Studio Trigger producer Kazuya Matsumoto outlined their goal of producing multiple series simultaneously in a new interview with Dokidouki. Defining the concept of simultaneous production, or lines, he said, “In the anime industry, there is a concept called lines. How many works can you create at the same time? One line per piece. [Growing bigger] means increasing your studio to 2 lines and 3 lines. Many of the companies that started up around the same time have a large number of lines.“
He continued, “But Trigger is currently 1 line. We’re particular about a style in which everyone works together to create one work. The reason is that by setting a single goal, everyone can concentrate. I think this is a great thing for both the work and the company. Approximately 60% of the work is produced by Trigger’s in-house staff. The remaining 40% is done by freelancers and people outside the company. Our first major medium-term goal is to achieve 100% production. In other words, complete in-house production. The next step is to aim for a 1.5 line.” As he explains, this entails making a TV series and a short work from a separate team. He adds, “This is another medium-term goal.”
In the long term, Trigger aims for 2 lines. “Is the idea of those two lines going to be two TV series, or a theater group and a TV series?” Matsumoto asked. While unsure, he says, “There are many ways to think about it, but I’m probably thinking about it as a long-term plan for about 7 or 10 years.“
Trigger’s plans for 100% in-house production would be a rarity in the industry. Recent data from the Japanese Animation Creators Association (JAniCA) revealed that 47.3% of the 425 animators surveyed identified as freelance or self-employed, compared to 40.5% of permanent employees. Discussion around how much anime a studio can produce simultaneously surfaced again recently following J.C.Staff’s numerous works set for 2024 and 2025. For example, 2.5 Dimensional Seduction, Delico’s Nursery, and Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest will all air in July 2024.
For more interviews with Studio Trigger, readers can check out Anime Corner’s sitdown with Hiroyuki Imaishi & Hiromi Wakabayashi.
Source: Dokidouki
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