ENGI

ENGI Co., Ltd., commonly styled as ENGI or Studio ENGI and associated with the phrase Entertainment Graphic Innovation, is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Suginami, Tokyo. Kadokawa Corporation established the company in April 2018 with investment from Sammy Corporation and Ultra Super Pictures. ENGI began operations on June 1, 2018, and operates as a subsidiary of Kadokawa. The studio was formed to produce animation connected to the businesses and intellectual properties of its shareholder companies. Its work is centered on Japanese animation, particularly anime for television and other distribution formats, while also extending to game-related animation, pachinko and gaming content, and theatrical projects. This shareholder-linked model gives ENGI access to properties and production opportunities associated with Kadokawa's publishing and media portfolio, Sammy's entertainment and gaming interests, and Ultra Super Pictures' animation network. ENGI's early profile was shaped by projects based on established Japanese properties. It became associated with the second television anime adaptation of Kantai Collection, a major franchise originating from a Kadokawa-linked browser game and multimedia project. The studio has also been connected with animated adaptations and projects such as Okamoto Kitchen. Its production scope is not limited to conventional television anime: the reference material describes work across television productions, game animation, pachinko animation, and animated theatrical films. The company expanded geographically in 2020 when it announced the opening of a second production facility, ENGI Kurashiki Studio, in Kurashiki, Okayama. The establishment of a second studio indicated an effort to broaden production capacity beyond the Tokyo headquarters. ENGI subsequently developed a dedicated computer-generated imagery capability. Its CGI department was launched in connection with the 2023 Netflix series Gamera Rebirth, with the department's development and the anime's production advancing at the same time. The simultaneous construction of the capability and delivery of the project substantially increased the studio's workload. ENGI remains a production-focused animation company rather than a consumer-facing product brand. Its identity is tied to commissioned and internally coordinated audiovisual production, franchise adaptation, and the exploitation of intellectual property across television, streaming, games, pachinko, and film. Publicly available reference material identifies Tohru Kajio as the company's representative director at its establishment and lists directors from Kadokawa, Glovision, and Sammy. Detailed current ownership, executive changes, financial information, and a complete present-day production slate are not established in the supplied sources.

ENGI was created during a period in which Japanese media groups increasingly sought dedicated animation capabilities for their own intellectual properties and cross-media businesses. Kadokawa established the company on April 4, 2018, with Sammy Corporation and Ultra Super Pictures investing in the new studio. ENGI began operating on June 1 of the same year. The company was headquartered in Suginami, Tokyo, and was organized as a Kadokawa subsidiary. At its formation, ENGI's corporate and creative purpose was closely tied to its three shareholder groups. Kadokawa brought publishing, anime, and multimedia properties; Sammy contributed connections to games and other entertainment businesses; and Ultra Super Pictures contributed relationships within the Japanese animation-production sector. The studio was intended primarily to handle 2D animation projects, while retaining the flexibility to work on multiple forms of commercial animation. Tohru Kajio, formerly representative director of Qtec, served as ENGI's representative director at the time of establishment. The initial board included Hiroshi Horiuchi and Takeshi Kikuchi of Kadokawa, Shun'ichi Okabe of Kadokawa subsidiary Glovision, and Ken'ichi Tokumura of Sammy. These appointments reflected the company's shareholder-backed structure and its connection to broader media-production operations. ENGI's production activities covered television anime, game animation, pachinko animation, and theatrical animation. One of its early notable assignments was production of the second television anime associated with Kantai Collection. The studio was also identified with the animated comic project Okamoto Kitchen. These projects illustrated ENGI's role as a production studio working with existing entertainment properties rather than as a studio built primarily around a large catalog of original consumer brands. On March 25, 2020, ENGI announced the creation of ENGI Kurashiki Studio in Kurashiki, Okayama. The second location expanded the company's physical production base and provided a presence outside the Tokyo animation cluster. The available reference material does not specify the facility's staffing, later management, or precise output, so those details remain unconfirmed here. A later development was the creation of ENGI's CGI department. The original company objective had emphasized 2D work, but ENGI built CGI capacity in conjunction with production of Gamera Rebirth, a Netflix animated series released in 2023. The department and the project were developed simultaneously, meaning that ENGI was building internal technical capability while meeting the needs of a substantial streaming production. The reference describes this combined effort as causing a significant increase in workloads. ENGI's history therefore consists of three broad phases: formation as a Kadokawa-led, shareholder-backed animation company; expansion from a Tokyo base to a second studio in Kurashiki; and diversification from primarily 2D production into CGI-supported streaming animation. The supplied sources do not provide enough information to establish a complete current executive roster, current production schedule, financial performance, or whether all founding directors remain in office.

• 2023

  CGI department supports Gamera Rebirth

  [1]ENGIen.wikipedia.org

  ENGI's CGI department was developed alongside production of the Netflix animated series Gamera Rebirth.

• 2020

  Kurashiki studio announced

  [1]ENGIen.wikipedia.org

  The company announced a second studio, ENGI Kurashiki Studio, in Kurashiki, Okayama.

• 2018

  ENGI is established

  [1]ENGIen.wikipedia.org

  Kadokawa established ENGI on April 4, 2018, with investment from Sammy Corporation and Ultra Super Pictures.

• 2018

  Operations commence

  [1]ENGIen.wikipedia.org

  ENGI began operating on June 1, 2018, from Suginami, Tokyo.

A shareholder-backed Japanese animation studio focused on adapting and extending entertainment properties across television, streaming, games, pachinko, film, and CGI production.

• Television anime

  Kantai Collection second television anime

  ENGI produced the second television anime associated with Kantai Collection, a multimedia franchise built around personified naval vessels and originating from a Kadokawa-linked browser game. The project represents the studio's role in producing anime based on established cross-media intellectual property.

• Netflix CGI animated series · 2023

  Gamera Rebirth

  Gamera Rebirth is a Netflix animated series for which ENGI developed and used CGI production capability. The studio built its CGI department at the same time as it worked on the project, making the series an important step in ENGI's expansion beyond its original emphasis on 2D animation.

• Animated comic project

  Okamoto Kitchen

  Okamoto Kitchen is an animated comic project identified in reference material as a work ENGI was developing. The supplied sources do not provide enough information to describe its release format, production status, or distribution in greater detail.

• 2023

  Build CGI capability for Gamera RebirthProduct launch

  Background

  ENGI's original production objective was primarily focused on 2D animation, while the Gamera Rebirth project required the development of CGI capabilities.

  Action taken

  ENGI created a CGI department while simultaneously progressing production of Gamera Rebirth for Netflix.

  Aftermath

  The combined department-building and production effort significantly increased the studio's workload and expanded its technical production scope.

  Source

• 2020

  Expand with a Kurashiki studioStrategy

  Background

  ENGI announced an expansion beyond its original Suginami, Tokyo base.

  Action taken

  The company opened or established plans for ENGI Kurashiki Studio in Kurashiki, Okayama.

  Aftermath

  The move gave ENGI a second studio location, although the supplied sources do not document its subsequent staffing or production output.

  Source

• 2018

  Create a shareholder-backed animation studioStrategy

  Background

  Kadokawa sought to establish a dedicated animation-production company with participation from Sammy Corporation and Ultra Super Pictures.

  Action taken

  Kadokawa established ENGI and structured it as a subsidiary supported by investment from the two partner companies.

  Aftermath

  ENGI began operations in June 2018 and undertook animation work connected to the shareholders' entertainment properties and business interests.

  Source

1. 1ENGIen.wikipedia.org
2. 2ENGI at Anime News Network's encyclopediaanimenewsnetwork.com