Right Stuf Inc. (formerly known as The Right Stuf International Inc.) was an American video publisher and distributor of video programming that specialized in Asian entertainment (

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

and live action films). It had several divisions including: Nozomi Entertainment (production) and RightStufAnime.com (online store). In March 2012, Right Stuf launched 5 Points Pictures, its live action label. Right Stuf also offered production services and distribution for Japanese labels Sunrise Inc., Eleven Arts,

Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966, which distributes music, films, home video, and video games. It is affiliated with the Japanese media group Fujisankei Communications Group. Pony Canyo ...

, and its corporate sibling, Aniplex of America. Right Stuf was founded in July 1987, by Robert "Todd" Ferson and Shawne P. Kleckner. The company was headquartered in

Grimes, Iowa Grimes is a city in Polk County, Iowa, Polk and Dallas County, Iowa, Dallas counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 15,392 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. Grimes is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines ...

. In August 2022, Right Stuf was acquired by Sony Group Corporation, and made a part of the

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...

brand. As a result of the acquisition, Right Stuf ceased distribution of all

hentai Hentai () is a style of Pornography in Japan, Japanese pornographic anime and manga. In addition to anime and manga, hentai works exist in a variety of media, including artwork and video games (commonly known as ''eroge''). The developme ...

content on its storefronts, for which it and Crunchyroll drew criticism from fans.

Crunchyroll, LLC Crunchyroll, LLC is an American Entertainment#Industry, entertainment company based in Coppell, Texas. It currently operates the anime-focused Crunchyroll, eponymous over-the-top media service, over-the-top video on demand#Subscription models, ...

operated the company through a joint venture ran by Sony through

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...

and

Aniplex Aniplex, Inc. (株式会社アニプレックス, ''Kabushiki-gaisha Anipurekkusu'') is a Japanese entertainment company and a subsidiary of Sony, Sony Group Corporation, founded in September 1995 by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The company fo ...

, itself a division of

Sony Music Entertainment Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation and is ...

. Prior to the acquisition, Crunchyroll, LLC, then known as Funimation, had partnered with its subsidiary Nozomi Entertainment to stream its select titles on the FunimationNow app in 2019. In December 2022, Kleckner announced he would be leaving the company after 35 years of being its co-founder and CEO. In September 2023, Crunchyroll announced that Right Stuf would be merged into Crunchyroll Store in October 2023, with Crunchyroll adopting the Right Stuf pricing and shipping practices, shutting down in the process. The initial service experience was succeeded by BuyAnime.

Former divisions

Nozomi Entertainment

Nozomi Entertainment was Right Stuf's studio focusing on "collector-grade releases for audiences of all ages." It published classic and modern anime programs for people of all ages, including '' Astro Boy (1963)'', '' Dirty Pair'', ''

Mobile Suit Gundam , also retrospectively known as ''First Gundam'', ''Gundam 0079'' or simply ''Gundam '79'', is a Japanese anime television series produced by Nippon Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Na ...

'', '' The Irresponsible Captain Tylor'', ''

Revolutionary Girl Utena is a Japanese anime television series created by Be-Papas, a production group formed by director Kunihiko Ikuhara and composed of himself, Chiho Saito, Shinya Hasegawa, Yōji Enokido and Yūichirō Oguro. The series was produced by ...

'', ''

Princess Knight ''Princess Knight'', also known as ''Ribon no Kishi'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. This manga follows the adventures of Sapphire, a girl who was born accidentally with a blue heart of a boy and a pin ...

'', ''

Kare Kano is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Tsuda. It was serialized in ''LaLa'' from 1995 to 2005 and collected in 21 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Hakusensha. It depicts the romance between "perfect" student Yukino Miyazawa a ...

'', '' Kimba the White Lion (1965)'', ''

Macross is a Japanese science fiction mecha anime media franchise/ media mix, created by Studio Nue (most prominently mecha designer, writer and producer Shōji Kawamori) and Artland in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth and t ...

'', and '' Junjo Romantica''. At the

Anime Expo Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first we ...

in 2007, CEO Shawne Kleckner announced that Right Stuf had changed the name of their production division to Nozomi Entertainment. The first title released under the new Nozomi Entertainment label was ''

The Third is a light novel series, that has also been made into manga and anime series by Ryo Hoshino and illustrated by Ariko Ito. The anime series goes under the name . According to the New York Comic Convention, ''The Third'' has been licensed by ...

''. Some titles were previously licensed under the Lucky Penny Entertainment label before it was discontinued. Despite the Right Stuf merger into Crunchyroll Store on October 10, 2023, Crunchyroll confirmed that Nozomi would continue to operate under the Crunchyroll banner, licensing its back catalog of classic anime, and the English-dubbed Blu-ray of the 1980s ''Dirty Pair'' television series that was crowdfunded on

Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...

would be released as planned.

5 Points Pictures

5 Points Pictures was Right Stuf's former distribution division for live action programming. In March 2012, Right Stuf, Inc. established 5 Point Pictures and announced its film distribution agreement with CJ Entertainment.

Critical Mass Video

Critical Mass Video was Right Stuf's former studio for adult anime programming. It offered titles catering to an assortment of different preferences. The label was taken over by BuyAnime.com after Right Stuf removed all adult content following the Crunchyroll acquisition.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Sony Music 2022 mergers and acquisitions Anime companies American companies disestablished in 2023 American companies established in 1987 Defunct companies based in Iowa Defunct mass media companies of the United States Entertainment companies disestablished in 2023 Entertainment companies established in 1987 Entertainment companies of the United States Right Stuf International Former Sony subsidiaries Home video companies of the United States Privately held companies based in Iowa