Sunrise and SHAFT Announce First-Ever Joint Anime Project
This is the first time two of anime's most established studios, each with distinct visual identities and fanbases, have joined forces for a single original project, making the reveal on June 23 a rare event in the industry.
Reporting from 2 sources: Anime News Network, Anime Corner.
Sunrise and SHAFT have launched a new anime project together, marking the first collaboration between the two studios. The announcement came on Thursday via a newly created official X account, which began a countdown to a full reveal scheduled for June 23 at 24:30 JST (effectively June 24 at 12:30 a.m.). The account posted a teaser video featuring color script artwork, offering a glimpse into the project's visual direction. Bandai Namco Filmworks, Sunrise's parent company, confirmed the project is an original animation. Sunrise is known for franchises including Mobile Suit Gundam, Love Live!, and Code Geass, while SHAFT is recognized for its distinct visual style in works like Puella Magi Madoka Magica and the Monogatari series. The project's title, format, story, and production staff are expected to be announced when the countdown concludes next week.
The collaboration was announced on June 18 via a dedicated X account under the handle @sunrise_shaft, which posted a countdown video set to five days. The teaser uses color scripts-pre-production artwork that maps out the color palette and lighting of scenes-rather than finished animation, leaving the project's look and tone open to interpretation until the full reveal. Sunrise, now operating under the Sunrise Studios brand, has a long history of mecha and idol franchises, while SHAFT is known for its heavily stylized direction in series like Madoka Magica and the Monogatari adaptations. The project is described as an original animation, meaning it is not based on an existing manga, novel, or game. Bandai Namco Filmworks is the parent company behind the venture. The countdown will end on June 23 at 24:30 JST, at which point the title, format, story details, and staff are expected to be announced. Neither studio has previously collaborated on a joint project of this scale.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.