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Production I.G to Acquire 11.2% Stake in Tatsunoko
posted on by Egan Loo
IG Port, the parent company of Production I.G, has announced on Wednesday that the studio is planning to acquire an 11.2% stake in another anime production company, Tatsunoko Productions. In addition, I.G President and CEO Mitsuhisa Ishikawa will serve as a part-time director for Tatsunoko.
Tatsunoko was established in 1962 as one of the first animation studios in Japan. During its 48-year history, it has created such anime classics as Gatchaman, Yatterman, and Casshern. Many of its works have inspired remakes, including the 2008 American Speed Racer film based on the Mach Go Go Go television series. Tatsunoko became a subsidiary of the Japanese toy conglomerate Takara-Tomy in 2005-2006.
Production I.G's ties with Tatsunoko date back to the day the studio was created. Ishikawa and character designer Takayuki Gotō co-founded the studio in 1987 as I.G Tatsunoko — "I.G" stood for Ishikawa and Goto, and Tatsunoko stood for the company where the two founders had collaborated together on Zillion and other works. I.G Tatsunoko was renamed as Production I.G in 1993. Since then, the studio has worked on such projects as The Ghost in the Shell franchise, Jin-Roh, and Blood: The Last Vampire. IG Port is the parent company of not only Production I.G, but also the anime studio Xebec and the publisher Mag Garden.
Source: animeanime.biz
