Studio Bones, the renowned animation studio behind popular series like Fullmetal Alchemist and My Hero Academia, has unveiled details about its newest sub-studio, Studio F.
This revelation came during an interview with Studio Bones co-founder Toshihiro Kawamoto at AnimagiC 2024, as reported by Anime Spiegel on Aug 9, 2024.
Kawamoto said that Studio Bones is currently composed of six sub-studios, named Studio A through Studio F.
“Studio F is currently the newest and smallest studio,” Kawamoto shared during the interview, noting that the studio is already working on a yet-to-be-announced project.
The anime project is expected to be officially revealed next year.
“…Studio F is currently working on a project that will be announced later next year,” he said.
This has sparked considerable speculation among fans.
One of the leading theories is that Studio F might be working on a sequel to Noragami, a series previously handled by Studio A.
It is not new for anime to change sub-studios over the course of their production – as My Hero Academia, which was previously handled by Studio A, was then moved to Studio C.
Naturally, the possibility that Noragami‘s sequel is being handled by Studio F cannot be ignored. On top of that, director Kotaro Tamura, who directed both seasons of Noragami has not been involved in a project after Bungou Stray Dogs Season 4, which aired in 2023.
This only adds to the speculation that he could have gone back to the drawing board to work on a third season for the anime.
Interestingly, Kawamoto himself had served as the character designer for both Noragami and Noragami Aragoto anime.
Noragami manga came to its conclusion in January 2024, so there is ample content still left to be adapted.
Another possibility is that Studio F could be developing an adaptation of Kagurabachi, a manga that has recently gained significant popularity and is anticipated to be one of Shueisha’s flagship titles in the next generation of Jump.
The fact that an announcement will only come in the next year could be a sign that a newer manga is currently being adapted, pointing at Kagurabachi. In fact, this sits perfectly with the speculations we had earlier made.
Kawamoto also provided insights into how projects are distributed across the sub-studios.
Studio A, for instance, was initially intended to focus on original anime, while Studio B took on projects like RahXephon.
Studio C was responsible for the 2003 adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist, and Studio E has been busy with Metallic Rouge.
In this context, Studio F’s first project carries the weight of establishing the studio’s identity within the larger Bones framework.
Kawamoto also revealed that project distribution at Bones operates on a first-come, first-served basis, with each studio taking on assignments as they come. Meaning, the sub-studio could also be working on a smaller title that came to the studio.
Source: Anime Spiegel