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Kinoshita Acquires Fukushima Gainax, Moves Studio to Tokyo Under New Name

Animation studio Naoya Kinoshita is now the company's board chairperson.

In addition, Gaina transferred control of its Fukushima Sakura Yūgakusha animation Fukushima Gaina, which was established on August 8. Fukushima Gaina is functionally separate from the Tokyo-based Gaina company, even though Asao and Kinoshita are the president and board chairperson, respectively, of both companies. Fukushima Gaina is still based in Tamura District in Fukushima north of Tokyo, and it also manages events in the local Fukushima area.

Kinoshita plans to make its Tokyo-based Gaina subsidiary a pillar of its new anime production efforts in order to expand its business profile. Many other anime studios and animators are located in western Tokyo at or near Koganei. Fukushima Gainax had already established a Tokyo studio in Koganei in September 2016, before moving its headquarters to Koganei under its new Gaina name this month.

The original founded the Fukushima Gainax studio and its accompanying museum in 2015. Fukushima locals hoped that the museum and studio would draw tourists from abroad as well as from within Japan, and would help revive Fukushima tourism in the wake of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. The new studio and museum made use of a closed junior high school building.

While Fukushima Gainax carried its former parent company's name, the original Gainax studio and Fukushima Gainax separated their capital ties and became independent companies in December 2015. Fukushima Gainax short to promote Fukushima in 2016.

Fukushima Gainax season in January.

Sources: Kinoshita Group Holdings Tadashi Sudo)