Sunrise (company)

Sunrise Inc.
株式会社サンライズ
Kabushiki gaisha
Industry Animation studio and production company
Founded September 1972 (1972-09)
Headquarters Suginami, Tokyo, Japan
Key people
 Takayuki Yoshii
(chairman and CEO)
Kenji Uchida
(president)
Number of employees
 224
Parent Bandai Namco Holdings
Subsidiaries Sunrise Music Publishing
Bandai Namco Pictures
Website sunrise-inc.co.jp
Footnotes / references
[1][2]

Sunrise Inc. (株式会社サンライズ, Kabushiki gaisha Sanraizu) is a Japanese animation studio and production company which is a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. Its former name was Nippon Sunrise and, before that, Sunrise Studios.[3] Its headquarters is in Suginami, Tokyo.[4]

One of Japan's largest and best-known studios, Sunrise is renowned for critically praised and popular original anime series such as Gundam, Cowboy Bebop, Space Runaway Ideon, Armored Trooper Votoms, Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, Future GPX Cyber Formula, Crush Gear Turbo, The Vision of Escaflowne, Love Live School Idol Project, Witch Hunter Robin, My-HiME, My-Otome, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Tiger & Bunny, Cross Ange: Rondo of Angel and Dragon, as well as its numerous adaptations of acclaimed light novels including Dirty Pair, Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere and Accel World, and manga such as City Hunter, InuYasha, Outlaw Star, Yakitate!! Japan, Planetes, Keroro Gunso, Gin Tama, and Kekkaishi. Many of Sunrise's original anime have similar themes, including mecha and masked identities, accompanied by fluid animation. Many fans refer to the quality of their work as "Sunrise Smooth".

Most of their work are original titles created in-house by their creative staff under a collective pseudonym, Hajime Yatate. They also operated a defunct video-game studio, Sunrise Interactive. Sunrise launched a light-novel publisher, Yatate Bunko Imprint, on September 30, 2016 to publish original titles and supplement their existing franchises with new materials.[5] Anime created by Sunrise which have won the Animage Anime Grand Prix are Mobile Suit Gundam in 1979 and the first half of 1980, Space Runaway Ideon in the second half of 1980, Crusher Joe (a co-production with Studio Nue) in 1983, Dirty Pair in 1985, Future GPX Cyber Formula in 1991, Gundam SEED in 2002, Gundam SEED Destiny in 2004 and 2005, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion in 2006 and 2007 and Code Geass R2 in 2008, making Sunrise the studio which won the largest number of Animage Awards.

History

According to an interview with Sunrise members, the studio was founded by former members of Mushi Production in 1972 as Sunrise Studio, Limited (有限会社サンライズスタジオ, Yugen-kaisha Sanraizu Sutajio). Rather than having anime production revolve around a single creator (like Mushi, headed by Osamu Tezuka), Sunrise decided that production should focus on the producers. The market for mainstream anime (such as manga adaptations, sports shows, and adaptations of popular children's stories) was dominated by an existing company. Sunrise decided to focus on robot anime, known to be more difficult to animate but which could be used to sell toys.[6]

Sunrise has been involved in many popular and acclaimed anime television series, including Mobile Suit Gundam (and its spin-offs and sequels since 1979), the Mashin Eiyūden Wataru series (1988–1997), the Yūsha series (1990–1997), the Eldran series (1991–1993) which has now become part of the Yūsha series since the Takara Tomy merger, and the Crest of the Stars series (1999–2001). They produced the apocalyptic Space Runaway Ideon in 1980.

The company have co-produced a number of series with Toei Company, including Majokko Tickle (from episode 16), the Robot Romance Trilogy; Chōdenji Robo Combattler V (1976), Chōdenji Machine Voltes V (1977), Tōshō Daimos (1978), and Cyborg 009 (a 1979 co-production with Toei Animation). Sunrise is well known for their mecha anime series (including Gundam), such as Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3 (1978), Fang of the Sun Dougram (1981), the Armored Trooper Votoms and Aura Battler Dunbine series (1983), Blue Comet SPT Layzner (1985), Patlabor (1989), The Vision of Escaflowne (1996), The Big O (1999/2003), Overman King Gainer (2002), Zegapain (2007), Code Geass (2006/2008), Tiger & Bunny (2011), and Valvrave the Liberator (2013), and worked with Tsuburaya Productions to animate The Ultraman (1979).

Studios

Studio 1 was created when Sunrise was founded in 1972. Notable works include Mobile Suit Gundam, Space Runaway Ideon, Armored Trooper Votoms, Patlabor, and Inuyasha. It was also the studio responsible for various later Gundam installments: G, Wing, X, Turn A, Unicorn, Reconguista in G, and Thunderbolt.

Studio 2 was created around 1974-75, and some key members left to found the Bones studio in 1998. Notable works include Aura Battler Dunbine and some installments of Gundam: including Zeta, ZZ, Victory, Char's Counterattack and F91. It also worked on The Vision of Escaflowne and Cowboy Bebop, co-producing a film adaptation of each with Bones. The studio is involved with Tribe Cool Crew.

Studio 3 was created in 1975. Early works included Blue Comet SPT Layzner and City Hunter. It was responsible for many Gundam installments, including 0083, 08th MS Team, and TV series of the franchise: 00, AGE, Build Fighters, Build Fighters Try, and Iron-Blooded Orphans.

Studio 4 was created in 1979, and notable works include The Ultraman anime. The studio became inactive in 1987. The current Studio 4 began as support for Studio 2, and was known as Studio Iogi (井荻スタジオ) (named after the pseudonym of longtime Sunrise director Yoshiyuki Tomino). The studio's first major work was 1985's Dirty Pair, and other notable works include Planetes, s-CRY-ed and Code Geass.

Studio 5 was also created in 1979. One of its producers was Mikihiro Iwata, a founder of A-1 Pictures. Notable works include Crest of the Stars, the InuYasha movies, Daily Lives of High School Boys, Aikatsu!, Good Luck Girl!, Gin Tama, Mobile Suit SD Gundam and Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket.

Studio 6 was created in 1983. Notable works include The Big O, Sgt. Frog, and Tiger & Bunny. Some of its members had left to found Studio Bridge in the 2000s.

Studio 7 was created in 1985. Its first work was on the American cartoon series The Centurions, and it is noted for Sacred Seven, s-CRY-ed and the Yūsha series. Some members left to form Manglobe in 2002.

Established around 1995, Studio 8 is notable for My-HiME, Buddy Complex, Idolmaster: Xenoglossia, The Girl Who Leapt Through Space, Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere, Accel World and Love Live!.

Studio 7's sister studio, Studio 9 was established in 1996. Notable works include Gasaraki, Infinite Ryvius, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and SEED Destiny, Argento Soma and Battle Spirits.

Studio 5's sister studio, Studio 10 was established around 1996. Notable works include Outlaw Star, Dinosaur King and Phi Brain: Puzzle of God.

Studio 8's sister studio, Studio 11 was established in 2009 and worked on Kurokami and the SD Gundam Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors series.

Sunrise’s CGI production studio, D.I.D. helps creating CGI for many of the company’s shows (notably Tiger & Bunny, Zegapain, Cross Ange, Valvrave the Liberator, Gundam MS Igloo and Gundam The Origin). They also produce CG work for other animation studios, including XEBEC's Space Battleship Yamato 2199.

Formerly known as Ogikubo Studio (荻窪スタジオ) or Sunrise Emotion, Nerima Studio is best known for the Freedom Project, Valvrave the Liberator, the King of Thorn anime film and Cross Ange.[7]

Sunrise Origin Studio (サンライズオリジンスタジオ) is Sunrise's in-between animation studio that does in-between animation for other studio's anime titles such as My Hero Academia to The Boy and the Beast.

Works

1970s

  • Hazedon (ハゼドン) (October 1972–March 1973) (TV animation) (Fuji TV) (Studio 1)
  • Zero Tester (ゼロテスター) (October 1973–December 1974) (TV animation) (Fuji TV) (Studio 1)
  • La Seine no Hoshi (ラ・セーヌの星) (April 1975–December 1975) (TV animation) (Fuji TV) (Studio 2)
  • Brave Raideen (勇者ライディーン) (April 1975–March 1976) (TV animation) (in association with Tohokushinsha and Asahi News Agency) (TV Asahi) (Studio 1)
  • Kum-Kum (わんぱく大昔クムクム) (October 1975–March 1976) (TV animation) (TBS) (Studio 1)
  • Chōdenji Robo Combattler V (超電磁ロボ コン・バトラーV) (April 1976–May 1977) (in association with Toei Company) (TV animation) (TV Asahi) (Studio 1)
  • Gowappa 5 Gōdam (ゴワッパー5ゴーダム) (April 1976–December 1976) (in association with Tatsunoko Productions) (TV animation) (TV Asahi) (Studio 1)
  • Dinosaur Expedition Born Free (恐竜探険隊ボーンフリー) (October 1976–March 1977) (in association with Tsuburaya Productions) (TV animation) (TV Asahi) (Studio 1)
  • Robot Child Beeton (ろぼっ子ビートン) (October 1976–September 1977) (TV animation) (TBS) (Studio 3)
  • Chōdenji Machine Voltes V (超電磁マシーン ボルテスV) (June 1977–March 1978) (in association with Toei Company) (TV animation) (TV Asahi) (Studio 2)
  • invincible Super Man Zambot 3 (無敵超人ザンボット3) (October 1977–March 1978) (TV animation) (TV Asahi) (Studio 3)
  • Majokko Tickle (魔女っ子チックル) (March 1978–January 1979) (in association with Toei Company, Neomedia and Kaze Pro) (TV animation) (TV Asahi) (Studio 2)
  • Tōshō Daimos (闘将ダイモス) (April 1978–January 1979) (in association with Toei Company) (TV animation) (TV Asahi) (Studio 2)
  • invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3 (無敵鋼人ダイターン3) (June 1978–March 1979) (TV animation) (TV Asahi) (Studio 1)
  • Cyborg 009 (サイボーグ009) (March 1979–March 1980) (in association with Toei Company) (TV animation) (TV Asahi) (Studio 3)
  • Mobile Suit Gundam (機動戦士ガンダム) (April 1979–January 1980) (TV animation) (TV Asahi) (Studio 1)
  • The Ultraman (ザ☆ウルトラマン) (April 1979–March 1980) (in association with Tsuburaya Productions) (TV animation) (TBS) (Studio 4)
  • Scientific Adventure Team Tansar 5 (科学冒険隊タンサー5) (July 1979–March 1980) (TV animation) (TV Tokyo) (Studio 5)

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

Non-Japanese productions

Video games

International distribution

Most anime produced by Sunrise and Bandai and licensed by Bandai Visual in Japan was licensed and distributed in the United States by Bandai Entertainment and in Europe by Beez Entertainment, but both companies shut down in 2012 after Bandai Entertainment's restructuring. In North America, distributors such as Funimation, Viz Media, Sentai Filmworks, NIS America and Aniplex of America have licensed Sunrise properties. In Europe, Anime Limited and Manga Entertainment (in the UK) and Kazé (in France) have begun to distribute titles distributed by Beez and other unreleased Sunrise productions. In Australia, Sunrise productions are licensed and distributed by Madman Entertainment. At Anime Boston 2013, Sunrise confirmed that they would begin licensing anime in North America and were negotiating with Sentai, Funimation, and Viz to distribute their titles on DVD and Blu-ray.[9] Right Stuf agreed to distribute and re-release Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn on DVD in North America.[10] In 2014 the deal expanded, releasing the Gundam previously licensed by Bandai Entertainment (Mobile Suit Gundam, Turn A Gundam) and several works not released in North America (including Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ) in 2015.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Sunrise Official Site" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 5, 2006. Retrieved February 6, 2006.
  2. ↑ "SUNRISE INTERNATIONAL Information". Retrieved 2006-02-06.
  3. ↑ Animage Editorial Staff (August 1987). "Arata na michi o mosakusuru orijinaru robotto anime no sōhonzan" 新たな道を模索するオリジナルロボットアニメの総本山 [The main office searches for a fresh original robot anime]. Animage (in Japanese). Vol. 110. pp. 60–65.
  4. ↑ "SUNRISE INTERNATIONAL Information [Company Outline]". Sunrise-inc.co.jp. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
  5. ↑ "Sunrise Launches "Yatate Bunko" Light Novel Imprint". Crunchyroll. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  6. ↑ "ANNtv Inside Sunrise". Anime News Network. 17 May 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  7. 1 2 "２０１４年　　１０月 原画". Retrieved 2015-02-13.
  8. ↑ "Sunrise Reveals Classicaloid Comedy TV Anime for 2016". Anime News Network. 2015-07-03. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
  9. ↑ "Funimation, Sentai in Talks Over Former Bandai Titles". Anime News Network. 25 March 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  10. ↑ "Right Stuf to Release Gundam UC on DVD". Anime News Network. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  11. ↑ "Sunrise Partners with Right Stuf to Release Gundam Franchise Stateside". Anime News Network. 2014-10-11. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
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