The last ten years of anime have been absolutely dominated by Masaaki Yuasa. From his Netflix smash-hit reboot of Go Nagai’s Devilman – aptly titled Devilman Crybaby – to his more recent success, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off!, which put a new spin on the canon of the original graphic novel Scott Pilgrim vs. The World by Bryan Lee O’Malley, Yuasa’s eccentric creative style bleeds into every piece of media that he works on and truly brings each of his projects to life. Having founded Science Saru, the animation studio responsible for the aforementioned projects and other feature films like Inu-Oh, twelve years ago in 2013, it seems as though Masaaki is planning to expand his vibrant creative style even further by founding a brand-new animation studio based out of Tokyo.
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The new anime studio, Ame Pippin, is founded in collaboration with Asmik Ace, Aniplex, and CoMix Wave Films. Yuasa himself comments on the new endeavor, and, while brief, seemed optimistic about the new endeavor in an exclusive press release from Variety, stating, “In this era of dramatic change, we hope to move forward with a steady yet flexible approach, always keeping the future in sight. We deeply appreciate your guidance and support, and we would be truly grateful for any opportunity to collaborate with you.”
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Ame Pippin’s Future Is Bright With Masaaki Yuasa At the Helm
As of writing, there are no announcements for original projects or potential adaptations that the team at Ame Pippin could be working on. However, Masaaki Yuasa’s track record has certainly raised expectations for what this studio will be capable of, especially following the release of Science Saru’s latest projects – including Dandadan, whose mainstream success made it an instant Anime of the Year contender for 2024. The other collaborators working with Masaaki to build up Ame Pippin have major impact on the anime industry as well. Asmik Ace, Inc. has assisted in producing a variety of media, including the critically acclaimed Satoshi Kon series Paranoia Agent and Koji Morimoto’s Tekkonkinkreet, which adapted Taiyo Matsumoto’s original manga.
Aniplex is another familiar name, best known for producing major anime films like Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name, Weathering With You, as well as some of Masaaki Yuasa’s previous works like Inu-Oh. Aniplex has also worked on televised anime series, producing everything from blockbuster Weekly Shonen Jump hits like Demon Slayer to the recent revival of Yana Toboso’s Black Butler anime adaptation. All in all, it seems as though Ame Pippin’s future is in incredibly good hands, and once anime fans do finally learn what Masaaki Yuasa is working on next, it’s sure to be a technicolor masterpiece showcasing all the love and support he’s received from the industry over the last decade.
Source: Variety, X (Formerly Twitter)
