Masaaki Yuasa, the director of Inu-Oh and Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, is back from retirement – and this time, he’s at the helm of a brand new studio. On Monday, Yuasa announced the launch of a new Tokyo-based animation studio, ame pippin, in collaboration with Asmik Ace, Aniplex, and CoMix Wave Films, the latter of which is best known for having produced Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name, Weathering With You, and Suzume.
In a statement released to Variety, Yuasa addressed his intentions with creating this new studio. “In this era of dramatic change, we hope to move forward with a steady yet flexible approach, always keeping the future in sight. We deeply appreciate your guidance and support, and we would be truly grateful for any opportunity to collaborate with you.”
In March of 2020, Yuasa stepped down from his role as president of Science Saru, the animation studio he founded with Eunyoung Choi in 2013, and announced on X that he was taking a break from the animation industry to consider his next role. That’s not to say he did nothing during his break, though; he participated in a masterclass talk at the 2022 Annecy International Animation Film Festival as well as directing the opening sequence for Spy x Family season 2.
In the seven years he served as Science Saru’s president, Yuasa produced several of the studio’s best known works, including Ping Pong The Animation, Devilman Crybaby, and Keep Your Hands off Eizouken!
Yuasa did not share any news yet about his or ame pippin’s current projects, though we can likely expect an announcement sometime within the next year.