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Gonzo K.K. (Japanese: 株式会社ゴンゾ, Hepburn: Kabushiki-gaisha Gonzo) (formerly GDH K.K.) is a Japanese anime studio owned by ADK that was established on February 22, 2000. Gonzo is a member of The Association of Japanese Animations. The company's predecessor Gonzo Inc. was established on February 11, 1992, by former Gainax staff members, but was later absorbed into its parent company, GDH K.K. on April 1, 2009, and it would assume the Gonzo trade name for itself.
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Native name | 株式会社ゴンゾ |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Kabushiki-gaisha Gonzo |
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Animation studio, planning and production |
| Founded | February 22, 2000 |
| Founder | Mahiro Maeda Shinji Higuchi Shouji Murahama Hiroshi Yamaguchi |
| Headquarters | Naritahigashi, Suginami, Tokyo |
Key people | Shinichiro Ishikawa (President and CEO) |
Number of employees | 12 (as of August 1, 2019)[1] |
| Parent | ADK Marketing Solutions (ADK Holdings) (84.1%) |
| Subsidiaries | Gonzino[2] Okinawa Gonzo (2012–2019) |
| Website | gonzo |
Gonzo has not released a major animation project since 2020, with Phantasy Star Online 2: Episode Oracle being the studio's latest major work; the company has been focusing on the NFT market with its projects Samurai Cryptos and Samurai Religion.[3]
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- September 1992: Gonzo Inc. established by former Gainax members.
- May 1996: Digimation K.K. established.
- May 1999: Gonzo Inc. changed its company name to Gonzo K.K.
- February 2000: GDH established.
- May 2000: Creators.com K.K. established.
- April 2002: Gonzo K.K. and Digimation K.K. merge; the combined company is renamed Gonzo Digimation K.K.
- November 2003: Future Vision Music K.K. established.
- July 2004: Gonzo Digimation K.K. changed its company name to GONZO K.K.; Creators.com K.K. changed its name to G-creators K.K.; Gonzo Digimation Holding changed its company name to GDH K.K.
- July 2005: Gonzino K.K. established.
- September 2005: Warp Gate Online K.K. becomes subsidiary.
- December 2005: GDH Capital K.K. established and Warp Gate Online K.K. changed its company name to Gonzo Rosso Online K.K.
- February 2006: GK Entertainment established.
- April 2009: GDH K.K. merged with its subsidiary, Gonzo K.K., and changed its name to Gonzo K.K.
- June 2019: Gonzo transfers some of the properties to Studio Kai.
- November 2019: Okinawa Gonzo was dissolved.[4]
- March 2020: It was revealed that the company planned to execute a reverse stock split. If approved, it would reduce the number of issued shares from 38,800 down to 24, making the company a wholly owned subsidiary of ADK in the process. After making Gonzo into an wholly owned subsidiary of ADK, it will transfer all of its shares in the company to Shinichiro Ishikawa.[5][6]
The studio had a financial problem in their closing account in the 2008–2009 term and stated its deficit was estimated over US$30 million. The Tokyo Stock Exchange announced that on July 30, 2009, Gonzo would be delisted from the exchange. This delisting is the conclusion of a notification made to investors in March 2008 that the studio's financial liabilities exceeded its total financial assets. Since Gonzo was unable to reverse this, paperwork for delisting was filed at the end of June.[7]
The studio is still able to operate, and its parent company GDH has absorbed it in an effort to consolidate management. The combined company now simply refers to itself as Gonzo.[8] By April 2009, the merger was complete.
As part of the restructuring, GDH also sold the Gonzo Rosso game development subsidiary, GDH Capital financing subsidiary, and remaining shares of Tablier Communications initially acquired in March 2006.[9] Gonzo Rosso K.K. was sold to Chushou service kikou kabushikigaisha (division of Incubator Bank of Japan, Limited) on March 31, 2009.[10]
Since this deficit, Gonzo has started to post better earnings due to the release of titles such as Rosario + Vampire to western online streaming services such as Netflix. The marketing of these products to western audiences has returned Gonzo to financial stability, and Gonzo posted higher than expected profit margins in the April–September 2012 period.[11]
TV series
| Title | First run start date | First run end date | Eps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gate Keepers | April 3, 2000 | September 18, 2000 | 24 | Based on a game by Kadokawa. |
| Vandread | October 3, 2000 | December 26, 2000 | 13 | Based on the light novels. |
| Samurai Girl: Real Bout High School | July 30, 2001 | October 22, 2001 | 13 | Based on a light novel by Reiji Saiga. |
| Final Fantasy: Unlimited | October 2, 2001 | March 26, 2002 | 25 | Based on Square Enix's Final Fantasy franchise. |
| Hellsing | October 10, 2001 | January 16, 2002 | 13 | Based on a manga by Kouta Hirano. |
| Vandread the Second Stage | October 5, 2001 | December 28, 2001 | 13 | Second season of Vandread. |
| Full Metal Panic! | January 8, 2002 | June 18, 2002 | 24 | Based on a light novel by Shoji Gatoh. |
| Saikano | July 2, 2002 | September 24, 2002 | 13 | Based on a manga by Shin Takahashi. |
| Kiddy Grade | October 8, 2002 | March 18, 2003 | 24 | Original work. |
| Gravion | October 7, 2002 | December 16, 2002 | 13 | Original work. |
| Kaleido Star | April 4, 2003 | March 27, 2004 | 51 | Original work. |
| Last Exile | April 7, 2003 | September 28, 2003 | 26 | Original work. |
| Gad Guard | April 17, 2003 | December 30, 2003 | 26 | Original work. In collaboration with Amber Film Works. |
| Peacemaker Kurogane | October 7, 2003 | March 24, 2004 | 24 | Based on a manga by Nanae Chrono. |
| Chrono Crusade | November 24, 2003 | June 10, 2004 | 24 | Based on a manga by Daisuke Moriyama. |
| Gravion Zwei | January 8, 2004 | March 25, 2004 | 12 | Second season of Gravion. |
| Gantz | April 12, 2004 | November 18, 2004 | 26 | Based on a manga by Hiroya Oku. |
| Burst Angel (Bakuretsu Tenshi) | April 6, 2004 | September 14, 2004 | 24 | Original work. |
| Samurai 7 | June 12, 2004 | December 25, 2004 | 26 | Based on a movie by Akira Kurosawa. |
| Desert Punk (Sunabouzu) | October 4, 2004 | March 28, 2005 | 24 | Based on a manga by Usune Masatoshi. |
| Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo | October 5, 2004 | March 29, 2005 | 24 | Based on a novel by Alexandre Dumas. |
| Basilisk | April 12, 2005 | September 20, 2005 | 24 | Based on a manga by Masaki Segawa. |
| Speed Grapher | April 7, 2005 | September 29, 2005 | 24 | Original work. |
| Trinity Blood | April 28, 2005 | October 6, 2005 | 24 | Based on a light novel by Sunao Yoshida. |
| Transformers: Galaxy Force/Cybertron | January 8, 2005 (Japan) July 2, 2005 (USA) |
December 31, 2005 (Japan) October 2, 2006 (USA) |
52 | Co-produced by Hasbro and Takara, in collaboration with Sunwoo Entertainment. |
| G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 | September 10, 2005 (USA) | October 28, 2006 (USA) | 26 | Co-produced by Hasbro |
| SoltyRei | October 6, 2005 | March 30, 2006 | 24 | Original work. In collaboration with AIC. |
| Black Cat | October 6, 2005 | March 30, 2006 | 24 | Based on a manga by Kentaro Yabuki. |
| Glass Fleet | April 4, 2006 | September 21, 2006 | 26 | Original work. |
| Witchblade | April 16, 2006 | September 20, 2006 | 24 | Based on the comic of the same name. |
| Welcome to the N.H.K. | July 9, 2006 | December 17, 2006 | 24 | Based on a novel by Tatsuhiko Takimoto. |
| Marginal Prince | October 1, 2006 | December 24, 2006 | 13 | Based on a dating simulation mobile game by NTT Docomo. In collaboration with Tokyo Kids and Studio T&B. |
| Red Garden | October 3, 2006 | March 13, 2007 | 22 | Based on a manga by Kirihito Ayamura. |
| Pumpkin Scissors | October 2, 2006 | March 19, 2007 | 24 | Based on a manga by Ryotary Iwanaga. In collaboration with AIC. |
| Master of Epic: The Animation Age | January 8, 2007 | March 26, 2007 | 12 | Based on an MMORPG by Konami. In collaboration with Palm Studio. |
| Afro Samurai | January 4, 2007 | February 1, 2007 | 5 | Based on a manga by Takashi Okazaki. Co-produced by Paramount Network Originals. |
| Getsumento Heiki Mina | January 13, 2007 | March 24, 2007 | 11 | Original work. |
| Romeo × Juliet | April 4, 2007 | September 26, 2007 | 24 | Based on a play by William Shakespeare. |
| Bokurano | April 8, 2007 | September 25, 2007 | 24 | Based on a manga by Mohiro Kitoh. |
| Kaze no Stigma | April 21, 2007 | September 21, 2007 | 24 | Based on a light novel by Takahiro Yamato. |
| My Bride Is a Mermaid | April 1, 2007 | September 30, 2007 | 26 | Based on a manga by Tahiko Kimura. In collaboration with AIC. |
| Dragonaut: The Resonance | March 3, 2007 | March 26, 2008 | 25 | Original work. |
| Rosario + Vampire | January 3, 2008 | March 27, 2008 | 13 | Based on a manga by Akihisa Ikeda.[12] |
| The Tower of Druaga: the Aegis of Uruk | April 1, 2008 | June 20, 2008 | 12 | Based on a game by Namco. |
| S · A: Special A | April 6, 2008 | September 14, 2008 | 24 | Based on a manga by Maki Minami. In collaboration with AIC. |
| Blassreiter | April 5, 2008 | September 27, 2008 | 24 | Original work. |
| Strike Witches | July 3, 2008 | September 18, 2008 | 12 | Based on a manga by Yoshiyuki Kazumi |
| Rosario + Vampire Capu2.. | October 2, 2008 | December 24, 2008 | 13 | Based on a manga by Akihisa Ikeda, sequel to Rosario + Vampire.[12] |
| Linebarrels of Iron | October 3, 2008 | March 20, 2009 | 24 | Based on a manga by Eiichi Shimizu. |
| The Tower of Druaga: the Sword of Uruk | January 8, 2009 | March 26, 2009 | 12 | Based on a game by Namco, sequel to The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk. |
| Saki | April 6, 2009 | September 28, 2009 | 25 | Based on a manga by Ritz Kobayashi. |
| Shangri-La | April 6, 2009 | September 14, 2009 | 24 | Based on a manga by Eiichi Ikegami. |
| Nyanpire | July 6, 2011 | September 21, 2011 | 12 | Based on a manga by yukiusa. |
| Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing | October 15, 2011 | March 23, 2012 | 21 | Original work, sequel to Last Exile. |
| Ozuma | March 16, 2012 | April 21, 2012 | 6 | Based on Lightning Ozma manga by Leiji Matsumoto.[13] In collaboration with LandQ Studios. |
| Leviathan: The Last Defense | April 6, 2013 | July 7, 2013 | 13 | Based on a mobile game produced by GREE.[14] |
| Dog & Scissors | July 1, 2013 | September 16, 2013 | 12 | Based on a light novel by Shunsuke Sarai and Tetsuhiro Nabeshima. |
| A Town Where You Live | July 13, 2013 | September 28, 2013 | 12 | Based on a manga by Kouji Seo.[15] |
| Blade & Soul | April 3, 2014 | June 26, 2014 | 13 | Based on a game by NCSOFT. |
| Seiyu's Life! | July 7, 2015 | September 29, 2015 | 13 | Based on a manga by Masumi Asano. |
| Aokana: Four Rhythm Across the Blue | January 12, 2016 | March 29, 2016 | 12 | Based on a visual novel by Sprite. |
| Akiba's Trip: The Animation | January 4, 2017 | March 29, 2017 | 13 | Based on a game by Acquire. |
| 18if | July 7, 2017 | September 29, 2017 | 13 | Based on a mobile game by MobCast. |
| Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits | April 2, 2018 | September 24, 2018 | 26 | Based on a light novel by Midori Yūma. |
| Space Battleship Tiramisu | April 3, 2018 | December 25, 2018 | 26 | Based on a manga by Satoshi Miyakawa. |
| Hinomaru Sumo | October 5, 2018 | March 29, 2019 | 24 | Based on a manga by Kawada. |
| Conception | October 10, 2018 | December 26, 2018 | 12 | Based on a game by Spike Chunsoft. |
| Try Knights | July 30, 2019 | October 15, 2019 | 12 | Based on a manga by Shunsaku Yano. In collaboration with Seven |
| Phantasy Star Online 2: Episode Oracle | October 7, 2019 | March 30, 2020 | 25 | Based on a game by Sega. In collaboration with Studio Kai |
OVAs
- 1998–2000 – Blue Submarine No. 6
- 1999–2000 – Melty Lancer: The Animation
- 2002–2003 – Gate Keepers 21
- 2002–2005 – Yukikaze (anime)
- 2004 – Kaleido Star Aratanaru Tsubasa Extra Stage
- 2007 – Bakuretsu Tenshi -Infinity, Strike Witches, Red Garden: Dead Girls
- 2018–2021 – Hori-san to Miyamura-kun (#4–5)
ONAs
- October 2001 – Zaion: I Wish You Were Here
- July 2018 – Calamity of a Zombie Girl, with Stingray
- December 2018 – Saint Seiya: Saintia Shō, production by Toei Animation
- June 2019 – 7 Seeds
- August 2019 - Hero of Robots
Films
- January 2006 – Gin-iro no Kami no Agito Also known as Origin: Spirits of the Past
- July 2006 – Brave Story
- January 2009 – Afro Samurai: Resurrection (with Paramount Network Originals)
- November 2013 – Bayonetta: Bloody Fate
- February 2016 – Last Exile: Fam, The Silver Wing: Over the Wishes
- November 2017 – Full Metal Panic 1: Boy Meets Girl
- January 2018 – Full Metal Panic 2: One Night Stand
- January 2018 – Full Metal Panic 3: Into the Blue
Games
- 1996: Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete (PlayStation / Sega Saturn) – contributed anime sequences
- 1997: Silhouette Mirage – contributed anime sequences
- 1997: Grandia - contributed animation support
- 1998: Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete (PlayStation / Sega Saturn) – contributed anime sequences
- 1998: Radiant Silvergun – contributed anime sequences
- 1999: The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999 (Sega Dreamcast) - contributed anime intro sequence
- 1999: Genso Suikogaiden Volume 1: Swordsman of Harmonia contributed intro FMV and character stills
- 2001: Genso Suikogaiden Volume 2: Duel at Crystal Valley – contributed intro FMV and character stills
- 2001: SkyGunner – contributed anime sequences
- 2002: Suikoden III – contributed intro FMV[16]
- 2003: Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner – contributed anime sequences
- 2008: Phantasy Star 0 – contributed anime sequences
- 2009: BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger – contributed anime sequences in home version
- 2009: Summon Night X: Tears Crown – contributed anime sequences
- 2010: Super Street Fighter IV – contributed anime ending sequences
- 2010: BlazBlue: Continuum Shift – contributed anime sequences in home version
Music videos
- 2004: "Breaking the Habit" by Linkin Park
- 2007: "Freedom" by Blood Stain Child
- 2008: "Forsaken" by Dream Theater
Shorts
- 2013: The Midnight Animals
Manga
- 2001: Vandread
- 2002: Vandread (Vandread Special Stage)
- 2003: Kiddy Grade (Kiddy Grade Versus)
- 2003: Kiddy Grade (Kiddy Grade Reverse)
- 2004: Bakuretsu Tenshi (Angel's Adolescence)
- 2005: Gankutsuou
- 2005: Speed Grapher
- 2007: Romeo x Juliet
- 2007: Red Garden
- 2007: Getsumen to Heiki Miina
- 2008: Blassreiter – Genetic
Many of Gonzo's titles were licensed for North American distribution by Geneon, ADV Films, and Funimation Entertainment. ADV Films UK branch was the UK distributor for Gonzo titles licensed by ADV, with the exception of Gantz, as it was licensed by MVM Films. Gad Guard, Hellsing, and Last Exile, which were titles originally licensed by Geneon, were also licensed by ADV Films UK, although they're no longer licensed since the company's closure. MVM Films was the UK licensee for the majority of Gonzo titles licensed by Funimation in the US, with the exception of Afro Samurai, which was initially distributed directly in the UK by GDH[17] and later by Manga Entertainment UK[18] who also licensed Strike Witches (season 1), Origin: Spirits of the Past, and recently Last Exile and Hellsing. Welcome to the N.H.K., Pumpkin Scissors, and Red Garden, which were originally licensed by ADV Films UK, were re-licensed by MVM Films.
In June 2006, it signed a long-term output deal with the anime television network, Animax, which saw Animax broadcasting all of Gonzo's anime titles across all of its networks around the world, including Japan, Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and Latin America and from November 2007 on Southern Africa's DSTV satellite network.[19] As of 2008 they decided to stream some of their airing anime on video sites such as: YouTube, Crunchyroll, and BOST.[20]
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