2005
In America: AnimeMusicVideos.org was served a cease and desist order by Wind-Up Records. The order came in response to videos featuring music by Evanescence, Creed, and other artists under the label after a fan e-mailed the publisher asking if the videos were official.

In America: USA Today reported that ten films were submitted for consideration in the Oscar for Best Animated Feature category. Of the ten films, two were anime features: Katsuhiro Otomo’s Steamboy and Studio Ghibli’s Howl’s Moving Castle. Howl received a nomination, but ultimately lost to Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

In Canada: YTV issued a statement regarding episode 10 of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, which was skipped the prior week. The company stated the following:

“Episode 10 of Ghost in the Shell [Stand Alone Complex] doesn’t have an airdate scheduled on YTV. Our Programming Department just didn’t think the graphic content was appropriate for our network, regardless of the show’s airtime.”

In Japan: Gonzo Digimation established GDH Capital Ltd. GDH Capital was created to fund the creation of animation, games, and live-action films, as well as managing venture capital funds and projects. The company was originally allocated 10 billion yen, which would ideally expand to roughly 100 billion yen by 2010.

2000

In Japan: Squaresoft announced that they would partner with Shueisha to distribute manga content on their PlayOnline network. The two companies would form a new company to digitize and distribute content over the service, which was set to launch in 2001.

In America: Fanboy Entertainment announced that they would release the first volume of Tomoko Taniguchi’s Spellbound in February 2001. The announcement came after a delay from the title’s original August release date. The title was created specifically for America, and shipped with two covers: One by Taniguchi, and one by Utena creator Chiho Saito.

1995:

In Japan: influential anime film Ghost in the Shell opened in Japanese theaters today. The US wouldn’t receive a release until March 29, 1996, Still, that didn’t stop it from becoming one of the most beloved anime features of all time.