Anime Matsuri Studios / AM Studios - Industry Revolutionaries or Flash-in-the-Pan Grifters?

[5t3n0g0ph3r]

This thread is to discuss AM Studios, the individuals involved with it, and the projects produced by the studios (if any).

History
Anime Matsuri Studios or AM Studios is a production/recording studio created by John and Deneice Leigh, the founders and owners of the anime convention, Anime Matsuri. The studios have been in operation since at least November of 2021 and have produced two English language versions of animated features from Nippon Animation - Zip! Shimezo and Genbanojo:

NIPPON ANIMATION CO., LTD.

NIPPON ANIMATION CO., LTD. | Ghostarchive

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NIPPON ANIMATION CO., LTD.

archived 9 Aug 2022 00:50:56 UTC

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NIPPON ANIMATION CO., LTD.

NIPPON ANIMATION CO., LTD. | Ghostarchive

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NIPPON ANIMATION CO., LTD.

archived 9 Aug 2022 00:49:03 UTC

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The two features are part of Nippon Animation's Anime Tamago (formerly known as Anime Mirai) project funded by Japan's Agency of Cultural Affairs' "Young Animator Training Project." The project is intended to train Japanese artists and animators as a means to combat the outsourcing of the animation process overseas.
On July 17, 2022, Deneice Leigh hosted a Special Presentation stream that formally announced the studio's existence, the English cast of the productions, voice actor Vic Mignogna as ADR, and that the two productions would premiere at Anime Matsuri 2022:

Local archive of the announcement:

At Anime Matsuri 2022, the two anime features premiered on Friday, July 29th, and Saturday, July 30th.
Following the premieres, a panel consisting of cast members Mignogna, Jacob Takanashi, Jeff Johnson, Haileigh Todd, and Tiffany Volmer addressed the attendees:

https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/12ALUsvjLDk

[NOTE: YouTuber Ministry of Otaku recorded a portion of the panel and is currently the only footage of it. Anime Matsuri staff apparently recorded the panel to show Nippon Animation staff the reception of the premiere. It is currently unknown if the rest of the panel will be made available at a later date]
Following the convention, Anime Matsuri guest, YouTuber, & lawyer, Nick Rekieta reported that AM Studios was in the process of acquiring the rights to an undisclosed anime series:

Key Individuals


John Leigh
Founder and CEO of Anime Matsuri, Founder and Executive Producer at AM Studios.
Husband of Deneice Leigh.
With his wife, Deneice, Leigh has run Anime Matsuri since 2007. Despite being the CEO, Leigh has recently been less prominently featured in representing Anime Matsuri in publicity events. Perhaps this is due to the controversies surrounding him? See the Concerns & Controversies section below.


Deneice Leigh
Founder and Co-Owner of Anime Matsuri, Founder and Executive Producer at AM Studios.
Wife of John Leigh.
Deneice Leigh has more or less become the public face of Anime Matsuri.
Any promotion or publicity for the convention (and now the studio) has been done by her.



Jacob Takanashi
Voice Actor and ADR Director at AM Studios.
Takanashi has assisted the Leighs at Anime Matsuri with audio engineering for years.
Currently living in Tokyo, Japan, Takanashi was instrumental in the negotiations with Nippon Animation and presumably with other studios in the future.


Vic Mignogna
Voice Actor and ADR Director at AM Studios.
Mignogna has been a recurring guest at Anime Matsuri with seven appearances since 2008.
Additionally, The Leighs' refusal to drop Mignogna as a guest in 2019 in the midst of #KickVic has been a key point in their relationship.
With Mignogna effectively blacklisted from the industry (one that is increasingly being monopolized by Crunchyroll), AM Studios has given new life to Mignogna's voice acting career.

Concerns & Controversies

John Leigh, the Lolita Cosplay Community, and #BoycottAnimeMatsuri
The main controversy surrounding John Leigh revolves around his interactions with guests and attendees, such as Lolita cosplayer Stephany Thai.
Thai posted a conversation that she had with Leigh:

Leigh would respond to Thai (and others) with a blog post on June 22, 2015:

A man in a woman’s world. Pt1

My name is John, I’m a husband, son, father of two beautiful children, and brother of two lovely sisters. My friends describe me as crazy, nutcase, creative, hard-working, positive and ...

web.archive.org

As a disclaimer I would like to point out that I joke a lot with my friends or people I consider close. If you are offended by sexual innuendos, dirty talks or comments about boobs and orgasms, you should not be my friend. Online or offline. This means no disrespect and I would suggest not engaging in conversation with me. I act this way with my friends regardless of gender, and as my friend, you should make it perfectly clear that you are uncomfortable with my conversation. I would respect you enough to stop joking.
Until last year, Stephany was my friend and worked with us on AM. She recently made a blog post about me sexually harassing her. She gave a few examples but the most ‘serious’ one if this one, tagged ‘Absolutely Disgusting’.
This is a screen cap from one of our private conversations she posted on her blog to discredit me and paint a picture of sexual harassment. However, it lacks context so let me put that in: I considered Stephany my friend and treated and talked to her like my other friends. I had the honor of enjoying many meals at various restaurants with her. Sometimes with Deneice, the staff and sometimes with her little brother and sister. I featured her in a some photos and our 2013 promo video.
Last year, I asked her to come to my home while we were sorting some merchandise. The idea was to take a pic of her wearing a white dress. This was contrast to how she normally dresses, as a joke. She drove about an hour at night time to get there and voila, we got the photo.
The point I am making is she was comfortable with me in our friendship. She would not come to my home at night or have meals with me or most importantly bring her younger siblings if she thought I was any kind of threat to her, or others. No one would do that.
At no time did she tell me she was uncomfortable with my jokes, or to stop. As pointed out above, she was comfortable enough, and there’s no excuse of her bring afraid or intimidated. She never mentioned it, until now. Since then she has attended our cupcake tasting event, the convention and the Skyline Tea Party.
I do not believe she hates me, or hates Anime Matsuri for that matter. This is not about hate or harassment. This is about attention. In her blog, she even points out that I constantly put my wife in our fashion show taking away one community modeling spot.
So by that logic:
50 models = No Problem
49 models + Deneice (who owns the show) = Problem?
Secondly, would this still be an issue if the gender roles were reversed or if I was a woman, talking like this to another woman or man, who was also my friend?
Many have shared her blog without question.

However, Leigh would delete the blog post and would make a statement on Facebook a day later:

Spoiler: Text

Earlier today, I posted a blog entry that detailed my side of the story. I did not know I was hurting these people and I did not mean to do so. I have been getting attacked for the past few days. The attacks spread to my family, friends, and supporters of Anime Matsuri. I was upset and I wanted to defend everyone who I cared about.
It has been a few long hours since I posted that blog. I thought I would feel better, but I feel nothing but sadness. I had an abundance of messages of support over this time. I took a step back and realized: while I was trying to defend those I love, I was hurting others, and this is not ok, regardless if some of them are trying to hurt me. I was angry, and nothing good comes out of anger. Some people are very hurt, on both sides, and I have to assume responsibility for that. I also realize many people look up to me and I have let them down.
I want to apologize specifically to the people in question and to everyone who has been affected by this. I understand I have hurt you and I’m sorry. Regardless of what is happening now, I considered you my friends at some point. I also understand an apology means little without positive action, so I have decided to take a course on Sexual Harassment to be more aware of this serious problem and to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I have deleted the blog post and will work on myself to become better. I'm very sorry.

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However, this did not stop Jef Rouner of the HoustonPress from publishing about these incidents and other experiences from disgruntled con staff to voice actors like Matt Mercer & Caitlin Glass on September 15, 2015:
https://www.houstonpress.com/arts/t...is-the-list-of-people-unhappy-with-it-7764398
https://archive.ph/36fFD
https://ghostarchive.org/archive/3qJ72
In 2018, a group called #BoycottAnimeMatsuri was formed "informing the public about allegations" the Leighs and Anime Matsuri:

Spoiler: #BAM social media accounts

https://boycottmatsuri.tumblr.com/
https://ghostarchive.org/archive/j6B5G
https://archive.ph/qmp4m
https://www.facebook.com/BoycottMatsuri/

Boycott Anime Matsuri | Facebook | Ghostarchive

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https://www.facebook.com/notes/772191263561007/#2

Facebook | Ghostarchive

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https://ghostarchive.org/archive/tSzix

https://twitter.com/boycottmatsuri

https://ghostarchive.org/archive/pRccP

Among the people involved in #BoycottAnimeMatsuri were Tyler Willis and Lauren Cooper aka Renfamous.

Spoiler: text

“He has a tendency, when an article comes out or something significant occurs, he offers up an apology,” said L. Cooper, one of the boycott’s organizers, who did not want to use her full name because she was concerned about possible reprisals for speaking out. “It didn’t offer any kind of action plan. It wasn’t him conceding and stepping back from the convention. It was him trying to save his bottom line.”

Spoiler: text

The boycotters say they were moved to action after Leigh sent a cease-and-desist order to YouTube personality Tyler Willis, host of the series “Scarfing Scarves,” who posted videos critical of Leigh in 2017. “It made the rest of us say, ‘Well, if you’re not only going to do these things but silence people who talk about it, maybe we should give him (Leigh) something to silence,” Cooper said.

Cooper, who has attended cosplay conventions in Texas for 10 years, said she and others behind the boycott have not been victimized by Leigh. Cooper met several of the accusers after she joined the protest group.

(https://archive.ph/TAtuz)
In 2019, the overlap of KickVic brought in Jennifer Lynn Hunt & @MarzGurl to hound Houston news outlets & city officials to get the convention canceled for good. Since then, they've continued to do so right around the dates Anime Matsuri takes place. With AM Studios, expect them to expand their efforts.

Distribution Plan
With the announcement of the premiere of the English dubs of Zip! Shimezo and Genbanojo at Anime Matsuri 2022, many wondered how AM Studios would be able to distribute their product to a wider audience.
The panelists of the Open Chest Anime Podcast were among those wondering about AM Studios and expressed their own concerns:

During the convention's final day, attendees would learn how AM Studios would distribute these new dubs:

While Mignogna would not exactly know of such things, the Leighs would answer this question during the closing ceremony:

Turns out that while AM Studios did have the dubbing rights to the two features, they didn't have the distribution rights.
Not exactly a great start out of the gate.

Final Thoughts
While unprecedented that an anime convention would create its own recording studio, let alone obtain the rights to dub official anime, AM Studios does not seem to have all of its t's crossed and i's dotted. There are concerns that the Leighs' troubled history could be the albatross around the studio's neck, however, there are not many choices left for voice actors, engineers, etc. who themselves on the wrong side of the cliques that infest the industry. To compound the problem, Sony is monopolizing the industry through Crunchyroll as the latest purchase of Right Stuf indicates:
https://www.rightstufanime.com/post/right-stuf-has-joined-the-crunchyroll-family?utm_source=social media&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=crunchyroll-announcement-8-4-2022
https://archive.ph/TCB8K
https://ghostarchive.org/archive/u9if1
https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-n...s-deal-to-acquire-anime-superstore-right-stuf
https://archive.ph/y11H6
As for Vic Mignogna, he just wants to resume the career he loves.
But, like Ulysses S. Grant, he can be too easily conned:

https://kiwifarms.st/threads/the-fall-of-fantasy-soft-entertainment.68447/

Former One Piece Voice Actor Vic Mignogna To Play Lead In NFT Animated Series

Vic Mignogna has announced his addition to an upcoming animated web series based on the yet-to-be-released Humanimals.x NFT collection.

boundingintocomics.com

Former One Piece Voice Actor Vic Mignogna To Play Lead In NFT Animate…

archived 17 Apr 2022 23:44:26 UTC

archive.ph

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtx/pr/18-arrested-charged-east-texas-paycheck-protection-program-related-fraud

https://archive.ph/7aIoI
Will AM Studios be "strike three"?
For now, it remains to be seen.

 

[William Bloodworth]

To be fair they managed to get way further than both the Fantasy Soft furry or the NFT guy combined. If they can find a distributor that'll confirm that things are going okay. However if they can't find a distributor or certain people interfere with such a process ever happening (Like Mark Waid did to Ya Boi Zack did in ComicsGate) then rest assured it'll be further proof as to why the lawsuit is still important.

 

[SphinxItOver]

Excited for future rumors of money laundering, mismanagement, and finger pointing.

 

[School of Fish]

Here's what needs to happen for this thing to work. First they're going to somewhere down the line, obtain their own signature shows and signature films for this to work. While it's great that they have some anime to start with, they're going to need that one show or shows to give people plenty of reasons to invest in them. Cruncyroll has Dragon Ball, Re: Zero, and KonoSuba under their belt, Viz Media has both Sailor Moon and One-Punch Man, Sentai Filmworks has both Made in Abyss and also Girls und Panzer, HiDive has Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Non Non Biyori, and Redo of Healer under them, and as for Anime Matsuri to work they need a show to put them on the spot to even compete. So if they can score a deal with some big anime studio like Kyoto Animation or some other big name anime studio then they should be ready to go.

Speaking of distribution, they have two options. Either they buy out or merge with an already existing distributor or they create a new one from scratch. Now business wise, it's usually harder to create a brand new branch of business from scratch so what usually happens is that a business with merge or buy out an already existing platform and do some touch ups to fit their brand. So Anime Matsuri may either have create their own distributor or may most likely will have to merge/buy out some already existing distributor for this to happen.

Finally there is the issue of getting your product out there. For obvious reasons, Crunchyroll will never air any Anime Matsuri localizations so long as Vic remains in charge there for that matter. So Anime Matsuri will either form a partnership with any of the already existing streaming platforms or have to create a new one from scratch. People need to see what you go so this is another detail that has to be worked out soon.

But regardless, I wish Vic and Anime Matsuri the best in this new business venture. If they do get big enough to take on the Sony-Crunchyroll monopoly then I'll be cheering them on then.

 

[5t3n0g0ph3r]

Sentai Filmworks has both Made in Abyss and also Girls und Panzer, HiDive has Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Non Non Biyori, and Redo of Healer under them,

Sentai Filmworks and HiDive are owned by the same parent company, Sentai Holdings, LLC, which was just bought by AMC Networks.

Speaking of distribution, they have two options. Either they buy out or merge with an already existing distributor or they create a new one from scratch. Now business wise, it's usually harder to create a brand new branch of business from scratch so what usually happens is that a business with merge or buy out an already existing platform and do some touch ups to fit their brand. So Anime Matsuri may either have create their own distributor or may most likely will have to merge/buy out some already existing distributor for this to happen.

Finally there is the issue of getting your product out there. For obvious reasons, Crunchyroll will never air any Anime Matsuri localizations so long as Vic remains in charge there for that matter. So Anime Matsuri will either form a partnership with any of the already existing streaming platforms or have to create a new one from scratch. People need to see what you go so this is another detail that has to be worked out soon.

But regardless, I wish Vic and Anime Matsuri the best in this new business venture. If they do get big enough to take on the Sony-Crunchyroll monopoly then I'll be cheering them on then.

If they do decide to work with a distributor, which one?
If the distributor was ANY connections with Crunchyroll, you know the card that will be played.
The partnership would have to be ironclad.
In any case, I won't consider AM Studios officially in the market until they have a product available.
If there is nothing by the end of the year, then trouble is afoot.

 

[Jonah Hill poster]

Industry Revolutionaries or Flash-in-the-Pan Grifters?​

Honestly, only time will tell after a few years off of running the mark. Anime companies getting consolidate and bought out by bigger corporations means more competition is good from smaller ventures to bring more power back to the consumer.

I just hope it’s from an optimistic standpoint, and just for the power of greed.

 

[TheClappening]

According to Gay Pants Man on his Twitch, there are more animoo being negotiated for dubs.

 

[5t3n0g0ph3r]

According to Gay Pants Man on his Twitch, there are more animoo being negotiated for dubs.

While that's good news, I hope to hear about a distribution plan soon.
Also, when is AM Studios going to get its own website that isn't piggy-backing off of the yearly convention site?

 

[Mr. Zed da Robot Poon Fed]

If they do decide to work with a distributor, which one?

It really could be any other platform. I see maybe Tubi or AMC+, since Vic wasn't, at least in an official capacity, fired from Sentai.

Hell, this is probably the craziest, dumbest fucking idea, but DailyWire+....you never know. Just spitballing ideas here.

Here's what needs to happen for this thing to work. First they're going to somewhere down the line, obtain their own signature shows and signature films for this to work. While it's great that they have some anime to start with, they're going to need that one show or shows to give people plenty of reasons to invest in them. Cruncyroll has Dragon Ball, Re: Zero, and KonoSuba under their belt, Viz Media has both Sailor Moon and One-Punch Man, Sentai Filmworks has both Made in Abyss and also Girls und Panzer, HiDive has Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Non Non Biyori, and Redo of Healer under them, and as for Anime Matsuri to work they need a show to put them on the spot to even compete. So if they can score a deal with some big anime studio like Kyoto Animation or some other big name anime studio then they should be ready to go.

That would mean being the first guys on the bandwagon when a manga becomes extremely popular. Hopefully they've hired eyes and ears for when the next Naruto or Demon Slayer comes along.

 

[5t3n0g0ph3r]

That would mean being the first guys on the bandwagon when a manga becomes extremely popular. Hopefully they've hired eyes and ears for when the next Naruto or Demon Slayer comes along.

I think that'd be too early for them.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of titles that have never been released in North America.
Treasures that certainly would find an audience.
I know @Kari Kamiya brought up the possibility of the World Masterpiece Theater animes being available since AM Studios has contact with Nippon Animation now (certainly a BIG acquisition if those get brought over), but both Nick Rekieta & Vic have hinted they are talking with other studios, too. Can you imagine the asshurt if Dr. Slump was licensed by AM Studios? There's a few episodes where Goku shows up in the 1997 version of Dr. Slump, so imagine if they brought in Stephanie Nadolny to reprise her role as Kid Goku? The salt, man. The salt.
I know that might be a stretch, but that's just an example.
But, again, they need to figure out how they are going to distribute their product first.
Just putting them on their YouTube channel won't cut it. Though, it is an option to have for additional revenue (I suspect Susan to take her pound of flesh to have AM's titles for purchase or renting like with the other anime companies).

 

[Kari Kamiya]

but both Nick Rekieta & Vic have hinted they are talking with other studios, too. Can you imagine the asshurt if Dr. Slump was licensed by AM Studios? There's a few episodes where Goku shows up in the 1997 version of Dr. Slump, so imagine if they brought in Stephanie Nadolny to reprise her role as Kid Goku? The salt, man. The salt.
I know that might be a stretch, but that's just an example.

Oh shit you're right. Don't get our hopes up like that, man, that's "shooting for the moon" levels of rainbows and salt.

 

[5t3n0g0ph3r]

Oh shit you're right. Don't get our hopes up like that, man, that's "shooting for the moon" levels of rainbows and salt.

That's why I said it was a stretch.

 

[Captain Manning]

I think that'd be too early for them.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of titles that have never been released in North America.
Treasures that certainly would find an audience.
I know @Kari Kamiya brought up the possibility of the World Masterpiece Theater animes being available since AM Studios has contact with Nippon Animation now (certainly a BIG acquisition if those get brought over), but both Nick Rekieta & Vic have hinted they are talking with other studios, too. Can you imagine the asshurt if Dr. Slump was licensed by AM Studios? There's a few episodes where Goku shows up in the 1997 version of Dr. Slump, so imagine if they brought in Stephanie Nadolny to reprise her role as Kid Goku? The salt, man. The salt.

Firstly, @Kari Kamiya may be interested to know that Amazon apparently has the U.S. distro rights to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Little Women, and Swiss Family Robinson. They're on Prime right now.

I think they're already testing the idea.

Secondly, in my experience, it's an uphill battle getting younger anime fans to watch older anime. We're now at the point where even stuff released in the 90s is older than an anime fan in their early to mid 20s, and they frequently turn their nose up at it. The most commonly cited reason is that the animation isn't as good (no shit). I also sometimes wonder if they're put off by the dearth of cute high school girls sitting around the student council room eating cake.

With something like World Masterpiece Theater, you're now dipping back into 80s and 70s. As a non-philistine tired of vapid moe crap, I'd absolutely pay for a quality English dub of Anne of Green Gables, or Les Misérables. But would most of today's anime fans? That's the question.

Sadly, I think there's a valid economic reason why nobody has ever really bothered to dub all of them. and officially release them in the US. Discotek Media does older stuff, but they're main gimmick is rescuing licenses that expired in North America. They're mainly re-releasing old stuff from decades past that was already localized by companies that are now defunct (i.e. Central Park Media). They then basically repackage it. Hence, the outlay is smaller than having to dub something from the ground up. Which I'm guessing is what AM Studios wants to do (and in some cases, would HAVE to do).

I wish AM Studios luck, but I think they're gonna need it.

 

[Kari Kamiya]

Firstly, @Kari Kamiya may be interested to know that Amazon apparently has the U.S. distro rights to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Little Women, and Swiss Family Robinson. They're on Prime right now.

I know they're there since those were the few that were dubbed and aired here in the States, they've been available for a few years now. Everything else they have is region-locked.

But yeah, it's a long, uphill battle for AM. That we have confirmation they're in the works with other studios is a good sign, but it's still exciting to hear we have a chance some of World Masterpiece Theater may get to come out here at last. It just won't be for a long time, if true.

 

[TheShedCollector]

You don't actually need that much content to get to work. There is an endless ocean of stuff coming from Japan and theres only so many hours in the day even the most devoted anime fans can watch.

Get a handful of cheapies to get started, work out the kinks in the system and work your way up to bigger series.

Not rocket science. Any idiot can spend $300 on a mic and audio interface.

 

[T_Holygrail_Jesuschrist 2]

AM Studios seems promising.... until you realize they're up against legitimate competition. Plus, how the fuck are you going to distribute it? Nippon Animation can only go but so far.

 

[5t3n0g0ph3r]

AM Studios seems promising.... until you realize they're up against legitimate competition.

If they were smart, they'd stay away from newer titles because Crunchyroll will outbid them.
I think they'd have a chance with older titles, though.

Plus, how the fuck are you going to distribute it?

That's the million dollar question, isn't it?

 

[LeChampion1992]

As someone who has well over a decade of con experience and yes I've staffed anime cons I will say this right now. (power level reveal)

((I'm local and connected to the cosplay and con staff scene.))

Anime matsuri is used to be the example of a shitshow convention running in fumes. They had all the anime con scene scandals back in the 2010s. From getting booted from multiple events due to shafting vendors and hotels to general /Pol/ levels of autistic weebery. Not to mention plenty of back room accusations of people fucking their groupies like Vic Mignogna *cough*

In the year of our Lord of 2014 anime matsuri was the joke cosplayers made fun of at San Japan, Mechacon, A-kon, and Animefest. However by 2022 A-kon is about to be cancelled, Mechacon has officially bit the dust, Animefest is on a severe decline due to a lack of funds and only San Japan and Anime Matsuri have weathered the decline/thrived.

With them funding an animation company it would be good regardless to have it succeed especially if viz and Funimation/Crunchyroll are going down the rabbit hole.

 

[HighwayStar]

AM Studios seems promising.... until you realize they're up against legitimate competition. Plus, how the fuck are you going to distribute it? Nippon Animation can only go but so far.

If they were smart, they'd stay away from newer titles because Crunchyroll will outbid them.
I think they'd have a chance with older titles, though.

That's the million dollar question, isn't it?

As someone who has well over a decade of con experience and yes I've staffed anime cons I will say this right now. (power level reveal)

((I'm local and connected to the cosplay and con staff scene.))

Anime matsuri is used to be the example of a shitshow convention running in fumes. They had all the anime con scene scandals back in the 2010s. From getting booted from multiple events due to shafting vendors and hotels to general /Pol/ levels of autistic weebery. Not to mention plenty of back room accusations of people fucking their groupies like Vic Mignogna *cough*

In the year of our Lord of 2014 anime matsuri was the joke cosplayers made fun of at San Japan, Mechacon, A-kon, and Animefest. However by 2022 A-kon is about to be cancelled, Mechacon has officially bit the dust, Animefest is on a severe decline due to a lack of funds and only San Japan and Anime Matsuri have weathered the decline/thrived.

With them funding an animation company it would be good regardless to have it succeed especially if viz and Funimation/Crunchyroll are going down the rabbit hole.

Honestly, the only logical way for AM Studios to succeed is to not compete with Crunchyroll at all. We all want AM Studios to be extraordinarily successful, but let's be realistic: if AM Studios directly compete with Crunchyroll or Viz or even Sentai right now, they will get completely annihilated, especially with the sponsorships and industry connections those companies have. That would be like a small-budgeted indie company going against Disney in the animation market: no matter how good they are, they will get destroyed because they're competing with freaking Disney.

Instead, AM Studios should focus more on establishing their own identity, getting distribution from a shrewd company with a no non-sense approach towards business and then gradually build themselves as a legitimate studio. I'm with @5t3n0g0ph3r on this: it's good to hear they're getting more anime, but until a distribution happens, nothing is set in stone.

 

[T_Holygrail_Jesuschrist 2]

Honestly, the only logical way for AM Studios to succeed is to not compete with Crunchyroll at all. We all want AM Studios to be extraordinarily successful, but let's be realistic: if AM Studios directly compete with Crunchyroll or Viz or even Sentai right now, they will get completely annihilated, especially with the sponsorships and industry connections those companies have. That would be like a small-budgeted indie company going against Disney in the animation market: no matter how good they are, they will get destroyed because they're competing with freaking Disney.

Instead, AM Studios should focus more on establishing their own identity, getting distribution from a shrewd company with a no non-sense approach towards business and then gradually build themselves as a legitimate studio. I'm with @5t3n0g0ph3r on this: it's good to hear they're getting more anime, but until a distribution happens, nothing is set in stone.

I mean, look at Funimation for example (not a great example, i know, but trust me on this) Where would Funi even be without distributors like Seagull Entertainment, Saban Entertainment, Pioneer, Cartoon Network & Nelvana? Where would they even be without Gen's uncle? Would Gen just keep making crappy Chuck E Cheese movies in his friend's barnyard? Same goes with AM Studios. Sure, they have the pedigree of being Anime Matsuri (not a great pedigree, but still a pedigree nonetheless) But simply having Nippon Animation isn't enough. Maybe a company like Pierrot should license.