Producing anime has become a huge headache for Japanese companies due to extremely high costs and a lack of skilled artists. To tackle this problem before it’s too late, the publishing giant Kadokawa announced a massive restructuring: the creation of Studio One Base, a new company that will unify the management of five of its animation studios.

Starting in November, the brands ENGI, Studio KADAN, Chiptune, Bellnox Films, and Raging Bull will begin operating under this new entity. However, they won’t disappear. Each label will keep its name, production lines, and artistic identity intact, but they will now share a single workspace at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro.

The main goal of this move, part of the reform plan titled “Creating Creators. Creating Studios,” is to centralize administration, accounting, and internal operations. Being in the same building will allow creatives to exchange knowledge, collaborate on demanding projects, and share technologies ranging from 3D animation to photography direction. Kadokawa also promised that this unification will directly improve animators’ working conditions, salaries, and benefits, ensuring a much more stable environment for training new generations.

Originally founded as a book and magazine publisher, Kadokawa has transformed into a global entertainment empire dominating light novel publishing, manga, and audiovisual production in Japan. Since 2018, the company has significantly increased its presence in the anime industry by opening and acquiring multiple studios, launching a total of 48 projects to date with nearly 500 episodes. With the creation of Studio One Base, the group aims to establish a sustainable model to meet global demand for content.

Do you think centralizing the management of these studios will help improve the quality of Kadokawa’s anime?