is a Japanese
advertising agency
An advertising agency, often referred to as a creative agency or an ad agency, is a business dedicated to creating, planning, and handling advertising and sometimes other forms of promotion and marketing for its clients. An ad agency is generall ...
and, since March 2020, a subsidiary of
Bandai Namco Holdings
(commonly known as and formerly Namco Bandai until 2015, also known as Bandai Namco Group,) is a Japanese mass media and entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 2005 by the merger of Namco and Bandai. The company specia ...
, having substantial relations with it before the acquisition, especially with its now-corporate sibling,
Bandai Namco Filmworks
is a Japanese entertainment company owned by Bandai Namco Holdings with its business focused on production, planning, and management of anime. It was founded in September 1972 by former Mushi Production staff as the animation studio branch o ...
.
History
It was founded in 1965 as ,
with it being designated by baseball team
Yomiuri Giants
The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They h ...
as its primary agency for the planning and distribution of the team's merchandising interests.
In 1977, it changed its name to . The agency was first listed in the
JASDAQ stock exchange in 2003.
On April 1, 2007, the company changed its name to .
It has been involved in the production and licensing of numerous television programs, beginning in 1972 with ''
Thunder Mask''.
The first anime series it produced was
Sunrise
Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon.
Terminology
Although the S ...
's ''
Invincible Super Man Zambot 3'', after which the company produced numerous others. In 1979, it produced ''
Mobile Suit Gundam
, also retrospectively known as ''First Gundam'', ''Gundam 0079'' or simply ''Gundam '79'', is a Japanese anime television series produced by Nippon Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Na ...
''.
In October 2019, Bandai Namco Holdings announced plans to acquire Sotsu, a move which would grant the company rights to the entire ''
Gundam
is a Japanese military science fiction media franchise. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks), the franchise features giant robots, or mecha, with the name "Gundam". The franchise began on April 7, 1979, with ...
'' franchise. The next month, however,
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
-based investment firm RMB Capital forced Bandai Namco to raise the tender offer price for Sotsu in a follow-on tender offer targeted at the general shareholders of Sotsu.
On March 1, 2020, Sotsu finally became a fully owned subsidiary of Bandai Namco.
Productions
Sunrise productions
*''
Aura Battler Dunbine''
*''
Combat Mecha Xabungle''
*
''Gundam'' series
*''
Haou Taikei Ryū Knight''
*''
Heavy Metal L-Gaim
is a mecha anime television series, begun in 1984, which was created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino. Its characters and mecha
In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking ...
''
*''
Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3''
*''
Invincible Super Man Zambot 3''
*''
Wild Knights Gulkeeva''
*''
Metal Armor Dragonar''
*''
Outlaw Star
is a media franchise#Japan, Japanese media mix primarily consisting of an anime Television show, television series produced by Sunrise (now a division of Bandai Namco Filmworks) and a corresponding Seinen manga, ''seinen'' manga series w ...
''
*''
Saikyō Robo Daiōja''
*''
Shippu! Iron Leaguer''
*''
Trider G7''
Nippon TV programs
*''
Sore Ike! Anpanman''
*''
Thunder Mask''
TV Asahi/ABC programs
*''
Burst Angel''
*''
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo''
*''
Glass no Kantai''
*''
SoltyRei''
*''
Speed Grapher''
TV Tokyo programs
*''
Battle Hawk'' (as Toyo Agency)
*''
Cardfight!! Vanguard
is a Japanese multimedia franchise jointly created by Akira Itō, Satoshi Nakamura, Mitsuhisa Tamura, and Bushiroad president Takaaki Kidani. It currently consists of multiple anime television series, an official t ...
'' (formerly aired on
TV Aichi
Aichi Television Broadcasting Company, Ltd. (TVA; ), also referred to as , with the callsigns JOCI-DTV (channel 10) is a Japanese television station
A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity ...
for the first season)
*''
Capeta''
*''
Dai-Guard''
*''
E's Otherwise''
*''
Earth Girl Arjuna''
*''
Eat-Man'' (1997 anime)
*''
Eden's Bowy''
*''
Elemental Gelade''
*''
Glass no Kamen''
*''
Grander Musashi RV''
*''
Hare+Guu''
*''
Hyper Police''
*''
Kinkyū Hasshin Saver Kids''
*''
Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato''
*''
Doki Doki Densetsu Mahōjin Guru Guru''
*''
Master of Mosquiton'' ('99)
*''
Papuwa''
*''
Saber Marionette J''
*''
Kyatto Ninden Teyandee
is a Japanese anime series produced by Tatsunoko Production and Sotsu Agency. The series originally aired in Japan on TV Tokyo from February 1, 1990, to February 12, 1991, for a total of 54 episodes. Saban picked up the North American rights ...
''
*''
School Rumble''
*''
Shadow Skill''
*''
Shiawa Sesō no Okojo-san''
*''
Shura no Toki''
*''
Silent Mobius''
*''
Simoun''
*''
Sorcerer Hunters''
*''
Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna''
*''
Tekkaman Blade''
*''
Shin Tenchi Muyo!''
*''
Those Who Hunt Elves''
*''
Virus Buster Serge''
*''
YuruYuri''
UHF programs
*''
Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni''
*''Play Ball''
*''
Shōnen Onmyōji''
Source:
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Bandai Namco Filmworks
Advertising agencies of Japan
Mass media companies based in Tokyo
Service companies based in Tokyo
Japanese companies established in 1965
Mass media companies established in 1965
2020 mergers and acquisitions
Companies formerly listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange
Suginami
2003 initial public offerings