Katsuhiro Otomo, the legendary creator of Akira, has founded Oval Gear in Tokyo with the intention of producing new animated works for global distribution. The studio, established in 2026, seeks to pass on his authorial sensibility and cinematic techniques to a new generation of animators. It has already been confirmed that his first feature film is in production, reigniting speculation about Orbital Era, a science fiction project announced in 2019 alongside Sunrise that seemed lost in the pandemic limbo.
What does Oval Gear bring to the table in technical terms? 🎨
The studio bets on a workflow that combines traditional hand-drawn animation with digital post-production tools, maintaining the detailed style that characterizes Otomo. Although no concrete specifications have been revealed, the first feature film is expected to leverage layer composition techniques and visual effects without resorting to full 3D animation. The goal is to achieve a visual texture reminiscent of Akira, but with current production standards. The collaboration with Sunrise for Orbital Era suggests that the project could integrate complex mechanical designs and hyper-realistic urban backgrounds.
Orbital Era: the project that took a seven-year coffee break ☕
While Otomo sets up his new animation joint, fans wonder if Orbital Era ever existed or was a collective hallucination from 2019. The science fiction project, about which nothing had been known since before the pandemic, could be the studio's first feature film. But come on, if Otomo took seven years to say something, maybe the movie is about interstellar patience or about waiting for the subway in Tokyo. The only sure thing is that the studio has a name that sounds like a Swiss watch gear, so at least punctuality in delivery won't be its strong suit.