Production I.G, the company responsible for producing such anime landmarks as Ghost in the Shell, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Jin-Roh, launched their Official English Website today. The website is part of an international marketing campaign, "aimed at raising people's awareness of 'anime,'" and more specifically the acclaimed anime of Production I.G.

The site's straightforward design and easy navigation highlight I.G's multitudinous projects and services as well as a company overview, news and press releases. Each sub-directory opens a store of information on Production I.G revealing the history of the company as well as the direction they are currently traveling.

Site features directed toward the fans include an upcoming Bulletin Board System for I.G anime discussion, special messages from the creators of individual projects and special previews of upcoming projects. Justin Leach, "the first official full-time 'foreigner'" at I.G writes his own column, "The Samurai from NYC," detailing his experiences as an American working for a Japanese animation studio.

Production I.G established its California based branch, IG USA, in 1997 as a licensing office to US and Latin American markets. Recently, IG USA ventured into producing their own domestic releases starting with Love Hina this month and FLCL in March. Both titles are co-releases with Bandai and Synch-Point, respectively. Promoting future releases, the website also advertises four other available properties under the IG Label: Sister Princess, Cyber Team in Akihabara: The Movie, Sakura Wars: The Movie and The Vampirians: The Veggie Vampires.

With the growing media attention paid to Japanese animation, Production I.G has positioned itself to take full advantage of the impending business opportunities, guaranteed a position in the "New Wave" of Japanese animation.

Also read Akadot's other encounters with Production I.G: