When was A-1 Pictures founded and who started it?
A-1 Pictures was founded on the 9th of May 2005 by Mikihiro Iwata, a former Sunrise producer. It was established as a subsidiary of Aniplex, Sony Music Entertainment Japan's anime production firm.
Questions about A-1 Pictures
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What was A-1 Pictures' first anime series?
A-1 Pictures' first solo series was Ōkiku Furikabutte (Big Windup!), a baseball drama based on Asa Higuchi's manga, produced in 2007. The studio had previously co-produced Zenmai Zamurai in 2006, which ran for 215 episodes on NHK E.
What is the connection between A-1 Pictures and CloverWorks?
CloverWorks was originally A-1 Pictures' Koenji Studio, which was rebranded in April 2018 and formally separated from A-1 Pictures on the 1st of October 2018. Both studios remain subsidiaries under Aniplex and have continued to co-produce series together.
What are A-1 Pictures' longest-running anime productions?
Fairy Tail ran for 328 episodes from October 2009 to September 2019, making it one of the studio's longest productions. Sword Art Online is another major franchise, with its third season Alicization alone spanning 47 episodes from 2018 to 2020.
What happened between A-1 Pictures and studio 3Hz in 2024?
On the 17th of June 2024, studio 3Hz announced its animation planning and production business was transferred to A-1 Pictures. A-1 Pictures subsequently produced the second season of Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online, a franchise 3Hz had originated.
What was the Anime no Chikara project that A-1 Pictures participated in?
Anime no Chikara was a joint project between TV Tokyo and Aniplex for original anime series, not adaptations. A-1 Pictures produced three series for it in 2010: Sound of the Sky, Night Raid 1931, and Occult Academy.