AnimEigo is one of the first American anime companies, which was founded in Ithaca, New York in 1988 by Robert Woodhead (co-creator of Wizardry) and Roe Adams. Their first release was Madox 01, back in the VHS tape era, and their first really big title was Bubblegum Crisis. They are well known for releasing classic anime, much of which wasn't classic when they first started selling it.
The company remained more like a fan-run company than some others, releasing all of Urusei Yatsura (except for the second movie, which was originally licensed for U.S. release by Central Park Media; the license is currently held by Discotek Media). The company is fondly remembered by many old-time fans, especially for being one of the strongholds of subtitled releases in the bad old days of Subbing Versus Dubbing. Its releases also included lovingly detailed translators' notes, frequently including translated song lyrics and miscellaneous trivia. While they didn't dub all their anime, they did produce English dubs for a lot of them, using various studios based out of North Carolina (notably Coastal Carolina).
It still exists, but never adapted well to anime becoming big business and seldom releases anime any more (although it does retain many of its previous anime licenses, and keeps them in print), concentrating on Japanese live-action samurai films. Its most recent anime release is OVAs of Hello Kitty, as well as the first third of Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl before issues with the Japanese resulted in a terminated contract. They reissued Bubblegum Crisis on Blu-ray through a successful Kickstarter-funded campaign in 2013, and later did the same for Otaku no Video, Riding Bean, Gunsmith Cats, Megazone 23, and revisiting their roots with Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01. As of January 2024, they successfully funded a new campaign to release Macross II on Blu-Ray and UHD.
The company's name is a portmanteau of "anime" and "Eigo" (英語) — the Japanese word for the English language. The company was Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
Anime licensed by this company include:
- Ah! My Goddess (The original OVAs, as Oh, My Goddess, expired)
- Baoh: The Visitor (expired)
- Battle Royal High School (expired)
- Bubblegum Crisis (original OVA franchise, including Bubblegum Crash and AD Police Files)
- Captain Harlock: Arcadia of My Youth (expired, now licensed by Discotek)
- Crusher Joe (expired, now licensed by Discotek)
- The Dagger of Kamui
- Genesis Survivor Gaiarth (expired)
- Gunsmith Cats (previously licensed by ADV Films)
- Hello Kitty (Growing Up with Hello Kitty OVA's)
- Kimagure Orange Road (expired, now licensed by Discotek)
- Lupin III (two movies, released as "Rupan"; the licenses have expired; both are now licensed by Discotek Media with the original Lupin name intact, who has re-released Fuma and made a new dub for Babylon)
- Megazone 23 (previously licensed by ADV Films and Streamline Pictures)
- Metal Skin Panic MADOX 01
- Otaku no Video
- Riding Bean
- Scramble Wars (expired)
- Shonan Bakusozoku (expired)
- Spirit of Wonder (The first OVA, expired)
- Super Dimension Fortress Macross (subtitle-only release; expired, later re-released by ADV Films before expiring for them, too, currently released by Lionsgate with corresponding Robotech episodes)
- Macross II (previously licenced by U.S. Renditions and then Manga Entertainment)
- Urusei Yatsura (TV series, all movies but the second, expired, now licensed by Discotek, including the second movie)
- Vampire Princess Miyu (OVA's only)
- Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl (expired)
- You're Under Arrest! (expired)
