Former MAPPA Executive Establishes New Anime Planning Company

Image via Makoto Kimura's Twitter account

Executive director, rights management director, and producer of studio MAPPA Makoto Kimura announced earlier this month that he has retired from his position at MAPPA at the end of March to establish the new anime planning company Blue Rights. Blue Rights will produce televised and theatrical anime, as well a range of entertainment outside anime, such as manga, novels, music, music videos, events, commercials, and products. It will prioritize planning and production over animation production. Kimura is serving as representative director.

Kimura established Blue Rights in response to the increasing fanbase and demand of anime globally.

Kimura joined MAPPA in 2018. Aside from directing and producing, he was also a rights management director, in which he was responsible for financing and licensing anime. He was fundamental in the funding for the Chainsaw Man anime. He also produced exhibitions for MAPPA, Chainsaw Man, and Jujutsu Kaisen. Prior to MAPPA, Kimura worked at anime planning and production company Twin Engine, and he also produced anime for Fuji TV's Noitanima late-night anime programming block starting in 2007.

Masao Maruyama founded MAPPA in June 2011, and Manabu Ohtsuka is the company's CEO. The company has studios in Tokyo and Sendai. MAPPA has produced such anime as Chainsaw Man, Bucchigiri?!, Kids on the Slope, In This Corner of the World, Yuri!!! on Ice, Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan The Final Season, and maboroshi.

Sources: Makoto Kimura's Twitter account, press release, Animation Business Journal (Tadashi Sudo)