Editing Bandai Visual (section)

== History ==
=== Origins and expansion (1983–1996) ===
On August 23, 1983, Japanese toy manufacturer [[Bandai]] established AE Planning Co., Ltd. (Account Executive Planning), an animation and film distributor, in [[Kōjimachi]], [[Chiyoda, Tokyo|Chiyoda]].<ref name="History">{{cite web |title=Corporate History |url=https://www.bandaivisual.co.jp/ir/history/ |website=www.bandaivisual.co.jp |publisher=Bandai Visual |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924160257/https://www.bandaivisual.co.jp/ir/history/ |archive-date=September 24, 2017 |language=ja |date=September 2017}}</ref><ref name="Grant">{{cite book |last1=Grant |first1=Tina |title=International Directory of Company Histories |date=2003 |publisher=[[St. James Press]] |page=44 |edition=Volume 55 |url=https://archive.org/details/internationaldir0000unse_c8r0/page/n695/mode/2up |access-date=October 23, 2020}}</ref> Bandai created AE Planning following the success of Emotion, its film distribution division, in 1982, and was part of Bandai's corporate reorganization and alteration of its business strategies.<ref name="Nikkei BP">{{cite book |author1=Nikkei BP Technical Research Department |title=第三章 ビジネスの仕組みが変わる 一.版権ビジネスの体制を見直す ●作品発表の場として根付くOVA」『アニメ・ビジネスが変わる―アニメとキャラクター・ビジネスの真実 |trans-title=Chapter 3 — Business Structure Changes 1. Reviewing the Copyright Business System ● OVA Rooted as a Place to Present Works ”“ Animation Business Changes-The Truth About Anime and Character Business |date=June 17, 1999 |publisher=[[The Nikkei|Nikkei BP]] |isbn=4-8222-2550-X |pages=88–89 |language=ja}}</ref> AE Planning primarily distributed [[original video animations]] (OVAs) from other companies, most notably [[Pierrot (company)|Pierrot]]'s ''[[Dallos]]'' (1983).<ref name="Nikkei BP"/> Beginning in October 1984, it licensed and distributed [[laserdisc]] films in Japan.<ref name="History"/> After Bandai agreed to a business alliance with [[The Walt Disney Company]] in 1987, AE Planning became a distributor of Disney animated films across the country.<ref name="Grant"/>

In March 1989, AE Planning renamed itself Bandai Visual Sales and opened a second office in [[Shōwa-ku|Shōwa-ku, Nagoya]].<ref name="History"/> Alongside its publishing and distribution of [[VHS]] releases for television series such as ''[[Ultraman]]'' and ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'', Visual Sales operated the Emotion Theater movie theater in Bandai's B-Club Shop in [[Takadanobaba]] until its closure in 1997. Bandai Visual Sales was renamed again to Bandai Visual Co., Ltd. in August 1991.<ref name="History"/> In the same year, it absorbed Bandai's Media Division as a means to unify the latter company's home video distribution businesses. The acquisition also gave Bandai Visual ownership of the Emotion label, which was used for its music, anime re-releases, and other products.<ref name="Grant"/><ref name="Nikkei BP"/> As the company continued generating profits, it began expanding its operations into other entertainment industries. In 1996, Bandai Visual began publishing video games under the Emotion Digital Software brand, releasing titles such as ''[[Return to Zork]]'', ''[[MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat|MechWarrior 2: Arcade Combat Edition]]'' and ''[[List of Macross video games|Choujikuu Yousai Macross: Ai Oboete Imasu ka]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=リターン・トゥ・ゾーク — RETURN TO ZORK |agency=Sega Saturn Magazine Japan |issue=13 |publisher=[[SoftBank Group]] |date=December 8, 1995 |page=4 |language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Sega Saturn Soft Review - 超時空要塞マクロス 愛・おぼえていますか |trans-title=Sega Saturn Soft Review — Choujikuu Yousai Macross: Ai Oboete Imasu ka |agency=Sega Saturn Magazine Japan |publisher=[[SoftBank Group]] |date=June 20, 1997 |page=147 |language=ja}}</ref>

=== Mainstream success and Bandai Entertainment (1996–2005) ===
In April 1996, Bandai Visual published ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam Wing]]'', the sixth mainline installment in the ''[[Gundam]]'' media franchise. Though it was a moderate success in Japan, ''Gundam Wing'' was especially popular in the United States, being credited for single-handedly popularizing the ''Gundam'' franchise for Western audiences. Following the show's success, Bandai established a subsidiary named Bandai Entertainment Inc. in [[Cypress, California]] as a subsidiary of its United States division, Bandai America. Though Bandai Visual did not have any direct control over Bandai Entertainment, the latter company often licensed many of Visual's anime series for publishing and distribution in North America, such as ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'', ''[[The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'', and multiple ''Gundam'' sequels.<ref name="CBR">{{cite web |last1=Gramuglia |first1=Anthony |title=From Bandai to 4Kids, the Anime Distributors That Didn't Survive |url=https://www.cbr.com/bandai-4kids-dead-anime-distributors/ |website=[[Comic Book Resources]] |publisher=Valnet |access-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027083035/https://www.cbr.com/bandai-4kids-dead-anime-distributors/ |archive-date=October 27, 2020 |date=October 21, 2020}}</ref> Bandai Entertainment also published English-translated [[manga]] series and American [[graphic novels]],<ref name="bei-manga">{{cite web |url=http://www.bandai-ent.com/products/manga.cfm |title=Bandai Entertainment |access-date=July 22, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070717210717/http://www.bandai-ent.com/products/manga.cfm |archive-date=July 17, 2007 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> in addition to offering a "fan support" program to facilitate public screenings of licensed content at [[anime club]]s and [[anime convention]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2002-12-02/bandai-announces-anime-club-support-progam|title=Bandai announces anime club support program|publisher=Anime News Network|date=December 2, 2002|access-date=January 2, 2012}}</ref>

Bandai Visual was listed on [[JASDAQ Securities Exchange|JASDAQ]] market in November 2001; by that time, the company was worth over {{yen}}2.1 billion (US$20 million).<ref name="History"/><ref name="Masuda">{{cite book |last1=Masuda |first1=Hiromichi |title=アニメビジネスがわかる |trans-title=Understanding The Anime Business |date=July 25, 2007 |publisher=NTT Publishing |isbn=9784757122000 |page=206}}</ref> In January 2003, the company acquired Emotion Music and made it a wholly owned subsidiary, as a means to further expand into the music industry.<ref>{{cite web |title=バンダイＶ、著作権事業開始…エモーションＭを子会社化 |trans-title=Bandai Visual starts copyright business ... Makes Emotion Music a subsidiary |url=http://news.braina.com/2003/0130/enter_20030130_002_0010___.html |website=Braina News |publisher=Braina |access-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060327041721/http://news.braina.com/2003/0130/enter_20030130_002_0010___.html |archive-date=March 27, 2006 |language=ja |date=January 30, 2003}}</ref> Bandai Visual also began supplying content for broadband distribution networks, such as the [[Bandai Channel]] television station.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ann Wright |first1=Jean |title=Animation Writing and Development - From Script Development to Pitch |date=July 18, 2013 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |isbn=9781136144059 |page=28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ito |first1=Daichi |title=BBコンテンツの雄「バンダイチャンネル」の戦略 ～ブロードバンドオリジナルの作品が来年にも登場～ |url=https://bb.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/special/5210.html |website=BB Watch |publisher=Impress Group |access-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908221855/https://bb.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/special/5210.html |archive-date=September 8, 2014 |language=ja |date=May 12, 2001}}</ref>

=== Namco Bandai takeover and merge with Lantis (2005–2018) ===
Bandai Visual was a wholly owned subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings.<ref name="reuters">{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/finance/industries/significant?industryCode=53215&categoryId=207|title=NAMCO BANDAI Holdings Inc. to Fully Acquire Bandai Visual Co., Ltd. and Bandai Networks Co., Ltd.|work=Reuters  |date=January 15, 2008|access-date=January 19, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080213055059/https://www.reuters.com/finance/industries/significant?industryCode=53215&categoryId=207| archive-date= February 13, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name="bizweek">{{cite web|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=5556744|title=Bandai Visual Co. Ltd.: Private Company Information|work=BusinessWeek |date=January 19, 2008|access-date=January 20, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080222192827/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=5556744| archive-date= February 22, 2008 | url-status= dead}}</ref> Namco Bandai announced on November 8, 2007, that it would buy the voting shares it did not own between that date and December 10, 2007, and turn the company into a wholly owned subsidiary.<ref name="variety">{{Cite news |url=https://variety.com/2007/biz/news/bandai-namco-buys-up-subsidiaries-1117977875/|title=Bandai Namco buys up subsidiaries|work=Variety  | first=Mark|last=Schilling |author-link=Mark Schilling |date=December 17, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2007/biz/news/bandai-taking-over-subsidiaries-1117975604/|title=Bandai taking over subsidiaries |work=Variety | first=Mark |last=Schilling |author-link=Mark Schilling |date=November 8, 2007}}</ref> On December 18, 2007, Namco Bandai announced that it had owned 93.63%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.katanaxtreme.com/anime_news/details.aspx?id=ETsFjgzchU65OknwxiRimw|title=NAMCO BANDAI Holdings announces complete takeover of BANDAI VISUAL|publisher=KatanaXtreme.com|access-date=December 25, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713140501/http://www.katanaxtreme.com/anime_news/details.aspx?id=ETsFjgzchU65OknwxiRimw|archive-date=July 13, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> of Bandai Visual's shares since the end of November.<ref name="variety"/> The remaining shares were delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange on February 15, 2008, after Namco Bandai acquired the remaining 10% of the shares.

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In February 2018, it was announced Bandai Visual would be merged with Lantis into a new branch of BNH, called [[Bandai Namco Arts]]. The reorganizing took effect as of April 1, 2018. Bandai Visual remains only as a label of the new company.<ref name="New Bandai Visual">{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-02-09/bandai-namco-holdings-merges-lantis-with-bandai-visual-launches-new-subsidiaries/.127609|title=Bandai Namco Holdings Merges Lantis With Bandai Visual, Launches New Subsidiaries|publisher=Anime News Network|date=February 9, 2018|access-date=August 13, 2018}}</ref>