Anime Works

Media Blasters

Type	Private
Industry	Manga Anime Asian Films Adult Anime Monster Movies Concert Films Independent Films Horror Films Exploitation Films
Founded	May 5, 1997
Founder	John Sirabella Sam Liebowitz
Headquarters	New York City, New York, United States
Number of employees	50
Website	www.media-blasters.com

Media Blasters is an American entertainment corporation founded by John Sirabella and Sam Liebowitz, based in New York City. It is in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American market manga and anime compilations, Asian films and television series, adult anime, monster movies, concert films, independent films, horror films and exploitation flms.

The company has been releasing translated anime and concert films since May 1997. The company first released adult anime. In 2004, Media Blasters began publishing manga. The company first published shōnen manga titles for older readers, and later so it increased its yaoi manga line.

In early 2012, not long after Bandai Entertainment announced its restructuring plans, Media Blasters' John Sirabella announced the laying off of approximately ten employees, which reduced its workforce by about sixty percent. Sirabella has said that this will not affect production rates. Digital distribution for Media Blasters' titles are available on PlayStation Network, Xbox, Netflix, and Vudu.

Founded in 1997, Media Blasters is a New York-based-company that has several divisions that target different aspects of the video market. Media Blasters licenses works for release and is involved in the production, localizing, and distribution of works. The Animeworks division was created in 1997, and focuses on localization and distribution of anime titles, but has also licensed non-anime works such as Invader Zim. The adult label Kitty Media was also started in 1997 and features explicit hentai works. Created in 1998, Tokyo Shock is Media Blaster's Asian cinema division, which is responsible for American localization of works such as Zatoichi:The Blind Swordsman of the Zatoichi franchise. Another division, Shriek Show, was founded in 2001 to focus on re-mastering horror titles for DVD release.

At the height of its success, Media Blasters released around five titles a month and had about 50 employees, but as the market decreased so did the company. As of April 2012, the company was listed as dissolved by the New York Department of State.

Anime Works is the label used for the bulk of anime titles including Kite, Moribito, Bakuman, and the first season of Ah! My Goddess. In addition, it also released the informative show Cosplay Encyclopedia in 1999, which showcased the world of cosplay for North American audiences.