Major anime archive set to “destroy” history after closing
Fuji TVTokyo Laboratory is closing its doors after nearly 70 years of working on iconic, historic anime – and original prints of movies and TV shows are set to be “destroyed.”
The development company was established in 1955, working on many aspects of anime production, from the processing of visual effects to converting formats, subtitling, video editing, and producing DVDs and other physical media.
In a recent statement, the firm confirmed it would be shuttering its operations on November 30, bringing its anime history to an end. Over the decades, it has been known to work on the likes of King Kong vs Godzilla, Ultraman, Astro Boy, Studio Ghibli’s Grave of the Fireflies, Sonic X, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and more.
A major concern has arisen among fans since the news dropped: what will happen to the prints? Well, some original negatives may be lost forever if they’re not returned to clients.
Tokyo Laboratory set to “dispose of” decades of anime history
In a statement, the company wrote: “Due to the termination of our business at the end of November this year, we will no longer be able to continue storing the original film plates from December onwards, so we are currently working on returning them to our customers.
“We apologize for any inconvenience, but if we do not receive a reply to our contact, or we are unable to contact you, or we cannot confirm the return of the original, it will be disposed of as of the end of October, and this disposal will be left to our company.”
This was shared to X/Twitter by @nappasan, who wrote: “This is dangerous. Tokyo Photographic Studio, which will be closed, has announced that it will dispose of the film originals that are being stored in the warehouse at the end of October if it cannot contact the rights holder. If this continues, a large amount of valuable negatives will be lost. Can’t the National Film Archive @NFAJ_PR pick it up?”
It’s not been confirmed exactly which anime could be at risk, but other users have shared similar concerns about the negatives. “I have seen posts adding some really hopeful embellishment to the Tokyo Laboratory disaster – the lab is NOT ‘working to return’ the film to clients… the film preservation community needs to know about this, and not through filtered Anime News Network coverage that makes the situation seem less grim than it really is,” one wrote.
“Unfortunately there is not much anyone can do about this situation, thanks to Japan’s own extremely strict copyright law. There is a high chance that orphaned works without proper copyright transfer protocols will indeed be unclaimed and suffer a tragic fate… this is a horrible thing because there are precious, one-of-a-kind negatives and film materials there – ones that we discovered for Discotek’s ‘vault’ releases & helped restore in association with their respective copyright holders. For many works, this will no longer be possible,” another wrote.
“Potential detriment not just for anime history, but film preservation in general: Tokyo Laboratory, a prolific film processing lab, is attempting to return all its masters to their copyright holders but will destroy all of those they are unable to find the owner of before October,” a third tweeted.
How to watch Crunchyroll from outside your location in 2023
Crunchyroll is the world’s best hub for streaming anime, whether it’s One Piece, Attack on Titan, or Jujutsu Kaisen – and thanks to ExpressVPN, you can access the platform’s full library even if you’re outside the US.
If you’re abroad, here’s what you need to do to access Crunchyroll’s full selection – and it really is this simple:
- Sign up for ExpressVPN, which has ultra-fast servers and offers a secure, private connection wherever you are in the world.
- Connect to a location anywhere in the US; Express VPN allows you to choose from 24 different spots, from New Jersey to Santa Monica.
- Visit Crunchyroll online and start streaming all of your favorite animes – and perhaps some you’ve never watched.
Accessing Crunchyroll’s US roster makes a difference. For example, Hong Kong users only have access to less than 100 titles, while the US has nearly 1,000 movies and TV shows.
You can also stream anime on Crunchyroll for free with an ad-supported plan. Or you can pay for a subscription – there’s even a 14-day free trial if you can’t quite make up your mind.
You can check out our other anime coverage here.