<p>The end of an era</p>
Written by Ross Locksley on 12 Apr 2021
Funimation announced today that it would be retiring the Manga Entertainment brand, which was established in 1987. From April 19th, social media will be folded into the Funimation brand (twitter, Youtube, Facebook and Instagram).
From the Press Release:
Anime fans, unite! Whether you like your anime on the big screen, small screen, Nintendo Switch or in a Limited Edition box set -- we’ve got news for you. Manga Entertainment has just announced that from this Spring, it will be branded in the United Kingdom and Ireland as Funimation.
Manga has been a leader in the anime industry for more than 30 years, and under the Funimation name it will continue to serve its UK and Irish customers across home video, cinema… and now streaming!
And to top it all off, in celebration of the merger, we’re launching Blue Exorcist and Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga this week on the platform just for UK and Irish subscribers—with more content to come over the coming weeks!
Many older fans will remember the iconic logo as their early introduction to the world of Japanese animation, and it's sad to lose this much-loved icon. However, the change was inevitable given the global state of anime licensing and the costs involved in printing and other areas.
More information can be found at Funimation.com.
Manga Entertainment is dead - long love Funimation.
Ross founded the UK Anime Network waaay back in 1995 and works in and around the anime world in his spare time. You can read his more personal articles on UKA's sister site, The Anime Independent.
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