Toei Home Video (Japan)

1st Logo

(Early 1990s - 2000s)

Nickname: “The Gemstones”

Logo: On a black background, the camera dives deep into a pile of pink, purple, and yellow gemstones, all of which have light coming out of them. When we get to the bottom, the gemstones shatter, and a white light is left on the screen. When the light exits, what looks like dust begins to disappear as the Toei logo zooms in on a black and periwinkle gradient background.

Variants: On V-Cinema/Anime releases, the words “VCINEMA” fly in from behind like a Frisbee (or the DVD in Paramount’s DVD logo), colored yellow, “V” in Times New Roman font, and “CINEMA” in Haettenschweiler font. The V-Anime version has the same animation as the V-Cinema variant, but “CINEMA” is replaced by "ANIME" in a unknown font with smooth corners.

FX/SFX: The camera panning deep into the gemstones, the logo zooming in. Not too shabby compared to the Bandai - Emotion logo.

Music/Sounds: An uplifting orchestral tune, that gets more dramatic at the end.

Availability: Found on many Toei video releases of the era. It was also seen on DVD releases of their titles up until the mid-2000s. Also seen on a few U.S DVDs of titles licensed to anime distributors, such as the A.D.V releases of The New Cutey Honey (which use the same video masters as on the Toei releases). It also makes a surprise appearance on Vudu's print and the 2012 Animego DVD of 13 Assassins (1960s version).

Scare Factor: Minimal to medium. It depends on what you think of the music and its dramatic finish, but that's nothing compared to the next logo.

2nd Logo

(2000s-)

Nicknames: “The Disc”, "The Toei Disc", "The Disc of Doom"

Logo: On a black background, we slowly zoom out from a disc. As we zoom out, it starts to spin, becoming faster and faster as we zoom out. When it's spinning, it becomes brighter by an iris in effect in the middle, as if data is being written to it. As it continues to spin, it starts to shake, sparks and smoke comes out, and, as it starts to become fully bright, electricity hits the logo, creating a explosion. When the explosion clears out, we see the disc, now in the shape of a triangle, stop spinning and the sparks and smoke clear out. It fades to become the Toei logo and "T O E IV I D E O" fades in under the logo as it slowly zooms out.

FX/SFX: The disc spinning, sparks, electricity, explosion, and disc fading to the logo.

Music/Sounds: A jet engine starting up as the disc starts spinning, weird whistle-y like sounds as sparks fly, electric sounds, a "clank" and jaguar-like vocalistic roars when the explosion is made, and an ominous horn tune when the Toei logo is formed.

Availability: Current. It can be seen on various DVDs of Toei material and some anime, like Sailor Moon S.

Scare Factor: High to nightmare. Just the sheer concept is scary enough, combined with the explosion, the sounds, the fast-paced, in-your-face animation, and the dark atmosphere, but some can consider this an awesome logo.