Yaoyorozu

Yaoyorozu was a Japanese animation studio established in Minato, Tokyo, in August 2013. The company operated as a subsidiary of Just Production and focused on animated production that combined cel-shaded visual design with three-dimensional computer graphics. Its work placed it within Japan's digital animation sector, where relatively small studios often combine creative direction, CG production, and project-based collaboration rather than operating as large vertically integrated media groups. The studio became particularly associated with Kemono Friends, an anime project that helped bring wider attention to its production approach. The series used stylized 3D computer-generated character animation and a distinctive cel-shaded presentation. Yaoyorozu's association with the title made it a recognizable name among anime audiences despite the studio's comparatively limited public corporate profile and small body of documented output. Yaoyorozu also received industry recognition when it won the third CGWORLD Award on December 28, 2017. The award reflected the company's work in computer-generated animation and provided external recognition for its technical and creative contribution to Japanese CG production. On April 1, 2020, it was announced that Yaoyorozu had been dissolved and that its assets would be consolidated into a newly established company called 8million. The reorganization was described as a consolidation under a single corporate name, with little expected change to the company's day-to-day business. As a result, Yaoyorozu is now a defunct studio name rather than an active standalone operating company. Its historical importance primarily comes from its role in Japanese 3D anime production, its connection with Kemono Friends, and the later transfer of its activities and assets into 8million.

Yaoyorozu was founded in August 2013 in Minato, Tokyo, by the screenwriter Ishidate Uraaka. From its inception, it operated as a subsidiary of Just Production and developed a specialization in anime production using cel shading and 3D computer graphics. This combination gave the studio a recognizable place within Japan's expanding CG-animation ecosystem, in which digital character models and rendered environments could be integrated with anime-inspired shading and visual direction. The studio became best known for its connection with Kemono Friends. The project helped expose Yaoyorozu's production style to a broader anime audience and became the principal title associated with the company in public references. Rather than being identified primarily with a broad commercial product portfolio, Yaoyorozu was known as a focused production studio whose reputation rested on its technical approach and individual anime projects. On December 28, 2017, Yaoyorozu won the third edition of the CGWORLD Award. The recognition was significant within the context of its CG-oriented production profile and confirmed the studio's visibility in the Japanese computer-graphics and animation field. The company's independent existence ended in 2020. On April 1, 2020, it was announced that Yaoyorozu had been dissolved and folded into a new company named 8million. The stated purpose was to consolidate the company's assets under one name, while the available account indicated that little would change in the practical day-to-day business. Following that reorganization, Yaoyorozu ceased to exist as a separate active studio. Its legacy is therefore tied to its short operating period, its use of cel-shaded 3D animation, its association with Kemono Friends, and the transition of its assets and activities into 8million.

• 2020

  Dissolution and consolidation into 8million

  [1]Yaoyorozuen.wikipedia.org

  The company was announced as dissolved on April 1, with its assets folded into the newly formed 8million as part of a name and organizational consolidation.

• 2017

  CGWORLD Award recognition

  [1]Yaoyorozuen.wikipedia.org

  Yaoyorozu won the third CGWORLD Award on December 28, recognizing its computer-generated animation work.

• 2013

  Yaoyorozu is founded

  [1]Yaoyorozuen.wikipedia.org

  Screenwriter Ishidate Uraaka founded the animation studio in Minato, Tokyo, in August 2013. The company operated as a subsidiary of Just Production.

A Japanese digital animation studio specializing in stylized anime production that combines cel shading with 3D computer graphics.

• Television anime

  Kemono Friends

  Kemono Friends is the anime title most closely associated with Yaoyorozu. The studio's production approach used stylized 3D computer-generated animation with cel-shaded rendering, giving the series a distinctive anime-oriented digital appearance. The title became the principal public reference point for Yaoyorozu and contributed substantially to recognition of the studio among anime viewers.

• 2020

  Consolidation of Yaoyorozu into 8millionStrategy

  Background

  Yaoyorozu was dissolved as a standalone company and its assets were transferred into a new company called 8million.

  Action taken

  The company consolidated its assets and operations under the 8million name.

  Aftermath

  The reorganization ended Yaoyorozu's existence as an independent corporate entity, while contemporary reporting described the expected effect on day-to-day business as limited.

  Source

1. 1Yaoyorozuen.wikipedia.org