TMS Entertainment

Background

TMS was founded in 1964 by Yutaka Fujioka as Tokyo Movie. In 1976, the original company went bankrupt and was revived a year later, becoming Tokyo Movie Shinsha. The company was very prominent in the 1980s, becoming one of the largest animation studios in Japan. In 1992, the company was purchased by Kyokuichi, with the merged company becoming TMS-Kyokuichi. In 1999, the name became TMS Entertainment, Ltd., dropping the Tokyo Movie Shinsha moniker it had been using since 1977. In 2005, the company was acquired by Sega Sammy.

1st Logo (1978-1983)

Logo: A small TV tube is centered on a blue background. It contains the letters TMS, which are stylized in an abstract cursive font. "TOKYO MOVIE SHINSHA CO., LTD." is seen below, in white.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Near extinction. This was seen on older prints of the Toho/Frontier dub of Lupin III: The Mystery of Mamo. Updated prints of that film deleted this logo, so don't expect to see this on those prints. Also appears on Lady Georgie.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (1983-1995)

Logo: On a black background, we see a stylized "TMS" in blue and red, with "TOKYO MOVIE SHINSHA CO., LTD." below in white. After a few seconds, the words sparkle out, and the stylized "TMS" turns 3D, moving toward the viewer while leaving residue behind, with the residue following shortly afterwards (likely it's going backwards).

Variant: On some films, like The Castle of Cagliostro, the logo is still.

FX/SFX: The sparkles and the moving TMS. Nice effects for its time.

Music/Sounds: Usually silent, but some films, like Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy, use a 4-note synth tune that repeats throughout the logo, with chimes for the sparkles and loud whooshes for the movement of "TMS". This a library track called "Music, Billboard #2" from Sound Ideas Series 1000 sound library; it was also used in the Charter Entertainment and Hanna-Barbera Poland logos, and can also be heard in the video game Worms Armageddon as a victory fanfare.

Availability: Extremely rare. Seen on Streamline or AnimEigo dubs of TMS properties. This is subject to plastering by the 5th logo on 90s VHS releases and current HD prints, but is preserved on the current prints of Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (which use the original uncut version rather than the 1992 Hemdale cut).

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (1984)

Logo: On a black background, we see a silver TMS zooming in, at the center.

FX/SFX: The logo zooming in.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen at the end of the 1984 Kondo Yoshifumi pilot for the movie Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, and appears at the end of the uncut version as well.

Editor's Note: None.

4th Logo (1984-1988)

Logo: On a blue background, we see a silver TMS in a bold font. Then, it turns onto its side and morphs into a cursive TMS (with the S and T connected by a rounded rectangle).The word "ENTERTAINMENT" appears below, and the logo shines.

FX/SFX: The letters "morphing" and the logo shining.

Music/Sounds: Silence or the end theme of the show.

Availability: Scarce. Seen on TV shows like The Mighty Orbots (before the MGM/UA "Diamond Jubilee" TV logo), Visionaries (before the Sunbow logo), and Bionic Six (before the MCA TV logo). This is preserved on the Media Blasters release of Galaxy High.

Editor's Note: A nice concept with solid animation for the time.

5th Logo (1999-2009)

Logo: 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 grey-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.

FX/SFX: The clouds rolling back, the sparkles forming the rainbow, the dolphins forming the logo.

Music/Sounds: 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: Common. Seen on newer and older TMS properties. The still version appears at the end of television productions (mainly Sonic X, which is kept on the U.S 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.

Editor's Note: It's actually a cute logo, though it can nerve some when it plasters older logos on newer prints.

6th Logo (2010- )

Logo: The TMS logo is seen centered on a black background. A blue light then 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:

• Sometimes, a longer version exists. 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, and the animation continues as described above.
• On some shows such as Sweetness & Lightning, the logo appears in-credit during the opening sequence.

FX/SFX: The light effects and the logo reflection.

Music/Sounds: A dreamy 3-note tune.

Availability: Seen on just about every anime TMS license overseas. It's also seen on their animated films.

Editor's Note: None.