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Azur Lane's Yostar Establishes Animation Studio
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
Arch announced on Wednesday that it is taking part in establishing and managing Yostar Pictures, a new animation company that Yostar founded. The new company's main business is planning and producing animation, but it is also involved in planning, development, and composing production committees.
Yostar CEO Hengda Li is representative director of Yostar Pictures. Board members include Albacrow LLC's Ryousuke Inagaki (production manager for Kiznaiver, animation producer for When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace) and animation supervisor Kengo Saitō (chief animation director for SSSS.Gridman, key animation for Promare "Galo-hen").
Arch invested in Yostar Pictures, and it is also supporting the company through product and strategy planning and mounting.
According to the company's website, "Arch aims to serve as the gate for all fellows of anime-content industry to explore new opportunities and generate new values." The Tokyo-based company assisted with the production of the Promare anime film. The company was founded in October 2017, and Nao Hirasawa (producer for Lagrange - The Flower of Rin-ne, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet, BBK/BRNK) is the president and CEO.
Yostar Pictures is creating animated footage for Hori's Azur Lane Bisoku Zenshin! four-panel manga (seen left).
In Shanghai Manjuu and Xiamen Yongshi's original Azur Lane game for iOS and Android devices, players collect early 20th century warships from various countries and use fleets of six ships to battle enemies. Shanghai Manjuu and Xiamen Yongshi developed the game, and bilibili released it in China in May 2017. Shanghai Yostar released the game in Japan in September 2017. Yostar released an English version of the game on May 20.
The smartphone game inspired a television anime that premiered on October 3. Staff announced in December that episodes 11 and 12 of the anime are delayed until March 13 and 20, respectively. Funimation is streaming the series with English subtitles and an English dub.
Sources: Arch, Anime! Anime! Biz (Kōtarō Nakase)
