.svg/1280px-Bandai_Namco_logo_(2022).svg.png){kind=logo} | |
 Headquarters in Suginami, Tokyo | |
Native name | 株式会社バンダイナムコピクチャーズ |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Kabushiki gaisha Bandai Namuko Pikuchāzu |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Animation studio |
| Founded | April 2015 (2015-04) |
| Headquarters | Ogikubo, , Japan |
Key people | |
| Products | Anime |
| Revenue | ¥10 million |
Number of employees | 130 (December 2021) |
| Parent | Bandai Namco Filmworks |
| Divisions | Bandai Namco Pictures Osaka Studio Bandai Namco Pictures Iwaki BN Pictures Creative Room |
| Website | www.bn-pictures.co.jp |
| Footnotes / references "Corporate Profile". www.bn-pictures.co.jp (in Japanese). Bandai Namco Pictures. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020. | |
Bandai Namco Pictures Inc.,[a] also known as BN Pictures and BNP, is a Japanese animation studio. It is a spinoff of Sunrise, a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Filmworks which is owned by Bandai Namco Holdings. The company was formed as a part of the medium-term management plan of Bandai Namco Holdings on restructuring itself. All the anime intellectual property, copyright and production divisions of Sunrise that target children and family were transferred to Bandai Namco Pictures such as Sgt. Frog, the Battle Spirits series, the Aikatsu series, the Gintama series, the Zorori series among others. The company began its operations in April 2015.
History
On February 12, 2015, Bandai Namco Holdings announced plans to restructure itself through the usage of a three-year medium-management plan.[1] The company sought to focus its resources on creating new intellectual properties (IPs) and marketable characters, and required faster planning and development time to satisfy these demands.[1][2] Bandai Namco executives also believed it was necessary for its IP Creation content area to strengthen ties with its Toy and Hobby area, as it would lead to both strong relationships between the two divisions and allow for future product collaborations.[2]
As part of its efforts to fulfill these obligations, Bandai Namco Pictures was established in April 2015 in Nerima, Tokyo.[2][3] Headed by Masayuki Ozaki, the representative director of animation studio Sunrise, the company was to lead its parent's "Strengthen IP Creation Output" project and focus on the creation of new characters and franchises, specifically those targeted towards children and families.[1][3] Bandai Namco Pictures would also work together with the Toy and Hobby division of Bandai Namco Holdings to strengthen the linkage between the two areas of the latter company.[1][2][3] BN Pictures absorbed Sunrise's production departments and copyrights relating to children-oriented IPs, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Sunrise and part of Bandai Namco's IP Creation department.[4][5]
The company's first project was Aikatsu!, an anime based on the Bandai trading card arcade game of the same name which had been produced by Sunrise until that point.[3] In addition to working on pre-established franchises, Bandai Namco Pictures would produce several original projects, such as the stop-motion animation series Milpom![6] BN Pictures focused primarily on series and characters targeted towards children and families, though some, such as Tiger & Bunny and the Gintama series, were aimed at older audiences. The company regularly collaborates with other subsidiaries within Bandai Namco Holdings; in 2016, it partnered with Bandai Namco Entertainment to produce Dream Festival!, a multimedia franchise centered around video games and original net animations.
In August 2018, Bandai Namco Pictures opened a division in Osaka, the Bandai Namco Pictures Osaka Studio, for the purpose of digitally transferring animation to decrease production times.[7] The company hoped the success and productivity from the Osaka Studio could allow for additional offices to be opened in Japan and eventually overseas.[7] A year later in October, Pictures absorbed Studio Dub, an animation subcontractor established by former Sunrise animators. The acquisition renamed the company Bandai Namco Pictures Iwaki, though it continues using the name Studio Dub for its projects.
Works
Television series
| Title | Director(s) | First run start date |
First run end date |
Broadcast network(s) | Eps. | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battle Spirits: Burning Soul | Kunihisa Sugishima | April 1, 2015 | March 30, 2016 | TV Tokyo | 51 | First Battle Spirits production produced by Bandai Namco Pictures | [8] |
| Tribe Cool Crew | Masaya Fujimori | April 5, 2015[b] | October 4, 2015 | TV Asahi | 26[c] | Took over production from Sunrise | [9] |
| Gintama° | Chizuru Miyawaki | April 8, 2015 | March 30, 2016 | TV Tokyo | 51 | First Gintama production produced by Bandai Namco Pictures | [10] |
| Aikatsu! | Ryūichi Kimura | October 1, 2015[b] | March 31, 2016 | 26[c] | Took over production from Sunrise | [3] | |
| Brave Beats | Yūta Murano | October 6, 2015 | March 27, 2016 | TV Asahi | 22 | ||
| Battle Spirits: Double Drive | Kunihisa Sugishima | April 6, 2016 | March 29, 2017 | TV Tokyo | 51 | Second Battle Spirits production produced by Bandai Namco Pictures | [8] |
| Aikatsu Stars! | Teruo Satō | April 7, 2016 | March 29, 2018 | 100 | [11] | ||
| Heybot! | Shinji Ishihira | September 18, 2016 | September 24, 2017 | TV Asahi | 50 | co-production with Bridge | [8] |
| Gintama. | Chizuru Miyawaki | January 8, 2017 | October 7, 2018[12][13] | TV Tokyo | 51 | Second Gintama production produced by Bandai Namco Pictures Also known as Gintama. Porori-hen[8] and Gintama. Shirogane no Tamashii-hen[10] |
[8] |
| Aikatsu Friends! | Shishō Igarashi | April 5, 2018 | September 26, 2019 | 76 | [14] | ||
| B-PROJECT～Zecchō＊Emotion～ | Makoto Moriwaki | January 11, 2019 | March 29, 2019 | Tokyo MX | 12 | [10] | |
| Aikatsu on Parade! | Shishō Igarashi | October 5, 2019 | March 28, 2020 | TV Tokyo | 25 | [15] | |
| Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun | Makoto Moriwaki | October 5, 2019 | present | NHK Educational TV | 65 | Renewed for season 4[16] | [17][18][19] |
| Motto! Majime ni Fumajime Kaiketsu Zorori | Takahide Ogata | April 5, 2020 | September 21, 2022 | 75[20][21] | co-production with Ajiado | [22] | |
| Saikyō Kamizmode | Mitsutoshi Satō | October 9, 2020 | April 9, 2021 | Tokyo MX | 26 | First premiered on Bandai Namco Pictures' YouTube channel on September 28, 2020 before launching on television.[23] | [24] |
| Aikatsu Planet! | Ryūichi Kimura | January 10, 2021 | June 27, 2021 | TV Tokyo | 25 | Live-action/anime hybrid co-production with Bandai Namco Arts, Tohokushinsha Film and Dentsu |
[25] |
| Cestvs: The Roman Fighter[d] |
|
April 15, 2021 | June 24, 2021 | Fuji TV[26] | 11 | [27] | |
| Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story | Takayuki Inagaki | April 6, 2022 | June 24, 2023[28] | TV Tokyo | 25 | [29] | |
| Raven of the Inner Palace | Chizuru Miyawaki | October 1, 2022[30] | December 24, 2022 | Tokyo MX | 13 | Adaptation of the light novel series by Kōko Shirakawa; published by Shueisha[31][32] | |
| Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari | Ryūichi Kimura | January 10, 2023 | September 19, 2023 | 24 | [33] | ||
| Wistoria: Wand and Sword |
|
July 7, 2024 | present | TBS | 12 | co-production with Actas | [35] |
| I Left My A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! | Katsumi Ono | January 12, 2025 | June 29, 2025 | Nippon TV | 24 | [36] | |
| Mashin Creator Wataru | Yumi Kamakura | January 12, 2025 | June 22, 2025 | TV Tokyo | 24 | co-production with Bandai Namco Filmworks[37] | [38] |
| Rock Is a Lady's Modesty | Shinya Watada | April 3, 2025 | June 26, 2025 | TBS[39] | 13 | [40] | |
| Shabake | Takahiro Ōkawa | October 3, 2025 | TBA | Fuji TV | TBA | [41] | |
| Gintama: Mr. Ginpachi's Zany Class |
|
October 7, 2025[42] | TBA | TV Tokyo | TBA | Also known as 3-Nen Z-Gumi Ginpachi-Sensei Spin-off to the Gintama franchise[43] |
[44] |
Films
| Title | Director(s) | Release date | Distributor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incredible Zorori: Heroes of Space | Tomoko Iwasaki | September 12, 2015 | Tokyo Theaters[45] | Co-produced with Ajia-do Animation Works[46] |
| Aikatsu! Music Awards - The Show Where Everyone Gets an Award! | Shinya Watada | August 22, 2015 | Toei Company | |
| Aikatsu Stars! The Movie | Shinya Watada | August 13, 2016 | ||
| Aikatsu! The Targeted Magical Aikatsu Card | Ryūichi Kimura | Double-billed with Aikatsu Stars! The Movie | ||
| Incredible Zorori: Secret of the Double Z | Masaya Fujimori | November 22, 2017 | Tokyo Theaters[47] | Co-produced with Ajia-do Animation Works |
| Gintama: The Very Final | Chizuru Miyawaki | January 8, 2021 | Warner Bros. Japan | |
| Hula Fulla Dance |
|
December 3, 2021 | Aniplex | [48] |
| Aikatsu Planet! The Movie | Ryūichi Kimura | July 15, 2022 | Bandai Namco Pictures | Live-action/animated hybrid Co-produced with Bandai Namco Filmworks and Tohokushinsha Film |
| Aikatsu! 10th Story: Starway to the Future | Ryūichi Kimura | July 15, 2022 (short film) January 20, 2023 (feature film) |
The short-film version was double-billed with Aikatsu Planet! The Movie | |
| Incredible Zorori: Lalala A Star Is Born | Takahide Ogata | December 9, 2022 | Tokyo Theaters[49] | Co-produced with Ajia-do Animation Works |
| Aikatsu! × PriPara: The Movie The Miracle of Our Encounter! | Takahiro Okawa | Fall 2025 | ||
| Shin Gekijōban Gintama: Yoshiwara Daienjō | Naoya Ando | February 13, 2026 | [50] | |
| Sgt. Frog |
|
Summer 2026 | [51] |
OVA/ONAs
| Title | Director(s) | First run start date |
First run end date |
Eps. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milpom! (Pilot) | N/A | March 20, 2015 | N/A | 1 | [8] |
| Milpom! | N/A | September 5, 2015 | September 29, 2017 | 6 | [8] |
| Dream Festival! | Yūta Murano | September 23, 2016 | December 16, 2016 | 12 | Co-produced with Ajia-do Animation Works |
| Gintama°: Love Incense Arc | Chizuru Miyawaki Youichi Fujita |
April 8, 2015 | March 30, 2016 | 2 | |
| Dream Festival! R | Yūta Murano | August 23, 2017 | November 8, 2017 | 12 | Co-produced with Ajia-do Animation Works |
| Gintama: Monster Strike-hen | N/A | August 29, 2019 | September 4, 2019 | 2 | |
| Fight League: Gear Gadget Generators | Daisuke Nakajima | February 14, 2019 | August 8, 2019 | 26 | Co-Produced by XFLAG[52] |
| Battle Spirits: Kakumei no Galette | Masaki Watanabe | August 28, 2020 | April 23, 2021 | 5 | |
| Aikatsu on Parade! Dream Story | Shishō Igarashi | March 28, 2020 | July 11, 2020 | 6 | |
| Tiger & Bunny 2 | Mitsuko Kase | April 8, 2022 | October 7, 2022 | 25 | [53] |
Notes
- ^ Japanese: 株式会社バンダイナムコピクチャーズ, Hepburn: Kabushiki gaisha Bandai Namuko Pikuchāzu
- ^ a b First episode under BN Pictures
- ^ a b Total number of episodes under BN Pictures
- ^ BN Pictures is producing the series and is responsible for the 2D animation work, whereas Logic&Magic is responsible for the 3D animation work.
- ^ a b c Credited as Chief Director.
- ^ Credited as chief director for season 2.[34]
- ^ Credited as Supervising Director.
References
- ^ a b c d "ム › ニュース › トレンド › 記事 バンダイナムコピクチャーズ2015年4月設立 サンライズがキッズ・ファミリー向けを分社化". Anime Anime (in Japanese). IID. February 12, 2015. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "サンライズの一部を分社化「バンダイナムコピクチャーズ」設立 「アイカツ！」などキッズ向け担当". ITMedia. February 12, 2015. Archived from the original on September 8, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Sunrise's Kids & Family IP to Spin Off Into New Bandai Namco Group Company". Anime News Network. February 12, 2015. Archived from the original on August 29, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- ^ "Corporate Profile". www.bn-pictures.co.jp (in Japanese). Bandai Namco Pictures. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ^ "Bandai Namco Group Integrated Report 2019". Bandai Namco Holdings. September 13, 2019. Archived from the original on May 17, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ Ressler, Karen (March 30, 2015). "Bandai Namco Pictures Unveils Milpom Stop-Motion Anime Project for Girls". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ a b "BNP、大阪スタジオを設立。アニメーション現場の環境整備にも着手。". OtakuIndustry.biz (in Japanese). September 7, 2018. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g Pineda, Rafael Antonio (January 10, 2017). "Bandai Namco Pictures Studio Plans Original Projects". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ Loo, Egan (September 9, 2015). "Tribe Cool Crew Team Makes Dance Anime Brave Beats". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Works". www.bn-pictures.co.jp (in Japanese). Bandai Namco Pictures. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ Ashcraft, Brian (April 12, 2016). "Your Complete Spring 2016 Anime Guide". Kotaku. G/O Media. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ 第354話 (in Japanese). Bandai Namco Pictures. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ 第367話 (in Japanese). Bandai Namco Pictures. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (February 4, 2018). "Aikatsu Friends! Anime's Cast, Staff Revealed". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ Ashcraft, Brian (October 5, 2019). "Your Spring 2019 Anime Guide". Kotaku Australia. G/O Media. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ Cayanan, Joanna (November 17, 2024). "'Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun' Anime Gets 4th Season". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 17, 2024. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ "「魔入りました！入間くん」第２シリーズ放送決定！！". NHK News (in Japanese). NHK. March 9, 2020. Archived from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (September 2, 2020). "'Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun' Anime Season 2 Premieres Next April". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 20, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (August 15, 2022). "'Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun' Anime Season 3 Debuts on October 8". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- ^ Loo, Egan (November 8, 2020). "New Kaiketsu Zorori Anime Gets 2nd Series Next April". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (February 22, 2022). "Kaiketsu Zorori Anime's 3rd Series Reveals New Cast, Theme Songs, April 6 Premiere". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (February 13, 2020). "New Kaiketsu Zorori Anime Reveals Cast, Theme Songs, April 5 Premiere". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
- ^ "Saikyou Kamizmode!". MyAnimeList.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (August 10, 2020). "Bandai Namco Pictures Announces Saikyō Kamizmode Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 18, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ "『アイカツプラネット！』実写×アニメ×CGでアイドル活動しちゃおう♪". Dengeki Online (in Japanese). Dengeki. August 12, 2020. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (November 5, 2020). "Kentō Ankoku Den Cestvs, Kentō Shitō Den Cestvs Manga Get TV Anime in April 2021". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (November 5, 2020). "Kentō Ankoku Den Cestvs, Kentō Shitō Den Cestvs Manga Get TV Anime in April 2021". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
- ^ Cayanan, Joanna (October 26, 2022). "Birdie Wing -Golf Girls' Story- Anime Season 2 Delayed by 3 Months to April 2023". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (October 28, 2021). "Bandai Namco Pictures Unveils Original 2022 Golf TV Anime Birdie Wing". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (April 14, 2022). "Kōkyū no Karasu Anime Unveils Cast, Staff, October Premiere". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (December 13, 2021). "Kōko Shirakawa's Kōkyū no Karasu Court Intrigue Novel Series Gets Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ Loo, Egan (August 20, 2022). "Raven of the Inner Palace Anime's New Video Unveils More Cast, October 1 Premiere". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (November 16, 2022). "Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari TV Anime Unveils Promo Video, Theme Song Artists, January 9 Premiere". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ^ Cayanan, Joanna (September 8, 2025). "Wistoria: Wand and Sword Season 2 Reveals New, Returning Main Staff, April 2026 Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (June 6, 2024). "Wistoria: Wand and Sword Anime's Promo Video Unveils Theme Songs, Additional Cast, July 7 Premiere (Updated)". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ Cayanan, Joanna (November 12, 2024). "I Left My A-Rank Party Anime's Promo Video Reveals More Cast & Staff, January 11 Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
- ^ Cayanan, Joanna (August 28, 2024). "New Mashin Sōzōden Wataru Anime Unveils New Video, Main Cast, Staff, January 2025 Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (November 14, 2024). "Mashin Sōzōden Wataru Anime Reveals January 12 Debut in New Commercial". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
- ^ 「ロックは淑女の嗜みでして」4月放送 ビジュアル＆PV公開、りりさ役は関根明良. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. November 6, 2024. Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ Cayanan, Joanna (March 6, 2025). "Rock Is a Lady's Modesty Anime's Main Trailer Reveals More Cast, Theme Songs, April 3 TV Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
- ^ Cayanan, Joanna (September 9, 2025). "Shabake TV Anime's 2nd Video Unveils More Cast, Ending Song, October 3 Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (August 16, 2025). "GINTAMA - Mr. Ginpachi's Zany Class Spinoff TV Anime's Trailer Reveals Theme Songs, October 6 Premiere". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ Cayanan, Joanna; Mateo, Alex (October 10, 2024). "Gintama's Spinoff TV Anime 3-Nen Z-Gumi Ginpachi-Sensei Unveils, Visual, Cast, Staff, October 2025 Debut". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
- ^ Cayanan, Joanna (March 19, 2023). "Gintama Manga's 3-Nen Z-Gumi Ginpachi-Sensei Spinoff Novels Get New Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ "Kaiketsu Zorori: Uchū no Yūsha-tachi (movie)". Anime News Network.
- ^ "Kaiketsu Zorori: Uchū no Yūsha-tachi Film Trailer Teases Original Story". Anime News Network. April 18, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ^ "Kaiketsu Zorori: ZZ no Himitsu (movie)". Anime News Network.
- ^ "Original Anime Film Hula Fulla Dance's Teaser Unveils 4 Cast Members, New December 3 Debut". AnimeNewsNetwork. June 21, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
- ^ "Kaiketsu Zorori: Lalala♪ Star Tanjō (movie)". Anime News Network.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (October 9, 2025). "Gintama 'Yoshiwara in Flames' Compilation Film Opens on February 13". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (July 1, 2025). "20th Anniversary Sgt. Frog Anime Is Film Next Summer". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
- ^ "Fight League Anime's Trailer Reveals Cast, More Staff, February 14 Debut". Anime News Network. December 10, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ "Netflix Unveils Tiger & Bunny 2 Anime's Visual, April 2022 Worldwide Debut". Anime News Network. November 9, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
External links
.svg){kind=link}
- Official website
- BN Pictures at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
