Shin-Ei Animation
"Doraemon" remained fairly exclusive in manga form until 1979 when a newly formed animation studio, Shin-Ei Animation (now owned by TV Asahi) produced an animated second attempt of "Doraemon." The series, directed by Tsutomu Shibayama, aired on TV Asahi from April 2, 1979 to March 18, 2005. Eiichi Nakamura served as director of photography and character designer, while Shunsuke Kikuchi was the composer. Nobuyo Ōyama voiced Doraemon in the series; because of this, in Asia, this version is sometimes referred to as the Ōyama Edition. In total, 1,787 episodes were produced and were released in VHS and DVD by Toho. Celebrating the anniversary of the franchise, a third "Doraemon" animated series, also produced by Shin-Ei Animation, began airing on TV Asahi on April 15, 2005, with new voice actors and staff, and updated character designs. The third series is sometimes referred to in Asia as the Mizuta Edition, as a tribute for the voice actress for Doraemon, Wasabi Mizuta. It was released in DVD on February 10, 2006 under the title "New TV-ban Doraemon" with Shogakukan Video seal.