Tatsunoko Production

Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. (株式会社タツノコプロ) and often shortened to Tatsunoko Pro (タツノコプロ), is a Japanese animation company. The studio's name has a double meaning in Japanese: "Tatsu's child" (Tatsu is a nickname for Tatsuo) and "sea dragon", the inspiration for its seahorse logo.

Tatsunoko Production was established in 1962 and is engaged in the planning and production of anime films and television series, as well as character licensing. The company produced many hit anime series from the 1960s through the 1980s, and holds numerous original rights and character copyrights for its original works in Japan and abroad. The company is one of Japan's leading anime studios in terms of the breadth and richness of its content, ranging from hard action heroes to comedies, science fiction, anthropomorphic animals, and domestic dramas. Since the first work, Space Ace, they have produced many works such as Speed Racer, Hakushon Daimaō, Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, and the Time Bokan series, supporting the dawn of Japanese animation. Although the company later began producing works set in Japan, it has basically aimed from its inception to produce works that can be used anywhere in the world in a stateless manner.

In the genealogy of animation studios in the history of Japanese animation, Tatsunoko is known as the studio that created many derivative studios along with Toei Doga (currently Toei Animation), Mushi Production, and Tokyo Movie (currently TMS Entertainment).

In the past, Tatsunoko had a production system in which almost all processes, from planning to scriptwriting, drawing, cinematography, and editing, were completed in-house. The company continued to use this system for a long time after Toei Doga and Mushi Production, which had a similar production system, became unsustainable due to streamlining and bankruptcy.

Initially, Founder Tatsuo Yoshida tried to establish his studio's own style with realistic drawings that accurately depicted muscles and skeletons. At that time, it was common knowledge that animation was to be abbreviated or deformed, and that pictures were to be simplified as much as possible to show movement. Even Mushi Production and Disney used to draw the car so that when it starts, it first contracts like rubber and then jumps out like a bullet due to the recoil, and when it stops, it contracts once due to braking and then extends and returns to its original state. However, Tatsuo Yoshida insisted on realistic animation and produced Mach GoGoGo. For the scene where the car spins, he rented a driving school and had the driver actually demonstrate the spin with the car, and had the animators draw the scene without deforming it by referring to the demonstration. It was so well received that it became the studio's origin and led to subsequent realistic, hard-action works. However, Yoshida's drawings, with their many lines, precision, and sharpness, were unsuitable for animation, which required many drawings of the same picture, and were difficult for other animators to imitate. Most animators refused to participate in the production, and the company's schedule was on the verge of collapse. However, the company was able to get through the busy season when a comedy with a simple design happened to enter the production rotation. This allowed the company to learn how to run a studio that alternated between serious action animation with detailed drawings and comedy animation with simple drawings using deformation, resulting in a wide range of styles.

History
The studio was founded in October 1962 by mangaka and anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida, and his two younger brothers, Kenji, who managed Tatsuo, and Toyoharu (better known by his pen name "Ippei Kuri"), a manga artist, at Tatsuo's own house. It initially began as a production company specializing in manga to manage the copyrights of Tatsuo Yoshida's manga and his assistants. However, at that time, the broadcast of Astro Boy, Japan's first domestically produced anime television series produced by Osamu Tezuka's Mushi Production, had just begun, and the manga artist community was abuzz. Tatsuo Yoshida became interested in anime production after hearing from Hiroshi Sasagawa, a manga artist who had worked as Tezuka's assistant, and Tatsunoko set out to produce anime. Tatsuo saw that more and more people were buying televisions in the early 1960s and predicted that they would demand higher quality anime program in the future, so he decided to provide it to them. Just around that time, Toei Doga, having heard of Tatsuo's hopes, invited Tatsunoko to produce an anime TV series. It was a good deal for Tatsunoko, which was entrusted with the original story, script, and direction, while Toei worked on the subsequent inbetweening, finishing, cinematography, etc., and Toei trained animators over a three-month period, with Tatsunoko staff, including Tatsuo and Sasagawa, also able to participate in training. However, the negotiations broke down due to copyright issues, so Tatsunoko decided to produce an original work on its own. They bought a plot of land in Kokubunji, cleared out a wooded area, and built a prefab house, which became an improvised studio. As for animators, Tatsunoko had three manga artists, Tatsuo, Kuri, and Sasagawa, and about 10 assistants to Tatsuo, so they were confident that they could manage, but most of them refused, saying that they wanted to be manga artists, not to make animation. Having no choice, Tatsunoko placed an advertisement in the newspaper looking for animators and trained 50 amateurs from all over the country based on their training experience at Toei. In addition, art director Mitsuki Nakamura from Toei Doga and scriptwriter Jinzō Toriumi from Nikkatsu transferred to the company to provide immediate assistance. Tatsunoko didn't have any experience yet, so they produced a 15-minute pilot and pitched it to TV stations.



In 1965, Tatsunoko's first TV anime series, Space Ace, began broadcasting. The series became popular and successful. Tatsuo was so pleased with the success that he immediately began work on the next series.

In 1967, Tatsunoko's second TV animation series Mach GoGoGo began broadcasting. Not only was it repeatedly reran in Japan, but it was also exported overseas. In the U.S. in particular, it was broadcast under the title Speed Racer and became very popular, paving the way for syndication around the world. This was Tatsunoko's first full-color work. At the time, color TVs were not widely available in Japan, and most households watched TV programs in black and white, but Tatsunoko dared to produce this series in full color, assuming from the start that it would be broadcast in the United States. This was due to Tatsuo's desire to move pictures like American comic books and create American-style animation, as well as for financial reasons. The funds from commercial TV stations and sponsors were not enough to cover the production costs, so Tatsunoko decided that the only way to complete the series was to sell it in the United States. They chose car racing as their theme because their target the U.S. was a car society. However, due to sloppy work by the Japanese intermediaries, Tatsunoko profited little from its worldwide success and received no tribute beyond a mention in the credits of a later live-action film.

In 1972, Science Ninja Team Gatchaman began broadcasting. Tatsuo demanded thorough realism in the works he led. Although the results were excellent, the animators were reluctant to take on the next series because of the increased number of animation cells and the time and effort required to draw them. Tatsunoko therefore recruited and trained new animators and introduced them to this series. The series was a huge hit and related merchandise sold well. Thanks to the copyright income, Tatsunoko was finally on track to recoup its production costs and make a profit. Therefore, from then on, Tatsunoko began to actively introduce mecha in its works for toy manufacturers. Outside of Japan, independent TV program packager Sandy Frank has acquired the rights to syndicate Gatchaman worldwide except in Asia. He altered the series by cutting action scenes to meet U.S. broadcast codes, changing the dialogue to take advantage of the popularity of the then hit Star Wars and changing the setting of the work to outer space, and also changed the title to Battle of the Planets. The series was broadcast in the U.S. and around the world, and he profited considerably from its merchandising. However, Tatsunoko did not profit from the series because they gave him the overseas copyrights.

In 1975, Time Bokan, the first of the Time Bokan series, began broadcasting. This series, which added an element of comedy to the action that had already become Tatsunoko's signature, lasted for eight years and became a new Tatsunoko masterpiece.

At that time, Hiroshi Sasagawa, who excelled at comedies, and Hisayuki Toriumi, who had a hard, serious style, supported Tatsunoko's heyday in the 1970s as the two signatures. Also during this period, Tatsunoko was trying to bring up university-educated directors in-house, following the example of Toei Doga, instead of hiring directors from outside the company. Those were Mizuho Nishikubo, Kōichi Mashimo, Hidehito Ueda, and Mamoru Oshii.

On September 5, 1977, Tatsuo Yoshida passed away from liver cancer. Kenji Yoshida was appointed as the second president.

Around that time, Tatsunoko's production site was on the verge of collapse due to busyness and lack of funds, and there was a steady flow of personnel out of the company, particularly members from the pioneering period.

In 1978, Tatsunoko Anime Technology Research Institute, an animator training institution, was established.

In 1982, Tatsunoko produced Super Dimension Fortress Macross, the first in the Super Dimension series. Macross was a project by Studio Nue that was adopted by Bigwest, an advertising agency, which secured broadcast slots for sponsor companies and commercial TV stations. However, Nue was not capable of producing animation, so Artland, which was headed by director Noboru Ishiguro, was assigned to produce the series. However, Artland, a subcontractor, was deemed insufficiently capable, and Tatsunoko took over as the prime contractor, placing orders with Artland and its own subsidiary, Anime Friend. Later, however, Bigwest produced a sequel, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross II: Lovers Again, without Tatsunoko or Studio Nue, and in response, Tatsunoko signed a contract with Harmony Gold USA without the consent of Bigwest and Nue, resulting in a dispute over intellectual property rights. In Japan, Tatsunoko sued Bigwest and Studio Nue over copyright and won, but conversely lost a lawsuit filed by them over character and mecha design. As a result of the trial, it was decided that Tatsunoko Productions would retain ownership of the film of the work, but that the designs would be shared by Bigwest and Studio Nue. Meanwhile, overseas, Harmony Gold USA, which had obtained the license, adapted and broadcast several Tatsunoko works as a single epic Robotech series depicting different eras and generations in the same world. Bigwest and Harmony Gold had different claims over the rights to the Macross and Robotech series for many years, and Macross was not developed for business worldwide and Robotech in Japan. However, in 2021, the two companies announced an agreement regarding worldwide rights to the Macross and Robotech series from that point forward. This will allow the Macross series to be developed globally and confirms that Bigwest does not object to the release of a live-action Robotech movie in Japan. In addition, an exclusive worldwide license outside of Japan to use Macross characters and mecha in the Robotech series approved by Tatsunoko for Harmony Gold through 2021 has been ratified.

In 1987, Kenji Yoshida retired from Tatsunoko Production, and Ippei Kuri became the third president. Kenji established a new production company, Yū Entertainment.

In December of the same year, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, together with the Tatsunoko Production Branch Office, which consisted mainly of staff who had participated in Zillion, became independent and established IG Tatsunoko Ltd. (now Production I.G).

In 1990, Tatsunoko Anime Technology Research Institute led by Koji Sugii became independent and participated in the establishment of Animation 21.

In 1995, Kenji Yoshida returned to Tatsunoko Production and became its first chairman.

Since the 1990s, Tatsunoko has brought back former key staff members, including Hiroshi Sasagawa, who had left the company, and has been producing mainly remakes of older works.

On June 3, 2005, major toy manufacturer Takara (now Takara Tomy) acquired 88% of Tatsunoko's stock from the Yoshida family, making the company a subsidiary. Accordingly, Chairman Kenji Yoshida and President Ippei Kuri resigned, and the entire Yoshida family, including executives, left the management of Tatsunoko Production. In the same year, Tatsuo Yoshida was awarded the Special Achievement Award as one of the 20 People Who Made Japanese Animation at the Tokyo Anime Award held at the Tokyo International Anime Fair.

In 2010, Production I.G. acquired 11.2% of Tatsunoko's outstanding shares. Additionally, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, president of Production I.G and IG Port, becomes non-executive director of Tatsunoko Production.

In 2013, Horipro acquired 13.5% of the shares, making it the second largest shareholder (at the time) after Takara Tomy. In the same year, the company changed its name from Tatsunoko Purodakushon (竜の子プロダクション) (written in kanji) to Tatsunoko Puro (タツノコプロ) (written in katakana). At the same time, the head office was relocated from Kokubunji City, Tokyo to Musashino City, and the dispersed corporate functions were consolidated.

At Anime Expo 2013, Sentai Filmworks announced a deal to license and release some of Tatsunoko's titles, including Gatchaman and Casshan.

In 2014, Nippon Television acquired 54.3% of the outstanding shares held by Takara Tomy and made Tatsunoko Production a subsidiary. Takara Tomy continued to hold a 20% stake in the company and maintained the partnership.

In 2019, Tatsunoko founded a new label, Bakken Record. In the same year, four people associated with Tatsunoko received the Achievement Award at the Tokyo Anime Award: Kunio Okawara, Akiyoshi Sakai, Hisayuki Toriumi, and Tsuneo Ninomiya.

Representative directors

 * Tatsuo Yoshida (1962–1977)
 * Kenji Yoshida (1977–1987)
 * Ippei Kuri (1987–2005)
 * Kouki Narushima (2005–2010)
 * Keita Satou (2010–2012)
 * Shuuichirou Tanaka (2012–2014)
 * Yuuzou Kuwahara (2014–2019)
 * Daisuke Kadoya (2019–2022)
 * Kyou Itou (2022–present)

Major people from Tatsunoko

 * Yoshitaka Amano (Character designer, illustrator)
 * Kenji Horikawa (Producer, founder of Bee Train Production & P.A. Works)
 * Mitsuhisa Ishikawa (Producer, founder of Production I.G)
 * Takao Koyama (Scriptwriter)
 * Koichi Mashimo (Anime director, founder of Bee Train Production)
 * Mitsuki Nakamura (Art director, mecha designer, founder of Design Office Mekaman)
 * Koji Nanke (Animation artist)
 * Toshihiko Nishikubo (Mizuho Nishikubo) (Animation artist, animation director)
 * Yuji Nunokawa (Producer, founder of Pierrot)
 * Shigekazu Ochiai (Anime producer)
 * Kunio Okawara (Mecha designer, founder of Design Office Mekaman)
 * Mamoru Oshii (Anime director, film director)
 * Hiroshi Sasagawa (Anime director)
 * Akemi Takada (Character designer, illustrator)
 * Tomoyuki Miyata (Producer, founder of J.C.Staff)
 * Hisayuki Toriumi (Anime director, scriptwriter, novelist, founder of Pierrot)
 * Jinzo Toriumi (Scriptwriter)
 * Hidehito Ueda (Anime director)

2010s

 * Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars (Nintendo Wii) (January 26, 2010)
 * Hutch the Honeybee: Yuki no Melody (2010; co-production with Group TAC)
 * Yozakura Quartet: Hoshi no Umi (2010; co-production with KMMJ Studios)
 * Princess Resurrection (2010; remake of original TV series)
 * [C]: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control (Fuji TV) (2011)
 * Sket Dance (TV Tokyo) (2011–2012)
 * Pretty Rhythm: Aurora Dream (TV Tokyo) (2011)
 * Pretty Rhythm: Dear My Future (TV Tokyo) (2012–2013; co-production with DongWoo A&E)
 * Ippatsu-Hicchuu! Devander (2012; OVA in celebration of Tatsunoko Productions' 50th anniversary)
 * Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san (MBS) (2013)
 * Pretty Rhythm: Rainbow Live (TV Tokyo) (2013–2014; co-production with DongWoo A&E)
 * Gatchaman Crowds (NTV) (2013)
 * Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta/Yozakura Quartet: Tsuki ni Naku (2013)
 * Triple Combination: Transformers Go! (2013)
 * Robotech: Love Live Alive (2013) (Robotech version of the MOSPEADA OVA: Love Live Alive)
 * Wake Up, Girls! (2014; co-production with Ordet)
 * Ping Pong (Fuji TV) (2014)
 * PriPara (TV Tokyo) (2014–2017; co-production with DongWoo A&E)
 * Psycho-Pass 2 (Fuji TV) (2014)
 * Yatterman Night (MBS) (2015)
 * Gatchaman Crowds insight (NTV) (2015)
 * PriPara Mi~nna no Akogare Let's Go PriPari (TV Tokyo) (2016)
 * Transformers: Combiner Wars (2016; co-production with Hasbro Studios and Machinima Inc.)
 * Time Bokan 24 (YTV /NTV) (2016–2017; co-production with Level-5)
 * Infini-T Force (NTV) (2017, co-production with Digital Frontier)
 * Idol Time PriPara (TV Tokyo) (2017–2018; co-production with DongWoo A&E)
 * Transformers: Titans Return (2017–2018; co-production with Hasbro Studios and Machinima Inc.)
 * Transformers: Power of the Primes (2018; co-production with Hasbro Studios and Machinima Inc.)
 * Kiratto Pri Chan (TV Tokyo) (2018–2021; co-production with DongWoo A&E)
 * The Price of Smiles (2019, Tatsunoko's 55th anniversary work)
 * King of Prism: Shiny Seven Stars (2019)
 * Ninja Box (2019–2020; co-production with C2C)

2020s

 * Hakushon Daimaō 2020 (YTV) (2020, co-production with Nippon Animation)
 * Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood (NTV) (2021)
 * Idol Land PriPara (2021)
 * Muteking the Dancing Hero (TVO) (2021, co-production with Tezuka Productions)
 * Waccha PriMagi! (TV Tokyo) (2021–2022, co-production with DongWoo A&E, the final Pretty Series to date until it was ended on TV in 2022)
 * Exception (Netflix) (2022, co-production with 5 Inc.)
 * Ippon Again! (TV Tokyo) (2023)
 * The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel – Northern War (2023)
 * Pole Princess!! (2023)
 * Turkey! (2025)

Co-productions

 * Once Upon a Time...Man (1978–1981; produced by Procidis)
 * Superbook (1981–1982; co-production with Christian Broadcasting Network)
 * The Flying House (1982–1983; co-production with Christian Broadcasting Network)
 * Super Dimension Fortress Macross (MBS) (1982–1983; produced by Studio Nue and Artland)
 * Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984; produced by Studio Nue and Artland)
 * Genesis Climber MOSPEADA: Love Live Alive (1985; co-production with Artmic)
 * Megazone 23 (1985; produced by AIC and Artland)
 * Robotech (1985; co-production with Harmony Gold USA and Big West)
 * Robotech II: The Sentinels (1986; co-production with Harmony Gold USA)
 * Anmitsu Hime (Fuji TV) (a.k.a. Anmitsu Hime: From Amakara Castle) (1986–1987; produced by Studio Pierrot)
 * Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Flash Back 2012 (1987; co-production with Studio Nue and Artland)
 * The Jungle Book: The Adventures of Mowgli (TV Tokyo) (1989–1990; co-production with Mondo TV and Nippon Animation)
 * Time Travel Tondekeman (Fuji TV) (a.k.a. Time Quest Tondekeman!) (1989–1990; produced by Ashi Productions)
 * Robin Hood (1990–1992; co-production with Mondo TV)
 * The Legend of Snow White (1994–1995; co-production with Mondo TV)
 * Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Tokyo) (1995–1996; co-production with Gainax)
 * The Story of Cinderella (1996; co-production with Mondo TV)
 * ''Simple 1500 Series Vol. 24: The Gun Shooting (1999; contributed with animated cutscenes)

Anime studios founded by former animators

 * Ashi Productions/Production Reed (since 1975)
 * Artmic (1978–1997) (defunct)
 * Pierrot (since 1979)
 * J.C.Staff (since 1986)
 * Production I.G (since 1987)
 * Animation 21 (since the 1990s)
 * Xebec (1995–2019) (defunct)
 * Radix Ace Entertainment (1995–2006) (defunct)
 * Bee Train Production (since 1997)
 * Actas (since 1998)
 * TNK (since 1999)