Gonzo 《ゴンゾ, Gonzo》 is a Japanese anime studio owned by ADK that was established in 1992 by former Gainax members[1], along with the studio that produced and animated the first Hellsing anime. They are known for creating many popular animes such as Hellsing, Afro Samurai, and Full Metal Panic!.
Information[]
Gonzo was founded by former Gainax members, and was shortly re-branded as "Gonzo K.K.". They had also suffered from financial issues in 2009, but eventually recovered from it; earning more after the release of many of its titles to Streaming sites, including Netflix.[2]
As of December 2018, Gonzo had reported losing over 597,000,000¥ ($4,337,682.60).[3]
Hellsing[]
Gonzo was the studio that previously animated the original Hellsing TVA, which was in production around 1999; presumably meaning that talks of the Hellsing Anime began in 1998. In addition, they were a completely new studio at the time; because of this fact, Gonzo hired talented staff including the likes of Chiaki J. Konaka, Umanosuke Iida, etc. The only known person who had never worked on an anime before was the musician, Yasushi Ishii.
The series however, still suffers from many issues such as the low budget; making some animations look choppy, however, it's noticeable that the staff used the budget they were given very wisely, making the action sequences that Hellsing is known for, look more fluid than that of the basic interactions between characters. In addition, much of its animation was outsourced to studios like the previously mentioned Gainax. Also, Gonzo was producing another anime at the time.
Hellsing: Ultimate[]
Gonzo's parent company, G.D.H, was somewhat involved in the production of the OVA, being the Asian and European license holder. Despite this, they're not significantly involved in the production of the series.[4]
Licensing[]
Both of the Hellsing animes were licensed by Geneon, which was defunct and eventually rescued by Funimation. In addition, many of Gonzo's titles were also licensed by the companies. Because of the fact that Geneon had previously licensed the original Hellsing TVA, they were able to bring back many of its English Dub Voice Actors for the OVA, and the decision to again cast the same actors for many of the characters was final. After Geneon was defunct, both of the Hellsing titles were rescued by Funimation.
Geneon later went on to merge with Universal Studios Japan, creating NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan. On May 19th, 2022, they released a video of Hellsing's opening for the 30th anniversary of the music; in which, they post Openings and Endings daily.[5]
Works[]
TV Anime[]
- Gate Keepers
- Vandread
- Samurai Girl: Real Bout High School
- Final Fantasy: Unlimited
- Hellsing
- Vandread The Second Stage
- Full Metal Panic!
- Saikano
- Kiddy Grade
- Gravion
- Kaleido Star
- Last Exile
- Gad Guard
- Peacemaker Kurogane
- Chrono Crusade
- Gravion Zwei
- Gantz
- Bursts Angel
- Samurai 7
- Desert Punk
- Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
- Basilisk
- Speed Grapher
- Trinity Blood
- Transformers: Cybertron
- G.I. Joe: Sigma 6
- SoltyRei
- Black Cat
- Glass Fleet
- Witchblade
- Welcome to the N.H.K.
- Marginal Prince
- Red Garden
- Pumpkin Scissors
- Master of Epic: The Animation Age
- Afro Samurai
- Getsumento Heiki Mina
- Romeo × Juliet
- Bokurano
- Kaze no Stigma
- My Bride is a Mermaid
- Dragonaut: The Resonance
- Rosario + Vampire
- The Tower of Druaga: the Aegis of Uruk
- S · A: Special A
- Blassreiter
- Strike Witches
- Rosario + Vampire Capu2..
- Linebarrels of Iron
- The Tower of Druaga: the Sword of Uruk
- Saki
- Shangri-La
- Nyanpire
- Last Exile: Fam, The Silver Wing
- Ozuma
- Leviathan The Last Defense
- Dog & Scissors
- A Town Where You Live
- Blade & Soul
- Seiyu's Life!
- Aokana: Four Rhythm Across the Blue
- Akiba's Trip: The Animation
- 18if
- Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits
- Space Battleship Tiramisu
- Hinomaru Sumo
- Conception
- Try Knights
- Phantasy Star Online 2: Episode Oracle
Trivia[]
- David Production founders: Kōji Kajita and Taito Okiura - were members of Gonzo prior to the establishment of the studio.
References[]
- ↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/company.php?id=395
- ↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-06-29/tokyo-stock-exchange-to-delist-gonzo-on-july-30
- ↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-04-04/gonzo-reports-597-million-yen-loss-as-of-december/.145377
- ↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-04-19/more-on-hellsing-oav
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thVzGk4Jhjc