Studio Silver Link. and Subsidiary Studio Connect Merge

by ImperfectBlue
Jul 17, 2020 7:31 PM | 6 Comments

The Extra 150th issue of the National Printing Bureau's Kanpou—the Japanese government's official gazette—revealed a merger on Friday that saw animation studio Silver Link. absorb its subsidiary studio Connect. The merged studio retains the Silver Link. name, and subcontracting studio Beep remains a subsidiary of Silver Link.

For the fiscal year ending in November 2019, Silver Link. experienced a net loss of 24.97 million yen (approximately US$233,000), while Connect saw a net profit of 13.26 million yen (approximately US$124,000) for the fiscal year ending in March 2020.

Silver Link. was founded by Hayato Kaneko—a former producer for the now-defunct studio Front Line—in December 2007. Shortly after its inception, Silver Link. began assisting other studios with productions such as ef: A Tale of Melodies., Nodame Cantabile: Paris-hen, and Higashi no Eden (Eden of The East).

The studio produced its first television anime, Tayutama: Kiss on My Deity, in 2009, and recruited director Shin Oonuma (ef: A Tale of Memories) the same year. Oonuma has since contributed to many Silver Link. productions as a director and co-director, including Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu (Baka & Test - Summon the Beasts), Kokoro Connect, Imouto sae Ireba Ii. (A Sister's All You Need), and the currently airing Maou Gakuin no Futekigousha: Shijou Saikyou no Maou no Shiso, Tensei shite Shison-tachi no Gakkou e (The Misfit of Demon King Academy).

Silver Link. established Connect as a subsidiary in April 2012. Connect was credited alongside Silver Link. in producing the television anime adaptation of the Strike the Blood light novel in 2013, and continued co-producing anime with its parent company in the ensuing years. The studio was given complete control over a production with the original video animation Strike the Blood III in 2018, and produced the television anime adaptation of the Ore wo Suki nano wa Omae dake ka yoi (ORESUKI Are you the only one who loves me?) light novel in 2019. Connect is currently producing the fourth installment of the Strike the Blood anime.

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6 Comments Recent Comments

Just give us the last episode of Oresuki... please

Jul 27, 2020 2:38 AM by aku_mado

hope this leads to good things for them

Jul 18, 2020 4:00 PM by NG_Chloe

It explains how the studio produces some recent low budget anime. I hope the merger brings new dynamic to the studio.

Jul 18, 2020 1:43 PM by chriskor022

Almost all studios with the exceptions of a very few are operating at a loss. So to see that their loss is this little is pretty good. Plus Silver Link was notorious for getting low sales but with streaming being a huge thing they end up doing really well. Silver Link has a bright future ahead of them. Connect and Silver Link was pretty much always a thing so this is more of a business merger than something that will change in their work flow.

Jul 18, 2020 11:11 AM by moodie

Hopefully, this’ll result in the combined force getting a net gain by the end of this fiscal year.

Jul 17, 2020 11:09 PM by _MushiRock11_

Considering how the parent studio is not performing well from a financial perspective, it is better to reduce the size of their corporate structure and consolidate resources for higher cost-efficiency and cost-saving especially when they are both in the same business of Anime production.

Jul 17, 2020 8:03 PM by JeForceX