'Fragtime' Producer Tear Studio to File for Bankruptcy

by ImperfectBlue
Dec 16, 2019 9:14 PM | 19 Comments

Next Batter's Circle Co., Ltd. (Next Batter's Circle), the company behind animation studio Tear Studio, ceased all operations on December 13 and submitted preliminary paperwork to file for bankruptcy. The bankruptcy will be formally filed before the end of December.

The news was released on Monday by Tokyo Shoko Research, a long-standing credit reporting agency in Japan, and comes about a week after tweets surfaced about Tear Studio's failure to pay its animators. Around this time, Tear Studio deleted its official Twitter account and removed contact and recruiting info from its official website. On December 10, the official website for the anime film Fragtime published a notice indicating that they had been unable to make contact with the studio. Next Batter's Circle owes roughly 43 million yen (approximately US$392,500), 8 million yen (approximately US$73,000) of which is believed to be owed to about 50 animators.

Founded in 2013, Next Batter's Circle began producing anime in 2018 under the name Tear Studio, debuting with Lord of Vermilion: Guren no Ou—co-produced with Asread—in July of that year. Tear Studio would later produce the Spring 2019 ecchi comedy Nande Koko ni Sensei ga!? and the aforementioned Fragtime, which premiered in Japan on November 22.

Source: IT Media, Tokyo Shoko Research

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19 Comments Recent Comments

Being Shoujo-Ai/Yuri fan is suffering...

Dec 19, 2019 12:28 PM by Ysuis

This is no bueno...

Dec 19, 2019 9:52 AM by Slarkero

I was really hyped for fragtime. I wonder if they can release the blu ray and then use the profits to pay for animators.

Dec 18, 2019 9:52 AM by cythraul

That's pretty short lived as a studio since it was founded in 2013. But considering their past record, it's not that much of a surprise.

Dec 18, 2019 8:26 AM by Raibyou

From what I can see online, the studio was perpetually in financial trouble and not even having a mere EUR 60,000 to pay their animators is incredibly telling. I feel sorry for the people who worked for the studio. Shit like this always happens around Christmas. In the US the truck company IS went bancrupt in the first week of December (both the CEO and CFO were arrested and have been accused of fraud) and left 8,000 truckers hanging with no money to pay bills or get Christmas presents for their children. Stories like theses break my heart because the little guys have to bear the brunt.

Dec 18, 2019 7:01 AM by huntress1013

Is this the right thread to admit that I actually watched "Lord of Vermilion: Guren no Ou" ? Yea it was bad but kind of like watching a bad horror movie - you stay to gauge the level of trainwreckage.

Dec 18, 2019 6:43 AM by VyseLegendaire

Nachtwandler_21 said:

Daniel_Naumov said:

Filing bankruptcy usually means they do not have any funds to continue functioning, which means termination of the company, not more no less... But the employees theoretically can take them to the court and have the court order to seize company property in favour of the victims (the employees). No idea how Japanese courts operate in such cases, but the more public outrage the bigger the chances people will get paid for their filthy drawings.
For example in U.S.A. a special court would first have to determine that the bankruptcy was filed with an aim to avoid fulfilling obligations towards employees as well, e.g. deliberately avoiding paying wages.

That one guy who reported this matter first said that he plans to get a lawyer and sue the company, so it works in Japan also.

Going to be a hard one for the judge.

Dec 17, 2019 4:18 PM by Daniel_Naumov

Daniel_Naumov said:

deg said:
so will they pay their animators? or filing for bankruptcy excuse them on doing that?

That one guy who reported this matter first said that he plans to get a lawyer and sue the company, so it works in Japan also.

Dec 17, 2019 4:16 PM by Nachtwandler_21

deg said:
so will they pay their animators? or filing for bankruptcy excuse them on doing that?

Dec 17, 2019 1:59 PM by Daniel_Naumov

Does it mean we'll never see it now, or is there still a chance blurays will be released?

Dec 17, 2019 1:01 PM by Vaylard

Veromaye said:
So this means no Fragtime for west right?

AS if it wasn't enough that we don't get to see good Shoujo-Ai/Yuri anime. Now this happens -_-

everything is a disaster to us, with the few anime yuri and shoujo ai that comes out, and this happens T_T

Dec 17, 2019 11:04 AM by Rosary_Diva

I first read that the producers teared down the studio (as in building) to file for bankruptcy. English headlines man, one s makes a world of a difference.

Dec 17, 2019 9:28 AM by Miragee

So this means no Fragtime for west right?

AS if it wasn't enough that we don't get to see good Shoujo-Ai/Yuri anime. Now this happens -_-

Dec 17, 2019 6:54 AM by Veromaye

What a shame. The staff must be in TEARS...

Dec 17, 2019 6:42 AM by Suicide_Chef

so will they pay their animators? or filing for bankruptcy excuse them on doing that?

Dec 17, 2019 4:52 AM by deg

It's so shame, just when they started producing yuri :,(

Dec 17, 2019 3:47 AM by KitsuYurikano

Look, a producer of shameful entertainment... shamefully terminates! Through such shameful practices as failing to pay the workforce.
Sounds like a natural phenomenon to me. Called "Speed and friction".

Dec 17, 2019 3:23 AM by Daniel_Naumov

well, thankfully Fragtime already released in Japan, now hopefully it can come to the west still, that's my real concern

Dec 16, 2019 11:35 PM by NG_Chloe

While most of the uproar on Twitter appears to be linked to Fragtime, a person claiming to have been involved in the production of Nande koko ni Sensei ga!? tweeted that Tear Studio's failure to pay its staff was also an issue during the series' production.

Dec 16, 2019 9:15 PM by ImperfectBlue