Toho Visual Entertainment

Background
Toho Visual Entertainment (formerly Toho Video) was a home video distributor and subsidiary of Toho that was formed in 1978. Toho Video did not use a logo until 1983. Instead, its releases go straight to the movie logo of the era.

1st Logo (1983-1991)


Logo: We pan out of a light blue ball that appears over a dark blue gradient background. Then the glass letters of "TOHO VIDEO" spin from the ball, in an Art Deco font. Then we see the same text, in straight form appears with a red 3D outline zooms out, and then the gradient background disappears, leaving a rainbow trial of circular lights that settled above the 3D text. Then, it zooms out and flashes, revealing the Toho logo, via a light flash, and the text becomes metallic gold with a drop shadow.

Technique: Early CGI animation, made by Japan Computer Graphics Lab.

Music/Sounds: Ascending whooshes and chimes.

Availability: Seen on many Toho Video releases from the era, from 1983 to 1991.

2nd Logo (1991-2006)


Logo: On a black background,. we see a white oval that wipes in to reveal the white word "TOHO". Then it stops, and then the oval promptly turns into a "O". The word zooms out, and then the word "VIDEO" zooms in, and then a box appears, and turns the "TOHO" text into a white rectangle with black text.

Technique: The oval wiping the text, the zoom out.

Music/Sounds: A crystallized synthesizer theme that ends in a hit.

Availability: Seen on Toho Video releases from the era.

(1999-2009)


Logo: On a black background, the Toho DVD logo (consisting of the metallic silver word "DVD", with some segmented lines, alongside the word "TOHO" spread out to fit the word) falling down to the center, and then the logo shines, and then the logo turns white.

Technique: The falling down of the logo, the logo shining.

Music/Sounds: Some whooshes, and a synthesized theme, followed by some chimes at the end.

Availability: Seen on Toho DVD releases from the era.

(2009- )


Logo: On a black background, a number of squares draw in, and then flashes to form a series of light blue squares that rotate to the center, and then the squares form the word "TOHO" in a blocky font, which then turn white, and some more squares form the word "Visual Entertainment" below, and the square draws in, and then fills it up with light blue while the outline draws in.

Technique: The squares moving.

Music/Sounds: Same as the Toho DVD logo.

Availability: Current. Seen on all Toho Visual Entertainment DVDs and Blu-rays.