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Sunrise
Sunrise is producing multiple projects: a first-ever joint TV anime with SHAFT (Fool Night, streaming on Netflix in 2026), the Sunrise 50th Anniversary project (2026-2028) including six original 3DCG shorts, and the Gundam 50th Anniversary prologue short A Boy with Gundam. The Gundam Hathaway sequel also performed strongly at the Japanese box office.
Synthesized from 5
Yomimono stories · updated
Jun 25
Sunrise's recent activity centers on two anniversary milestones and an unprecedented studio collaboration. Bandai Namco Filmworks launched the Sunrise 50th Anniversary project in June 2026, a slate running through 2028 that includes six original 3DCG animated shorts produced with other studios. The first two shorts, Dice with Demon and Metafear, were revealed alongside the previously announced Armored Trooper Votoms: Die Graue Hexe. Separately, the Gundam 50th Anniversary prologue short A Boy with Gundam, directed by Tsukuro Hayakawa, debuted in May 2026 as part of the Road to 50 campaign, ahead of the actual 2029 anniversary.
In a move that drew industry attention, Sunrise and SHAFT announced their first-ever joint anime project on June 18, 2026, with a countdown to a full reveal. That reveal on June 23 disclosed the project is an adaptation of the manga Fool Night, produced by both studios and streaming worldwide on Netflix in 2026. The series is directed by Atsuyuki Yukawa and features Koki Uchiyama and Minako Kotobuki in lead roles. This is the first time the two studios have jointly produced a TV anime.
The Gundam franchise remains a strong performer. The sequel in the Gundam Hathaway trilogy, which premiered in Japan in January 2026, grossed over 2.7 billion yen nationally, exceeding the first film's 2.23 billion yen. The film was noted for replicating Yoshiyuki Tomino's storytelling style despite pacing issues. Together, these projects show Sunrise leveraging its legacy franchises while also expanding into new collaborations and original works.
Key facts
- First joint TV anime with SHAFT
- Sunrise and SHAFT are co-producing the television anime Fool Night, marking the first-ever joint anime project between the two studios. ↗
- Fool Night streaming platform and window
- Fool Night will stream worldwide on Netflix in 2026. ↗
- Fool Night director and lead cast
- Atsuyuki Yukawa directs, Koki Uchiyama voices Toshiro Kamiya, and Minako Kotobuki voices Yomiko Horai. ↗
- Sunrise 50th Anniversary project timeframe
- The Sunrise 50th Anniversary project runs from 2026 to 2028, marking 50 years since Sunrise's first branded work in 2027. ↗
- Sunrise 50th Anniversary short films
- The project includes six original 3DCG animated shorts; the first two are Dice with Demon and Metafear. ↗
- Armored Trooper Votoms film
- Armored Trooper Votoms: Die Graue Hexe is part of the Sunrise 50th Anniversary project. ↗
- Gundam Hathaway sequel box office
- The Gundam Hathaway sequel grossed over 2.7 billion yen in Japan, outperforming the first film's 2.23 billion yen. ↗
- Gundam 50th anniversary prologue short
- Bandai Namco and Sunrise released A Boy with Gundam, a nearly six-minute animated short directed by Tsukuro Hayakawa, as the opening piece of the Gundam 50th Anniversary Project. ↗
Timeline
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
Facts
- Announced
- first-ever joint anime project with SHAFT (via new official X account on June 18, 2026) · 2026-06-18
Connections
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Claim activity
When a claim about Sunrise was confirmed, debunked, or disputed against
open-web sources. The record stays even after a claim drops off the facts list.
- Confirmed sunrise produces a boy with gundam May 28 · source
All coverage
Jun 25
Bandai will release a set of Gashapon figures from the 'Machibouke' series featuring characters and mobile suits from the anime Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX. The lineup includes four types: Amate Yuzuriha (also known as Machu), Nyaan, Shuji Ito, and the GQuuuuuuX mobile suit itself. The figures are made of PVC, with characters standing approximately 3 cm tall and mobile suits about 3.5 cm. Each figure costs 400 yen (tax included). Orders will be accepted on the Gashapon Online store from June 25, 2026 at 11:00 JST through July 5, 2026 at 23:59 JST. Delivery is scheduled for around late September 2026. Bandai notes that the figures may also appear in capsule vending machines nationwide before the delivery date. Orders will close once the planned quantity is reached. The announcement was made on June 24, 2026 via Dengeki Hobby Web. The series is produced by Bandai and is licensed under Sotsu and Sunrise.
Jun 23
The manga Fool Night by Kasumi Yasuda will receive a television anime adaptation produced by Sunrise and Shaft, the first collaboration between the two studios, Netflix announced on June 23 during its Anime Studio Focus panel at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival. The series will stream worldwide on Netflix in 2026. Director Atsuyuki Yukawa, who worked as a unit director on Suzume, will helm the project, with Jin Tanaka handling series composition, Tatsuya Kato composing the music, and Yota Tsuruoka directing sound. The cast includes Koki Uchiyama as protagonist Toshiro Kamiya and Minako Kotobuki as Yomiko Horai. A teaser trailer and visual were also released. Yasuda's manga, which launched in Shogakukan's Big Comic Superior in November 2020, has 12 compiled volumes and a cumulative print run of approximately 600,000 copies across 17 countries. It ranked 12th in the male reader list of Kono Manga ga Sugoi 2023.
Jun 18
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.
Jun 17
Bandai Namco Filmworks announced the Sunrise 50th Anniversary project, running from 2026 to 2028, to mark 50 years since the first Sunrise-branded work, Muteki Chōjin Zambot 3, in 2027. The project includes a key visual of 50 selected works and the Mirai e no Kōro short film project, which will produce six original 3DCG animated shorts in collaboration with other studios. The first two shorts, Dice with Demon and Metafear, were revealed, and the previously announced Armored Trooper Votoms: Die Graue Hexe is also part of the initiative.
May 21
The film premiered in Japan in January 2026 and grossed over 2.7 billion yen nationally, outperforming the first film's 2.23 billion yen. The review notes the movie successfully replicates Yoshiyuki Tomino's storytelling style but struggles with pacing in its first two-thirds.
May 16
Bandai Namco and Sunrise released a nearly six-minute animated short on Thursday as the opening piece of the Gundam 50th Anniversary Project. The video, titled A Boy with Gundam, debuted during the Conference Spring 2026 presentation and is available on the official English and Japanese Gundam channels. It is set in the real world and follows a grandfather who, while visiting a life-size moving Gundam statue with his family, recalls how the original Mobile Suit Gundam shaped his life from childhood onward. Amuro Ray and other pilots appear in flashback sequences, and the short closes with a montage of franchise references. The song Kinjito by the group PEOPLE 1 plays over the footage, and the English upload carries subtitles for the lyrics. Tsukuro Hayakawa directed, storyboarded, and handled CG direction. Shinya Watada served as unit director. Juri Toida designed the animation characters, and Bandai Namco Studios' Yasuto Morioka provided the original character designs. The actual 50th anniversary arrives in 2029, and Bandai Namco is assembling a slate of projects under the Road to 50 banner ahead of that date.