Animation-Studio-Manglobe-Files-for-Bankruptcy

Animation Studio Manglobe Files for Bankruptcy

Following today’s earlier report of the possibility that anime studio Manglobe is insolvent, anime industry source Anime!Anime! has revealed that the studio has filed for bankruptcy earlier in the week.

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According to the source, the studio has been insolvent, unable to pay its debts, for a length of time. The studio’s management have been investigating ways to settle the debts, but were in a state where they were unable to continue producing anime. Work on their current projects continued until their file for bankruptcy, which occured earlier this week.

The industry source has noted that the studio’s upcoming project, the anime movie adaptation of Project Itoh’s Gyakusatsu Kikan (Genocidal Organ) is still set for a November 13 opening. The source mentions that it would be realistic to move production onto another studio, but this would require delays and major changes to scheduling.

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Manglobe animator Toshio Kobayashi (Samurai Flamenco, Gundam Build Fighters) has recently posted on Twitter that he has not received his current payment from the studio. He has also mentioned multiple times on Twitter that he is currently looking for work.

Hideto Komori (Hayate no Gotoku! Heaven Is a Place on Earth, Noragami), another Manglobe animator, has also expressed his concern about whether he would get paid, and received an email confirming that he will not. He further tried to contact the studio, but was unable to site the studio’s website is currently down. He also reported that he is looking into how employees can recover their unpaid income from a bankrupt company.

Furthermore, anime writer Shigeru Morita (Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, Vividred Operation) has hinted that a company has recently gone bankrupt, but did not specify which.

Manglobe started in 2002 by former Sunrise producer Kobayashi Shinichiro. The studio has produced many popular works since their inception. Though, most of the recent anime that the studio have produced has had less than stellar Blu-ray sales. Here is a list of their recorded sales for each series, with * meaning either 0 or unknown:

  • (2004) *2,218 Samurai Champloo
  • (2006) *1,998 Ergo Proxy
  • (2008) **,*** Michiko to Hatchin
  • (2009) *2,159 Seiken no Blacksmith
  • (2010) **,*** Saraiya Goyou
  • (2010) *3,040 The World God Only Knows
  • (2011) *2,117 The World God Only Knows II
  • (2011) **,*** DEADMAN WONDERLAND
  • (2011) *2,803 Mashiro-iro Symphony
  • (2012) **,949 Hayate no Gotoku! CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU
  • (2013) *2,912 Zettai Karen Children THE UNLIMITED
  • (2013) *4,883 Karneval
  • (2013) **,691 Hayate no Gotoku! Cuties
  • (2013) *1,628 The World God Only Knows: Goddesses
  • (2013) **,281 Samurai Flamenco

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Animation studio Manglobe is filing for bankrupcty, where their animators, directors and producers will have to be let go. Further clarification and whether their upcoming Gyakusatsu Kikan anime will still be released will be announced at a later date.

 
Source Article – Anime!Anime!
Source Article – Anime News Network
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