Japanese animation production company Twin Engine has acquired animation studio NUT, bringing the studio behind titles such as Youjo Senki (Saga of Tanya the Evil) and Blue Giant into its growing production group as part of efforts to strengthen its studio-driven IP development model.
The Tokyo-based company announced that it has obtained shares in NUT, formally adding the studio to the Twin Engine Group. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Twin Engine said the move is intended not only to reinforce its production capabilities but also to deepen a development structure that places animation studios and creators at the center of project planning. By integrating NUT into the group, the company aims to accelerate the creation of original intellectual properties and enhance the long-term value of its content.
Expanding the “Studio-First” Strategy
Twin Engine has long promoted what it calls a “studio-first” strategy, emphasizing a production environment where studios and creators serve as the core drivers of the creative process. The approach is intended to enable each studio within the group to develop projects that highlight its unique strengths while benefiting from shared resources.
A central element of this framework is EOTA (Engine of the Animation), an internal organization that supports collaboration among group studios while providing shared operational infrastructure. EOTA currently encompasses 18 studios and creative units, including well-known production houses such as Studio Colorido, Geno Studio, Studio Kafka, and BUG FILMS.
Through EOTA, Twin Engine facilitates inter-studio cooperation, provides back-office support, and helps launch new creative units, allowing production teams to focus more fully on content creation. With the addition of NUT, the company expects to further expand the group’s overall production capacity while reinforcing its pipeline for developing original IP.
NUT’s Production Track Record
Founded in 2017, NUT is known for dynamic action sequences and detailed world-building. The studio has produced adaptations of well-known works including the television anime Youjo Senki and the theatrical film Blue Giant, while also developing original titles such as Deca-Dence and NegaPosi Angler (Negative Positive Angler).
The company was established as an affiliate of Chiptune by Masayuki Narai, a former director of photography and CG director at Madhouse, together with producer Takuya Tsunoki, whose credits include Chihayafuru, Mahou Sensou (Magical Warfare), and Photokano. NUT made its debut as a lead animation production studio with Youjo Senki in 2017.
Following the death of co-founder Narai in 2025, management control of the studio was transferred to Twin Engine, which subsequently began overseeing recruitment and other operational support. The March 2026 share acquisition formally brought the studio under the Twin Engine Group.
The studio is also currently working on Youjo Senki II (Saga of Tanya the Evil II), scheduled for release in 2026.
Integration Within the Group
Following the acquisition, NUT will continue operating as an independent studio while leveraging the broader capabilities of the Twin Engine Group. The company said the integration will allow NUT to maintain its creative identity while pursuing more ambitious projects and original IP development.
Twin Engine was founded in 2014 by producer Kouji Yamamoto and has built a production model that integrates planning, development, and animation production across multiple studios and brands. By expanding its network of studios, the company aims to further strengthen its ability to produce animation projects for both domestic and international audiences.
Leadership Changes at NUT
As part of the transition, NUT co-founder and producer Takuya Tsunoki has been appointed the studio’s president and representative director. In a statement, Tsunoki said joining the Twin Engine Group would strengthen the studio’s management foundation and administrative structure, allowing the production team to focus more fully on creative output.
“With a stronger management base and improved organizational structure, we believe we can channel even more of the passion and playful creativity from the production floor into our work,” Tsunoki said. He added that NUT aims to collaborate with other studios within the group while also serving as “a healthy rival” in pushing the quality of animation production forward.
Through the acquisition, Twin Engine said it intends to combine the strengths of its expanding network of studios to deliver new anime works to audiences in Japan and overseas while continuing to develop original IP originating from the production side of the industry.
Source: Branc, Animation Business Journal
