A.D. Vision

**A.D. Vision** (known simply as **ADV** and also referred to as **ADV Films**) is an American multimedia entertainment studio that served as the largest American and British anime distributor in the late 20th to early 21st centuries. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, ADV Films was formed in 1992 by video game fan John Ledford and anime fans Matt Greenfield and David Williams. The company spent the next 17 years in the fields of home video production and distribution, broadcast television, theatrical film distribution, merchandising, original productions, magazine and comic book publishing. In 2002, most of ADV Films' back catalog were used to program its new channel, the Anime Network.

For over 15 years, ADV released successful anime titles. Among them are *Neon Genesis Evangelion*, *Robotech*, *RahXephon*, *Full Metal Panic*, *Azumanga Daioh*, *Elfen Lied*, *Gantz*, *Red Garden* and *Le Chevalier D'Eon*. The company maintained offices in North America, Europe and Asia. In addition to North America, ADV Films distributed their home media releases in the United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany. With declining fortunes in the mid-2000s due to low sales, ADV collapsed and eventually liquidated their assets in 2009. Section23 Films, Sentai Filmworks, AEsir Holdings, Valkyrie Media Partners and Seraphim Digital; which became subsidiaries of AEsir Media. Ledford, Greenfield and Williams continue to work for these companies as mentors and creative consultants and most of ADV's back catalog were re-licensed by Discotek Media, Media Blasters, Sentai Filmworks, Maiden Japan, NIS America, Nozomi Entertainment, Viz Media, Ponycan USA, Aniplex of America and Funimation. As of 2019, in addition to owning the rights to the ADV Films brand name, Sentai Filmworks now distributes later releases such as *Mezzo DSA* on DVD, *Kino's Journey* on DVD and SD Blu-ray and *Elfen Lied* on DVD and Blu-ray.

## History

John Ledford, a native of Houston, started a Japanese video game and video console import business in 1990. He was introduced to anime when he watched *My Neighbor Totoro* at his friend's suggestion. At the time, Matt Greenfield, born in San Francisco, ran a local anime club called Anime NASA, which also included classmate David Williams. After consulting with Ledford, Greenfield joined him and Williams to found A.D. Vision, which officially opened for business on August 17, 1992. Ledford contacted Toho about optioning the rights to license *Devil Hunter Yohko*. Shozo Watanabe, the general manager of Toho's Los Angeles office, expressed concern that A.D. Vision would not be able to handle the distribution of the film. Unable to find another distributor, Toho convinced A.D. Vision to license the series. That December, *Devil Hunter Yohko* became the first title to be released by A.D. Vision.

In 2007, Japan's Sojitz announced that Japan Content Investments (JCI), an investment group run by Sojitz, Development Bank of Japan, and film distribution company KlockWorx, planned to contribute money to A.D. Vision, in return for equity in the company. Ledford was to remain the majority shareholder and CEO. JCI subsidiary ARM also planned to contribute money for ADV to use in acquiring new distribution licenses. The investment was to ADV Films to raise its output of new anime titles, which had dropped in 2006, back to previous levels or above. In return, ADV planned to assist Sojitz with the acquisition of North American and European content for importation into Japan. According to ADV, they also reportedly had "big plans" for its manga line.

### Liquidation and dissolution

On September 1, 2009, ADV announced that it was liquidating its assets, including intellectual properties, its distribution arm and the Anime Network to four companies: Seraphim Studios, AEsir Holdings LLC, Valkyrie Media Partners LLC and SXION 23 LLC. The impact of this sale on the company's plans to license and release new titles, is still not fully known, but the ADV brand name and logo have been retired. Anime News Network has reported that Seraphim Studios, Valkyrie Media Partners and SXION 23 are all corporations registered (initially filed) by Griffin D. Vance IV, who was ADV's senior vice president of business and legal affairs.

The following companies all acquired assets from A.D. Vision:

* **Sentai Filmworks** is the licensor company for acquiring Japanese anime into the North American market.
* **AEsir Holdings** has licensed rights to most of ADV Films' former library of titles (some titles, including Madlax, are licensed directly by Sentai Filmworks).
* **Seraphim Studios** acquired Amusement Park Media, ADV's production studio, and it was renamed Seraphim Digital Studios.
* **Valkyrie Media Partners** acquired the Anime Network. The network continues to operate as before the sale.
* **Section23 Films** is a distributor and marketing company of Switchblade Pictures, Sentai Filmworks, Maiden Japan, and AEsir Holdings.

That day, major retail website *Robert's Corner Anime Blog* contacted Mike Bailiff, formerly of ADV Films and now heading up Sales and Marketing at Section 23 Films. Bailiff revealed that "Section 23 has acquired all of ADV's former licenses and most of the staff" including "everyone at ADV that mattered."

In addition to the new companies that were created from the remains of ADV, Section 23 also took over distribution of Switchblade Pictures. The company focuses on low-budget J-horror and pink cinema titles and its DVDs had also previously been distributed by ADV. No one is quite certain as to the exact relationship of Switchblade and Section 23. The executives listed on all Switchblade titles differ from those on all other Section 3 releases, and several industry insiders have been led to believe that "Switchblade is someone else's baby". However, when the registration of the company was found, it was revealed that Ledford had helped register the company.

On September 18, 2009, the anime review site iSugoi.com posted a full podcast devoted to the shutdown of ADV, analyzing that ADV hadn't really shut down and the new companies such as Section 23 were basically ADV selling itself to itself: that it was not a shutdown but a drastic rebranding and restructuring. The report went on to say that Section 23 was, for all intents and purposes, the direct successor-organization to the old ADV company name, and that ADV split its assets such as the Anime Network into the other three companies to take advantage of several legal loopholes. The podcast report concluded with the assertion that Section 23, and the umbrella of associated companies ADV split into, could effectively be thought of as Neo-ADV (referencing how in Mobile Suit Gundam, when the Principality of Zeon was defeated, its remnants reorganized into Neo Zeon).

On October 19, 2009, rival distribution company Funimation posted an online Q&A video panel hosted by events manager Adam Sheehan. When asked about ADV going out of business, Sheehan's response was the following:

> ADV isn't out of business. ADV did remaster itself, as you might call it, and change itself into multiple different companies (Section 23, etc.), holding different parts of its brands, of its marketing, so [it's] still around...the best way I would describe it is to think of it as Voltron: if it turned back into the five lions, so it's not the one Voltron robot anymore, so the ADV logo is no longer around, but the lions and all the properties are still around.
>
>

Ken Hoinsky, Managing Founder of MX Media LLC, a translation and localization company contracting with most major anime distribution companies (FUNimation, Viz, Bandai), appeared on the October 29, 2009, Anime News Network podcast: in it he said that his company also contracts with Section 23, but that he also collectively refers to the allied companies that ADV split into as Neo-ADV.

Another new company associated with Sentai Filmworks is "Maiden Japan". While Sentai Filmworks is responsible for licensing new titles, both Section 23 and Maiden Japan serve as distributors for it. Since ADV's fire sale, Ledford, Greenfield and Williams moved on to work for new projects at Section 23 and Maiden Japan, respectively. Technically, Maiden Japan is "associated" with Switchblade Pictures.

### Gainax lawsuit

In August 2011, A.D. Vision sued Gainax over Gainax's refusal to accept an option payment for the perpetual live-action rights to *Evangelion*, including the planned live-action film; ADV charges that by refusing to accept payment, Gainax broke the contract and is asking for the rights and legal fees.

## Divisions

### ADV Films

ADV Films was the home video publication arm of A.D. Vision based in Houston, Texas, specializing in publishing anime and tokusatsu videos, as well as other live-action material. In 1996, ADV Films opened its UK division, and diversified into the realm of live-action television series, such as *Andromeda*, and Japanese films like *Gamera 2: Advent of Legion*.

The first title to be licensed and released to video was *Devil Hunter Yohko*. They were the first North American anime licensee to use all-digital video mastering and transfer (specifically D2 digital video tape), and soon began acquiring an extensive library of titles. Initially, titles were released to video with the original Japanese language track and English subtitles added. A few years later, they began dubbing releases to English using their own voice actors. ADV started out using a nearby production studio as their recording facility, but after a few years they were able to open up their own production and recording facility in Houston, as well as a second studio in Austin, Texas. The studios were named Industrial Smoke & Mirrors (IS&M) and Monster Island, respectively. Monster Island closed down permanently in early 2005 and IS&M became known simply as ADV Studios. In their later years, ADV Studios began offering their services for other companies, which led to their name being changed to Amusement Park Media.

ADV Films offered a program called Anime ADVocates, which provided free screening material and other promotional content to nearly 3,000 anime clubs in North America. To qualify for the program, the club had to be sponsored by a local high school, college, university, or public library and have at least 10 members. Member clubs were also asked to participate in surveys about the content they received.However, in November 2007, ADV Films put the program on hiatus, then on January 18, 2008, ADV Films announced that the program was being suspended indefinitely due to amount of resources the program needed. The company continued to offer anime clubs screening permission for its titles prior to its reorganization.

As of July 2008, ADV Films and ARM Corporation transferred the licenses to over 30 different shows into the hands of fellow anime distributor Funimation. Those rights included the home video, broadcast, digital, and merchandising rights in North America and other regions.

Since then, former ADV titles have since been re-licensed by other companies such as Funimation, Aniplex of America, Sentai Filmworks, Media Blasters, Discotek Media, Nozomi Entertainment, Maiden Japan, Viz Media, NIS America, and Ponycan USA.

### Anime Network

Anime Network was a cable channel in North America dedicated to anime. The network launched in North America in late 2002 and was marketed to multi-system operators (MSOs) as both a stand-alone 24-hour linear network and as a VOD programming service. The Anime Network was the United States' first all-anime cable TV network. On January 4, 2008, Anime Network officially announced that the traditional 24/7 service would cease operations.

The Anime Network exists now as a web site with an Online Player and user forums, as well as a VOD channel operating on many cable and satellite operators, including DirecTV, Dish Network, Cox, Time Warner, Cablevision, Charter and many more.

The network carried a variety of older ADV titles including *Ushio and Tora*, *Rahxephon*, *Angelic Layer* and more, in addition to many new shows from Sentai Filmworks including *Clannad*, *Clannad After Story*, *Appleseed*, *Special A*, *Tears to Tiara*, *Sin: The Movie* and many more. Anime Network also airs many shows from Right Stuf International's Nozomi division, such as *Maria Watches Over Us* and *Aria*, as well as many titles from Enoki Films, including *Revolutionary Girl Utena*, *Demon Lord Dante*, and *Cosmic Warrior Zero*. The network's website does not currently stream the Right Stuf titles, but all of the Enoki shows are available on its online player. Anime Network also carries Japanese films as well, apart from anime.

### ADV Manga

ADV Manga was ADV's division for the licensing and distribution of English translations of Japanese manga. The division was launched in 2003, with a strong list of titles and an ambitious plan for growth within the United States manga market. However, ADV Manga canceled many of their titles in late 2004 and 2005. In late 2005, they began a more scaled-back release, concentrating on monthly released of a few titles, as well as releasing several acclaimed one-shots. In 2006, ADV Manga released the 6-volume *Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days* series and in 2007 the company resumed releasing several popular titles that had been on hiatus, including *Yotsuba&!* and *Gunslinger Girl*.

At Anime Expo 2006, manga publisher Tokyopop announced that it had obtained the licenses for three titles formerly licensed by ADV that had been cancelled: *Aria*, *Tactics*, and *Peacemaker Kurogane*. Meanwhile, Yen Press has acquired the rights to *Yotsuba&!* and *Azumanga Daioh*.

### ADV Music

**ADV Music** was the music publishing division which focused on distributing anime and movie soundtracks. Launched in 2003 after ending their partnership with The Right Stuf International in AnimeTrax, their initial releases included the soundtracks for *Super Atragon*, *Cat Girl Nuku Nuku* and *Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny*.

### ADV Pro

ADV Pro was the company's anime production studio. They have worked on such in house productions as *Lady Death* and *Mutineers' Moon*. John Ledford stated that ADV Pro had been "reactivated" and was working on *Mutineers' Moon*, however, with the shutdown at ADV Films, this plan had been cancelled.

### SoftCel Pictures

SoftCel Pictures was the branch of the company that specialized in the release of hentai anime titles on VHS and DVD. The first product released was *Legend of Lyon Flare*. This division was shut down in 2005 after spinning off from ADV, and most of its titles were acquired by Critical Mass, the hentai division of The Right Stuf International. In 2017, SoftCel was relaunched and Section23 Films distributes their catalog.

### Happy Carrot

ADV started the Happy Carrot branch in 2008 to release hentai anime titles on DVD, replacing SoftCel. This branch released a total of four titles between 2008 and 2009, two were reissues of VHS titles and two were new titles. Following the 2009 closure of ADV, the label has been defunct.

## Magazines

### Newtype USA

Main article: Newtype

*Newtype USA* was the US edition of Japan's *Newtype* magazine. The first issue was published in November, 2002. A.D. Vision (ADV) contacted its advertising partners to let them know that the February 2008 issue of *Newtype USA* was the last issue of the magazine. The magazine contained material it translated from the Japanese release as well as articles from American writers. It was expected to have 50,000 copies in for its initial circulation.

#### Newtype USA March 2005

The March 2005 issue of Newtype USA magazine featured *Madlax* artwork on the cover that has been exclusively drawn for the Newtype USA. In addition, it contained coverage of *Fullmetal Alchemist* and *Samurai Champloo*, along with *Maburaho* and *Scrapped Princess*. The cover DVD had both dub and sub versions of *Cromartie High School* and *Divergence Eve*.

It also contained an article titled [Inside] Bee Train wherein it explained the studio's idea of being a hospital for animators and delving into not just *Madlax*, but *Noir* and *.Hack//SIGN.*

### PiQ

Main article: PiQ (magazine)

*PiQ* premiered in May 2008 as a replacement for *Newtype USA*. It was published by PiQ LLC, a now-defunct subsidiary. The magazine had a broader focus and expanded coverage of topics beyond anime and manga. *PiQ* retained much of the editorial staff and freelance writers that once worked on its predecessor, as well as the its 15,000 subscribers. In June 2008, after only four issues had been published, *PiQ* was canceled and its offices abruptly closed down. The July 2008 dated issue, which had already been released when the announcement was made, was the magazine's last issue.