Ghost Hound licensed by ADV/Sentai Filmworks?

[LelouchLamperouge]

* I meant to put the word "Rumor:" in the topic...

I was doing more digging around lately, just to see what I could find on Sentai Filmworks, so I Bing'd (I really like Bing more than Google, etc) it. Well, I found this Sentai Filmworks official page and I've already checked Network Solutions to make sure this is a legit site, so there's no question about it and otherwise, if it turned out different I wouldn't have posted this. I was reading the opening statement and noticed the bolded below:

Sentai Filmworks is the fastest-growing producer-distributor of anime in North America. Its growing library includes new series like Clannad, Shiro Masamune's Ghost Hound and Princess Resurrection as well as classic hit feature films like Appleseed. Check out the catalog for a full list of titles.

It looks like it was recently updated, as it mentions the Appleseed movie, but not much else. However, doesn't mention Ghost Hound in the catalog, so it remains to be seen if its just a mistake or what.

I'm intrigued needless to say by this...

[Prede]

Hmmm seems interesting. Been wondering why there is no Sentai Filmworks website for awhile now, nice to see ADV/Sentai got on the ball. Been bugging them (well just been bugging people, hopefully they took notice lol) for months to do something about their website. Anyway I like the way they use the word "clout" on their homepage, lol.

I hope Ghost Hound is licensed! Please let it be true! Ryutaro Nakamura is one of my favorite directors, and Chiaki Konaka is one of my favorite screenwriters. When they work together it's never a bad thing .

[chronoclast]

My feelings at this news are conflicted between thrilled and annoyed for a few different reasons. Ghost Hound is one of the shows I want licensed the most but ADV/Sentai are the last company(s) I'd want to get it. Nothing against them, it just has to do with their current state. I'm actually kinda hoping this is a mistake and they don't have it but I guess we'll wait and see.

[WTK]

So there is finally a Sentai Filmworks site. I kind figure that there would be one eventually since there is one for Switchblade Pictures. As to Ghost Hound, I'm sure I will buy it once it's released. Though if it's coming from ADV/Sentai, it probably means no dub. No big deal, sub releases are okay with me as well...

[LelouchLamperouge]

Originally Posted by WTK

So there is finally a Sentai Filmworks site. I kind figure that there would be one eventually since there is one for Switchblade Pictures. As to Ghost Hound, I'm sure I will buy it once it's released. Though if it's coming from ADV/Sentai, it probably means no dub. No big deal, sub releases are okay with me as well...

It's pretty recent too - made and last updated July 10, 2009.

[WTK]

Originally Posted by LelouchLamperouge

It's pretty recent too - made and last updated July 10, 2009.

Now let's see if they will update this at a regular basis. It looks like I noticed Burn Up Excess in their catalog. The last Burn Up Excess boxset was released in 2004 and was never offered a re-release. Then again the catalog page is missing Burn Up!, Daphne in the Brilliant Blue, Dokkoida?!, Legends of the Dark Kings: A Fist of the North Star Story, and Sakura Wars (TV).

[nakimushi]

Originally Posted by LelouchLamperouge

It's pretty recent too - made and last updated July 10, 2009.

Whois says the domain was registered last year, July 10, 2008. Ledford probably registered it while he was getting the paperwork together for forming the LLC.

The domain is hosted by ADV's DNS servers, and from the IP address the site seems to be hosted on ADV's servers as well (that same IP address also hosts the site for the anime network as well). Neither of which is much of a surprise.

I guess they felt bad having Dragoon's site be their entire presence on the web.

[LelouchLamperouge]

Originally Posted by nakimushi

Whois says the domain was registered last year, July 10, 2008.

I must have been looking at the wrong whois (product of multi-tasking).

About time a website was discovered or made for Sentai Filmworks...

[nakimushi]

Originally Posted by LelouchLamperouge

I must have been looking at the wrong whois (product of multi-tasking).

About time a website was discovered or made for Sentai Filmworks...

Here's the Web page designer. Makes sense, has the Anime Network site in his portfolio of work.

Also just found this in the whois for sentai-filmworks.com: www.sentai-holdings.com. It is listed as the registrant for the sentai-filmworks.com domain. Same IP address as the sentai-filmworks.com site but different content - looks like it is currently just a server alias on the same server that hosts www.theanimenetwork.com.


Interesting, it appears that John Ledford set up two LLCs. In addition to Sentai Filmworks, LLC which we found out about last October, there is Sentai Holdings, LLC as well.

Actually it looks like he set up a third LLC last October too: J-Spec Pictures.

[Quarkboy]

What exactly is the point of all these shenanigans? I'm no expert at US or Texas business law, but there really seems to me to be no honest reason for what sure seems like a single individual setting up 3 different LLCs all registered to the same address.

Perhaps these were backups in case ADV got sued into oblivion by someone last year when things got really dicey... Ledford could have quickly transferred some of the licenses/assets to these holding companies in an attempt to shield them from creditors (and splitting them up into different companies would be safer, perhaps).
But now that no one is suing anyone, maybe they're just leftovers. Only time will tell, but the tatemae of "Sentai is not ADV" is really getting old.