The iconic anime studio behind Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name and Suzume, CoMix Wave Films, has just received a partial buyout by Toho, the producer of Jujutsu Kaisen, My Hero Academia, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and many more.
Via its press release “Announcement of Strategic Investment in CoMix Wave Films Inc.” on Oct. 15, Toho has acquired 45 shares in CoMix Wave Films Inc., worth 6.09% of the company. The acquisition was made at the request of CoMix Wave Films’ founder, chairman and representative director Noritaka Kawaguchi, who has overseen the company’s rise since 2007 to now encompassing operations like film financing, distribution, international sales and animation production. The company’s portfolio includes works directed by the acclaimed Makoto Shinkai, such as Your Name, Weathering With You and Suzume.
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Anime Studio Behind Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name Is Now Partially Owned by Toho
Under the section “Background and Purpose of the Investment for Toho,” Toho explains that the acquisition was part of its TOHO VISION 2032 strategy, based on “strengthening the planning and development of attractive content and IP creation, while also expanding its overseas business.” Toho is a longtime partner of CoMix Wave FIlms, helping to distribute Your Name, Suzume and Weathering With You; Toho states that it wishes to “contribute to improving the production environment and expanding creative opportunities at CoMix Wave Films” and “aim for further growth of its [Toho’s] animation business by delivering the high-quality works produced by the company’s creators to the wider world.”
This follows the major acquisition announcement earlier this year of Science SARU, another animation production studio renowned for its artistry. Speaking to Nikkei this month, Toho managing director Keiji Ota spotlighted the studio as incredibly popular overseas and signaled that through it, Toho wanted the legroom to pursue artistic projects that weren’t necessarily profitable.
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Overseas expansion is also central to Toho’s ambitions, most recently evidenced by its surprise buyout of GKIDS, also on Oct. 15. GKIDS is known for distributing films from all over the world, including those from Studio Ghibli, as well as Evangelion and Ghost in the Shell. Science SARU will animate the upcoming Ghost in the Shell remake, while curiously, GKIDS’ first-ever first-run anime license came this year, in the form of Science SARU’s Dandadan series. CoMix Wave Films’ leadership will remain the same following the acquisition, with Tomohiro Tokunaga remaining in his post alongside Kawaguchi. The company’s current capital is 42.5 million yen (~$284k), and it employs 71 employees as of Feb. 29, 2024.
Source: Toho Investor Relations
