ShoPro Ent. Inc. and VIZ LLC, both prominent North American producers and distributors of Japanese anime, will merge to create a new entity. Set to debut this spring, the yet unnamed San Francisco-based venture will leverage the unique assets of Japanese manga and animation powerhouses Shogakukan Inc., Shueisha Inc. and Shogakukan Production Co. Ltd. (ShoPro Japan).
ShoPro Ent. is an affiliate of ShoPro Japan, a subsidiary of Shogakukan Inc. To date, the company has introduced broadcasters and consumers worldwide to such animated series as Hamtaro, Inuyasha, MegaMan NT Warrior and Mirmo.
VIZ, a subsidiary of Shogakukan Inc. and Shueisha Inc., is the English-language publisher of such hit manga series as Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dragon Ball, Alice 19th, Ranma 1/2 and Shonen Jump magazine. VIZ also produces anime home video titles for the Pokémon, Inuyasha and Boys Over Flowers brands.
ShoPro and VIZ previously collaborated on such hit properties as the aforementioned Inuyasha and Megaman NT Warrior. The companies hope to collectively reach a wider audience and leverage their combined power to acquire the hottest brands coming out of Japan.
Osamu Kamei, executive director of Shogakukan Inc., comments, "In order to nurture and grow the worldwide exposure of Japanese manga and animation, we have decided to step beyond the corporate framework that exists in Japan, and form a new globally oriented company by merging VIZ and ShoPro Ent." He adds, "I strongly believe that the partnership of the three companies, Shogakukan, Shueisha and ShoPro, will be a major step forward for the Japanese contents business."
According to Publishers Weekly, manga and anime generate roughly $4 billion in revenues globally each year, with anime accounting for 25% of children’s programming in the U.S. Sources say the Shopro/VIZ merger will cause a significant shakeup in the business, leaving competitors 4Kids Ent., Tokyopop and Funimation to find new resources for content.
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