Bibury Animation Studios

Bibury Animation Studios is a Japanese animation production company established on May 1, 2017, by Motoki "Tensho" Tanaka, an animation director known for work connected with Kin-iro Mosaic, the Grisaia franchise, and Rewrite. The studio is organized as a Japanese gōdō-gaisha, or limited liability company, and operates primarily within the anime production ecosystem. During its first approximately two years, Bibury worked mainly as a subcontracting studio. Its early activities centered on in-between animation, second key animation, and other production-support assignments supplied to larger or otherwise separately credited animation projects. This initial role placed the company within the distributed production model common to Japanese television anime, in which specialized studios contribute selected stages of a project rather than handling an entire series. Bibury moved into more prominent credited production work in 2019. Its first major work was Grisaia: Phantom Trigger the Animation, directed by Tensho, who had previously directed related installments in the Grisaia animated and visual-novel adaptation ecosystem. In the same year, Bibury produced its first television anime series, Azur Lane: The Animation. These projects marked a transition from primarily subcontracted labor toward lead production responsibilities and helped establish the studio's public identity. The studio's activities extend beyond conventional 2D series production. Bibury Animation CG functions as a sister studio and outsourcing operation focused on 3DCG animation and design, including work performed for Bibury Animation Studios itself and for other animation companies. This structure gives the wider Bibury group access to in-house or affiliated computer-graphics capabilities while preserving the ability to provide CG services externally. Bibury's publicly identified leadership includes founder and president Motoki "Tensho" Tanaka. Its production organization has also included animation producers Hidehisa Taniguchi, Masahiro Obata, and Keisuke Yamamoto, while URA has been identified as a director associated with Bibury Animation CG. In April 2025, the wider organization added bakuga animation company in Osaka, a studio specializing in digital animation. A further expansion was announced by Tensho on February 3, 2026, with the establishment of Scenic Art Studio as a background-art studio focused on high-quality backgrounds. The studio's positioning is therefore that of a creator-led Japanese anime production house with capabilities spanning television series, film and special-project production, subcontract animation, 3DCG, digital animation, and background art. Its work is distributed through the wider anime industry rather than through a consumer-facing retail channel, and its international reach comes principally from the global licensing, streaming, home-video, and fan ecosystems surrounding Japanese animation. Available public material identifies selected works and organizational developments but does not provide reliable information on revenue, employee count, ownership structure, or a standalone corporate website.

Bibury Animation Studios was founded in Japan on May 1, 2017, by Motoki "Tensho" Tanaka. Before establishing the company, Tanaka had worked as an animation director on projects associated with Kin-iro Mosaic, the Grisaia series, and Rewrite. His prior experience included work at White Fox and later at 8-Bit, giving the new studio a leadership base grounded in television anime and visual-novel adaptation production. For roughly the first two years of its existence, Bibury did not primarily operate as the lead studio for complete anime titles. Instead, it supplied subcontracted production labor, particularly in-between animation and second key animation. This model is common in Japanese animation, where a production may distribute tasks among multiple studios according to schedule, specialization, and available staff. Bibury's early subcontracting period allowed it to participate in the broader production system while developing its own staff and production infrastructure. The company's first major production credit arrived in 2019 with Grisaia: Phantom Trigger the Animation. Tanaka directed the project, linking Bibury's emerging studio identity with his earlier work on the Grisaia franchise. Later in the same year, Bibury produced Azur Lane: The Animation, its first television series. The two 2019 projects represented an important change in scale and visibility: Bibury was no longer identified only with supporting animation assignments but also with projects for which it held a principal production role. Bibury subsequently developed an affiliated production structure. Bibury Animation CG was established as a sister studio and outsourcing company specializing in 3DCG animation and design. It supports projects produced by Bibury Animation Studios while also offering services to other studios. The relationship broadens Bibury's capabilities beyond traditional hand-drawn and digital 2D animation and reflects the increasing importance of computer-generated imagery in contemporary anime production. The studio's named personnel include Tanaka as president, along with animation producers Hidehisa Taniguchi, Masahiro Obata, and Keisuke Yamamoto. URA has been identified as a director associated with Bibury Animation CG. Publicly available material does not establish a complete staff roster or describe the company's financial structure, workforce size, or ownership arrangements. Expansion continued in 2025 with the founding of bakuga animation company in Osaka. The new studio specializes in digital animation and adds a geographically separate production base to the wider Bibury organization. On February 3, 2026, Tanaka announced another related initiative, Scenic Art Studio, a background-art studio intended to concentrate on high-quality background production. Together, these developments indicate a strategy of building a network of specialized creative units rather than limiting Bibury to a single generalist animation facility. Bibury's history is consequently defined by a progression from subcontract animation work to lead television and feature-related production, followed by specialization in CG, digital animation, and background art. Its best-documented identity remains that of a Japanese anime studio serving both original production responsibilities and the wider outsourced production market.

• 2026

  Scenic Art Studio is announced

  [1]Bibury Animation Studiosen.wikipedia.org

  Tensho announced a background-art studio focused on high-quality backgrounds.

• 2025

  Bakuga animation company is founded

  [1]Bibury Animation Studiosen.wikipedia.org

  An Osaka-based digital-animation studio was established within the wider Bibury organization.

• 2019

  First major production

  [1]Bibury Animation Studiosen.wikipedia.org

  Bibury produced Grisaia: Phantom Trigger the Animation, directed by founder Tensho.

• 2019

  First television series

  [1]Bibury Animation Studiosen.wikipedia.org

  Azur Lane: The Animation became the studio's first television anime series.

• 2017

  Bibury Animation Studios is founded

  [1]Bibury Animation Studiosen.wikipedia.org

  Motoki "Tensho" Tanaka founded the studio on May 1, 2017.

A creator-led Japanese anime studio combining lead production with subcontract animation, 3DCG, digital animation, and background-art capabilities.

• Animated project · 2019

  Grisaia: Phantom Trigger the Animation

  Bibury's first major production credit, released in 2019 and directed by founder Motoki "Tensho" Tanaka. The project continued the studio's connection with the Grisaia franchise while demonstrating its transition from subcontract work to principal production.

• Television anime series · 2019

  Azur Lane: The Animation

  Bibury's first television anime series, produced in 2019. The title is an adaptation associated with the Azur Lane game property and became one of the studio's earliest widely visible television credits.

• 3DCG animation and design

  Bibury Animation CG services

  The sister studio Bibury Animation CG provides 3DCG animation and design as an outsourcing service. It supports Bibury Animation Studios and works for other animation studios, extending the organization's production capabilities into computer-generated imagery.

• Digital animation studio · 2025

  Bakuga animation company

  An Osaka-based studio founded within the wider Bibury organization on April 1, 2025. Its stated specialization is digital animation, adding a dedicated production unit outside Bibury's Tokyo base.

• Background-art studio · 2026

  Scenic Art Studio

  A background-art studio announced by founder Tensho on February 3, 2026. It is intended to focus on high-quality background production for animation projects.

• 2026

  Expand into dedicated background artStrategy

  Background

  Bibury continued developing specialized production capabilities alongside its animation and CG operations.

  Action taken

  Founder Tensho announced Scenic Art Studio on February 3, 2026, as a studio focused on high-quality backgrounds.

  Aftermath

  The announcement broadened the organization's stated creative scope to include dedicated background-art production.

  Source

• 2025

  Establish an Osaka digital-animation studioStrategy

  Background

  The wider Bibury organization expanded its specialized production structure.

  Action taken

  Bakuga animation company was founded in Osaka on April 1, 2025, with a focus on digital animation.

  Aftermath

  The organization gained an additional geographically distinct unit specializing in digital production.

  Source

• 2019

  Move from subcontracting into lead productionStrategy

  Background

  Bibury spent its first approximately two years mainly providing in-between and second key animation for other productions.

  Action taken

  The studio undertook Grisaia: Phantom Trigger the Animation as its first major work and produced Azur Lane: The Animation as its first television series.

  Aftermath

  The move gave Bibury principal production credits and increased its visibility within the anime industry.

  Source

• 2026

  Scenic Art Studio is announced[1]Bibury Animation Studiosen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Founder Tensho announced the creation of Scenic Art Studio as a background-art studio focused on producing high-quality backgrounds.

• 2025

  Bakuga animation company is established in Osaka[1]Bibury Animation Studiosen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  A new Osaka-based studio named bakuga animation company was founded within the wider Bibury organization, with a focus on digital animation.

• 2019

  Bibury begins major production work with Grisaia: Phantom Trigger the Animation[1]Bibury Animation Studiosen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The studio produced Grisaia: Phantom Trigger the Animation, directed by its founder Tensho, marking its move beyond primarily subcontracted animation work.

• 2019

  Azur Lane: The Animation becomes Bibury's first television series[1]Bibury Animation Studiosen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Bibury produced Azur Lane: The Animation, its first television anime series and one of its earliest high-profile lead production credits.

• 2017

  Bibury Animation Studios is founded[1]Bibury Animation Studiosen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Motoki "Tensho" Tanaka established Bibury Animation Studios on May 1, creating a new Japanese animation company that initially operated as a subcontracting studio.

1. 1Bibury Animation Studiosen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Bibury Animation Studios - Anime News Network Encyclopediaanimenewsnetwork.com