アニメーション “ANIMATION”

Animation studios

Famous animation studios of Japan

Toei animation

The studio was founded by animators Kenzò Masaoka and Zenjirò Yamamoto in 1948 as “Japan Animated Films”. In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was renamed to “Toei Doga Co.”, doing business as “Toei Animation Co.”, outside Japan. In 1998, the Japanese name was renamed to “Toei Animation”. It has created a number of TV series and movies and adapted Japanese comics as animated series, many popular worldwide. Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Yasuji Mori, Leiji Matsumoto and Yòichi Kotabe have worked with the company. Toei is a shareholder in the Japanese anime satellite television network Animax with other anime studios and production companies, such as “Sunrise”, “TMS Entertainment” and “Nihon Ad Systems Inc.”. The company is headquartered in the Ohizumi Studio in Nerima, Tokyo.

Their mascot is the cat Pero, from the company’s 1969 film adaptation of Puss in Boots.

Toei Animation produced anime versions of works from manga series by manga artists, including Eiichiro Oda (One Piece), Takehiko Inoue (Slam Dunk), Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump), and Naoko Takeuchi (Sailor Moon). The studio helped propel the popularity of the Magical Girl and Super Robot genres of anime; Toei’s TV series include the first magical-girl anime series, Mahoutsukai Sally (an adaptation of Mitsuteru Yokoyama’s manga of the same name), and Go Nagai’s Mazinger Z, an adaptation of his manga which set the standard for Super Robot anime.

Pierrot

Studio Pierrot is a Japanese animation studio founded in 1979 by former employees of Tatsunoko Production. Its permanent director is Yuji Nunokawa, who was previously an animator and director at Home Production studios, Mushi Productions, Studio Jack and Tatsunoko Production. The company’s logo is the face of a clown. Pierrot is a Japanese loan word for a clown, derived from the name of the character Pierrot.

Initially, the studio was created to produce high-quality anime television series, and it was thanks to them that it gained popularity. Among the famous works of Studio Pierrot are the series Gensomaden Saiyuuki, “Cool Teacher Onizuka”, “Bleach” and “Naruto”. In 1984, a subsidiary company Pierrot Project was founded, specializing in the production of toys, stickers and other related paraphernalia.

The studio is also known for anime series in the genre of mahoshojo. They have the following common features: the main character studies in elementary school; the heroine is an ordinary person who received a magic object from creatures from the fairy world as a sign of gratitude from a good deed. with the help of a spell or a magic object, she turns into an adult and becomes a new pop star, the heroine natives of the fairy world, who have taken the form of animals. The first four series - Creamy Mami, the Magic Angel (1983-1984), Mahou no Yousei Persia (19841985), Magical Emi, the Magic Star (1985-1986), Pastel Yumi, the Magic Idol (1986) - were broadcast weekly on NTV from 18:00 to 18:30. The latest anime, Fancy Lala (1998), was produced by TV Osaka and was shown in the morning block on TV Osaka.

Madhouse Inc.(Aka MADHOUSE) is a Japanese animation studio founded in 1972 by ex–Mushi Pro animators, including Masao Maruyama, Osamu Dezaki, Rintaro and Yoshiaki Kawajiri.

Madhouse has created and helped to produce many well-known shows, OVAs and films, starting with TV anime series Ace o Nerae! (produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha) in 1973, and including Wicked City, Ninja Scroll, Perfect Blue, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Trigun, Di Gi Charat, Black Lagoon, Death Note, Paprika, Wolf Children, Parasyte: The Maxim and the first season of One-Punch Man. Unlike other studios founded at this time such as AIC and J.C.Staff, their strength was and is primarily in TV shows and theatrical features. Expanding from the initial Mushi Pro staff, Madhouse recruited important directors such as Morio Asaka, Masayuki Kojima, and Satoshi Kon during the 1990s. Their staff roster expanded in the 2000s to include Mamoru Hosoda, Takeshi Koike, and Mitsuo Iso, as well as many younger television directors. The studio was also responsible for the first Beyblade anime series as well as the Dragon Drive anime and the 2011 anime adaptation of Hunter × Hunter.

The studio often collaborates with known manga artists, including Naoki Urasawa and Clamp. Madhouse produced adaptations of Urasawa’s Yawara!, Master Keaton and Monster, with Masayuki Kojima helming the later two. The company has animated a number of CLAMP’s titles, including Tokyo Babylon, two versions of X (a theatrical movie and a TV series), Cardcaptor Sakura and its sequel Clear Card, and Chobits.

Ufotable

Ufotable, Inc. is a Japanese animation studio founded in October 2000 by former staff of the TMS Entertainment subsidiary Telecom Animation Film and located in Suginami, Tokyo. A unique hallmark seen in many of their works (Ninja Nonsense, Futakoi Alternative, Coyote Ragtime Show, Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight!, Tales of Symphonia, The Garden of Sinners) is a claymation sequence. Other notable works from the studio include Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.

Works

2000

“Weiß Kreuz Glühen” “Dokkoida?!”

“Ninja Nonsense”

“Symphonic Rain” - Backgrounds

“The Garden of Sinners: Overlooking View” “God Eater Prologue” “Toriko”

2010

“Tales of Symphonia: The Animation Tethe’alla Episode” “God Eater” - Opening and cutscenes “Fate/Zero”

“Minori Scramble!”

“The Garden of Sinners”

“Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works” “God Eater”

“Tales of Zestiria the X” “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”

2020

“Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel III - spring song”

“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” - Mugen Train Arc “Tsukihime - a piece of blue glass moon” - Opening

“Tales of Arise” - Opening and cutscenes

“Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles” - Illustration

Mappa

MAPPA Co. is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Suginami, Tokyo. Founded in 2011 by Madhouse co-founder and producer Masao Maruyama, it has produced anime works including Kids on the Slope, Hajime no Ippo Rising (in coproduction with Madhouse), Terror in Resonance, Yuri!!! on Ice, In This Corner of the World, Kakegurui, Banana Fish, Zombie Land Saga, Dororo, Sarazanmai (in co-production with Lapin Track), Dorohedoro, The God of High School, Jujutsu Kaisen and its prequel film Jujutsu Kaisen 0, Attack on Titan: The Final Season, Chainsaw Man, and the upcoming second season of Vinland Saga and adaptation of Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku. MAPPA is an acronym for Maruyama Animation Produce Project Association.

The studio was founded on June 14, 2011, by Masao Maruyama, a co-founder and former producer of Madhouse, at the age of 70. Murayama served as the company’s first representative director, and the studio’s initial goal was to produce Sunao Katabuchi’s In This Corner of the World. Due to financial difficulties at Madhouse, Murayama and Katabuchi established MAPPA in the hopes of producing the film; however, despite moving studios, the film had a lot of production troubles, and wasn’t released until 5 years later. Maruyama first started working with Katabuchi for the film in 2010 during Madhouse era, but it took three years to start the production due to difficulties to raising funds.

2010

“Kids on the Slope” “Niigata City Animation Project Komachi and Dangoro” “Teekyu”

“Hajime no Ippo: Rising” “Terror in Resonance” “Rage of Bahamut: GENESIS” “Punch Line” “Ushio and Tora” “Princess Connect!” “YURI!!! on ICE” “DAYS” “Kakegurui” “Rage of Bahamut: Virgin Soul” “BANANA FISH” “Zombie Land Saga” “Dororo” “SARAZANMAI”

“GRANBLUE FANTASY The Animation Season2”

2020

“JUJUTSU KAISEN” “ATTACK ON TITAN” The Final Season” “Dorohedoro”

“Uchi Tama?!~Do You Know My Tama?~”

“THE GOD OF HIGH SCHOOL” “JUJUTSU KAISEN 0”

“Takt op.Destiny” “The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace” “Dance Dance Danseur” “CHAINSAW MAN”

Bones Inc. is a Japanese animation studio. It has produced numerous series, including RahXephon, No. 6, Wolf’s Rain, Scrapped Princess, Eureka Seven, Angelic Layer, Darker than Black, Soul Eater, Ouran High School Host Club, both the 2003 and 2009 adaptations of Fullmetal Alchemist, Star Driver, Gosick, Mob Psycho 100, Space Dandy, Noragami, Bungo Stray Dogs, and My Hero Academia. Its headquarters are located in Igusa, Suginami, Tokyo.

Bones was founded by Sunrise staff members Masahiko Minami, Hiroshi Osaka and Toshihiro Kawamoto in October 1998. One of their first projects was collaborating with Sunrise on Cowboy Bebop: Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, a feature film based on the Cowboy Bebop anime series.

In 2007, the studio suffered the loss of co-founder Hiroshi Osaka, well known for his works as character designer on series such as Mobile Suit Victory Gundam, Mobile Fighter G Gundam and The Mars Daybreak. Osaka had been battling with cancer, and died from the disease on September 24, 2007. He was 44 years old.

Since the death of Osaka, two new additions have been made to the studio’s board of directors: Makoto Watanabe and Takahiro Komori. Komori is well known as a character designer and animator who has been with the studio since its inception. His previous works as designer consist of Angelic Layer, Scrapped Princess, and Darker than Black.