Emotion (Japan)

 Background : Emotion is the film/video releasing arm of anime company Bandai Visual.

1st Logo
(1984-1999)

Nickname: "Vector Moai"

Logo: First, the words "BANDAI PRESENTS" ("Bandai" is in its corporate font) are shown, then the text transitions to a black screen with four parallel red and blue lines. Then two of the lines start to glow and shift, and then there are two parallel lines. Two "sparkles" move into the lines and disappear into the distance and flash, creating a blue outline of the Emotion logo, which is two metallic Moai together behind a sun with "EMOTION", in bronze, below it. The logo zooms forward as some light rays shine from it and "attract" a colored version of the logo (with gold text, gray moai, and a red and yellow sun), and the text shines. Finally, the Emotion logo is created and the lines start to fade away. The logo glows blue and shines.

FX/SFX: CGI.

Variant: An short version with just the logo shining exists.

Music/Sounds: A gradually rising new wave theme, with a bassline similar to Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax". The short version is silent.

Availability: Common; available on anime releases of the era, such as Patlabor: The Movie (most recent print released by Honnêamise/Bandai Visual, not the Manga Entertainment version), Ghost in the Shell (1995) (Japanese version only; the North American release plasters this with the Manga Entertainment logo), Grave of the Fireflies, and most of the Gundam movies. The short variant is extremely rare, and can be spotted on Agent Aika (U.S. Manga Corps DVD release) and other titles as well.

Editor's Note: This is a favorite among many anime fans.

2nd Logo
(1999-2007)

Nickname: "Field Moai"

Logo: It begins the same way the previous logo did, except rather different: the text says "BANDAI VISUAL PRESENTS". The text transitions to the two Emotion moai carved out of stone in a cloudy field of moving grass with some rocks and mountains. The circling clouds above suddenly turn into a flock of birds. Then, it changes to a sunrise/sunset and the moai suddenly glow from the sun, creating the Emotion logo, the moai looking a bit more defined this time. Finally, the field fades out and a large star causes the words "EMOTION", in gold, to unfold letter-by-letter. Then the logo glows.

Trivia: The animation for this logo was by Production I.G, better known for their work on Ghost in the Shell.

FX/SFX: Tra-digital/Computer Graphics.

Music/Sounds: An orchestral choir fanfare that suits the logo well.

Availability: Common on anime releases. Metropolis (2001), Escaflowne, Tokyo Godfathers, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, and a few other films have it, and they are all easy to come by. This surprisingly appears on the English-dubbed VHS and DVD versions of CardCaptors: The Movie.

Editor's Note: Same as above.

3rd Logo
(2007-2012)

Nickname: "Space Moai"

Logo: We see the text "BANDAI VISUAL PRESENTS" like before, but then a bright flash occurs and we zoom forth several stars and other heavenly bodies swirling around. Then, parts of the galaxies form a blurry image of the moai, which clears up as the sun fades in and "EMOTION" unfolds letter-by-letter below it. The Emotion logo has been updated a bit, the text looking flatter and bronze-colored, the sun being solid yellow, and the moai looking like they were made out of stone. The logo shines.

FX/SFX: CGI.

Music/Sounds: An orchestral tune with an Oriental string cadence (possibly from an erhu).

Availability: Uncommon; seen on FREEDOM Project and Gunbuster vs. Diebuster, among others.

Editor's Note: Same as the first logo.

4th Logo
(2012- )

Nicknames: "Vector Moai II", "Retraux Moai"

Logo: A modern update to the first logo, but with a bit more action. As with the second and third logos, this one begins with "BANDAI VISUAL PRESENTS" on a black screen. A white line goes through the middle of the background, and very brief flashes of the blue and red vector pattern in the first logo can be seen. This white line becomes one of several that form a bright star. The camera pans over to the left, and the star collides with another star. As this happens, the parallel blue and red lines, as seen in the first logo, are visibly moving in the background. After the stars' collision, two CGI Moai statues and bronze "EMOTION" move up into the center of the screen. The sun goes up behind the newly formed logo, a blue glow also forms around it, and the parallel lines in the background fade out.

FX/SFX: CGI.

Music/Sounds: A re-done version of the first logo's music, done in a more electro-disco style, with a choir faintly singing "EMOTION!" twice as well.

Availabilty: Current. Seen on some recent Japanese releases from the company, including Ghost in the Shell: Arise.

Editor's Note: Same as the first logo. It's also a cool remake of the first logo.