Katsuhiro Otomo launched a new animation studio called Oval Gear and it quickly gained the attention of anime fans around the world.
The move brought new hope for his long-delayed Orbital Era film, which began generating buzz a few years ago but was never fully updated.
The studio has now uploaded its official website and fans noticed something important right away.
The site does, however, show visuals that fit with Orbital Era, including a space-themed character that was previously linked to the film. This made many people believe that the project could finally be active again.
Oval Gear explains on its website that the studio was created to pass on Otomo’s creative style to new artists while building new anime projects for the future.
It also indicates that the studio wants to share new stories with a global audience.
Another important detail is that the studio is recruiting new staff, because this usually means that work begins behind the scenes and a project is built step by step.
Fans have been waiting for years because Otomo hasn’t directed a major animated film in a long time, since his last major animated work was 2013’s Short Peace.
With this new studio release, excitement has returned and many now believe that Orbital Era could finally be one step closer to becoming an actual film.
