TMS Entertainment

Credits

Video captures courtesy of
Broken Saw, VTRVCR, LeIDBasher and LogicSmash

This article is about the current incarnation of TMS. For the US production arm of one of its predecessors, Tokyo Movie Shinsha, see TMS Entertainment, Inc.

Background

TMS Entertainment Co., Ltd. was founded in 1946 as Asahi Gloves Manufacturing, a textile manufacturer that expanded and grew into other businesses during its lifespan such as amusement centers, renaming multiple times until 1991, when it was renamed to Kyokuichi. In 1992, the company teamed up with Sega with them taking a big investment in Kyokuichi. In 1995, Sega merged Kyokuichi with Tokyo Movie Shinsha, absorbing them into Kyokuichi in the process and established the Kyokuichi Tokyo Movie division with its international name being TMS-Kyokuichi (or TMS-K). Sega retained an equity-method stake in the company as a result and TMS-K would use the Tokyo Movie name for their studio until 2011. In 2000, Kyokuichi was renamed to TMS Entertainment, Ltd. and withdrew from all other businesses three years later, solely becoming an animation and arcade center company. Sega Sammy Holdings acquired a majority stake in TMS Entertainment in 2005, converting the company to a subsidiary of the Sega Sammy Group. In 2010, Sega Sammy purchased all the remaining shares of TMS that it didn't own, making the company a wholly-owned subsidiary. In 2015, as part of a major restructuring, TMS was bought under the umbrella of the Sega Group (Sega Holdings) division (until 2020, when Sega Games and Sega Interactive merged back into simply Sega and Sega Group Corporation rendering defunct the following year).

1st Logo (January 7, 2000-)

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Visuals: Superimposed on the show's opening and/or ending sequence is the TMS Entertainment wordmark, consisting of the words "トムス・エンタテインメント" in a futuristic style-script, usually in white or its usual color.

Variants:

• On 2016-2019 episodes of Case Closed/Detective Conan as well as Lupin the 3rd: Part 5, the TMS symbol is added to the left of the wordmark.
• During their 50th anniversary in 2014, the wordmark was placed at the bottom of TMS' 50th anniversary logo, which consists of the numbers "50" in purple with the eyes situated in the middle of the number. This was seen on 2014-2015 episodes of Anpanman and Case Closed/Detective Conan.
• During their 55th anniversary in 2019, the wordmark was placed at the bottom of TMS' 55th anniversary logo, which consists of the numbers 55 sightly tilted in purple and the word "Anniversary" on top of it. This was seen on 2019-2020 episodes of Anpanman and Case Closed/Detective Conan.
• During their 60th anniversary in 2024, the wordmark was placed on the bottom of TMS' 60th anniversary logo, which consists of the letter 6 in blue and the letter 0 in purple with a little droplet, also in purple with the word "th" engraved on it and the word "Anniversary" on the bottom of it. This was seen on 2024 episodes of Case Closed/Detective Conan.

Technique: A superimposed digital graphic.

Audio: The opening or ending theme of the show.

Availability: This was first seen on episode 549 of Anpanman and began gradually appearing on all shows that TMS produces and/or animates during that same year. This logo also appears on remastered prints of older TMS shows such as Lupin the 3rd: Part III. However, Case Closed/Detective Conan continued to use the Kyokuichi Tokyo Movie logo until 2011.

2nd Logo (2000s-2009)

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Visuals: A cluster of clouds move away, revealing a sky blue screen with more clouds at the bottom and the sun in the distance. A group of sparkles then emerge from the glow, forming an rainbow and three dolphins come rushing towards the screen. They then rush upwards off the screen, forming a splash of water and revealing the current logo waving about ("Tms" in a blue abstract font, with a white dot in the middle of the T's bar and a pink dot above the "M"). The background then becomes a gray-white gradient and "ENTERTAINMENT, LTD." fades in below.

Variant: On some shows (e.g., Sonic X), the logo is still and set on a black background.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: The sounds of the sparkles and dolphins, with a bubbling sound when the words appear. A sole dolphin chirping can be heard when the logo fades out.

Availability: Seen on newer and older TMS properties. The still version appears at the end of international prints of television productions (mainly Sonic X, which is kept on the US 4Kids dubbed version). It plasters older logos such as on the Japanese Blu-ray of Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland and Geneon DVDs of the original Lupin III series. The animated version can be found at the end of episodes of the uncut French dub of Sonic X, sometimes followed by the Buena Vista International Television logo. It could also be seen on trailers for TMS' shows.

3rd Logo (October 1, 2011)

Visuals: On a marble light brown background, the TMS symbol appears as it forms. After the letters "M" and "S" are in place, the "T" and the ball appear bouncing. After the "T" is in place, the ball bounces atop the "M" while the symbol turns to blue and the background changes to white. After that, the word "ENTERTAINMENT, LTD." appears at the bottom of the symbol.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A futuristic warp-like sound ending with a big radar-like bang.

Availability: Seen on The Princess and the Pilot.

4th Logo (October 20, 2012-)

Visuals: A red triangle folds out onto the screen, followed by it becoming a square. It eventually continues to fold out, becoming a cluttered mess of multicolored shapes, folding around like origami. Eventually, the origami collapse into the TMS logo, with the sphere being formed from a blue/pink square. Then, a blue light shines on the red dot that is placed on top of the logo. A reflection of the logo from the light zooms into the screen very slowly and then disappears along with the light. The TMS logo remains in its original place after the light animation is finished.

Variants:

• A shorter version exists, where it starts when the light starts reflecting. The music is also shorter.
• On Japanese prints of theatrical films, except for films in the Case Closed/Detective Conan and Anpanman (outside of Apple Boy's and Everyone's Hope) franchises, the company's wordmark is in Japanese.
• On films released during their 50th anniversary in 2014, TMS' 50th anniversary symbol appears and blinks twice. Then the rest of the shortened logo plays out.
• On some shows such as Sweetness & Lightning, the logo appears in-credit during the opening sequence.

Technique: CGI by Jun Kobayashi (with Masato Okada as planner and director) at MOVMASTER.

Audio: A piano-driven tune finishing with a dreamy three-note tune.

Availability: Seen on international prints of TMS programs such as Yowamushi Pedal, The Pilot's Love Song, Hero Bank, Sega Hard Girls, Bakuon!!, and Rent-A-Girlfriend, among others. It's also seen on their animated films like Case Closed: Dimensional Sniper, Orange: Future and Resident Evil: Death Island.

◄ TMS-Kyokuichi Corporation

TMS Entertainment