SXION 23 LLC,

doing business as A trade name, trading name, or business name is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is fictitious business name. Registering the fictitious name with ...

Section23 Films, is an American

multimedia Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms, such as Text (literary theory), writing, Sound, audio, images, animations, or video, into a single presentation. T ...

distributor based in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

specializing in releasing anime and Japanese films. Established in 2009, Section23 is one of five successors to ADV Films; alongside Sentai Filmworks, Switchblade Pictures, Maiden Japan, and AEsir Holdings. The company is named after a Texas tax code.Section23 Films Ships 1st DVDs Since Public Unveiling
''

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...

List of Section23 Films clients

Sentai Filmworks

Sentai Filmworks is an

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 ...

licensing company founded by Ledford in 2008. It partnered with ADV Films to distribute new releases and shows that were previously released and licensed by Geneon Entertainment USA, Urban Vision, Central Park Media, and Bandai Entertainment. After ADV Films sold its assets, the ADV Films name was dropped as a production entity and folded into Sentai Filmworks, with distribution being handled by Section23. Their first title was a re-release of '' Mahoromatic''. The company would later be acquired by AMC Networks in January 2022.

Switchblade Pictures

Switchblade Pictures is a licensing company that mostly licenses live-action

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese films (mostly, uncut horror, erotic and shock value cinema). Along with Sentai Filmworks, Switchblade was formed in 2008 and ADV Films also provided initial distribution. Since ADV's folding, distribution is handled by Section23. Their first release was ''Cruel Restaurant''.

Maiden Japan

Maiden Japan is an anime licensing studio, created in 2010, that licenses subtitled and English dubbed series and collections with distribution handled by Section23. Maiden Japan is a sister label to Switchblade Pictures. Titles licensed include newer subtitled series as well as classic anime titles from the 1980s and 1990s (such as ''

Patlabor , also known as ''Patlabor'' (a portmanteau of "patrol" and "labor"), is a Japanese science fiction media franchise created by Headgear, a group consisting of manga artist Masami Yūki, director Mamoru Oshii, screenwriter Kazunori ...

'', '' New Dominion Tank Police'', and '' Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise''). The first release for Maiden Japan was the erotic comedy '' Papillon Rose'' as a subtitled DVD collection in 2010.

AEsir Holdings

AEsir Holdings is an anime licensing studio. They hold the rights to several titles which formerly belonged to ADV Films before its shutdown. Released titles include '' Princess Tutu'', '' Petite Princess Yucie'', '' Parasite Dolls'', '' Neon Genesis Evangelion'', '' Saiyuki'', and '' Lady Death: The Motion Picture''.

Kraken Releasing

Kraken Releasing is a licensing studio that specializes in licensing international films that are of the

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, ''tokusatsu'' mainly refers to science fiction film, science fiction, War fi ...

and horror variety. Kraken is a live-action sister label to Switchblade Pictures and Maiden Japan.

SoftCel Pictures

SoftCel Pictures is a licensing studio focusing on

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 ...

. It was originally the hentai label for ADV Films before being shut down in 2005 after splitting from ADV. In 2017, SoftCel was relaunched and released their first new title, ''The Patients of Dr. Maro'' in June 2017.

Sentai Kids

Sentai Kids is a licensing studio focusing on kids' properties. It was originally the kids label for ADV Films known as ADV Kids. Sentai Kids' first release has been confirmed to be ''Hello Kitty & Friends - Let's Learn Together'' releasing on home video & digital in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, in November 2018.

Foreign distribution

Section23 Films, Sentai Filmworks, Maiden Japan, and AEsir Holdings do not directly release their properties in non–North American (English-speaking) markets as opposed to their predecessor, A.D. Vision, instead sublicensing to other companies such as Manga Entertainment, MVM Entertainment, Anime Limited, and Animatsu Entertainment in the United Kingdom, and Siren Visual, Madman Entertainment, and Hanabee in Australia and New Zealand.

References

External links

Switchblade Pictures Official Website
*
SoftCel Pictures Official Website
* * * * {{Animation industry in the United States Anime companies Companies based in Houston Mass media companies established in 2009 Mass media companies of the United States Maiden Japan Sentai Filmworks