Discotek Media Explained

Discotek Media
Type:Private
Industry:Entertainment
Location City:Altamonte Springs, Florida
Location Country:U.S.

Discotek Media is an American entertainment company based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, focused on distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series.[1]

History

Formed in 2005,[1] Discotek primarily focuses on licensing retro titles from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, a lot of them "license rescued" from other companies such as Funimation, Viz Media, ADV Films, Bandai Entertainment, Geneon, Manga Entertainment, etc. Their licenses include most of the Lupin the Third franchise, the first two seasons and three films of Digimon, Fist of the North Star, Sonic X, Hajime no Ippo, Urusei Yatsura, Galaxy Express 999, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, and the 1997 Berserk series, as well as OVAs such as Giant Robo and Gunbuster and films such as Memories and Project A-ko. The company has also acquired several more recent titles and has collaborated with streaming service Crunchyroll on several releases, including KonoSuba, Kemono Friends, and 5 Centimeters per Second.

Discotek is notable for being a major adopter of the SD Blu-ray format, using it to release anime that do not have HD masters available.[2] The company has utilized unusual methods to find English dubs for which the masters have been lost. Such as using a Betamax copy of Nutcracker Fantasy in order to remaster the international cut of the film,[3] and reaching out to the fan community to locate the English dub of the third season of Medabots.[4]

Discotek commissioned their first original English-language dub for the April 2016 release of .[5] In 2022, the company announced a new sub-label for live-action films, Nihon Nights, and another for tokusatsu television series and films, Toku Time.[6] [7] The former began with the Blu-ray release of Uzumaki,[6] and the latter began with the release of Space Sheriff Gavan. In 2024, Discotek began licensing hentai anime starting with Kite.

Lists

Television series

The following programs have been licensed by Discotek Media.

!No.!Title!Director(s)!Broadcast network(s)!Episode(s)!Year(s)!Japanese name!Notes
1DororoGisaburo SugiiFuji TV26Dororo to hyakkimaruBased on Osamu Tezuka's manga of the same name
2Lupin III Yomiuri TV23Rupan sanseiBased on Monkey Punch's manga of the same name
3DevilmanTomoharu KatsumataTV Asahi39DebirumanBased on Go Nagai's manga of the same name
4AstrogangerMasashi NittaNippon TV26AsutorogangāOriginal series
5Mazinger ZTomoharu KatsumataFuji TV92Majingā ZBased on Go Nagai's manga of the same name
6Karate MasterOsamu DezakiTV Asahi47Karate baka ichidaiBased on Ikki Kajiwara's manga of the same name
7Aim for the Ace!MBS TV26Ēsu o nerae!Based on Sumika Yamamoto's manga of the same name
8Cutie HoneyTomoharu KatsumataTV Asahi25Kyūtī hanīBased on Go Nagai's manga of the same name
9Chargeman Ken!Noboru MiuraTBS65Chājiman-ken!Original series
10Great Mazinger
  • Keisuke Fujikawa (37 episodes)
  • Susumu Takaku (8 episodes)
  • Toyohiro Andō (11 episodes)
Fuji TV56Gurēto majingāBased on Go Nagai's manga of the same name
11Dino Mech GaikingTomoharu Katsumata44Ōzora ma ryū gaikinguOriginal series
12Super Electromagnetic Robo Combattler VTadao NagahamaTV Asahi54Chō denji robo konbatorā V
13Voltes V40Chō denji mashīn borutesu V
14Lupin III: Part II
  • Kyōsuke Mikuriya
  • Yasumi Mikamoto
Nippon TV155Shin rupan sanseiBased on Monkey Punch's manga of the same name
15Space Pirate Captain HarlockRintarōTV Asahi42Uchū kaizoku kyaputen hārokkuBased on Leiji Matsumoto's manga of the same name
16DaimosTadao Nagahama44Tōshō daimosuOriginal series
17The Adventures of the Little Prince 35Hoshi no ōjisama puchi puransuBased on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's novel of the same name
18Galaxy Express 999Nobutaka NishizawaFuji TV113Ginga tetsudō 999Based on Leiji Matsumoto's manga of the same name
19Treasure IslandOsamu DezakiNippon TV26TakarajimaBased on Robert Louis Stevenson's novel of the same name
20Future Robo DaltaniusKatsutoshi SasakiTV Tokyo47Mirai robo darutaniasuOriginal series
21The Rose of Versailles
  • Osamu Dezaki (eps 19-40)
  • Tadao Nagahama (eps 1-18)
Nippon TV40Berusaiyu no baraBased on Riyoko Ikeda's manga of the same name
22Wonderful Adventures of NilsHisayuki ToriumiNHK52Nirusu no fushigi na tabiBased on Selma Lagerlöf's book of the same name
23Space Emperor God Sigma
  • Katsuhiko Taguchi (eps 11-50)
  • Takeyuki Kanda (eps 1-10)
TV Tokyo50Uchū taitei goddo shigumaOriginal series
24Space Warrior BaldiosKazuyuki HirokawaFamily Gekijo34Uchū senshi barudiosu
25Astro BoyNoboru IshiguroNippon TV52Tetsuwan atomuBased on Osamu Tezuka's manga of the same name
26The New Adventures of GigantorTetsuo Imazawa51Tetsujin 28-gōBased on Misuteru Yokoyama's manga of the same name
27Macron 1Kunihiko YuyamaTV Tokyo26Sengoku majin gōshōgunOriginal series
28God MarsTetsuo ImazawaNippon TV64Rokushingattai goddomāzuBased on Misuteru Yokoyama's manga of the same name
29Chie the BratIsao TakahataMBS TVJarinkochieBased on Etsumi Haruki's manga of the same name
30Galactic Cyclone BraigerTakao YotsujiTV Tokyo39Ginga senpū buraigāOriginal series
31Miss MachikoMasami Anno95Maitchingu machiko-senseiBased on Takeshi Ebihara's manga of the same name
32Urusei Yatsura Fuji TV195Urusei yatsuraBased on Rumiko Takahashi's manga of the same name
33Acrobunch
  • Ryō Yasumura (as Masakazu Yasumura; eps 1-12, 14)
  • Takashi Hisaoka (eps 13, 15-24)
Nippon TV24Makyō densetsu akurobanchiOriginal series
34Galactic Gale BaxingarYoshikata NittaTV Tokyo39Ginga reppū bakushingā
35Space Cobra
  • Osamu Dezaki
  • Yoshio Takeuchi
Fuji TV31Supēsu koburaBased on Buichi Terasawa's manga of the same name
36Captain Harlock: Arcadia of my Youth - Endless Orbit SSX
  • Masamitsu Sasaki
  • Tomoharu Katsumata
TBS22Waga seishun' no arukadia mugen kidō SSXBased on Leiji Matsumoto's manga of the same name, sequel to Arcadia of My Youth
37Light-Speed Electro-God AlbegusKōzō MorishitaTV Tokyo45Kōsoku denjin arubegasuOriginal series
38Mrs. PepperpotKeiji HayakawaNHK130Supūn obasanBased on Alf Prøysen's children books of the same name
39Galactic Gale SasuraigerTakao YotsujiTV Tokyo43Ginga hayate sasuraigāOriginal series
40Lady GeorgieShigetsugu YoshidaABC TV45Redi jōjiiBased on Mann Izawa's manga of the same name
41The Super Dimension Century Orguss
  • Noboru Ishiguro
  • Yasumi Mikamoto
MBS TV35Chō jikū seiki ōgasuOriginal series
42Psychoarmor GovarianSeiji OkudaTV Tokyo26Saikoāmā gōbarian
43Special Powered Armor Troop DorvackJutarō ŌbaFuji TV36Tokusō kihei dorubakku
44Lupin III: Part IIIYuzo AokiNippon TV50Rupan sansei - pātsu IIIBased on Monkey Punch's manga of the same name
45Video Warrior LaserionKōzō MorishitaTBS45Bideo senshi rezarionOriginal series
46God Mazinger
  • Akira Nishimori (eps 6, 15)
  • Atsushi Minami (ep 12)
  • Goro Mikawashima (4 episodes)
  • Kamekichi Sakano (5 episodes)
  • Shuji Iuchi (4 episodes)
  • Tetsuya Endō (ep 2)
  • Tomio Shiwasu (ep 11)
  • Toru Idobata (ep 5)
  • Yoshio Hayakawa (ep 1)
  • Yukimatsu Ito (eps 8, 14, 21)
Nippon TV23Goddo majingāBased on Go Nagai's manga of the same name
47Giant GorgYoshikazu YasuhikoTV Tokyo26Kyoshin gōguOriginal series
48Saber Rider and the Star SheriffsAkira ShiginoNippon TV51Hoshi jūshi Bisumaruku
49Fist of the North StarToyoo AshidaFuji TV109Hokuto no kobushiBased on Buronson's manga of the same name
50Sherlock Hound TV Asahi26Meitantei hōmuzuBased on the character Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
51Super Bestial Machine God DancougarSeiji OkudaTBS38Chōjūkishin dankūgaOriginal series
52Blue Comet SPT LayznerRyousuke TakahashiNippon TVAoki ryūsei SPT reizunā
53Ninja RobotsMasami Anno43Ninja senshi tobikage
54Hiroshi YoshidaTV Tokyo47Mashin robo kuronosu no dai gyakushū
55The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
  • Hiroshi Saitō (eps 42-52)
  • Masaru Tonogouchi (eps 1-41)
52Ozu no mahōtsukaiBased on four of the original early 20th century Oz books by L. Frank Baum.
56Fist of the North Star 2Toyoo AshidaFuji TV43Hokuto no kobushi 2Based on Buronson's manga of the same name
57City HunterKenji KodamaYomiuri TV51Shitī hantāBased on Tsukasa Hojo's manga of the same name
58Kimagure Orange RoadOsamu KobayashiNippon TV48Kimagure orenji ☆ rōdoBased on Izumi Matsumoto's manga of the same name
59Machine Robo: The Running BattlehackersHiroshi YoshidaTV Tokyo31Mashin robo butchigiri batoru hakkāzuOriginal series
60Grimm's Fairy Tale ClassicsHiroshi SaitoABC TV24Gurimu meisaku gekijōBased on the Grimms' Fairy Tales.
61Osomatsu-kunAkira ShiginoFuji TV86Osomatsu-kunBased on Fujio Akatsuka's manga of the same name
62City Hunter 2Kenji KodamaYomiuri TV63Shitī hantā 2Based on Tsukasa Hojo's manga of the same name
63Samurai Troopers
  • Mamoru Hamatsu
  • Masashi Ikeda
Nagoya TV39Yoroi-den samurai torūpāOriginal series
64Grimm's Fairy Tales II
  • Akira Miyazaki
  • Nobuyuki Fujimoto
  • Yū Yamamoto
ABC TV23Shin gurimu meisaku gekijōBased on the Grimms' Fairy Tales.
65City Hunter 3Kenji KodamaYomiuri TV13Shitī hantā 3Based on Tsukasa Hojo's manga of the same name
66Samurai Pizza CatsKunitoshi OkajimaTV Tokyo54Kyattō nindente yande eOriginal series
67NG Knight Ramune & 40Hiroshi Negishi38NG kishi ramune& 40
68City Hunter '91Kiyoshi EgamiYomiuri TV13Shitī hantā' 91Based on Tsukasa Hojo's manga of the same name
79Dear BrotherOsamu DezakiNHK39Onii sama e…Based on Riyoko Ikeda's manga of the same name
70Super Electric Robot Iron Man #28 FXTetsuo ImazawaNippon TV47Chō dendō robo tetsujin 28-gō FXBased on Gigantor franchise.
71Marmalade BoyAkinori YabeABC TV76Mamarēdo bōiBased on Wataru Yoshizumi's manga of the same name
72Blue SeedJun KamiyaTV Tokyo26Burū shīdoBased on Yuzo Takada's manga of the same name
73DNA²Junichi SakataNippon TV12D N A ² ~ dokoka de shitsu kushita aitsu no aitsu ~Based on Masakazu Katsura's manga of the same name
74Magic Knight RayearthToshihiro HiranoYomiuri TV20Mahō kishi reiāsuBased on CLAMP's manga of the same name
75Magic Knight Rayearth II29Mahō kishi reiāsu II
76Sorcerer HuntersKōichi MashimoTV Tokyo26Baku Retsu hantāBased on Satoru Akahori's manga of the same name

Notes and References

  1. Web site: New Anime Distributor. Anime News Network. August 30, 2005. January 6, 2013.
  2. Web site: What Determines Whether An Older Show Should Be Released as SD-BD?. Anime News Network. September 19, 2018. January 19, 2023.
  3. Web site: The golden age of DVDs isn't over yet for anime fans. The Verge. February 29, 2024. August 15, 2024.
  4. Web site: Discotek Turns to Community for Help Locating Mon Kolle Knights, Medabots English Dub Masters . Anime News Network. June 11, 2020. August 15, 2024.
  5. News: Discotek Adds Lupin III: Jigen's Gravestone, Yowapeda, Go Nagai World, Toei's Little Mermaid, Iria . . December 21, 2014. August 15, 2024.
  6. News: Discotek Reveals Restoration Releases of Darkstalkers, Devilman, More Titles . . March 14, 2022. August 15, 2024.
  7. News: Discotek Launches New Toku Time Label for Tokusatsu Shows . . July 30, 2022. August 15, 2024.