Highlights
- Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo has founded a new Tokyo-based animation studio called OVAL GEAR.
- The studio confirmed a new anime production is underway, with hints that it could be Otomo’s long-delayed project, Orbital Era.
- OVAL GEAR’s launch reflects an industry interest in creator-led studios amidst ongoing concerns over anime production conditions.
Katsuhiro Otomo, the creator behind the 1988 classic Akira, has officially established a new animation studio called OVAL GEAR. The Tokyo-based animation studio, established on May 11, 2026, is the most significant production step Otomo has taken in recent years.
According to the official website, OVAL GEAR aims to carry forward the filmmaking philosophy and creative sensibilities Katsuhiro Otomo has refined over decades to a succeeding generation. Otomo will be in charge of all production at the new studio OVAL GEAR.
OVAL GEAR studio operates as a subsidiary of Japanese entertainment company ANDENT, previously known as ‘stu.’ Under its new identity as ANDENT, the company now aims to expand its entertainment business into globally scalable, diverse range of productions.
Otomo's Return and What OVAL GEAR Could Signal
OVAL GEAR has stated that the studio is currently working on a new title, without disclosing the name. However, the studio’s promotional visual has similarities with previously released concept art for Orbital Era, Otomo’s long-delayed science fiction film announced at Anime Expo 2019.
Over the past seven years, neither Otomo nor the previously attached studio Sunrise shared any updates about the production of Orbital Era. Now, the similarity between OVAL GEAR’s promotional visual and Orbital Era has raised speculations that Otomo and the studio’s new ‘unnamed project’ can be the long-delayed film.
Otomo is one of the most celebrated manga artists and anime directors. His renowned feature Akira is one of the pioneering cinema productions in the cyberpunk genre. The British Film Institute has called Akira “a vital cornerstone of the cyberpunk genre,” with the movie winning the Silver Scream Award in 1992 and receiving homage in Steven Spielberg’s 2018 feature, Ready Player One.
Beyond Akira, Otomo directed Steamboy and contributed to projects that include Memories, live-action Mushishi, and Short Peace. He also became one of the few manga creators inducted into the Eisner Award Hall of Fame and received France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his contribution to arts and culture.
The founding of a dedicated, director-led studio also comes in the backdrop of production deficiencies and concerns for genre-saturation in Japan’s anime industry. OVAL GEAR also opened recruitment for animation and production staff, offering roles to both inexperienced and veteran candidates.
Nonetheless, for now, the anime industry is looking forward to which new project Otomo takes on, and whether it is the Orbital Era. OVAL GEAR official website states that details about projects will be announced once the productions are ready for public reveal.
