Anime studio Xenotoon, to which director Yasuda Kenshin belongs, has become a subsidiary of SAND B, the TBS Group's leading animation and IP business. With this, TBS Group will position the anime business as a core growth area and will begin full-scale expansion of its IP creation system.
The Inspiration Behind the New Partnership
TBS Group has previously stated that there is room for evolution in building its own production infrastructure in the anime field. The purpose of this initiative is to accelerate the construction of an 'IP company' that creates IP and deploys it worldwide. Xenotoon's participation will be a strategic investment that will play a central role.
Visual announcing Xenotoon grouping by TBS Group
Future Plans and Expectations
Ryujiro Abe, President and Representative Director of TBS Holdings, commented, 'We are confident that working together with Xenotoon, which has a keen sensitivity and unrestrained creativity, will shake up existing common sense and frameworks and open up a new era of entertainment.' Director Yasuda expressed his expectations for the future, saying, 'As an anime artist and director of Yasuda Genken Studio, this environment where I can deliver the expression and IP creation that I have accumulated through personal and SNS activities to society on a larger scale is extremely exciting.'
SAND B is considering a business integration between Xenotoon and Seven Arcs, an existing animation studio within the TBS Group that is also working on a new work of 'Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha', with a target date of 2027. Seven Arcs has cultivated its production capabilities for TV series and theatrical releases over many years. On the other hand, Xenotoon has the know-how to develop IP using efficient production methods that are not bound by conventional production schemes. By merging the two companies, we will evolve into an 'IP creation engine' that completes everything from planning to production.
