Eternal Anime Treasures on the Brink of Extinction - A Heartrending Catastrophe

Tokyo Laboratory, a film editing company, is currently facing a crisis. As it prepares to permanently close its doors in November, it will be forced to destroy numerous anime masters that have been left unclaimed. This unfortunate outcome means that thousands of classic anime will be lost forever. The company's extensive archive holds much more than just footage—it is also a valuable tangible record of anime production history. The loss of this archive would be a significant blow both historically and culturally.

Established in 1955, Tokyo Laboratory is a subsidiary of TOHO. Although not an animation studio, it has played a crucial role in video editing, development, and archiving of anime throughout its impressive 67 years of operation. However, due to restructuring within TOHO, the company announced in November 2022 that it would be permanently closing down. This decision has now put its vast collection of unclaimed master shots at risk. In a tweet by the animation news site Catsuka, the unfortunate situation is highlighted: "Sad news: After archiving many old animes since 1955, Japanese Tokyo Lab company will be closing in November and will have to destroy all the masters that have not been claimed by right holders."

Tokyo Laboratory's Shutdown Could Make 20,000 Anime Lost Forever

According to reports from websites such as AnimeNewsNetwork, there is an inventory of around 20,000 unclaimed content masters. Due to Tokyo Laboratory's extensive experience in working on various anime projects, this collection possibly contains extremely scarce material that has yet to undergo remastering or re-release. The company's repertoire encompasses a vast spectrum of anime history, spanning from 07-Ghost to Zone of the Enders: Idolo. If these masters are not currently stored or marked for destruction, it would result in the loss of exceptionally high-quality versions of rare anime, irrespective of whether their owners desire them or not.

The closure of Tokyo Laboratory was a result of evolving technology, as film was being replaced by digital storage and distribution. TOHO's reorganization resulted in the dispersion of Tokyo Laboratory's responsibilities to new departments with a digital focus. However, archival duties will continue through a newly established company. The shift to digital archiving could be the reason why TOHO no longer wishes to handle the 20,000 masters, as it incurs an annual storage cost of $40,000. Nevertheless, the destruction of these anime materials risks losing valuable and undiscovered treasures.

Fortunately, Japan is not oblivious to this issue. Politician Zenko Kurishita expressed awareness of the historical significance of the film masters in a post on his X account. It reads, "Today, we spoke with a representative from the Tokyo Development Center. The company acknowledges the historical value of the film masters, which represent 68 years of activity, and they are reluctant to dispose of them..." With only two months remaining, time is running out to reach an agreement with TOHO regarding the fate of the material. Hopefully, the closure of Tokyo Laboratory will not result in the loss of its repository of production history for classic anime.