Signal.MD
Signal.MD was a Japanese animation studio established by IG Port and later absorbed into Production I.G.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Signal.MD was a Japanese animation studio founded by the IG Port group on October 1, 2014. The studio was created as a new animation-production unit associated with Production I.G, one of the principal companies in the IG Port group. IG Port announced the studio's formation on September 22, 2014, and appointed Katsuji Morishita, then a director of Production I.G, as its first president. From its establishment, Signal.MD operated within Japan's collaborative anime-production system, contributing to television series, feature films, original video animation, and projects produced jointly with other studios. The studio's work covered a broad range of genres and formats. Its early television credits included Tantei Team KZ's Jiken Note, Atom: The Beginning, Recovery of an MMO Junkie, and Hashiri Tsuzukete Yokattatte. Signal.MD also participated in the production of FLCL Progressive and later took over animation work on the children's series Hanakappa from Xebec, co-producing it with OLM. Other television projects associated with the studio included Dragon Goes House-Hunting, Mars Red, Platinum End, The Fire Hunter, Kizuna no Allele, Shinkalion: Change the World, and Nina the Starry Bride. The studio's filmography likewise included Napping Princess, Birthday Wonderland, Kimi dake ni Motetainda, Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop, and Deemo: Memorial Keys. Several of these productions were collaborations rather than wholly independent Signal.MD works, reflecting the studio's role within a larger network of Japanese animation companies. Signal.MD's leadership changed during its operating period. Katsuji Morishita served as president from 2014 to 2022. Takatoshi Chino, who had been a board member from 2018, became president in 2022 and remained in the role until the corporate restructuring in 2025. Other early directors included Juurou Sugimura and George Wada, while Toshiaki Okuno served as auditor through 2023. On January 24, 2025, IG Port announced that its consolidated subsidiary Production I.G would absorb Signal.MD effective June 1, 2025. The legal studio company was dissolved as part of that transaction. The Signal.MD name and associated production capabilities were nevertheless reported to continue as an internal brand and team within Production I.G. Accordingly, Signal.MD is best understood as a former standalone animation company whose creative identity and staff activity continued inside its parent-group structure rather than as an independently operating corporation.
History
Signal.MD was established by IG Port on October 1, 2014, following an announcement made on September 22 of that year. The new company was positioned within the group's animation operations and was closely associated with Production I.G. Katsuji Morishita, a Production I.G board member, became its first president. The creation of Signal.MD expanded IG Port's studio structure at a time when Japanese animation production was increasingly organized around multiple specialist companies and project-based partnerships. During its first years, Signal.MD built a portfolio across television animation and feature production. Its early television credits included Tantei Team KZ's Jiken Note, Atom: The Beginning, Recovery of an MMO Junkie, and Hashiri Tsuzukete Yokattatte. The studio also worked on an episode of FLCL Progressive and participated in films such as Colorful Ninja Iromaki, Cyborg 009: Call of Justice, and Napping Princess. These credits established a pattern that continued throughout the company's life: Signal.MD sometimes served as a principal animation producer and sometimes collaborated with other studios on a shared production. The studio continued to expand its television output in the late 2010s and early 2020s. It took over Hanakappa from Xebec and co-animated the series with OLM. It also participated in Kedama no Gonjirō with OLM and Wit Studio. Feature and special-project credits during this period included Birthday Wonderland, Kimi dake ni Motetainda, the first Fate/Grand Order: Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot film, and the original video animation Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs. Signal.MD's subsequent television projects included Dragon Goes House-Hunting, Mars Red, Platinum End, and The Fire Hunter. Its film work included Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop, produced with Sublimation, and Deemo: Memorial Keys, produced with Production I.G. Later credits included Go! Go! Vehicle Zoo, Kizuna no Allele, Shinkalion: Change the World, and Nina the Starry Bride. The listed future or announced projects Hana-Kimi and Eren the Southpaw further illustrate the studio's continuing production role before the corporate absorption. Leadership changed in 2022 when Takatoshi Chino succeeded Katsuji Morishita as president. Chino had previously served on the board, while Morishita had led the company since its formation. On January 24, 2025, IG Port announced a structural change under which consolidated subsidiary Production I.G would absorb Signal.MD on June 1. The standalone company was dissolved in June 2025. Rather than ending all creative activity associated with the name, the reorganization retained Signal.MD as an internal brand and team within Production I.G. Its history therefore combines a discrete corporate existence from 2014 to 2025 with continuing brand-level activity inside the Production I.G organization.
- 2025
Absorption into Production I.G
[1]IG Port announced that Production I.G would absorb Signal.MD effective June 1, dissolving the standalone company.
- 2022
Presidential transition
[1]Takatoshi Chino succeeded Katsuji Morishita as president.
- 2015
First listed television series credit
[1]Tantei Team KZ's Jiken Note began its television run and became Signal.MD's earliest listed TV series work.
- 2014
IG Port announces a new animation studio
[1]IG Port announced the formation of SIGNAL.MD on September 22, with the company formally established on October 1.
- 2014
Katsuji Morishita becomes first president
[1]Production I.G board member Katsuji Morishita was appointed to lead the newly created studio.
Products and positioning
A Japanese anime production studio operating within the IG Port and Production I.G group, with a portfolio spanning television animation, theatrical features, original video, and multi-studio collaborations.
Television anime series · 2015
Tantei Team KZ's Jiken Note
A television animation series and one of Signal.MD's earliest listed productions, broadcast from 2015 to 2016. Its early placement in the studio's filmography marks the beginning of Signal.MD's role as a television anime producer.
Television anime series · 2017
Atom: The Beginning
A 2017 television project produced through collaboration among Signal.MD, OLM, and Production I.G. The series demonstrates the studio's reliance on shared production arrangements within the IG Port animation network.
Animated feature film · 2017
Napping Princess
A feature-length animated production released in 2017 and included among Signal.MD's principal film credits. It formed part of the studio's expansion beyond television work into theatrical animation.
Television anime series · 2019
Hanakappa
A long-running children's animation series that Signal.MD took over from Xebec and co-animated with OLM from 2019 through 2021. The assignment gave the studio responsibility for continuing an established franchise.
Television anime series · 2021
Mars Red
A 2021 television anime among Signal.MD's notable later series projects. It represents the studio's work on a dramatic, serialized production rather than only children's or short-format animation.
Television anime series · 2021
Platinum End
A television adaptation broadcast from 2021 to 2022 and included in Signal.MD's major series output. Its extended broadcast period reflects the studio's capacity to support a substantial serialized production.
Television anime series · 2023
The Fire Hunter
A television anime released across 2023 and 2024. It was one of Signal.MD's prominent late-period series and was produced during the studio's final years as a separate company.
Animated feature film · 2021
Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop
A feature film co-animated by Signal.MD and Sublimation and released in 2021. The project illustrates the studio's film collaborations and its involvement in contemporary original animation.
Television anime series · 2024
Shinkalion: Change the World
A 2024 television project co-animated with Production I.G. Its shared production relationship directly connected Signal.MD's late work with the company that ultimately absorbed it.
Brand decisions
2025
Absorption by Production I.GM&ABackground
IG Port announced a reorganization in which its consolidated subsidiary Production I.G would absorb Signal.MD.
Action taken
Production I.G absorbed the company effective June 1, 2025, and the standalone Signal.MD corporation was dissolved.
Aftermath
Signal.MD continued as an internal brand and team within Production I.G rather than as a separate legal studio.
Recent events
- 2025
Production I.G to absorb Signal.MD[1]
M&A
IG Port announced that Production I.G would absorb Signal.MD on June 1, 2025, dissolving the standalone studio while retaining its activity as an internal brand and team.
- 2014
IG Port announces the establishment of Signal.MD[1]
Other
IG Port announced the creation of a new animation studio named SIGNAL.MD and appointed Production I.G director Katsuji Morishita as its president.
Sources2 sources
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