Arvo Animation

Arvo Animation Inc. is a Japanese animation studio specializing in the production of anime television series, original video animations, computer-generated imagery, and key animation services for other projects.^[1] Founded in July 2017 with Taishi Kawaguchi as its representative, the studio is headquartered in Suginami, Tokyo, and operates additional facilities in Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture, and Kisarazu City, Chiba Prefecture.^[1] With a capital of ¥3,000,000 and approximately 20 employees (as of 2023), Arvo Animation focuses on planning and producing animation content for movies, television, and video, alongside creator management and game development.^[1] It maintains affiliations with group companies such as Mount Vision Inc. and Trikon Graphics Inc., and serves major clients including Actas Inc., Aniplex Inc., and Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc.^[1] The studio has contributed to the anime industry primarily through full production roles and supporting animation work. Its notable full productions include the science fiction drama Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut (2021), the isekai fantasy A Returner's Magic Should Be Special (2023; season 2 announced for 2026), and the science fiction romance Kowloon Generic Romance (2025).^[2][3][4] Arvo Animation also co-produced the romantic comedy We Never Learn (2019) alongside Silver Link and provided key animation for series such as Black Butler: Public School Arc (2024) and Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest OVA (2024).^[5][6]

Overview

Founding and leadership

Arvo Animation was established in July 2017 with an initial capital of ¥3,000,000.^[7] Rajeev Karki served as the initial representative director. In 2021, Taishi Kawaguchi assumed the role of representative director.^[8] As of 2025, Taishi Kawaguchi serves as president and representative director, steering overall company strategy and maintaining involvement in key productions like Monster Girl Doctor and Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut.^[9][10] Under his leadership, the studio has focused on building a niche in anime production while navigating industry challenges.

Operations and facilities

Arvo Animation is headquartered at 1-16-3 Igusa, Suginami-ku, Tokyo, Japan, serving as the primary hub for its administrative and creative operations.^[11] The studio maintains additional facilities to support its production workflow, including the Yamagata Studio in Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture, and the Chiba Studio in Kisarazu City, Chiba Prefecture, which facilitate distributed animation and CG work across regions.^[7] As of the latest reports, the company employs approximately 47 staff members, including those under contract, reflecting its scale as a mid-sized animation entity focused on collaborative production.^[7] Its business activities encompass the planning and production of animation for television, films, and video formats; computer-generated (CG) production; game planning; and creator management, enabling a versatile portfolio in media content creation.^[7] Key clients include prominent firms such as Actas Inc., Aniplex Inc., Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc., Good Smile Company Inc., and LIDENFILMS Inc., with whom Arvo Animation collaborates on episode production and co-productions.^[12] The studio is supported by group companies, including Trikon Graphics Inc. for graphics and technical support; in April 2025, it absorbed its holding company Mount Vision Inc., inheriting its rights and obligations.^[12][13][9] Its primary banking partner is Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, handling financial operations for the ¥3,000,000 capitalized entity.^[12]

History

Establishment

Arvo Animation Inc. was founded in July 2017 as a small independent animation studio in Suginami, Tokyo, entering Japan's intensely competitive animation sector, where over 500 studios vie for subcontracting and production opportunities amid tight budgets and demanding schedules.^[1][14] With an initial capital of ¥3,000,000 and a focus on planning and producing animation for movies, television, and video, the studio positioned itself for both subcontracting roles and original content development to carve out a niche.^[1] From its inception, Arvo Animation emphasized creator management alongside core animation production, aiming to support emerging talents in a field often constrained by hierarchical structures at larger studios.^[1] This approach, combined with involvement in CG and game planning, helped differentiate the studio during its formative phase. In 2018, it handled its first full animation production for The Sprites of Floria while providing 2D animation cooperation for Starlight Promises, marking initial forays into collaborative project work.^[15] The studio's breakthrough came in 2019 with its role in the high-profile anime adaptation of We Never Learn: Bokuben, co-producing the television series and the subsequent original video animations (OVAs), including the two-episode releases in late 2019 and 2020 that bundled with manga volumes.^[16][17] As a new entrant with limited staff—around 20 employees by late 2019—Arvo Animation navigated early challenges through strategic partnerships with production committees like Aniplex and Silver Link., which provided essential visibility and resource sharing in an industry where small studios often struggle for standalone projects.^[1]

Expansion and milestones

Following its initial projects, Arvo Animation expanded its production capacity by establishing additional studios in Yamagata and Chiba prefectures after 2019, complementing the original Tokyo facility in Suginami to support growing workloads in animation and CG production.^[7] These regional outposts enabled the studio to handle more complex in-house tasks, such as key animation and compositing, amid rising demand from television and film clients.^[18] A key milestone came in 2020 with the studio's first solo full television series production, Monster Girl Doctor, a 12-episode adaptation that aired from July to September and marked Arvo's transition from collaborative roles to lead animation responsibilities.^[19] This was followed in 2021 by Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut, another 12-episode series that aired from October to December, earning international acclaim through its streaming release on platforms like Crunchyroll and contributing to the studio's growing reputation for handling nuanced sci-fi narratives. In 2023, Arvo Animation further solidified its capabilities with A Returner's Magic Should Be Special, a 12-episode isekai fantasy series that aired from October to December, demonstrating the studio's ability to manage high-stakes action sequences independently.^[20] The studio's employee base grew from approximately 20 in its early years, reflecting strengthened partnerships with broadcasters and production committees that facilitated more in-house projects.^[7] Arvo Animation produced the 13-episode Kowloon Generic Romance, which aired from April to June 2025 as a spring season entry adapting Jun Mayuzuki's manga with a focus on urban romance.^[4][21] Additional upcoming works include the television series Super Psychic Policeman Chojo in 2026, a buddy cop comedy based on Shun Numa's manga, and the theatrical film Paris ni Saku Étoile, scheduled for March 2026 release and directed by Goro Taniguchi, representing the studio's diversification into feature-length animation.^[22][23]

Works

Television series

Arvo Animation's television series represent the studio's core output, primarily consisting of anime adaptations from manga and light novels that emphasize character-driven narratives within fantasy and science fiction genres.^[14] The studio has handled lead production for most entries, with occasional co-productions, contributing to a growing portfolio of episodic broadcasts since its debut project. The studio's inaugural television work was the romantic comedy We Never Learn: Bokuben (also known as Bokutachi wa Benkyō ga Dekinai), a manga adaptation that aired in two consecutive seasons totaling 26 episodes in 2019, serving as co-animation production alongside Silver Link.^[24][25] Following this, Arvo Animation took lead production duties for Monster Girl Doctor (Monster Musume no Oishasan), a 12-episode fantasy series based on Yoshino Origuchi's light novel, which broadcast from July to September 2020.^[26][27] In 2021, the studio produced Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut (Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu), another 12-episode light novel adaptation centered on alternate-history sci-fi elements, airing from October to December.^[28] This was followed by A Returner's Magic Should Be Special (Kikansha no Mahō wa Tokubetsu desu), a 12-episode manhwa-based fantasy series that premiered in October 2023, with Arvo Animation as the lead production studio.^[20] A second season is scheduled for 2026.^[29] More recent projects include Kowloon Generic Romance, a 13-episode manga adaptation exploring urban mystery and romance in a dystopian setting, which aired from April to June 2025 under Arvo Animation's lead production. Looking ahead, the studio is set to produce Super Psychic Policeman Chojo (Chōjun! Chōjō-senpai), a manga-based comedy series with an undetermined episode count, scheduled for broadcast in 2026.^[22][30]

Films

Arvo Animation entered the feature film space with its lead production of Paris ni Saku Étoile, an original anime film scheduled for theatrical release on March 13, 2026.^[31] Directed by Gorō Taniguchi, known for works such as Code Geass, the film marks the studio's first venture into full-length cinematic animation, expanding beyond its established television and OVA projects.^[32][33] Set in early 20th-century Paris, Paris ni Saku Étoile (also titled L'étoile de Paris en fleur) follows two Japanese women pursuing their artistic dreams: Fujiko, aspiring to become a painter, and Chizuru, aiming to establish herself as a ballerina. The narrative emphasizes dramatic storytelling through themes of friendship, ambition, and cultural adaptation, blending historical elements with emotional depth to explore the challenges faced by the protagonists in a foreign artistic hub.^[34][35][36] This project represents Arvo Animation's strategic push into longer-form content, leveraging its growing expertise in key animation and production collaboration to deliver a high-profile theatrical debut amid the studio's ongoing expansion in the industry.^[37][38]

Original video animations

Arvo Animation co-produced two original video animations (OVAs) for the We Never Learn: BOKUBEN franchise, serving as supplementary releases tied to the main television series adaptation of Taishi Tsutsui's manga.^[39][40] The first OVA, titled Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai: Nagisa ni Usemono Arite Senjin wa Enzen to [X] Suru, was released on November 1, 2019, bundled with the limited edition of the manga's 14th volume.^[39] This 25-minute episode adapts a beach trip side story from manga chapters 48 and 49, focusing on the interactions among the protagonist Nariyuki Yuiga and the female leads in a lighthearted, comedic setting.^[39] Produced in collaboration with Studio Silver, it featured animation direction consistent with the TV series' style, emphasizing romantic and humorous elements within the harem rom-com genre.^[16] The second OVA, Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai! Chapel no Kane wa [X] wo Shukufuku Suru, followed on April 3, 2020, packaged with the limited edition of the manga's 16th volume.^[40] Also running approximately 25 minutes, this installment presents an original wedding ceremony scenario involving all five main female characters, supervised by series creator Taishi Tsutsui to extend the franchise's thematic exploration of romantic possibilities.^[40] Like its predecessor, it was co-produced with Studio Silver, maintaining the romantic comedy tone through character-driven side narratives that complement the TV adaptation without advancing the core plot.^[17] These OVAs functioned primarily as promotional extensions for the We Never Learn: BOKUBEN TV series, released during and after its broadcast runs in 2019 to boost manga sales and fan engagement.^[39][40] Arvo Animation's contributions highlighted its role in supporting key animation and production for supplementary content in the romantic comedy genre, focusing on episodic side stories that delve into character dynamics and humor.^[6]

Notable personnel

Executives

Taishi Kawaguchi serves as the president and representative director of Arvo Animation Inc. He has a background in animation production, including roles as production desk and drawing director.^[1][41] In addition to overseeing business operations and client relations, Kawaguchi has directed key projects for the studio, such as A Returner's Magic Should Be Special (2023), contributing to strategic decisions on production pipelines and partnerships. In Kowloon Generic Romance (2025), he directed episodes 1-2, 6, and 11.^[1][41] The executive team is supported by a small managerial board focused on administrative leadership, including coordination with affiliated companies like Trikon Graphics Inc. following the 2025 merger with Mount Vision Inc., though detailed profiles of additional members remain limited in public records.^[13][9]

Key producers and animators

Rajeev Karki has been Arvo Animation's primary animation producer since the studio's founding in July 2017. In this capacity, he oversees the coordination of animation workflows, from pre-production planning to the integration of key animation and compositing stages across multiple projects. Karki received credits as animation producer on the television series We Never Learn (2019), where he served as chief production producer. He held the same role for Monster Girl Doctor (2020), managing the production pipeline for its blend of character-driven comedy and medical fantasy elements. Additionally, Karki produced Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut (2021), contributing to its adaptation of light novel source material into a 12-episode series focused on alternate-history science fiction.^[25][10][42] Taishi Kawaguchi, Arvo Animation's representative director, has also played key creative roles in the studio's early productions, particularly as an assistant director and production staff member. On We Never Learn (season 1), Kawaguchi handled production advancement for episode 11. In season 2, he served as production desk for several episodes. He advanced to assistant director for Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut, where he directed episodes 6 and 12, and contributed as chief animation director for episode 12 to ensure consistency in character movements and scene pacing.^{[1][41][42][43]} Among other notable animators and directors associated with Arvo Animation's works, several have earned recognition through episode-specific credits. For instance, in Monster Girl Doctor, Hiroaki Kawaguchi served as assistant animation director for episode 4, focusing on key character designs and dynamic interspecies interaction sequences. These contributions highlight Arvo Animation's reliance on specialized staff to handle technical challenges in genre-blending narratives, such as integrating digital effects for fantastical elements in everyday settings.^[10]