About Kyoto Animation

Kyoto Animation Co., Ltd. (株式会社京都アニメーション), is a Japanese animation studio located in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It was established in 1981 by former Mushi Pro staff. Presided by Hideaki Hatta, the company is also affiliated with the studio Animation Do. As of 2015, Kyoto Animation has headed production for 21 anime series and several films.

History

One of the founders Yoko Hatta was employed by Mushi Production and she became independent from the production when she moved to Kyoto after she was married with Hideaki Hatta. Then Kyoto Animation was founded in 1981 by the couple (Hideaki as the president and Yoko as the vice-president). It became a limited company in 1985 and a corporation in 1999. Its logo is based on the kyō kanji (京), the first character of Kyoto. Early in its history, it was involved in the production of Kiddy Grade, InuYasha, Tenchi Universe, Nurse Witch Komugi, and Generator Gawl. Kyoto Animation also produced the vocal opening and ending sequences for four installments of Konami’s long-running baseball game series Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū (Power Pro).

Starting in 2009, Kyoto Animation has awarded original novels and manga in its annual Kyoto Animation Award. Winning submissions have a chance of being adapted into an anime. Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, Free!, and Beyond the Boundary were based on novels that received an honorable mention in this competition. In 2014, the novel Violet Evergarden became the first work to win a grand prize in any of the three categories. According to Dani Cavallaro, Kyoto Animation has become recognized for its high production values and “sensitivity to the wonders and quandaries of ordinary life”.

Animation Do

An associate company, Animation Do Co., Ltd. (株式会社アニメーションドゥウ Kabushiki-gaisha Animēshon Dū), was established to assist production at Kyoto Animation. Originally established as the Kyoto Animation’s Osaka office, it was incorporated as a limited company in 2000, and became a corporation in 2010. Both companies are run by Hideaki Hatta and are run jointly as one. They produce up and coming works under the Animation Do label with Kyoto Animation as their main contractor and works where they work as one company alongside Kyoto Animation. They work on most Kyoto Animation projects and many of them have joint signatures.