Two of the most iconic studios in anime history have just confirmed that they are working together for the first time. Sunrise and SHAFT announced on June 18, through Bandai Namco Filmworks, a joint project presented under the name Sunrise × SHAFT. Full details of the anime will be revealed on June 23.
What is known and how it is being announced
For now, the announcement is more about the
event than the content. To build anticipation, a five-day countdown campaign
was launched that will publish new installments until the June 23 reveal. The
first post of the campaign included a video made with color scripts,
that is, studies of color and atmosphere that studios use to define the visual
tone of a production before the final animation. The video offers a first
impression of the visual identity and atmosphere of the project, without
showing characters or plots explicitly. What you see is enough to get an idea
of the aesthetic register to which they aim.
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— サンライズ✕シャフト新アニメ (@sunrise_shaft) June 18, 2026
#サンライズxシャフト 新作アニメ
解禁まで【 あと5日 】
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2026.6.23 (Tue) 24:30 #SUNRISExSHAFT pic.twitter.com/5zAKOiAuVk
This is the first time in history that both
studios have collaborated on an animated production, which alone makes the
project unusual. It's not often that two studios with such distinct and
distinct visual identities work together, and the result of that combination is
precisely what makes the June 23 reveal generate anticipation.
About Sunrise and SHAFT
Sunrise is a studio with more than four decades of
history specializing in original anime, responsible for franchises that defined
generations: the Mobile Suit Gundam saga, Code Geass and Love
Live! are just some of its most recognized titles. SHAFT, founded
in 1975, is known for a distinctive visual style and for works such as Puella
Magi Madoka Magica and the Monogatari series, as well
as theatrical productions, commercials and video game work. That these two
studios, with such particular creative philosophies, are putting their names
together on the same project is the kind of announcement that the anime medium
has not seen before.
