Studio Trigger producer Kazuya Matsumoto recently outlined the company's goal of producing multiple series. The Japanese animation studio is well-known for their fan-favorite anime shows like Kill la Kill, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, and the their recently-aired comedy fantasy anime series, Delicious in Dungeon. Founded in 2011, the Tokyo-based studio hasn't announced many upcoming anime projects, but it looks like they intend to ramp up the amount they produce at the same time within the next decade.
In a recent interview with Dokidouki (via AnimeCorner), Matsumoto talked about the studio's plan to produce more projects. He first explained the concept of "lines" in the anime industry:
In the anime industry, there is a concept called lines. How many works can you create at the same time? One line per piece. [Growing bigger] means increasing your studio to 2 lines and 3 lines. Many of the companies that started up around the same time have a large number of lines.
He went on to reveal that Trigger is "currently 1 line", and reveals how much of their work is produced by the studio's in-house staff and how much are done by freelancers:
We’re particular about a style in which everyone works together to create one work. The reason is that by setting a single goal, everyone can concentrate. I think this is a great thing for both the work and the company. Approximately 60% of the work is produced by Trigger’s in-house staff. The remaining 40% is done by freelancers and people outside the company. Our first major medium-term goal is to achieve 100% production. In other words, complete in-house production. The next step is to aim for a 1.5 line.
Studio Trigger plans to produce multiple anime projects in the long-term
Matsumoto reveals that Studio Trigger is aiming for two lines, but don't expect the studio to reach that goal within a few years. "Is the idea of those two lines going to be two TV series, or a theater group and a TV series?” Matsumoto said, “There are many ways to think about it, but I’m probably thinking about it as a long-term plan for about 7 or 10 years."
The animation studio's goal to get to 100% in-house production would be considered rare in the industry. According to recent date from the Japanese Animation Creators Association (JAniCA), 47.3% of the 425 animators surveyed identified as self-employed or freelance, compared to 40.5% of permanent employees.
What is Studio Trigger working on?
Studio Trigger's latest anime Delicious in Dungeon is confirmed to run in two consecutive cours, with the first cour premiering on January 4, 2024 and its thirteenth and final Cour 1 episode was released today. The studio is currently working on Delicious in Dungeon Cour 2, and the team has released a new trailer and key visual ahead of the anime's return in April 2024.
The official synopsis of Delicious in Dungeon reads:
When young adventurer Laios and his company are attacked and soundly thrashed by a dragon deep in a dungeon, the party loses all its money and provisions...and a member! They're eager to go back and save her, but there is just one problem: If they set out with no food or coin to speak of, they're sure to starve on the way! But Laios comes up with a brilliant idea: "Let's eat the monsters!" Slimes, basilisks, and even dragons...none are safe from the appetites of these dungeon-crawling gourmands!
Trigger also acquired the rights to the original comedy action anime series Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, which was originally produced by Gainax, and aired from October to December 2010. The studio has yet to share any updates about the upcoming project.
