Aniplex of America - Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer)
Established in 2005, Aniplex of America Inc., or ‘Aniplex USA’ as it’s more commonly known is a USA-based Anime distribution service and subsidiary of Aniplex which is owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Aniplex of America runs the English-language rendition of Aniplex+, founded in 2014, which is an e-store dedicated to selling limited edition one-of-a-kind anime figures and merchandise exclusive to the company. Alongside this, Aniplex of America also operates an anime streaming service known as Aniplex channel, started in 2013. Both services can be found on Aniplex of America’s main website.
The titles that Aniplex of America distribute are usually circulated through the US market by company ‘Right Stuff Inc.’ Their assets are also often streamed by Hulu, FunimationNow, CrunchyRoll, and less commonly Netflix.
History
Aniplex’s origins start in Japan in 1997, where they were deemed one of the pioneers of modern anime distribution. In November 2000 Aniplex released ‘Blood: The Last Vampire’, which was a world first, as it was the first feature-length fully digital animation to be present in HD24P.
It wasn’t until 2005 when Aniplex decided to branch out and form Aniplex of America, which could be deemed slightly behind the times when compared to older US institutions such as Viz Media. Aniplex of America was able to forge their own niche in the growing western anime distribution market however, bringing to the US market for the first time, obscure and expensive Japanese imported Blu-rays.
Aniplex’s company motto is ‘bringing dreams and inspiring experiences to all generations’, and this ethos can be noticed in many of Aniplex of America’s innovations and contributions to the western anime scene. Some of Aniplex of America’s biggest hits have included anime series Hare Tokidoki Buta, Rurouni Kenshin, and the first series of 2019 smash hit Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer). Aniplex of America has also worked with Bang Zoom! Entertainment to produce and distribute a variety of English-dubbed anime series.
Other popular titles in Aniplex of America’s repertoire include; Black Butler, FullMetal Alchemist, Kill la Kill, Sword Art Online, and Garden of Sinners.
Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) Anime Series
Aniplex of America gained the US distribution license to Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) Season 1, the long-awaited anime of the immensely successful 18-volume manga series of the same name. The series first aired in Japan on Tokyo MX, GTV and GYT, as well as BS11, un mid-2019, with the US release at the hands of Aniplex of America occuring in the later portion of the year.
In early March of 2019, prior to the series release on television platforms, Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) was presented theatrically in Japan, with the first five episodes being combined into a cinematic release entitled; Kimetsu no Yaiba: Kyōdai no Kizuna (鬼滅の刃 兄妹の絆). In late March Aniplex of America gained the rights to screen the theatrical adaptation in the USA, and on March 31st Kimetsu no Yaiba: Kyōdai no Kizuna (鬼滅の刃 兄妹の絆), was screened at Aratani Theatre in Los Angeles.
With scripts by well-known Ufotable Production, direction by Haruo Sotozaki, production by Hikaru Konda, and compositions by Yuki Kajiura and Go Shiina, as well as theme tunes from LiSA and FictionJunction, the Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) anime replicated the previous success of its original manga series. Through Aniplex of America the first series was available to stream on popular US platforms such as Hulu, CrunchyRoll, and FunimationNow.
Reception
The Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) anime gained both critical and fan acclaim. It won six awards at the Newtype Anime Awards, winning best TV anime, best theme song, best voice actors, best character design, and lead male character Tanjirō Kamado and lead female character Nezuko Kamado both won awards respectively.
Even though the Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) anime came at the very end of a spectacular and platform-changing decade for anime, it earned its place for many fans and critics as a strong contender for the top anime of the decade. Aside from a few subjective issues with plot development, which the manga seemed to handle more effectively, for many critics the anime was without fault. Since it’s release the Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) anime has become well-known for its cutting-edge animation style which lends additional depth to the many action and combat scenes.
Future
In September of 2019, almost immediately after the 26th and last episode of the first season of Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) aired, that a feature-length animated film entitled Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer): Mugen Train (鬼滅の刃 無限列車編, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Ressha-hen) was announced. It was also revealed that all staff and voice actors would be reprising their roles from the first series. The film is set to premiere in Japan in 2020 as a direct sequel to the anime’s first season. It has not yet been revealed at this moment in time whether Aniplex of America will gain the right to premiere the film in the US following the Japanese premiere, though given the distribution companies previous premiere history, this event seems likely.