Katsuhiro Otomo, the author of the manga Akira and one of the most famous directors in the anime industry, has launched a new studio called OVAL GEAR.

Today, the studio opened its official website and account on X. The team recruitment is already underway, and work on the first project of OVAL GEAR is currently in progress. New details are promised to be revealed later.

Otomo wants to pass on the storytelling experience he has accumulated over many years of work to the next generation. This is how he describes the goal of the new studio.

The OVAL GEAR banner features the central character from ORBITAL ERA — a science fiction film by Sunrise, which was announced back in 2019 along with a new version of Akira. Since then, there have been no official updates regarding either project.

Otomo is known not only as the author of the manga Akira but also as the director of the eponymous anime film from Tokyo Movie Shinsha, as well as the anthology Memories and the film Steamboy.