The world of anime is so dynamic and busy that sometimes circumstances lead to anime productions changing studios midway through their run. While some transitions lead to improvements in animation quality or storytelling, others may cause shifts in unconventional art style or pacing leading to its downgrade.
Nonetheless, these studio switches in anime bring about the complexity of production, scheduling conflicts, and financial considerations. In this article, we’ll explore some popular anime that experienced studio switches, and how these changes impacted the series. So, without further ado, let’s get started.
10. Fruits Basket
Natsuki Takaya’s Fruits Basket received its first anime adaptation back in 2001 which no denying had its own charms, but failed to successfully adapt the original manga. Studio Deen’s ignorance in adapting the source material jeopardized its existing and future developments too.
Unhappy with the results, the author of Fruits Basket stated that if he ever wants another adaptation it should be from scratch with a new team. Then came into the picture TMS Entertainment who took over the project in 2019 and has since created the faithful adaptation the story deserves.
9. Fate
The Fate franchise we all know about packs great action, exceptional animation, and well-crafted narration. However, it didn’t happen overnight and before turning into a successful anime by Ufotable it was a poorly developed series from Studio Deen.
When the series was handed to Ufotable, they increased its production value, and with an incredible mixture of 2D and 3D animation styles, the new staff members brought out the best in the story. Ufotable sailed the sinking ship of the Fate franchise, and to everyone’s surprise, made it a fan favorite.
8. Durarara!!
Durarara!! is a popular urban fantasy mafia anime that’s told from multiple perspectives, featuring a diverse set of crime organizations from Japan to Russia. The first season of the anime was produced by Brain’s Base and they did a terrific job making it a hit show.
However, for the season afterward, the anime moved to a newly formed Studio Shuka which was originally founded by the same staff members that worked on the first season. As the studio change wasn’t out of necessity, the staff delivered the same level of quality as it was in the previous installment.
7. Log Horizon
Studio Satelight is credited with bringing the multiplayer online role-playing game world of Log Horizon to life. Even though the anime turned out quite well, the production committee passed it down to Studio Deen for subsequent seasons, although the director and story writers remained the same.
Following the change in the production committee, the anime took a big drop with a noticeable drop in art quality and character designs. The pacing began to drag and time wastage on irrelevant side characters made fans disappointed with the series and eventually, they quit.
6. Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yu-Gi-Oh! amassed a global fanbase upon its release, all thanks to its game elements that focused on Duel Monsters cards. However, the series didn’t have such a good start as the first original anime attempt by Toei Animation saw a huge bump in the beginning and got criticized for its dark and gore elements.
The show eventually got canceled after airing just 27 episodes. Later on, Studio Gallop took over the project and restarted the series with a theme that suited the audience’s taste, and named the first installment “Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters”. Gallop pivoted the story into what fans know today and the rest is history.
5. Vinland Saga
When Studio Wit decided to give up on the historical drama Vinland Saga, it was stunning news for the anime community. Without the talented production staff of Wit Studio, it was hard to imagine an adaptation that would continue the legacy of the anime and make it better than the previous one.
Thankfully, Studio Mappa came on board and made sure to do Makoto Yukimura’s justice. After a long wait, the anime finally continued under the same director and staff members who worked on the first season at Studio Wit with little to no changes to the story and much better animation quality.
4. Psycho-Pass
Psycho-Pass is a cyberpunk psychological thriller anime taking place in an authoritarian future dystopia. Upon its anime debut, Production IG put their heart into making it a blockbuster and eventually it succeeded as well. But, out of nowhere, Psycho-Pass moved to a different studio for the second season.
Tatsunoko Productions, the parent company of Production IG, worked on the second season and maintained the quality of animation as well, but the story didn’t live up to the original. The scriptwriter’s change took away the essence of the story which shattered fans’ expectations.
3. Seven Deadly Sins
Seven Deadly Sins is still regarded as one of the best anime by A1 Pictures but the arrival of Studio Deen ruined its reputation. For the third season, Seven Deadly Sins ended up changing studios which resulted in a massive downgrade in animation quality and direction level.
Switching to Studio Deen made many fans upset due to their poor record in handling their other anime projects. Although the staff at Deen faithfully adapted the story, it wasn’t good enough to make up for the sloppy visuals which made fans really upset about such a downgrade in this series.
2. One-Punch Man
Over the years, the superhero comedy series One-Punch has seen quite the obstacles down the road, and mostly it’s because of production problems. This modern classic started in the hands of Studio Madhouse and ended up in the cabinet of J.C. Staff who took over the production in its second season.
The decision was made after the unavailability of the staff that worked with Madhouse to produce season 1. Under a new director, J.C. Staff came up with a fine sequel but the second season saw a dip in art quality and suffered heavily in its fight animation, resulting in a big blunder that wasn’t expected.
1. Attack On Titan
Sometimes it sounds ridiculous that Studio Wit didn’t have enough time or resources to commit to taking on the final season of the critically acclaimed series of the decade, Attack On Titan. The production committee just let the golden goose slip from their hands, making the anime’s future bleak.
Many anime studios were hesitant to take on such a large-scale project, and it took years for its final act to drop until Studio MAPPA stepped in. They took over the project despite initial animosity and outperformed in every aspect bringing back the good old days of Attack On Titan.
Which one of the following studio changes was more surprising to you? Feel free to comment down your thoughts and make sure to recommend some other anime like the ones listed above, also don’t forget to share this article with your fellow otaku friends.
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