Japan Home Video
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese media corporation which produces and distributes film and video products and is also involved in TV programming and game software. It uses the label for its adult video production.
s (VCRs) in Japan at that time. Following the introduction of commercial VCR Beta recorders in 1975 (and the VHS format in 1976), VCR production in Japan went from one million units in 1978 to 44 million by 1985 fueled largely by the number of movies (including pornography) available on VHS. By November 1984, the company had expanded enough to move to new headquarters in the fashionable Harajuku
district of Tokyo
.
The company originally used the Penguin label for its videos but in April 1986, JHV founded Alice Japan
(アリスJAPAN) as a label for their adult videos (AV). The company subsequently expanded into softcore movies, anime
productions, computer games and, in 1996, the satellite broadcasting business. In February 2000, JHV acquired a building in the Jinbocho area of Tokyo and transferred its headquarters there. A further move brought the Production Center to their own building in Tokyo's Nakano City
in March 2005 which also became the company headquarters in April 2007.
For the 2007 fiscal year, the corporation had sales of 2.25 billion yen (about $22.5 million) and a capital of 27 million yen (about $227,000). The company employed 34 people and had its headquarters in the JHV Building in Nakano, Tokyo.
directed by Shinya Tsukamoto
and the Yakuza
zombie
flic Junk: Shiryô-gari
from 2000. Also in the horror genre were Evil Dead Trap
or Shiryo no wana directed by Toshiharu Ikeda
and featuring AV actress Hitomi Kobayashi
which was released in 1988 and the sequel Evil Dead Trap 2: Hideki (死霊の罠2ヒデキ) from 1992. Evil Dead Trap was later released by JHV on DVD.
JHV also produced the first three live-action videos of the manga
based superheroine series Kekko Kamen
, the 1991 Kekko Kamen, Kekko Kamen 2 from 1992, and Kekko Kamen 3, released in 1993.
More recent productions were the 2004 drama which won awards at the 2005 Yokohama Film Festival
for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best New Director and the 2004 comedy eiko (エイコ).
JHV's Cinemadict Collection is a series of remastered worldwide classic movies with Japanese subtitles released on DVD. The collection includes the hard-to-find Alfred Hitchcock
silent film Downhill.
In the area of erotica, JHV makes softcore V-Cinema
videos under the V Muvii label or the SEN Planning label. Some popular series are the soft S&M Escape Confinement , Keep Masked and Pink Curtain . The company also produces "gravure" non-nude modeling videos, some using the label Girls' Record.
products. On April 25, 1987, the dark adult-oriented science fiction horror film Wicked City
(妖獣都市 or Yoju Toshi) was released in theatres by JHV and later on DVD. They also produced the anime movie which debuted in theatres in Japan in December 1990 and as a video in 1993. A different type of project produced by JHV was the comic , a series of 27 shorts broadcast on TV Asahi
in 1999.
In addition, JHV had a role in the production of the following Original Video Animation
s: 1987 1988 1989
PlayStation 2
.
Company history and finances
JHV was established in May 1984 to take advantage of the explosion of videocassette recorderVideocassette recorder
The videocassette recorder , is a type of electro-mechanical device that uses removable videocassettes that contain magnetic tape for recording analog audio and analog video from broadcast television so that the images and sound can be played back at a more convenient time...
s (VCRs) in Japan at that time. Following the introduction of commercial VCR Beta recorders in 1975 (and the VHS format in 1976), VCR production in Japan went from one million units in 1978 to 44 million by 1985 fueled largely by the number of movies (including pornography) available on VHS. By November 1984, the company had expanded enough to move to new headquarters in the fashionable Harajuku
Harajuku
Harajuku is the common name for the area around Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Japan....
district of Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
The company originally used the Penguin label for its videos but in April 1986, JHV founded Alice Japan
Alice Japan
was established on April 4, 1986 as the adult video label for Japan Home Video .-Company information:The early AVs produced by JHV went under the Penguin label, the first title being the 30 minute long softcore Asobinasareya, Tadakurue starring Hidemi Nakajima released May 21, 1984 with...
(アリスJAPAN) as a label for their adult videos (AV). The company subsequently expanded into softcore movies, anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
productions, computer games and, in 1996, the satellite broadcasting business. In February 2000, JHV acquired a building in the Jinbocho area of Tokyo and transferred its headquarters there. A further move brought the Production Center to their own building in Tokyo's Nakano City
Nakano, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Nakano City .As of April 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 311,690 with a household number of 176,936 and a density of 19,992.94 persons per km². The total area is 15.59 km².-Geography:Five special wards...
in March 2005 which also became the company headquarters in April 2007.
For the 2007 fiscal year, the corporation had sales of 2.25 billion yen (about $22.5 million) and a capital of 27 million yen (about $227,000). The company employed 34 people and had its headquarters in the JHV Building in Nakano, Tokyo.
Products
The company is involved in the production and distribution of film, video products, music and TV programs.Film and video
JHV has produced and/or distributed a number of theatrical movies, including several in the science fiction or horror genre and often with erotic overtones. Some notable film productions include the 1989 cult horror movie Tetsuo: The Iron ManTetsuo: The Iron Man
Tetsuo: The Iron Man is a 1989 Japanese cyberpunk film by cult-film director Shinya Tsukamoto produced by Japan Home Video. This, his third film, is an extremely graphic but also strikingly-filmed fantasy shot in the same low-budget, underground-production style as his first two films...
directed by Shinya Tsukamoto
Shinya Tsukamoto
is a Japanese film director and actor with a considerable cult following both domestically and abroad.-Biography:Tsukamoto started making movies at the age of 14, when his father gave him a Super 8 camera. He made a number of films, ranging...
and the Yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
flic Junk: Shiryô-gari
Junk (film)
is a Japanese Yakuza Zombie movie directed by Atsushi Muroga. Shot in 1999 and produced by Japan Home Video, it is essentially a remake of a Japanese mafia movie called "Score" also directed by Muroga, but this time with zombies getting in the way of being paid for the heist. The movie pays homage...
from 2000. Also in the horror genre were Evil Dead Trap
Evil Dead Trap
Evil Dead Trap, known in Japan as , is a 1988 Japanese horror film directed by Toshiharu Ikeda and produced by Japan Home Video.-Plot:TV show host Nami asks her viewers to send in home movies; she receives a snuff film apparently shot at a nearby factory. Taking a camera crew out to investigate,...
or Shiryo no wana directed by Toshiharu Ikeda
Toshiharu Ikeda
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter who worked in pink film and mainstream cinema. He won the award for Best Director at the 6th Yokohama Film Festival for Mermaid Legend.-Early career - Nikkatsu:...
and featuring AV actress Hitomi Kobayashi
Hitomi Kobayashi
is an important early Japanese AV idol. One of the founding figures of the Japanese adult video, she has been called indispensable to any discussion of the AV...
which was released in 1988 and the sequel Evil Dead Trap 2: Hideki (死霊の罠2ヒデキ) from 1992. Evil Dead Trap was later released by JHV on DVD.
JHV also produced the first three live-action videos of the manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
based superheroine series Kekko Kamen
Kekko Kamen
is originally a shōnen manga series from Japanese creator Go Nagai, which spawned an OVA series and several live-action films. The manga series is about the misadventures of a student named Mayumi Takahashi who attends a boarding school called Toenail of Satan's Spartan Institute of Higher...
, the 1991 Kekko Kamen, Kekko Kamen 2 from 1992, and Kekko Kamen 3, released in 1993.
More recent productions were the 2004 drama which won awards at the 2005 Yokohama Film Festival
Yokohama Film Festival
The is a noticed yearly awards ceremony held in Japan. The festival was started as a small affair by fans and film critics, and first held on February 3, 1980. Ten films are chosen as the best of the year, and various awards are given to personnel...
for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best New Director and the 2004 comedy eiko (エイコ).
JHV's Cinemadict Collection is a series of remastered worldwide classic movies with Japanese subtitles released on DVD. The collection includes the hard-to-find Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
silent film Downhill.
In the area of erotica, JHV makes softcore V-Cinema
V-Cinema
Japanese is the direct-to-video industry that appeared in Japan in the 1980s. The term is a trademark of Toei Company but is widely used in the West to describe any Japanese direct-to-video release. In Japan the term used is...
videos under the V Muvii label or the SEN Planning label. Some popular series are the soft S&M Escape Confinement , Keep Masked and Pink Curtain . The company also produces "gravure" non-nude modeling videos, some using the label Girls' Record.
Anime
The company has long had an interest in animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
products. On April 25, 1987, the dark adult-oriented science fiction horror film Wicked City
Wicked City (film)
is an animated horror neo-noir directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, based on Hideyuki Kikuchi's novel of the same name.The story takes place towards the end of the 20th century and explores the idea that the human world secretly coexists with the demon world with a secret police force known as the Black...
(妖獣都市 or Yoju Toshi) was released in theatres by JHV and later on DVD. They also produced the anime movie which debuted in theatres in Japan in December 1990 and as a video in 1993. A different type of project produced by JHV was the comic , a series of 27 shorts broadcast on TV Asahi
TV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
in 1999.
In addition, JHV had a role in the production of the following Original Video Animation
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
s: 1987 1988 1989
- Angel Cop 1989 1990-1991 (3 episodes)
- Secrets of the Telephone Club (Terekura no Himitsu) 1991 1992 2005-2006 (2 episodes)
Computer games
Graduation (:ja:卒業 〜Graduation〜 or Sotsugyō) is the title of a simulation genre computer game first released by JHV in June 1992. Two years later in 1994, a sequel Graduation 2: Neo Generation (卒業II 〜Neo Generation〜) appeared. The game, the object of which is to get five young girls with various problems to graduate high school, has since had several incarnations and been ported to a number of systems including the SonySony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
.
External links
- Official website
- Japan Home Video at Japanese Movie DatabaseJapanese Movie DatabaseThe , commonly referred to as JMDB, is an online database of information about Japanese movies, actors, and production crew personnel. It is similar to the Internet Movie Database, but lists only those films originally released in Japan. The site was started in 1997, and contains movies from Meiji...