, formerly is a Japanese publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Corporation. It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd. Media Factory was possibly the first anime distributor to ask for sites to not link to fansub of any anime licensed by the company. On October 12, 2011, Media Factory was purchased by Kadokawa Corporation for ¥8,000,000,000. Media Factory also has a monthly manga magazine, Monthly Comic Alive, and its own light novel imprint, MF Bunko J. Media factory is also holds the license for the distribution of The 39 Clues in Japan. Media Factory ceased being a kabushiki gaisha as well as retired the Pokémon anime series on October 1, 2013 when it was merged with eight other companies to become a brand company of Kadokawa Corporation.