The world
of Japanese animation has just received a financial reality check that
hurts. TMS Entertainment has officially confirmed that it will
absorb its parent company, Telecom Animation Film, which means that
the legendary studio will cease to exist as an independent entity. Through a
merger notice published on February 16, it was revealed that Telecom will be
completely dissolved, leaving all its rights and responsibilities in the hands
of its parent company.
Millionaire
debts and a forced goodbye
Although
seeing such an iconic name disappear always generates nostalgia, the reasons
behind this move are purely economic. According to financial reports from March
2025, Telecom was going through a dark time, recording a final loss of
346 million yen and falling into a situation of technical debt.
Meanwhile, TMS Entertainment seems to be in a much stronger
position, handing out millionaire dividends to its shareholders, so the
takeover is a logical move to centralize production and clean up the group's accounts.
This merger
is no small thing, since Telecom was a key piece in the history of anime since
its founding in 1975. Not only did they work side-by-side with TMS on heavy
franchises, but they were responsible for the visual quality on recent projects
that we've all enjoyed. By absorbing them, TMS ensures that it maintains full
control over the work teams, but for fans, it's the farewell to a logo that
accompanied us for decades in the credits of our favorite series.
About
Telecom Animation Film
If the name
doesn't ring a bell, surely his works ring a bell. Telecom Animation
Film was the executing arm of immortal classics such as Lupin
III: The Castle of Cagliostro and Sherlock Hound. In more
recent years, the studio proved that it still had plenty of talent by
animating Tower of God, The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights
of the Apocalypse and the blockbuster Blue Box. Its
dissolution marks the end of an important chapter in the industry, where
nostalgia could not fight the red numbers.
