Central Park Media Fanclub

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Dedicated to the guys at Central Park Media, who help bring us our favorite anime!! Central Park Media has two divisions that deal with releaseing anime.They are "US Manga Corps" and "Software Sculptors". CPM also licensed and released live aciton movies, manga and manwha along with their anime.

Central Park Media was founded in 1990 by John O'Donnell, and his wife. The U.S. Manga mascot is MD Geist, a famous anime character from the early 1990's. Their office is across the street from the southwest corner of Central Park in mid-Manhattan (Southwest corner of Broadway and West 57th Street ), thus the name of the company. Their first releases were Dominion Tank Police, Project A-ko, and M.D. Geist. M.D. Geist, despite it's reputation, was the first top selling anime. It was a big hit, even staying on VHS top ten charts for weeks after the release. Re-releases of the title (on VHS and later DVD) also sold very well. They were also the first company to release a hentai in theatres, "Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend ", which was even reviewed by the New York Times. CPM was already well established when the other R1 companies came into the market, even to the point where CPM actually did the distribution for ADV, Urban Vision, AnimEigo, Bandai and Pioneer for awhile.

They brought us: A Wind Named Amnesia ,Descendants of Darkness ,Dominion Tank Police , Now and Then Here and There, Grave of the Fireflies, and Revolutionary Girl Utena, and the Second Yu Yu Hakusho Film,(to name a few)

Link to full list:
Anime:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Central_Park_Media_releases
Hentai:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Anime_18
Manga:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CPM_Press

Central Park Media News (my blog)
http://centralparkmedianews.blogspot.com/

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Club Discussion

2006 John O'Donnell Interview Prede	0 replies	by Prede »» 05-09-09, 1:15 AM
John O'Donnell's Recommendations Prede	0 replies	by Prede »» 04-01-09, 7:50 PM
CPM Dub's Prede	4 replies	by Prede »» 03-30-09, 1:05 PM

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Club Comments

Prede | 09-26-09, 12:46 PM

Yeah I really got lucky. I don't think anyone goes to that store really lol. So they have to sell everything really cheap.

Hamminaptu | 09-26-09, 12:18 PM

9$ for DNA^2, Talk about a find!!!!

Prede | 09-11-09, 9:16 PM

I was lucky and found the DNA^2 Box set REALLY cheap in CD World (they are owned by FYE) a few months back. It was brand new, never opened, and just sitting on the shelf. It was like $9. I was like 9 dollors for 15 episodes, how can you beat that?. I was like can't let that offer pass me by, on a series I wanted too. I think it's still pretty easy to find online though, and so is Shadow STar Narutaru and Harlock Saga. Utena needs a rescue though. Please ADV pick that one up! (I have the first two volumes of it btw...but damn the rest is so much...)

Yami no Matsuei was expensive the last time I checked. I think that's one title that will be re-released in the future though. it's only a matter of time. I'll be buying it when it comes out again though, as I have yet to see the ending. An amazing anime there though.

Anyway glad you will finally be getting the rest of Shadow Star though. The last arch is very powerful and twisted. And Amnesia is something that just needs to be seen. Very smart movie. It's one of the deepest most profound movies I've had the luck to watch. The only competitor is the movie I watched yestorday, "The Sky Cralwers". I really hope you enjoy that classic.

kirAth-shiAue | 09-11-09, 7:56 PM

Well I got the first 2 volumes of Shadow Star Narutaru. Next payday I'll be ordering the last 2 volumes, A Wind Named Amnesia and maybe DNA^2. Gotta get Yami no Matsuei too cuz I really want to re-watch that one. It would be my 4th time. =)
I will try to get the re-release of Now and Then, Here and There as well. I want to get Revolutionary Girl Utena but too expensive. I hope it gets a re-release. Also want to get Harlock Saga. I will have to get most of them at Amazon cuz I can't find them anywhere else, unless fye has them used. Thats how I got volume 2 of Shadow Star Narutaru(the first volume was found at the Anime store close by me).

Prede | 09-11-09, 6:28 PM

Anyone buy the ADV re-releases of CPM's shows? Please remember to support ADV for saving all these titles. We need to keep buying anime, otherise we might have more CPM's on our hand in the future. I got NTHT and Grave of the Fireflies, even though I already have CPM's release of them. I also got Darkside Blues and World of Narue. I relized that NTHT does not have all of CPM's extras on it. The live action stuff about the dub is not on the Special features DVD. That's a real loss as it's a very good watch. So I guess that just makes CPM's release all the more valuable.

Prede | 05-30-09, 12:15 AM

Anime 3000 podcast had a nice segment about CPM and John O'Donnell. It's very nice what they say about JOD, CPM, and very informative as well. Give it a listen.

http://anime3000.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=161:anime-3000-panel-s01e04-whats-hot-on-anime-blogs&catid=39:podcast&Itemid=110

Prede | 05-09-09, 9:46 PM

Well some more interesting news to share with you guys. This is more in the form of rumor then anything else. This is why I have chosen not to even mention it in my CPM Blog, as that's for news only pretty much. I want to be taken seriously there. Anyway I've seen quite a few ex-employees question just what the hell CPM has been up to the last few years, and then the recent filing for bankrucpty.

Now take this with a grain of salt, but acruding to these ex-employees, CPM could have stayed afloat by re-releaseing their older titles, when they had a chance 2007-(early)2009. They had a lot of titles that they could have released on DVD. Acurding to an ex-employee, an adult title a month could keep the buisness running, and that's not even taking into the picture all their decent selling regular stuff. The plain fact that they didn't re-release ANYTHING for a long period of time, acurding to the ex-employees means they are still planning on something and quote "the story is not over". Perhaps what I've been reading is O'Donnell aimed to have CPM fall, so he could start another company. He brought it to a slow wind down, so it would be easyer to start a new company from it's ashes?

Now I'm not sure if I buy that. CPM was struck hard from the Musicland Bankrupcty, and hard again from the frigen Biblos bastards, so it's kind of weird to think they would plan their own destruction, in order to better themselves. As the person said quote "I believe this was in some ways planned or a general riding off into the pasture scenario but from what I have heard about the numbers this story is not over." I guess they could have, take a horrible situation and turn around at the right moment and re-enter the market as a new company. Still it's very odd. Maybe ol' John O'Donnell is just off his rocker at this point though. He was always a kinda crazy (yet mega cool) kind of guy.

Another possibilty (this one I've come up with) is maybe he became disillusioned with anime and the fans. At the last convention that CPM had a panel at, they were selling their DVD's at like $5.00 a DVD, for some hard to get shows, and like $2.00 for their manga. Yet after 3 days of the con, almost none of it sold!! And this is stuff that people cliam to want to buy on the internet at least. Then the last day, he gave everyone a red bag, and said that people could take what they want from their table for free. That used to sound like generosity to me. Now it sounds more like defeat. Like he gave up, and just wanted to get rid of all those DVD's and get out of the industry for good. Becuase if they won't sell at $5.00 at a con full of fans, why bother right?Of course after annoucning the stuff was free, everything was gone in 30 seconds. It was madness.

This is the entire thing one ex-employee said. I've read a few interesting things like it online elsewhere.

"You are correct on all the above Justin but it makes no sense and since we both worked there, you after me you may know more in terms of the later CPM but I know quite a bit about the numbers per say.

I believe this was in some ways planned or a general riding off into the pasture scenario but from what I have heard about the numbers this story is not over.

It was something I brought up to you during cons...one adult anime a month could have easily sustained the operation not to mention all their evergreen titles.

Sorry it does not equal up... "

AND

"

Careful now. You may give some of us some hope with statements like that

I believe the hope comes down to what Justin said. Whimper or a Fight?

That is something I have also struggled with myself over many years as your business goes year after year it becomes tougher to wake up every morning and continue the hard fight.

Only one person in this case holds the answer...

-js "

Prede | 05-05-09, 8:43 PM

"Yami no Matsuei" needs one badly. I put off buying that for years, and now I'm screwed! It costs so much online now. I have to agree with the fangirls on that one, even as a straight guy, that title just owns. Plus since it aired on the Sci-Fi channell it has a lot of fans now, and renewed interest in it. "Amnesia" is semi-easy to find online, but it's getting harder. It's a true masterpeice though that should stay in print. "DNA^2" is something I have been planning on checking out, but with a rescue I'd buy it. I know very little about that though. "Harlock Saga" looked really good, but I know little about that as well. "Nightwalker" was great, needs a license rescue IMO. Getting hard to find now, which sucks. "Narutaru" is still easy to get online, but I have been watching the copies fly off amazon, so it needs a license rescue soon. Kitoh is a genius in all meanings of the word.

As for "Utena" maybe since it's airing on the Anime Network over the summer, that will bring some support for a license rescue? It is a longer series, but God knows it needs to be saved, it's near impossible to find now. The little I've seen of it I loved, and it has a lot of fanboys, so keep an eye on this one. In fact all the titles you mentioned seem likely, well maybe not "Amnesia" since that's an older movie, that's not well known. But they others have a really good shot, even a better shot if ADV starts to rebound.