While the anime industry is considered to be a showcase of brilliant creative ideas, it can sometimes be surprising to learn just how cutthroat the business side of things can be. More specifically, it’s been shocking to see just how many studios working on some of the biggest shows in the world are being acquired by Kadokawa. That, on its own, may not seem to be that big of a deal – after all, Kadokawa has been in the business of producing and publishing anime and manga for years – but the company’s recent moves also mean that Sony is gaining a bigger hold over the industry than ever before, especially with their recent acquisition of Chiptune, an animation studio that has contributed to shows like Blue Lock, Mushoku Tensei, and even That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.
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As of writing, Kadokawa currently has a multitude of studio holdings, including ENGI, Studio KADAN, Raging Bull, Belnox Films, Doga Kobo, and their most recently acquired, Chiptune. While Chiptune collaborates with larger studios to provide CGI and photography work for specific series, other studios, like Doga Kobo, have become prolific for complete productions like Oshi no Ko and Plastic Memories, meaning that Kadokawa intends to have holdings in every possible corner of the industry. According to Kadokawa in an article released by Oricon, “By integrating Chiptune into our group, we can internalize anime photography, secure stable production resources, enhance visual quality, and preserve technical expertise.” The company has previously stated they want to put a much bigger focus on the production of anime, and it seems it wants to try and centralize that effort with a small “network” of studios that they’ve acquired.
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Kadokawa’s Push To Acquire So Many Studios So Quickly Is Interesting, But Shows Promise
In official statements made by Kadokawa and Chiptune regarding the studio’s acquisition, both parties seem enthusiastic about what this means for their respective futures. According to Chiptune, “We were founded in 2012 with a focus on photography and CG, gradually expanding our team to include illustrators and background artists. Our late founder, Masayuki Narai, envisioned breaking barriers in animation creation. We aim to carry forward his vision with Kadokawa.”
It seems as though the group wants to stay true to their creativity and pour that into their work, which is a very good sign. If Kadokawa’s “Global Media Mix with Technology” plan is going in the direction of collaborating with a smaller, interconnected group of studios to produce anime, this could also mean Chiptune will always have a steady workflow of upcoming projects – which would also be a bonus for the team. Tsuyoshi Kikuchi, the Chief Anime Officer of Kadokawa also commented on how ecstatic the company is to have Chiptune, stating, “We are thrilled to welcome Chiptune, a studio with one of the industry’s strongest photography teams. By combining forces with our six group studios, we will push forward in creating even higher-quality anime.“
Source: Oricon US
