in a series of supernatural mu ...
'', which were originally licensed by ADV Films UK, were re-licensed by
MVM Films MVM Entertainment, also known as MVM and MVM Films, is a British licensor and distributor of Japanese animation. The company also sub-licenses anime titles from US anime companies such as Media Blasters, Geneon, Nozomi Entertainment, Urban Vision, ...
. In June 2006, it signed a long-term output deal with the anime television network,
Animax , stylized as ANIMAX, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. The channel also dubbed other cartoons in Japanese language. A subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan, it is headq ...
, which saw Animax broadcasting all of Gonzo's anime titles across all of its networks around the world, including Japan, Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and Latin America and from November 2007 on Southern Africa's DSTV satellite network. As of 2008 they decided to stream some of their airing anime on video sites such as:
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
,
Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...
, and BOST.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzo (Company) Japanese animation studios Mass media companies established in 1992 Companies formerly listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Japanese companies established in 1992