Anime International Company
Anime International Company, commonly known as AIC, is a Japanese animation studio associated with influential science-fiction, comedy, fantasy, and romance anime, including Tenchi Muyo!, Bubblegum Crisis, El-Hazard, and Oh My Goddess!.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Anime International Company, commonly abbreviated as AIC, is a Japanese animation studio established in Tokyo on June 15, 1982. The company became particularly prominent during the expansion of Japan's original video animation market in the 1980s and 1990s, when relatively high-budget home-video productions allowed studios to develop science-fiction, fantasy, comedy, and action projects outside the conventional television schedule. AIC's body of work includes television series, original video animations, animated films, web-oriented productions, specials, outsourced animation, and related media projects. AIC is best known internationally for its association with Tenchi Muyo!, Bubblegum Crisis, El-Hazard, and multiple adaptations of the manga Oh My Goddess!. These properties helped establish the studio's reputation for character-driven science fiction, romantic comedy, alternate-world adventure, and visually ambitious genre animation. Its work on Bubblegum Crisis connected AIC with the early OVA boom and the cyberpunk and powered-armor traditions of late-1980s anime. Tenchi Muyo! became a particularly durable cross-media property, expanding across OVAs, television series, films, manga, novels, and other related releases. El-Hazard similarly demonstrated AIC's ability to develop fantasy and alternate-world concepts in both OVA and television formats. The studio operated through a network of internal sub-studios and production units. Publicly documented units included AIC Asta, AIC Spirits, AIC Digital, AIC Plus+, AIC Takarazuka, AIC Build, AIC Classic, and AIC Frontier. These units supported different production functions and projects, although their corporate and operational relationships changed over time. Several producers later left AIC-related units to establish independent studios, including Production IMS and Troyca, reflecting the fluid personnel and project structure of the Japanese animation business. AIC also participated in technology development. In 2006, it began a partnership with NTU concerning CACANI, software intended to assist animation production by generating intermediate frames between keyframes. Corporate ownership changed several times during the 2010s. Oizumi Corporation acquired a controlling interest in 2010, Aplix acquired most of the company the following year, and ownership was later transferred to Toru Miura. In 2015, a corporate split created AIC Rights, which received some copyrights previously held by Anime International Company. AIC Rights subsequently became an important rights-management vehicle for parts of the catalogue and announced projects related to the studio's legacy properties. Public information indicates that AIC's production department was disbanded around 2015, while the company and related rights entities continued to be discussed separately. Leadership also changed: Yasutaka Omura became CEO in 2015, resigned from the Anime International Company position in 2020 while remaining associated with AIC Rights, and Toru Miura returned as CEO of AIC. Because the studio's production operations, intellectual-property holdings, affiliates, and related companies have evolved separately, its present operating status and precise ownership structure are not fully clear from the available material.
History
Anime International Company was founded in Tokyo on June 15, 1982, as an animation planning and production company. Its early growth coincided with the expansion of Japan's original video animation market, which created opportunities for studios to produce genre-oriented projects directly for home video. AIC developed a strong association with science fiction, fantasy, comedy, and action animation, and became known for combining original concepts with adaptations and collaborations. During the late 1980s, AIC participated in projects connected with Bubblegum Crisis, a science-fiction OVA centered on a near-future Tokyo and powered armor. The project helped place AIC within the influential OVA production ecosystem and contributed to its international visibility. During the 1990s, the company became closely associated with Tenchi Muyo! and El-Hazard. Tenchi Muyo! developed from OVA releases into a broader multimedia franchise, while El-Hazard used both OVA and television formats to present an alternate-world fantasy adventure. AIC also worked on several animated adaptations of Oh My Goddess!, further broadening its profile beyond original science-fiction projects. As its production activity expanded, AIC organized work through several sub-studios. AIC Asta, AIC Spirits, and AIC Digital were established in 2003; AIC Plus+ and AIC Takarazuka followed in 2006; AIC Build and AIC Classic were established in 2010; and AIC Frontier was added in 2012. These units supported different projects and production functions, but the relationships between the parent company and the individual studios changed over time. In 2006, AIC also began working with NTU on CACANI, a software system designed to assist animation production by generating in-between frames between keyframes. The company underwent substantial ownership changes in the 2010s. In September 2010, Oizumi Corporation acquired 95 percent of AIC from the ACA-managed MCP Synergy investment fund, while the remaining shares held by TM Company were bought back. AIC consequently became a wholly owned subsidiary of Oizumi. In March 2011, Aplix acquired all shares held by Oizumi except AIC's treasury stock, making AIC an Aplix subsidiary. In January 2014, Aplix IP Holdings transferred its AIC shares to Toru Miura. AIC's internal production network also changed during this period. In 2013, producers from AIC Spirits left and established Production IMS. Producers from AIC Classic likewise departed and founded Troyca. These departures illustrate the circulation of producers and production teams that is common in Japan's animation sector, where studios may be organized around particular producers, staff groups, and project pipelines. In 2015, public reporting indicated that AIC's production department had been disbanded. In December of the same year, AIC Rights was established through a corporate split that transferred some of AIC's copyrights to the new company. Yasutaka Omura became CEO of both the animation company and AIC Rights at that time. The separation of production activity from rights management made the later corporate history more difficult to summarize, since AIC, AIC Rights, former sub-studios, and individual intellectual properties were not necessarily controlled or operated in the same way. AIC Rights launched anime reboot projects in 2017 as part of the studio's 35th-anniversary activities. In January 2020, Omura announced his resignation as CEO of Anime International Company but remained CEO of AIC Rights, while Toru Miura returned as CEO of AIC. In April 2021, AIC Rights entered a business alliance with Toei Agency concerning joint ownership of copyrights to selected AIC-related properties. Kenji Tsukamoto became AIC Rights' representative director in February 2022. Later litigation concerning the ownership or return of AIC Rights shares further demonstrated the separation between the historical animation studio and its rights-management successor. Available sources establish AIC's importance in anime history, but do not provide a fully consistent picture of its present production capacity or corporate status.
- 2022
Kenji Tsukamoto becomes AIC Rights representative director
[1]Kenji Tsukamoto replaces Yasutaka Omura as representative director of AIC Rights.
- 2021
AIC Rights allies with Toei Agency
[1]AIC Rights and Toei Agency establish an arrangement for joint ownership of selected copyrights.
- 2017
Anime reboot projects initiative
[1]AIC Rights launches reboot-oriented anime projects to mark AIC's 35th anniversary.
- 2015
AIC Rights is created
[1]A corporate split transfers selected copyrights from Anime International Company to newly established AIC Rights.
- 2014
AIC shares transfer to Toru Miura
[1]Aplix IP Holdings transfers its shares in AIC to Toru Miura.
- 2013
Production teams leave to form new studios
[1]Producers from AIC Spirits and AIC Classic leave and later establish Production IMS and Troyca.
- 2011
Aplix becomes the studio's parent
[1]Aplix acquires nearly all of AIC's shares from Oizumi Corporation.
- 2010
Oizumi Corporation acquires AIC
[1]Oizumi Corporation acquires control of AIC and subsequently makes the studio its wholly owned subsidiary.
- 2006
AIC adds sub-studios and begins CACANI partnership
[1]AIC Takarazuka and AIC Plus+ are established, and AIC begins collaborating with NTU on CACANI animation-production software.
- 2003
AIC Asta, AIC Spirits, and AIC Digital are established
[1]AIC expands its internal studio network with three named sub-studios.
Products and positioning
Japanese animation studio known for science-fiction, fantasy, romantic comedy, and OVA-era productions, with additional involvement in television anime, films, production assistance, and intellectual-property development.
Anime franchise · 1992
Tenchi Muyo!
Tenchi Muyo! is a science-fiction romantic comedy franchise that became one of AIC's most recognizable creative associations. The property originated through OVA releases and later expanded into television series, films, and other media. Its combination of space opera, supernatural elements, ensemble comedy, and romantic rivalry made it especially influential among international anime audiences. AIC's involvement extended across multiple animated installments and helped establish the company as a major name in the 1990s OVA and franchise-animation market.
Science-fiction OVA · 1987
Bubblegum Crisis
Bubblegum Crisis is a near-future science-fiction OVA project set in a technologically advanced Tokyo and featuring powered armor, corporate conflict, and a team of female protagonists. AIC's participation connected the studio with one of the defining areas of the late-1980s OVA boom. The project's cyberpunk atmosphere, action design, and music-oriented presentation contributed to its lasting international reputation and helped position AIC as a capable producer of ambitious genre animation.
Fantasy anime franchise · 1995
El-Hazard
El-Hazard is an alternate-world fantasy-adventure franchise produced with AIC participation. It was developed in both original video animation and television formats, using portal-fantasy storytelling, comedy, romance, and adventure. The franchise demonstrated AIC's ability to move beyond cyberpunk and space-oriented science fiction into large-scale fantasy settings while retaining the character-focused ensemble style associated with many of the studio's best-known works.
Manga adaptation
Oh My Goddess!
Oh My Goddess! is a romantic fantasy property based on the manga by Kosuke Fujishima. AIC produced several animated adaptations and related releases, helping bring the long-running story to television, video, and film audiences. Its premise combines everyday romantic comedy with supernatural mythology, providing a different tonal direction from AIC's harder science-fiction projects while reinforcing the studio's expertise in character-centered genre entertainment.
Controversies
2026
AIC announces victory in share-return litigation
Anime International Company announced that it had won a legal dispute involving AIC Rights and Yoshikazu Maeda over the return of AIC Rights shares.
2025
Dispute over AIC Rights shares
AIC Rights disclosed litigation filed by Anime International Company concerning the return of shares in AIC Rights from a former shareholder. The dispute concerns corporate ownership and rights-management control rather than an allegation about the content of an anime production.
Marketing campaigns
- 2017Anime Reboot Projects
Japan
AIC Rights announced a program to develop reboot projects based on AIC-associated anime properties as part of the studio's 35th-anniversary activities.
Outcome. The initiative reaffirmed the value of AIC's back catalogue, although the available material does not establish a complete list of resulting productions.
Brand decisions
2021
Business alliance with Toei AgencyStrategyBackground
AIC Rights sought to develop and manage selected intellectual properties associated with the AIC catalogue.
Action taken
AIC Rights and Toei Agency agreed to co-own copyrights to some AIC Rights properties.
Aftermath
The arrangement expanded the external rights-management relationship for selected AIC intellectual properties.
2015
Creation of AIC Rights through company splitStrategyBackground
AIC's production activity and intellectual-property holdings were becoming organizationally distinct.
Action taken
AIC established AIC Rights through a corporate split and transferred selected copyrights to the new entity.
Aftermath
AIC Rights became a separate vehicle for managing and developing parts of the company's historical catalogue.
2011
Aplix acquisition of AICM&ABackground
After Oizumi had consolidated ownership of AIC, Aplix pursued control of the studio.
Action taken
Aplix acquired all AIC shares held by Oizumi except AIC's treasury stock.
Aftermath
AIC became an Aplix subsidiary until its shares were transferred to Toru Miura in 2014.
Acquisition consideration. 660 million yen (March 2011)
2010
Oizumi Corporation acquisitionM&ABackground
AIC was operating within a changing animation-industry ownership environment and had shares held by an investment fund and another shareholder.
Action taken
Oizumi Corporation acquired 95 percent of AIC from the MCP Synergy fund, while the remaining shares were bought back, making AIC a wholly owned Oizumi subsidiary.
Aftermath
The transaction was followed by another ownership transfer to Aplix in 2011.
Acquisition consideration. 530 million yen (September 2010)
Sources3 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/anime-international-company · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled