VAP, Inc.

Background

VAP, Inc. (initials of Video & Audio Project) is a Japanese publishing company, headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Nippon Television Holdings, Inc, and assists in the publishing of several anime, music, and video releases. Until 2004, the video division was branded as VAP Video, likewise, the gaming division was branded as VAP Game, whose releases were published in North America by NTVIC, Inc.

1st Logo (January 24, 1981-1985)

Nicknames: "Triangle VAP", "Colored VAP", "UAP", "VAP RGB"

Logo: On a cornflower blue background, we see the VAP logo wiping in via 2 segmented halves wiping in from both sides. It consists of a green upside-down triangle border with the "vap" text in a fancy colored font (which makes the logo look more like "uap"), and below it was the black text "VIDEO CASSETTE TAPE". Everything is surrounded by a white glow. The logo fades out, followed by the background.

FX/SFX: The wiping of the logo.

Music/Sounds: An upbeat pop tune. Sometimes silent.

Availability: Rare, as most VAP tapes are hard-to-find. Can be seen on several anime and music video releases by the company, although it was plastered by the next logo on rereleases.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (1985-December 31, 1990)

Nicknames: "Tristreaks", "Silver VAP", "UAP II", "VAP RGB II"

Logo: On a space background with rotating stars that flash between red and blue, 3 colored lines (red, green, and blue) shoot in one-by-one, shining in a yellow color. A 4-pointed star flashes in the distance and brings forth "vap" in a same font as the last logo, only in silver, spinning up in a arc before dropping down in the middle of the screen. The logo starts to shine as "VIDEO" in gold Avant Garde Bold, rotates in one by one, which also shines. After a bit, a white star-shaped flash emerges from the middle of the screen and engulfs the background.

Variant: A short version has the logo starting to spin.

FX/SFX: The lines drawing in, the logo spinning in, "VIDEO" rotating in, and the star engulfing the background, all done on what appears to be Scanimate.

Music/Sounds: 3 laser sounds are heard when the lasers are shot as a sparkling chime starts to play. Another chime plays when the star flashes and a whoosh is heard when the logo spins in, before ending with a clang. A synth chime plays when "VIDEO" spins in and a final chime plays when the star engulfs the background.

Availability: Ultra rare. It's actually harder to find than most VAP titles; but your best bet is non-anime releases, such as Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All and He-Man & She-Ra. It also appears on Hi-Speed Jecy. Later releases, such as the Tenchi Muyo 3rd OVA series, use the 2nd VAP Video logo. It is not seen on the Funimation release except for the current VAP logo.

Editor's Note: It's a bit cheap for the late 80's/early 90's, but it's still a nice logo.

3rd Logo (January 1, 1991-2006)

Nicknames: "God's Hands", "Silver VAP II", "UAP III", "VAP RGB III"

Logo: On a space background, three colored streaks (red, green, and blue) fly by and crash into each other, resulting in a bright yellow light. When the light dies down, a pair of grey hands appear on a blue background. The light transforms into a spinning CG rendition of the VAP Video logo from before, and the hands fade away. The VAP Video logo then spins around and zooms into the camera. It then backs up and stops spinning. Finally, a light shines on the logo.

Variants:

A short version also exists with only the logo shining.
In its debut year, after it fades out, it fades to a 10th anniversary logo on a black background. It consists of a white oval outline with "10th anniversary" stacked up in a sans serif font, along with the VAP logo on the bottom.
A extremely rare variant has the logo freeze after the yellow light takes up most of the screen, leaving a blue "VAP" logo to zoom in with a few copies behind it. The end of the theme is used here.

FX/SFX: The three streaks clashing into each other, and then the hands releasing the VAP Video flipping into place. All CGI.

Music/Sounds: A synth-choir rise, followed by a dreamy synth tune. The short version has no music whatsoever.

Availability: Seen on later releases before being phased out for the normal VAP logo. The short animated variant is especially rare, and it can be seen on the A.D. Vision release of Gunsmith Cats. The "Blue VAP" variant is possibly only seen on Ie Naki Ko - Suzu no Sentaku for the Bandai Playdia. When the next logo debuted in 2004, this continued to be used on VHS releases until 2006.

Editor's Note: This CGI take on the first logo is well-done and improves upon its predecessor.

4th Logo (2004-August 2020)

Nicknames: "Triorbs" "Golden VAP", "UAP IV", "VAP RGB IV"

Logo: On a white background, 3 silver orbs with the reflection of the sky on them, fly in and merge with each other, becoming a red, green, and blue orb. The orbs zoom out as a multitude of them duplicate out of the original trio (while revealing a grey stripe on the background) and fly across the screen as a swarm. We then pan over to a large selection of rotating mechanical-looking rings and crescents, where all the spheres are flying towards a sun-like light in the middle of the screen, later turning rainbow-colored. The background then turns pure white as 3 translucent orbs, each containing a glass letter, split from the middle of the orb, and the objects disappear. The orbs themselves then disappear, revealing the "vap" letters in gold, rotating and merging in the center.

FX/SFX: The orbs flying in, the light splitting, the logo forming.

Music/Sounds: A heavenly synth bell flourish at the beginning, which enhances into a crystal fanfare.

Availability: Common. It does appear on any production associated with them, like home video releases and movies. Used in tandem with the previous logo until 2006.

Editor's Note: A really nice animation, especially for its 16 year use.

5th Logo (August 2020-)

Nicknames: "Planet of VAP" "Purple VAP", "UAP V"

Logo: On a black background, a large spheroid-like object, made up of several spaced-out silver "vap" letters, grows out of the middle of the screen and begins rotating counterclockwise. It eventually speeds up and the letters start spinning all about as well, right before the sphere stops and does one rotation on the Y axis. This causes all of the VAP logos to meld together into a single white VAP logo, which shines and changes into a dark purple color. The background then fades to white.

FX/SFX: The planet spinning, the logo forming, the color change.

Music/Sounds: A repeating set of chimes and ticks with a orchestra tune underneath of it. It then gets cut off by an ascending set of piano notes, before ending with a long 3-note piano theme.

Availability: Current. Seen on any current releases and future works.

Editor's Note: Not as dynamic as the previous logos, but a fair effort.