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| 3 | %% |
| 4 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/media_blasters.png]] |
| 5 | |
| 6 | [[http://media-blasters.com/ Media Blasters]] is an American producer, localizer, and distributor of genre media such as {{anime}}, {{manga}}, Japanese live-action and {{toku}}, and horror films (along with the occasional Western animation) based in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity. It was founded by ex-[[Creator/CentralParkMedia CPM]] employee John Sirabella and Sam Liebowitz in 1997. |
| 7 | |
| 8 | As far as the anime/manga market is concerned, despite managing to license several cash-cow series (''Anime/{{Voltron}}''[=/=]''Anime/GoLion'', ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'', ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'', ''Bible Black''), Media Blasters generally focused on more obscure series and never tried to expand as far as its competitors. (Meaning they didn't overextend themselves as much.) |
| 9 | |
| 10 | Media Blasters have used several labels for its releases: |
| 11 | * '''Anime Works''' -- anime and manga. |
| 12 | * '''Kitty Media''' -- {{Hentai}}. Has a tendency to use ParallelPornTitles. |
| 13 | * '''Tokyo Shock''' -- Japanese live-action, including {{Toku}}. |
| 14 | * '''Shriek Show''' -- Obscure horror and exploitation. |
| 15 | * '''Guilty Pleasures''' -- SoBadItsGood B-movies. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | After the anime crash of 2008, they weren't doing too well. On January 10, 2012, it announced it was going freelance and had already laid off 60% of its employees, leaving the actual body of the company comprised of [[OddlySmallOrganization five or six people]]. A few years afterward, the company also announced their [=DVDs=] would now be manufactured on an on-demand DVD-R format (though their Blu-rays will remain commercially pressed). Now surviving mostly on legacy titles and ''heavily'' relying upon their hentai releases, post-2008 and particularly after 2012 it became a running theme in anime circles for people to predict that the company would announce its closure "next month". To this day, however, the company is still around, albeit releasing titles at a very, ''very'' slow frequency. For the longest time, hentai titles were basically the only thing the company was releasing, as the licenses to most of their non-hentai titles have either expired or been sat on. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | However, starting in 2020, things have been changing for the better. In August, the company launched a new Website/{{Twitter}} account and teased a number of upcoming releases (which were ''not'' entirely just hentai). These include re-releases of some older back content, and more acquisitions and re-releases of non-anime films, including the revival of the Guilty Pleasures label, as well as a greater emphasis on "hidden gem" titles. The company has also moved away from the [=DVD-R=] system and returned to professionally pressing their discs, though they've also taken a page from Creator/SentaiFilmworks and Creator/DiscotekMedia's books and moved away from [=DVD=] entirely in favor of Blu-ray. While they've still got ways to go, the revitalization of Media Blasters has been seen as a welcome surprise, especially considering this move was happening concurrently to the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | ---- |
| 22 | !! Works released by this company include: |
| 23 | [[index]] |
| 24 | * ''Manga/AhMyBuddha'' (now distributed by Creator/LuckyPennyEntertainment) |
| 25 | * ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'' (The first season of the TV series) |
| 26 | * ''Aki Sora: Yume no Naka'' (first released sub-only in 2013; will receive an English dubbed re-release) |
| 27 | * ''Alien from the Darkness'' |
| 28 | * ''Film/{{Atragon}}'' |
| 29 | * ''Manga/{{Bakuman}}'' (DVD release/English dub canceled after two volumes; now licensed by Creator/VizMedia) |
| 30 | * ''Anime/Berserk1997'' |
| 31 | * ''Bible Black'' |
| 32 | * ''Manga/BladeOfTheImmortal'' |
| 33 | * ''Literature/BludgeoningAngelDokuroChan'' (now licensed by Creator/DiscotekMedia) |
| 34 | * ''[[Anime/CaptainHarlock Cosmo Warrior Zero]]'' |
| 35 | * ''Manga/ChargerGirl'' |
| 36 | * ''Manga/CrimsonSpell'' (first 2 volumes) |
| 37 | * ''Manga/CromartieHighSchool'' (LiveActionAdaptation film) |
| 38 | * ''Death Kappa'' |
| 39 | * ''Film/DeathStopHolocaust'' |
| 40 | * ''Manga/DoujinWork'' (anime and manga) |
| 41 | * ''Film/{{Dogora}}'' |
| 42 | * ''Anime/ElfPrincessRane'' |
| 43 | * ''Eiken'' (The OVA and manga) |
| 44 | * ''EL'' (though the English license was acquired from the original license-holder, [=NuTech=]) |
| 45 | * ''Anime/ExDriver'' (OVA's only, the movie was licensed by Creator/{{Geneon}} [[note]] both had the same dub cast though [[/note]]) |
| 46 | * ''Anime/Figure17TsubasaAndHikaru'' |
| 47 | * ''Film/TheFleshAndBloodShow'' |
| 48 | * ''Film/FleshForTheBeast'' |
| 49 | * ''[[Film/FrankensteinConquersTheWorld Frankenstein vs. Baragon]]'' |
| 50 | * ''Film/FrankensteinsBloodyTerror'' |
| 51 | * ''Film/Frightmare1974'' |
| 52 | * ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' (rescued from Creator/{{Geneon}} with Creator/DiscotekMedia handling the streaming rights) |
| 53 | * ''WesternAnimation/GalaxyHigh'' |
| 54 | * ''Anime/GaoGaiGar'' (now licensed by Creator/DiscotekMedia who also licensed ''Anime/GaoGaiGarFinal'') |
| 55 | * ''Gappa the Triphibian Monster'' |
| 56 | * ''Manga/{{Genshiken}}'' (First and second series) |
| 57 | ** ''Anime/KujibikiUnbalance'' (TV series; {{OVA}}s as extras on the ''Genshiken'' discs.) |
| 58 | * ''Anime/GiantRobo'' (DVD release of series, with both a new dub and the existing U.S. Renditions[=/=]Creator/MangaEntertainment dub; now licensed by Discotek Media) |
| 59 | * ''[[Manga/HighSchoolGirls Girls High]]'' |
| 60 | * Franchise/{{Godzilla}}: |
| 61 | ** ''Film/DestroyAllMonsters'' (now licensed by Creator/TheCriterionCollection) |
| 62 | ** ''Film/GodzillaVsMegalon'' (now licensed by Creator/TheCriterionCollection) |
| 63 | * ''Manga/GoldenBoy'' (Re-release of the Creator/ADVFilms dub, now licensed by Creator/DiscotekMedia) |
| 64 | * ''VisualNovel/GreenGreen'' |
| 65 | * ''Anime/{{Grenadier}}'' |
| 66 | * ''[[Anime/CaptainHarlock Gun Frontier]]'' |
| 67 | * ''VideoGame/GunparadeMarch'' (now licensed by Creator/SentaiFilmworks) |
| 68 | * ''Manga/HereIsGreenwood'' (Originally released by Creator/CentralParkMedia; re-dubbed and released on DVD.) |
| 69 | * ''Holy Knight'' (was initially released sub-only, was later re-released with a dub by new recording studio [=MB=] [=VoiceWorks=] [[note]] "[=MB=]" doesn't stand for media blasters; it stands for the first letters of the names of the founders, Melanie Ehrlich, and Brittany Lauda.[[/note]]) |
| 70 | * ''WesternAnimation/HuntikSecretsAndSeekers'' |
| 71 | * ''Manga/IkkiTousen'' (Licenced the second and third seasons, ''Dragon Destiny'' and ''Great Guardians''; first season is licensed by Creator/FUNimation after rescuing it from Creator/{{Geneon}}. Media Blasters later lost the third season to [=FUNi=], who also licensed the fourth season) |
| 72 | * ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' ([=DVDs=] now discontinued, DVD rights reverted to show producers Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} through Creator/{{Amazon}}'s print-on-demand service) |
| 73 | * ''Anime/JewelBEMHunterLime'' (license rescued by Sentai Filmworks) |
| 74 | * ''Anime/JubeiChan'' (both seasons, previously licensed by Creator/BandaiEntertainment and Creator/{{Geneon}} respectively) |
| 75 | * ''Anime/JungleDeIkou'' |
| 76 | * ''Literature/{{Kanokon}}'' |
| 77 | * ''[[Manga/KashimashiGirlMeetsGirl Kashimashi]]'' (anime now licensed by Creator/DiscotekMedia; manga is licensed by Creator/SevenSeasEntertainment) |
| 78 | * ''Manga/KekkoKamen'' (LiveActionAdaptation films) |
| 79 | * ''Anime/Kite1998'' |
| 80 | * ''Anime/KiteLiberator'' |
| 81 | * ''Literature/LadiesVersusButlers'' |
| 82 | * ''Film/LadyNinjaKaede'' |
| 83 | * ''Film/LatitudeZero'' |
| 84 | * ''Manga/{{Loveless}}'' |
| 85 | * ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'' (now licensed by Creator/DiscotekMedia) |
| 86 | * ''Anime/MagicUsersClub'' (now licensed by Creator/NozomiEntertainment) |
| 87 | * ''Anime/MagicalWitchPuniechan'' |
| 88 | * ''Maka Maka'' |
| 89 | * ''Master of Mosquiton'' (DVD release of Creator/ADVFilms' dub and sub) |
| 90 | * ''Film/{{Matango}}'' |
| 91 | * ''Anime/MetalFighterMiku'' |
| 92 | * ''Anime/MezzoForte'' (OVA) (now licensed by Creator/SentaiFilmworks under [=SoftCel=] Pictures) |
| 93 | * ''Manga/MidoriDays'' [[note]]License has expired[[/note]] |
| 94 | * ''Literature/MirageOfBlaze'' |
| 95 | * ''Moonlight Lady'' |
| 96 | * ''Literature/MoribitoGuardianOfTheSpirit'' (rescued from Creator/{{Geneon}}; later licensed rescued by Creator/VizMedia but now Creator/SentaiFilmworks has it) |
| 97 | * ''Manga/{{Mouse}}'' |
| 98 | * ''Film/TheMysterians'' |
| 99 | * ''Manga/MyWifeIsTheStudentCouncilPresident'' (release currently being worked on) |
| 100 | * ''VisualNovel/OtobokuMaidensAreFallingForMe'' |
| 101 | * ''Anime/OtogiZoshi'' |
| 102 | * ''Manga/Phoenix1954'' |
| 103 | * ''Manga/PrincessPrincess'' |
| 104 | * ''Anime/QueensBlade'' |
| 105 | * ''Manga/RamenFighterMiki'' |
| 106 | * ''Rei Rei'' |
| 107 | * ''Literature/RecordOfLodossWar'' (canceled release; now distributed by Creator/FUNimation) |
| 108 | * ''Anime/RioRainbowGate'' |
| 109 | * ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' (now licensed by Creator/AniplexUSA) |
| 110 | * ''Anime/SaberMarionetteR'' (rescued from Creator/BandaiEntertainment [[note]] who had the [[Anime/SaberMarionetteJ rest of the series]] [[/note]], but eventually Media Blasters lost the license too) |
| 111 | * ''Manga/SamuraiDeeperKyo'' |
| 112 | * ''Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei'' (intended to release it on DVD, but the first volume never came out, and they sat on the license for years until it expired; currently licensed by Creator/NozomiEntertainment) |
| 113 | * ''Manga/SevenOfSeven'' |
| 114 | * ''Anime/{{Simoun}}'' |
| 115 | * ''Film/SpaceAmoeba'' |
| 116 | * ''Anime/SpacePirateMito'' |
| 117 | * ''Manga/SquidGirl'' (Only Season 1 was released on home video; currently licensed by Creator/SentaiFilmworks) |
| 118 | * ''Literature/StrawberryPanic'' |
| 119 | * ''Anime/TekkamanBlade'' (including the ''Teknoman'' dub) |
| 120 | * ''Anime/TweenyWitches'' |
| 121 | * ''Literature/TheTwelveKingdoms'' (anime now licensed by Creator/DiscotekMedia; novels were formerly licensed by Creator/{{Tokyopop}}) |
| 122 | * ''Ultimate Girls'' |
| 123 | * ''Film/VaranTheUnbelievable'' |
| 124 | * ''Viper GTS'' (OVA) |
| 125 | * ''Anime/{{Voltron}}'' (License expired; was later licensed by Creator/NBCUniversal under Creator/DreamWorksAnimation's [=DreamWorks=] Classics library, but the rights have since reverted back to Creator/WorldEventsProductions) |
| 126 | ** ''Beast King Anime/{{Golion}}'' (Uncut sub) |
| 127 | * ''Film/WarriorsOfTheWasteland'' |
| 128 | * ''Anime/WeissKreuz'' (as ''Knight Hunters'') |
| 129 | * ''VisualNovel/YamitoBoushitoHonnoTabibito'' |
| 130 | * ''VisualNovel/YosugaNoSora'' |
| 131 | [[/index]] |
| 132 | ---- |
| 133 | !!Tropes featured with Media Blasters: |
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