TMS Entertainment Taps Taiwan's R. Animation for Production Support Amid Industry Labor Crunch

TMS Entertainment, the studio producing the highly anticipated Sakamoto Days TV anime, confirmed a major strategic partnership with Taiwan-based R. Animation on January 8, 2026. This collaboration is a direct response to the deepening animator shortage crisis in Japan, focusing on joint production efforts and workflow stabilization for the studio's high-profile slate.

The need for external support is driven by projects like Sakamoto Days, which is based on Yuto Suzuki's manga about a retired hitman and is set to premiere in January 2025. A live-action film adaptation is also scheduled to follow during Golden Week 2026. TMS is under significant pressure managing these new titles alongside established, ongoing series like Detective Conan and Lupin III, given the industry-wide issues of aging staff and talent gaps.

R. Animation, established in Taipei in 2018, fields a team of over 40 animators skilled in Japanese-style hand-drawn techniques. Their involvement in the TMS pipeline will be extensive, spanning key art, in-betweens, finishing, storyboarding, and post-production.

This is not R. Animation’s first major anime involvement. They previously supported CloverWorks on hits including My Dress-Up Darling, Spy×Family, and The Elusive Samurai. They have also contributed key animation to major titles like One Piece and Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation II.

TMS Executive Officer Ippei Takemura confirmed that while creator effort remains central, structural changes are now necessary for the studio’s longevity. The deal specifically outlines the transfer of project pipelines from TMS, skill training for R. Animation’s staff, and technology exchanges. These efforts are designed to support TMS’s internal 'Anime SDGs' initiative, which aims for sustainable growth in production.