is a Japanese

animation studio An animation studio is a company producing animation, animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sales ...

and

production company A production company, production house or production studio is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television show, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and video ...

founded by ex-

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...

producer Mikihiro Iwata. It is a subsidiary of

Sony Music Entertainment Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation and is ...

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

production firm

Aniplex Aniplex, Inc. (株式会社アニプレックス, ''Kabushiki-gaisha Anipurekkusu'') is a Japanese entertainment company and a subsidiary of Sony, Sony Group Corporation, founded in September 1995 by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The company fo ...

History

The company was established by SMEJ's animation production division,

, on May 9, 2005, to animate its anime series and productions. In 2006, it co-produced the original production '' Zenmai Zamurai'', and in October of the same year, established a studio in

Asagaya is a residential area of Tokyo located in Suginami ward (one of the 23 wards or boroughs of Tokyo) west of Shinjuku. Main access to Asagaya is via the Chūō-Sōbu Line, 12 minutes by train from Shinjuku station. Geography At present the Asagaya ...

. In the following year, 2007, the studio produced its first series, '' Ōkiku Furikabutte''. Originally established to oversee the production of only a few of Aniplex's family-oriented series, the studio has since grown and expanded as a full-fledged studio involved in the production of a wide range of media and anime productions and other activities, which it has overseen. The studio has also expanded its international presence, participating in the noted international convention, Anime Expo 2007 (AX 2007), held in

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and having its own panel there. In 2010, A-1 Pictures worked in collaboration with a joint project of

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.Aniplex Aniplex, Inc. (株式会社アニプレックス, ''Kabushiki-gaisha Anipurekkusu'') is a Japanese entertainment company and a subsidiary of Sony, Sony Group Corporation, founded in September 1995 by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The company fo ...

called Anime no Chikara for the creation of original anime series. Three anime series were produced that year for the project: '' Sound of the Sky'', '' Night Raid 1931'' and ''

Occult Academy is a Japanese anime television series produced by A-1 Pictures and Aniplex and directed by Tomohiko Itō (director), Tomohiko Itō. The 13-episode anime premiered in Japan on the TV Tokyo television network on July 6, 2010. ''Occult Academy'' ...

''. In April 2018, A-1 Pictures rebranded its Kōenji Studio as

CloverWorks is a Japanese animation studio that was rebranded from A-1 Pictures' Kōenji Studio. It is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan's anime production firm Aniplex. Establishment On April 1, 2018, A-1 Pictures rebranded its Kōenji Studio ...

, giving it a unique brand identity, which made it distinguishable from its main Asagaya Studio. On October 1, 2018, CloverWorks separated from A-1 Pictures, although it still remains as a

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...

under

. On June 17, 2024, the studio

3Hz was a Japanese animation studio established by ex-Kinema Citrus animators. Yuichiro Matsuka founded the studio in March 2013. The company is referred to as Studio 3 Hz in anime credits. On June 17, 2024, 3 Hz announced that it had tran ...

announced that its animation planning and production business was transferred to A-1 Pictures.

Productions

Television series

Films

OVAs

Specials

Others

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Japanese companies established in 2005 Mass media companies established in 2005 Animation studios in Tokyo Japanese animation studios Suginami