Ashi Productions

Ashi Productions is a Japanese animation studio established in Tokyo on December 20, 1975, by Toshihiko Sato and other artists. The company developed during the expansion of Japanese television animation and became associated with original projects spanning robot anime, fantasy, science fiction, children’s programming, and magical-girl series. Its best-known property is Magical Princess Minky Momo, a franchise that helped define the studio’s public identity and demonstrated its ability to combine transformation-driven fantasy with television merchandising and character-focused storytelling. As a new studio, Ashi Productions initially faced difficulty obtaining broadcast slots. Its first three television projects—Blocker Corps IV: Machine Blaster, Super Combined Magical Robot Ginguiser, and Her Majesty’s Petit Ange—were broadcast under the Nippon Animation banner. The studio subsequently co-produced several programs with Kokusai Eigasha, including Josephina the Whale, Zukkoke Knight - Don De La Mancha, Monchhichi Twins, and Space Warrior Baldios. From Sengoku Majin GoShogun onward, it operated more independently as a production company. The studio’s work has covered a broad range of formats. Its television credits include GoShogun, Magical Princess Minky Momo, Special Armored Battalion Dorvack, Dancouga – Super Beast Machine God, Machine Robo: Revenge of Cronos, Sonic Soldier Borgman, Idol Densetsu Eriko, NG Knight Ramune & 40, Floral Magician Mary Bell, Macross 7, Blue Seed, Beast Wars II: Super Life-Form Transformers, F-Zero GP Legend, Ultra Maniac, Rainbow Days, In Another World with My Smartphone, Cutie Honey Universe, The Tale of the Outcasts, 365 Days to the Wedding, and How I Attended an All-Guy’s Mixer. The company has also produced or participated in theatrical animation, original video animation, television specials, and international outsourced productions. Ashi Productions’ corporate structure changed several times in the 2000s. In November 2001, a capital increase made it a subsidiary of the Bandai Group, later part of Bandai Namco. Bandai subsequently withdrew its capital after a reduction in capital at the end of 2005. On January 20, 2006, Ashi entered a business partnership with Wiz, a toy-planning and development company. The relationship was followed by a corporate renaming to Production Reed on November 1, 2007. Toshihiko Sato became representative director and chairman, while Takekazu Hongo became representative director and president. In 2009, Wiz’s shares were transferred to Sato and the company left the Wiz Group after the partners concluded that their businesses did not offer sufficient synergy. The company restored the Ashi Productions name on February 12, 2019. In later years it continued working across television and video animation, including Onsen Yōsei Hakone-chan, Rainbow Days, In Another World with My Smartphone, Cutie Honey Universe, The Tale of the Outcasts, 365 Days to the Wedding, and How I Attended an All-Guy’s Mixer. Its announced or listed future projects include The Holy Grail of Eris, An Observation Log of My Fiancée Who Calls Herself a Villainess, and a new Minky Momo video project. Ashi Productions is therefore best understood as a long-running Japanese studio whose identity rests on original animation, franchise production, and participation in collaborative projects rather than on a single corporate parent or distribution platform.

Ashi Productions was founded in Tokyo on December 20, 1975, by Toshihiko Sato and other artists. The studio entered the television animation business at a time when broadcast access was an important barrier for newly formed companies. Its earliest productions therefore used Nippon Animation’s banner: Blocker Corps IV: Machine Blaster, Super Combined Magical Robot Ginguiser, and Her Majesty’s Petit Ange. After these initial projects, the studio co-produced a group of programs with Kokusai Eigasha, including Josephina the Whale, Zukkoke Knight - Don De La Mancha, Monchhichi Twins, and Space Warrior Baldios. Beginning with Sengoku Majin GoShogun, Ashi Productions increasingly operated as an independent animation production company. Its output during the 1980s established several of the creative areas for which it became known. GoShogun and later Dancouga combined robot action with character-based drama, while Magical Princess Minky Momo made the studio particularly prominent in magical-girl animation. The company also worked on Machine Robo, Special Armored Battalion Dorvack, Sonic Soldier Borgman, and numerous original video projects. Its theatrical and OVA credits included GoShogun: The Time Étranger, Magical Princess Minky Momo La Ronde in my Dream, Vampire Hunter D, Grey: Digital Target, Ai City, and multiple Dancouga releases. During the late 1980s and 1990s, the studio broadened its television and international work. Projects included Idol Densetsu Eriko, Time Travel Tondekeman, NG Knight Ramune & 40, Magical Angel Sweet Mint, Floral Magician Mary Bell, Macross 7, Blue Seed, Beast Wars II: Super Life-Form Transformers, and Cyber Team in Akihabara. It also participated in overseas animation projects and adaptations, including work connected with M.A.S.K., Macron 1, Mega Man, Skysurfer Strike Force, and Diabolik. These assignments reflected the studio’s role not only as an originator of Japanese series but also as a production partner for international broadcasters and distributors. The company underwent important ownership and organizational changes in the 2000s. A capital increase in November 2001 made it a subsidiary of the Bandai Group. After Bandai withdrew its capital following a capital reduction at the end of 2005, Ashi Productions entered a business partnership with Wiz on January 20, 2006. The company adopted the name Production Reed on November 1, 2007. Under that arrangement, Toshihiko Sato became representative director and chairman and Takekazu Hongo became representative director and president. In May 2009, Wiz transferred its entire shareholding to Sato, and the studio exited the Wiz Group because the companies’ toy and animation activities were not producing the expected strategic benefits. Production Reed continued to produce and participate in television, theatrical, and video animation. Later credits included F-Zero GP Legend, Ultra Maniac, Jūsō Kikō Dancouga Nova, Onsen Yōsei Hakone-chan, Rainbow Days, In Another World with My Smartphone, Cutie Honey Universe, and The Tale of the Outcasts. On February 12, 2019, the corporate name returned to Ashi Productions. More recent listed credits include 365 Days to the Wedding and How I Attended an All-Guy’s Mixer, while future projects listed in reference material include The Holy Grail of Eris, An Observation Log of My Fiancée Who Calls Herself a Villainess, and another Magical Princess Minky Momo project. Across its history, the studio has remained a flexible production house whose catalog combines original concepts, franchise-related animation, adaptations, co-productions, and outsourced work.

• 2019

  Name restored

  [1]Ashi Productionsen.wikipedia.org

  Production Reed changed its corporate name back to Ashi Productions.

• 2009

  Exit from the Wiz Group

  [1]Ashi Productionsen.wikipedia.org

  Wiz transferred its shares to Toshihiko Sato and the company left the group.

• 2007

  Renamed Production Reed

  [1]Ashi Productionsen.wikipedia.org

  The company adopted the Production Reed name during its partnership with Wiz.

• 2001

  Bandai Group subsidiary status

  [1]Ashi Productionsen.wikipedia.org

  A capital increase brought the company into the Bandai Group.

• 1982

  Magical Princess Minky Momo debuts

  [1]Ashi Productionsen.wikipedia.org

  The first Minky Momo television series became one of the studio’s defining magical-girl properties.

• 1981

  Independent production phase begins

  [1]Ashi Productionsen.wikipedia.org

  With Sengoku Majin GoShogun, the company moved beyond its early reliance on partner banners and operated more independently.

• 1976

  First television production

  [1]Ashi Productionsen.wikipedia.org

  Blocker Corps IV: Machine Blaster began the studio’s television production history under the Nippon Animation banner.

• 1975

  Studio founded

  [1]Ashi Productionsen.wikipedia.org

  Toshihiko Sato and other artists established Ashi Productions in Tokyo on December 20.

A long-established Japanese animation production studio with a portfolio spanning original robot, fantasy, science-fiction, magical-girl, children’s, and adapted television anime.

• Television anime and franchise · 1982

  Magical Princess Minky Momo

  A magical-girl property centered on a princess who uses transformation and magic to influence the human world. The 1982–1983 television series and the later 1991–1992 continuation became Ashi Productions’ most recognizable work and were followed by video and special projects.

• Robot anime · 1981

  GoShogun

  A robot-animation property that marked the studio’s move toward more independent production. It expanded beyond television through the theatrical film GoShogun: The Time Étranger and related video releases.

• Robot anime and OVA · 1985

  Dancouga

  A super-robot series launched in the mid-1980s and supported by multiple original video releases. The property combined transforming-machine spectacle with a continuing team narrative and remained one of the studio’s recurring franchise lines.

• Robot and toy-related anime · 1986

  Machine Robo

  A group of robot-animation productions including Machine Robo: Revenge of Cronos and Machine Robo: Battle Hackers. The line illustrates Ashi Productions’ long-standing involvement with robot properties connected to character merchandising and serialized television storytelling.

• Science-fiction television anime · 1988

  Sonic Soldier Borgman

  A late-1980s science-fiction action series followed by theatrical and video projects. Its setting, armored heroes, and urban science-fiction premise broadened the studio’s portfolio beyond traditional super-robot formats.

• Magical-girl television anime · 1992

  Floral Magician Mary Bell

  A 1992–1993 magical-girl television series supported by theatrical and educational-style safety videos. It belongs to the studio’s broader body of child-oriented fantasy animation and character-led original projects.

• Television anime · 2016

  Recent television productions

  The studio’s later television work includes Rainbow Days, In Another World with My Smartphone, Cutie Honey Universe, The Tale of the Outcasts, 365 Days to the Wedding, and How I Attended an All-Guy’s Mixer. These credits show a shift toward adaptations and genre-diverse projects alongside the company’s older original properties.

• 2019

  Restoration of the Ashi Productions nameStrategy

  Background

  After more than a decade using the Production Reed name, the company revised its corporate identity.

  Action taken

  The company changed its name back to Ashi Productions on February 12, 2019.

  Aftermath

  The restored name reconnected the company with its historical studio identity and earlier animation catalog.

  Source

• 2009

  Withdrawal from the Wiz GroupM&A

  Background

  The companies determined that their animation and toy-focused businesses were not generating sufficient strategic synergy.

  Action taken

  Wiz transferred all of its shares to Toshihiko Sato on May 20, 2009, ending the group relationship.

  Aftermath

  Production Reed continued as an independent animation company before returning to the Ashi Productions identity.

  Source

• 2007

  Corporate renaming to Production ReedStrategy

  Background

  The change followed a business partnership with Wiz, a toy planning, development, and manufacturing company.

  Action taken

  Ashi Productions adopted the Production Reed name on November 1, 2007, while Sato and Hongo assumed the principal representative-director roles.

  Aftermath

  The company later separated from the Wiz Group and ultimately restored the Ashi Productions name in 2019.

  Source

1. 1Ashi Productionsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Ashi Productions entryanimenewsnetwork.com