{"rewrite":{"id":"r_bef808535a094ed88daf15d9","clusterId":"c_f557faf4bb29482daabef9aa","slug":"akira-creator-katsuhiro-otomo-opens-new-animation-studio-oval-gear","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Akira Creator Katsuhiro Otomo Opens New Animation Studio Oval Gear","summary":"Katsuhiro Otomo, creator of Akira, launched a new Tokyo-based animation studio called Oval Gear. The studio is already producing its first feature film. The announcement is the first official word on Otomo's projects since the 2019 reveal of the sci-fi film Orbital Era, which may now be in production at Oval Gear.","whyItMatters":"The launch of Oval Gear ends seven years of silence on Otomo's feature animation plans and suggests the long-dormant Orbital Era project is finally moving forward.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eKatsuhiro Otomo, the creator of the landmark 1988 film \u003ci\u003eAkira\u003c/i\u003e, has founded a new animation studio in Tokyo called Oval Gear. The studio went public this week with a website and job postings, and confirmed that a first feature is already in production. Otomo is listed as founder and will oversee creative direction.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Oval Gear website features the main character from \u003ci\u003eOrbital Era\u003c/i\u003e, a sci-fi feature first announced in 2019 in collaboration with Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks), alongside a new version of \u003ci\u003eAkira\u003c/i\u003e. Neither Otomo nor the studio has formally confirmed that \u003ci\u003eOrbital Era\u003c/i\u003e is the title in production, but the imagery strongly suggests the project is alive after seven years of silence.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Katsuhiro Otomo, creator of Akira, launched a new Tokyo animation studio called Oval Gear. The studio is already producing its first feature film, and the announcement is the first official word on Otomo's projects since the 2019 reveal of Orbital Era.","twitterPost":"Katsuhiro Otomo, creator of Akira, launched a new Tokyo animation studio called Oval Gear. The studio is already producing its first feature film, and the announcement is the first official word on Otomo's projects since the 2019 reveal of Orbital Era.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Katsuhiro Otomo has launched a new animation studio, Oval Gear, in Tokyo. The studio is already working on its first feature film. The announcement is the first official word on Otomo's projects since the 2019 reveal of the sci-fi film Orbital Era, which now appears to be in production at the new studio.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Cartoon Brew\",\"url\":\"https://www.cartoonbrew.com/studios/katsuhiro-otomo-oval-gear-studio-260835.html\",\"title\":\"'Akira' Creator Katsuhiro Otomo Launches New Anime Studio\"}]","lintFlagsJson":"[]","lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":3456,"outputTokens":605,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1779826693,"createdAt":"2026-05-19T21:34:54.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-05-19T21:48:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-19T21:48:00.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_f557faf4bb29482daabef9aa","canonicalTitle":"‘Akira’ Creator Katsuhiro Otomo Launches New Anime Studio","representativeArticleId":"a_377c6b6f1839eac80a309660","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"Akira\"],\"manga_titles\":[],\"studios\":[\"Oval Gear\"],\"people\":[\"Katsuhiro Otomo\"],\"type\":\"announcement\",\"domain\":\"anime\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-05-13T13:57:49.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-05-13T13:57:49.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-20T16:26:33.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Cartoon Brew","url":"https://www.cartoonbrew.com/studios/katsuhiro-otomo-oval-gear-studio-260835.html","title":"‘Akira’ Creator Katsuhiro Otomo Launches New Anime Studio"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["Akira"],"manga_titles":[],"studios":["Oval Gear"],"people":["Katsuhiro Otomo"],"type":"announcement","domain":"anime","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Katsuhiro Otomo founded a new Tokyo-based animation studio called Oval Gear.","Oval Gear is already producing its first feature film.","The studio's website features the main character from Orbital Era, a sci-fi film first announced in 2019.","Otomo has not formally confirmed that Orbital Era is the film in production at Oval Gear."]}