A new partnership has been announced in Japan between Broccoli and larger comics and games retailer and licensed products company Animate.  Animate has taken an 11.31% stake in Broccoli, and the two companies are also launching a joint venture, AniBro, to produce licensed anime and game products.  Animate is contributing 70% and Broccoli 30% of the $1.9 million initial capitalization of AniBro.  The companies will also cooperate in running their retail stores in Japan. 

We asked Shizuki Yamashita, Director of Operations of Broccoli's U.S. operations, what to expect in terms of the impact on U.S. operations.  'Since the joint venture was just announced, Broccoli International USA hasn't been informed of anything that would affect us at this time,' she said.  'We're excited about Ani-Bro and the potentials the new venture has for the North American market as well. Everyone in Japan is starting to look at anime & manga as a global commodity, rather than simply a Japanese export, and I believe Broccoli International USA's experience in the North American market for the last 8 years will be beneficial for Ani-Bro.'