Summary
Despite being some of the most popular global entertainment today, it can often be easy to miss how much history there is behind many of the storied animation studios responsible for creating anime. Now, one of the oldest and most venerable names in anime is celebrating a big anniversary with some free, big-name content.
One of the oldest and most iconic anime studios in Japan, TMS Entertainment, is celebrating 60 years since its initial founding as Tokyo Movie Co., Ltd. in 1964. Initially created during the booming early years of Japanese television when there became more and more of an interest in televised Japanese animation, Tokyo Movie Co. would begin to produce several successful animation adaptations of popular 1960s manga fromlegendary creators such as Osamu Tezukaand Fujiko Fujio. Over the following years, Tokyo Movie Co. and its later branding of Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS) would entertain generations of fans, both in Japan through its manga adaptations and worldwide through its animation production services on many international projects like Disney’sGargoylesand Warner Bros.’Batman: The Animated Series.
It’s easy to see that TMS Entertainment is a large studio with a history that goes off in more than one direction, but its big anniversary of 60 years in 2024 has proven a chance to celebrate with something incredibly hard to pass up—free anime. Throughout the month of August,TMS’s YouTube channelhas a month-long programming slate of free anime offerings from four iconic franchises.
Sonic X: TMS Animating Sega’s High-Speed Mascot
Rounding out the first two weeks of August, what better way is there for a Sega company to celebrate thanwith the blue blur himself?Sonic X, the 2000s TMS adaptation of Sega’s flagship game series, was introduced to fans and kids around the world through 4Kids in the US and Fox Kids in the EU, becoming one of the definitive iterations of the world and characters of the Sonic universe. Several episodes of the series are set to be released by TMS on YouTube over the course of the first two weeks of August, with episodes coming out daily.
Big X: An Anime Relic from Osamu Tezuka
Through his work in both manga and anime, Osamu Tezuka was easily one of the world’smost popular and influential creatorsof the 20th century. An early sci-fi shonen centered around the resistance against a robotic superweapon from falling into evil hands bent on world domination,Big Xwould encapsulate many of the themes of technology and adventure that would define much of Tezuka’s oeuvre through works likeAstro Boy. Initially broadcast in 1964 as TMS’s first animated television series, much of the series is considered lost media. However, the first episode has been fully digitally restored, and is set to be released for free, subbed, on YouTube on Monday, August 12.
Super Dimension Century ORGUSS: A Cult Classic of Mecha Anime
An incredibly popular anime genre in the 1980s,mecha is a genre with a long historyand plenty of retro cult classics. While initially set in the still-future (but much more future in the 1980s) year of 2062,Super Dimension Century ORGUSScenters around different powers fighting for both planetary and galactic control, when one pilot ends up being unwittingly thrust into a far-future, science-fantasy-infused reality that could even be regarded as an early anime example of the isekai genre. Episodes 1-10 ofSuper Dimensionare set to be uploaded to TMS’s channel, two per day, from August 19-23.
Lupin the IIIrd: Three Films from the World’s Greatest Thief
Finishing out the month is one of the most beloved franchises not just in the TMS Catalog, but in all of Japanese pop culture.Lupin the IIIrd, the eccentric mastermind thief, has starred in a truly massive assortment of both feature film and series anime since the 1970s. A franchise whose previous directors have included Hayao Miyazaki and legendary live-action Japanese action-comedy director Seijun Suzuki is a high bar, but some of the most acclaimed modern Lupin content has been the stylishLady Named Fujiko Minespinoff anime, which includes three different companion films all animated by TMS.Jigen’s Gravestone(2014),Goemon’s Blood Spray(2017), andFujiko’s Lie(2019) are set to go up for free on August 26, 28, and 30, rounding out the anniversary celebration uploads.
Although each produced in different eras and each with a different vibe, the offerings are a reflection of the studio’s commendable history and a perfect sampler for those who want to revisit a nostalgic favorite or give some classics a first try.
