Section23 Films
Encyclopedia
Section23 Films is an American home video distribution company specializing in anime and Japanese films
. The company is one of five successors to ADV Films
, as well as the distributor of titles from Sentai Filmworks and Switchblade Films. ADV had announced that it had sold its assets to a group of companies, including Section23, on September 1, 2009. The company is based in Houston, Texas
. Digital distribution (such as on iTunes
) is handled by Warner Bros. Entertainment.
licensing company. It was formed in 2008 and had partnered with ADV Films
to distribute their anime onto the market including shows that was previously released and licensed by Geneon USA. As of September 2009, distribution is now handled by Section23 and it is now the successor to ADV Films. Their first title was a re-release of Mahoromatic
.
ese films (mostly, uncut horror and Pink cinema). Along with Sentai Filmworks, Switchblade was formed in 2008 and ADV Films provided distribution. As of September 2009, distribution is now handled by Section23. Their first release was Cruel Restaurant.
A new sub-label of Switchblade Pictures opened in 2010 called Maiden Japan. They are a licensing company that licenses mature anime, similar to Switchblade's Pink cinema catalog. As with Switchblade, they are distributed by Section23 Films. Their first release was Papillon Rose
.
, Petite Princess Yucie
, and Lady Death
.
, instead sublicensing to other companies such as Manga Entertainment
in the United Kingdom and Siren Visual
(initially and the majority), then Madman Entertainment
(starting with the release of Xam'd: Lost Memories
and future releases of Highschool of the Dead
and Hyakka Ryōran Samurai Girls
) in Australia and New Zealand.
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
. The company is one of five successors to ADV Films
A.D. Vision
A.D. Vision was an American international multimedia entertainment company headquartered in Houston, Texas, prior to its collapse and distress sale to four other Houston-based companies in 2009...
, as well as the distributor of titles from Sentai Filmworks and Switchblade Films. ADV had announced that it had sold its assets to a group of companies, including Section23, on September 1, 2009. The company is based in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. Digital distribution (such as on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
) is handled by Warner Bros. Entertainment.
About
Section23 Films is a distribution company devoted to marketing and releasing titles into the North American market. The company distributes titles for Sentai Filmworks, Switchblade Pictures, and AEsir Holdings. The name is a reference to the 23 districts within Tokyo, Japan.Sentai Filmworks
Sentai Filmworks is an 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....
licensing company. It was formed in 2008 and had partnered with ADV Films
A.D. Vision
A.D. Vision was an American international multimedia entertainment company headquartered in Houston, Texas, prior to its collapse and distress sale to four other Houston-based companies in 2009...
to distribute their anime onto the market including shows that was previously released and licensed by Geneon USA. As of September 2009, distribution is now handled by Section23 and it is now the successor to ADV Films. Their first title was a re-release of Mahoromatic
Mahoromatic
is a sci-fi romantic comedy manga and animeseries which contains elements of the literary genre of tragic dramas. It is about a female android former soldier, Mahoro...
.
Switchblade Pictures
Switchblade Pictures is a licensing company that mostly licenses live-action JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese films (mostly, uncut horror and Pink cinema). Along with Sentai Filmworks, Switchblade was formed in 2008 and ADV Films provided distribution. As of September 2009, distribution is now handled by Section23. Their first release was Cruel Restaurant.
A new sub-label of Switchblade Pictures opened in 2010 called Maiden Japan. They are a licensing company that licenses mature anime, similar to Switchblade's Pink cinema catalog. As with Switchblade, they are distributed by Section23 Films. Their first release was Papillon Rose
Papillon Rose
is an anime which parodies the magical girl genre, particularly Sailor Moon and Cutie Honey. Created by dojinshi group ECHIGOYA, Papillon Rose started out as a metafiction joke on a website, and the only had a few pictures of characters and a few lyrics to opening and ending theme songs...
.
AEsir Holdings
AEsir Holdings is an anime licensing company. They hold the rights to several titles which formerly belonged to ADV Films, before their shutdown. Released titles include Princess TutuPrincess Tutu
is a magical girl anime series created by Ikuko Itoh in 2002 for animation studio Hal Film Maker. It was adapted as a 2-volume manga illustrated by Mizuo Shinonome...
, Petite Princess Yucie
Petite Princess Yucie
is an anime series, which was produced by Gainax, aired from 2002 to 2003, and ran for 26 episodes. Six volumes of videos were released on DVD by ADV Films in the United States. As of Sep. 1, 2009, the series is now licensed by ADV's successor, AEsir Holdings; with distribution from Section23 Films...
, and Lady Death
Lady Death
Lady Death is a fictional character, a comic book goddess created by Brian Pulido and Steven Hughes. Lady Death first appeared in Evil Ernie #1 by Eternity Comics in December 1991. Lady Death then reappeared in the Evil Ernie: The Resurrection mini-series published by Pulido under his now defunct...
.
Foreign distribution
Section23 Films, Sentai Filmworks, and AEsir Holdings do not directly release their properties in non-US (English-speaking) markets unlike their predecessor, A.D. VisionA.D. Vision
A.D. Vision was an American international multimedia entertainment company headquartered in Houston, Texas, prior to its collapse and distress sale to four other Houston-based companies in 2009...
, instead sublicensing to other companies such as Manga Entertainment
Manga Entertainment
Manga Entertainment is a producer, licensor and distributor of Japanese animation in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Australia and New Zealand...
in the United Kingdom and Siren Visual
Siren Visual
Siren Visual is an Australian company which specialises in the distribution of Japanese anime, documentaries and off-beat cinema in Australia and New Zealand....
(initially and the majority), then Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment is an Australian company that distributes international films as well as Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. The company is owned by Funtastic Limited and is one of the major entertainment companies in Australia. It employs 130 people and has an annual...
(starting with the release of Xam'd: Lost Memories
Xam'd: Lost Memories
Xam'd: Lost Memories, released in Japan as , is an anime series, conceptualized by Bones and co-developed by Sony Computer Entertainment, Aniplex and Bones, which made its debut on Sony's inaugural launch of the PlayStation Network video download service at E3 in the United States on July 16,...
and future releases of Highschool of the Dead
Highschool of the Dead
is a manga series written by Daisuke Satō and illustrated by Shōji Satō. The story follows a group of high school students caught in the middle of a zombie apocalypse...
and Hyakka Ryōran Samurai Girls
Hyakka Ryōran Samurai Girls
, simply known as Samurai Girls, is a light novel series written by Akira Suzuki with illustrations by Niθ to commemorate Hobby Japan's 40th anniversary. The first volume was released by Hobby Japan on February 28, 2009, with a total of nine volumes available in Japan as of September 1, 2011 under...
) in Australia and New Zealand.