Shout! Factory and Anime Limited Announce a New Entertainment Distribution Deal For The Cult-Favorite Anime Anthology Series Bartender
Los Angeles, U.S., and Glasgow, Scotland – September 4, 2020 – Shout! Factory, a multi-platform media company, and Anime Limited, the esteemed UK distributor of animation, have announced a new North American entertainment distribution partnership for the highly sought-after anime series, BARTENDER.
This charming anthology series that brims with captivating slice-of-life narratives and scrumptious-looking anime was directed by Masaki Watanabe (Battle Spirits, Bakumatsu, KADO – The Right Answer), written by Yasuhiro Imagawa (Giant Robo the Animation) and produced by Palm Studios. Based on the best-selling Japanese manga series by Araki Joh and illustrated by Kenji Nagatomo, BARTENDER was adapted into an anime series in 2006 and a live-action Japanese television drama in 2011. The announcement was made today by Melissa Boag, Senior Vice President of Family Entertainment at Shout! Factory, and Andrew Partridge, Founder and CEO of Anime Limited.
This multi-year distribution alliance provides Shout! Factory with distribution rights to BARTENDER, including digital, video-on-demand, broadcast, and home entertainment for cross-platform releases in the U.S. and Canada. Shout! Factory, in collaboration with Anime Limited, plans to bring this coveted anime series to the entertainment marketplace early 2021, with a set release plan for a special 15th Anniversary multi-disc Collector's Edition Blu-ray™ set and a digital launch across major entertainment platforms.
“We've been enjoying our on-going collaboration and couldn't be more excited about this new opportunity with Anime Limited. This truly unique and highly entertaining anime series is a very exciting addition to our anime library. We look forward to bringing BARTENDER Collector's Edition to fans and collectors in North America.”
“We're excited to once again be working with Shout! Factory to distribute another one of our great home video releases in North America. BARTENDER is a special title and we're thrilled to bring our Collector's Edition to fans in the US and Canada – an edition that shows a lot of love to a hidden gem of a series.”
About Anime Limited
Based out of Glasgow, Scotland Anime Limited brings a fresh approach to distributing the best in anime direct from Japan. As an independent company the emphasis is both breathing new life into much loved classics and introducing the cutting edge of theatrical offerings. With a focus on bringing more anime to the big screen, releasing beautifully packaged collector's editions and trying new ways to reach fans digitally, Anime Limited is committed to offering a wide range of experiences for UK audiences.
About Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory, LLC is a diversified multi-platform media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving, and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer, and Garson Foos have spent their entire careers sharing their music, television and film favorites with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory's entertainment offerings serve up feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music and comedy specials. In addition, Shout! Factory maintains a vast entertainment distribution network that delivers culturally relevant programming, movie, and audio content to all the leading digital service providers in North America and across multiple platforms. Shout! Factory owns and operates Shout! Studios, Scream Factory, Shout! Factory Kids, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and Shout! Factory TV. These riches are the result of a creative acquisition mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Los Angeles, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com.
