Katsuhiro Otomo's new Tokyo-based animation studio Oval Gear is producing its first feature film and actively hiring animators and production staff.
Katsuhiro Otomo, the creator of Akira, has founded a new animation studio in Tokyo called Oval Gear. The studio is focused on feature-length work, and its first project is already in production. The company is actively hiring animators and production staff as it builds out its team. The formation of Oval Gear marks Otomo's first official word on his feature animation plans since the 2019 reveal of the sci-fi film Orbital Era, which may now be in production at the new studio.
Otomo has not directed a feature since Steamboy in 2004. His other directing credits include the anthology Memories and the science-fiction story Roujin Z. He also contributed to Perfect Blue, the psychological thriller directed by the late Satoshi Kon. The permanent studio structure suggests a multi-project commitment rather than a one-off return to feature animation.
No release window or title for the first film has been shared. The studio name and its immediate hiring push indicate Oval Gear is intended as a permanent production base. The announcement ends seven years of silence on Otomo's feature animation plans.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.
Katsuhiro Otomo, creator of Akira, launched a new Tokyo-based animation studio called Oval Gear. The studio is already producing its first feature film. The announcement is the first official word on Otomo's projects since the 2019 reveal of the sci-fi film Orbital Era, which may now be in production at Oval Gear.
Director and manga artist Katsuhiro Ōtomo has founded a new animation studio called Oval Gear. The studio will focus on feature-length work. Its first project is already in production. The company is hiring animators and production staff as it builds out its team. Ōtomo is best known for the 1988 film Akira, which he directed and wrote based on his own manga. His other directing credits include the anthology Memories, the steampunk feature Steamboy, and the science-fiction story Roujin Z. He also contributed to Perfect Blue, the psychological thriller directed by the late Satoshi Kon. The formation of Oval Gear marks a return to feature animation for Ōtomo, whose last full-length directorial work was Steamboy in 2004. The studio name and its immediate hiring push suggest a permanent production base rather than a one-off project team. No release window or title for the first film has been shared.