Bee Train
Encyclopedia
, commonly referred simply as Bee Train, is a Japan
ese animation studio
founded by Kōichi Mashimo
in 1997. Since their involvement with Noir
, .hack//Sign
, and Madlax
(among other series) they have a strong following in the yuri fandom for being involved in series portraying strong female leads with speculatively ambiguous relationships.
, who was previously a director
at Tatsunoko Productions and the founder of Mashimo Jimusho, a small freelance staff working for other studios. Originally, Bee Train was a subsidiary of Production I.G along with XEBEC
but in February 2006, it ended its relationship and became independent.
Koichi Mashimo's goal when he founded Bee Train was to create a "hospital for animators", an animation studio interested in nurturing young talents and art
istic quality of production rather than in corporate
strategies and profit. This studio-as-hospital
approach was allegedly invented by Mashimo during his prolonged stay in an intensive care unit (after a severe skiing
accident) and has been Bee Train's official strategy ever since.
The first projects published by the studio in 1999 were anime adaptations of video game franchises popular in Japan: PoPoLoCrois
, Arc the Lad
, Wild Arms: Twilight Venom, and Medabots
. Later, Bandai Visual
joined forces with Bee Train to produce an anime OVA based on the famous .hack video game series
. Simultaneously, they decided to promote the games with an anime television series, that aired in 2002 as .hack//Sign
and is among Bee Train's most famous works. The OVA became known as .hack//Liminality
and its four episodes were added as bonus material to each of the original four games of the franchise. In 2006, Bee Train produced .hack//Roots
, a prequel anime to the .hack//G.U. games and a spiritual successor to Sign.
Bee Train's first independent project was Noir
. Aired in 2001, the series was produced at the same time as Sign and became the first installment of Bee Train's "girls-with-guns" trilogy. After Noir had become widely successful in Japan
, France
, USA, Germany
, and other Western countries, the second series, Madlax
, was produced in 2004 and the third, El Cazador de la Bruja
, went on air in April 2007. Although the "girls-with-guns
" series are considered Bee Train's and, particularly, Mashimo's signature works, the original idea belonged to their common executive producer
Shigeru Kitayama
.
Since 1997, the studio's headquarters are located in Kokubunji, Tokyo
, although in 2001, it moved to another part of the city. Two more studio locations were acquired in 2004 (in Karuizawa, Nagano
) and 2006 (Kichijōji
, Musashino, Tokyo
).
new anime concepts with his colleagues in the state of alcohol intoxication. For example, according to him, that is how the idea of the supernatural connection between the two female leads of Madlax was born.
Another typical Bee Train gesture is to invite Japanese voice actor
s who have already worked on some of their projects to voice the characters similar to the ones they voiced before. For example, this list includes Hōko Kuwashima (Kirika Yuumura in Noir, Margaret Burton in Madlax), Aya Hisakawa
(Chloe, Limelda Jorg, Jodie Hayward in El Cazador de la Bruja), and Kaori Nazuka
(Subaru in .hack//Sign, Shino in .hack//Roots).
The famous Japanese composer
and music producer Yuki Kajiura
has created musical scores for multiple projects by Bee Train since Noir (whose appeal lay to a large degree in its soundtrack
). Kajiura has provided music for Sign, Liminality, Madlax (as part of FictionJunction Yuuka
), Tsubasa Chronicle, and recently El Cazador de la Bruja
. When explaining his preference for Kajiura's work, Mashimo once commented that "she's a storyteller who just happens to know how to write music". Another frequent collaboration is that between Bee Train and the musical duo Ali Project
(Noir, Avenger
, .hack//Roots). Generally, the music plays a just as important role in Bee Train's works as visuals and dialogue do, sometimes even drowning the latter (heard, for example, in .hack//Sign, Avenger, and Madlax).
. Bee Train has two other divisions. Through the 2009-2010 year new divisions were added. C-Station Department which serves as its animation design department and D-Station Department the digital production and digital photography works.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese animation studio
Animation studio
An animation studio is a company producing animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sales or rentals of the media produced...
founded by Kōichi Mashimo
Koichi Mashimo
is a well-known Japanese anime director and the founder of the animation studio Bee Train. Since the creation of the studio, Mashimo directed or otherwise participated in all its works, for example, as a member of art or sound department...
in 1997. Since their involvement with Noir
Noir (anime)
is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series produced in 2001 by the Bee Train animation studio. Kōichi Mashimo directed Noir, it was written by Ryoe Tsukimura, and the soundtrack was composed by Yuki Kajiura...
, .hack//Sign
.hack//SIGN
.hack//Sign is an anime television series directed by Kōichi Mashimo and produced by studio Bee Train and Bandai Visual, that makes up one of the four original storylines of the .hack franchise...
, and Madlax
MADLAX
is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series produced in 2004 by the Bee Train animation studio. Kōichi Mashimo directed Madlax and the soundtrack was composed by Yuki Kajiura...
(among other series) they have a strong following in the yuri fandom for being involved in series portraying strong female leads with speculatively ambiguous relationships.
History
The studio Bee Train was founded on June 5, 1997 by Koichi MashimoKoichi Mashimo
is a well-known Japanese anime director and the founder of the animation studio Bee Train. Since the creation of the studio, Mashimo directed or otherwise participated in all its works, for example, as a member of art or sound department...
, who was previously a director
Animation director
An animation director is the director in charge of all aspects of the animation process during the production of an animated film or animated segment for a live-action film...
at Tatsunoko Productions and the founder of Mashimo Jimusho, a small freelance staff working for other studios. Originally, Bee Train was a subsidiary of Production I.G along with XEBEC
XEBEC
is a subsidiary of the anime studio Production I.G that specialises in the production of television anime. They have worked on many popular series such as Love Hina and Martian Successor Nadesico...
but in February 2006, it ended its relationship and became independent.
Koichi Mashimo's goal when he founded Bee Train was to create a "hospital for animators", an animation studio interested in nurturing young talents and art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
istic quality of production rather than in corporate
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
strategies and profit. This studio-as-hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
approach was allegedly invented by Mashimo during his prolonged stay in an intensive care unit (after a severe skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
accident) and has been Bee Train's official strategy ever since.
The first projects published by the studio in 1999 were anime adaptations of video game franchises popular in Japan: PoPoLoCrois
PoPoLoCrois
PoPoLoCrois is a manga series by Tamori Yousuke, originally published in the Asahi Student Newspaper . It was later adapted into two anime series and five console role-playing games...
, Arc the Lad
Arc the Lad
is a series of console role-playing games that were released for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. Several of the games were published by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan. The games were never released outside of Japan until Arc the Lad Collection was released by Working Designs in 2002. An...
, Wild Arms: Twilight Venom, and Medabots
Medabots
Medabots, known in Japan as , is a role-playing video game franchise developed by Natsume and published by Imagineer in Japan in 1997. The video game franchise was later adapted into a Japanese anime television series produced by Bee Train. Spanning 52 episodes, the series originally aired on TV...
. Later, Bandai Visual
Bandai Visual
, is a Japanese anime, film production and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai Co., Ltd. and a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings, Inc., which is based in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Since the reorganisation of Namco Bandai Holdings in 2006, Bandai Visual now heads the group's Visual and...
joined forces with Bee Train to produce an anime OVA based on the famous .hack video game series
.hack (video game series)
.hack is a series of single-player action role-playing games for the , developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Bandai. The four games are titled .hack//Infection, .hack//Mutation, .hack//Outbreak, and .hack//Quarantine...
. Simultaneously, they decided to promote the games with an anime television series, that aired in 2002 as .hack//Sign
.hack//SIGN
.hack//Sign is an anime television series directed by Kōichi Mashimo and produced by studio Bee Train and Bandai Visual, that makes up one of the four original storylines of the .hack franchise...
and is among Bee Train's most famous works. The OVA became known as .hack//Liminality
.hack//Liminality
.hack//Liminality is the OVA series directly related to the .hack video game series for the PlayStation 2, with the perspective of Liminality focused on the real world as opposed to the games' MMORPG The World. Liminality was separated into four volumes; each volume was released with its...
and its four episodes were added as bonus material to each of the original four games of the franchise. In 2006, Bee Train produced .hack//Roots
.hack//Roots
is a 26-episode anime series, animated by studio Bee Train, that sets as a prologue for the .hack//G.U. video games. It is the first .hack TV series broadcast in HDTV . It is set seven years after the events of the first two anime series and games...
, a prequel anime to the .hack//G.U. games and a spiritual successor to Sign.
Bee Train's first independent project was Noir
Noir (anime)
is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series produced in 2001 by the Bee Train animation studio. Kōichi Mashimo directed Noir, it was written by Ryoe Tsukimura, and the soundtrack was composed by Yuki Kajiura...
. Aired in 2001, the series was produced at the same time as Sign and became the first installment of Bee Train's "girls-with-guns" trilogy. After Noir had become widely successful in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, USA, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and other Western countries, the second series, Madlax
MADLAX
is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series produced in 2004 by the Bee Train animation studio. Kōichi Mashimo directed Madlax and the soundtrack was composed by Yuki Kajiura...
, was produced in 2004 and the third, El Cazador de la Bruja
El Cazador de la Bruja
, is an anime television series directed by Kōichi Mashimo and animated by Bee Train studio. It is a spiritual successor of Noir and Madlax and the final installment of Bee Train's "girls-with-guns" trilogy. The series was aired on TV Tokyo from April to September in 2007...
, went on air in April 2007. Although the "girls-with-guns
Girls with guns
Girls with guns is a sub-genre of films and animation, especially Hong Kong action films and anime, with a female protagonist in a strong lead role, set in a modern context. The genre involves gun-play, stunts and martial arts action...
" series are considered Bee Train's and, particularly, Mashimo's signature works, the original idea belonged to their common executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
Shigeru Kitayama
Shigeru Kitayama
is a Japanese anime producer.-Works:Staffed in* Ninja Scroll , Assistant producer* 801 T.T.S. Airbats , Producer* Trigun , Producer* Geobreeders , Producer...
.
Since 1997, the studio's headquarters are located in Kokubunji, Tokyo
Kokubunji, Tokyo
is a city in Tokyo, Japan.As of 1 June 2008, the city has an estimated population of 117,335 . The total area is 11.48 km²...
, although in 2001, it moved to another part of the city. Two more studio locations were acquired in 2004 (in Karuizawa, Nagano
Karuizawa, Nagano
is a town located in Kitasaku District, Nagano, Japan.As of January 1, 2008, the town has an estimated population of 17,833 and has a total area of ....
) and 2006 (Kichijōji
Kichijoji
is a neighborhood in the city of Musashino in Tokyo, Japan. It is centered on the commercial area to the north of its train station and has a youthful, artistic, slightly countercultural reputation...
, Musashino, Tokyo
Musashino, Tokyo
is a city located in Tokyo, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 137,222 and a population density of 12,788.63 persons per km². The total area is 10.73 km².The city was founded on November 3, 1947...
).
Style
One frequent technique that Mashimo uses as part of his studio-as-hospital strategy is brainstormingBrainstorming
Brainstorming is a group creativity technique by which a group tries to find a solution for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members...
new anime concepts with his colleagues in the state of alcohol intoxication. For example, according to him, that is how the idea of the supernatural connection between the two female leads of Madlax was born.
Another typical Bee Train gesture is to invite Japanese voice actor
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
s who have already worked on some of their projects to voice the characters similar to the ones they voiced before. For example, this list includes Hōko Kuwashima (Kirika Yuumura in Noir, Margaret Burton in Madlax), Aya Hisakawa
Aya Hisakawa
is a Japanese voice actress and J-pop singer born in Kaizuka, Osaka. In addition to releasing various solo CDs, she is well known for her anime voice roles, and has also done some work in video games. She is best known for her role of Sailor Mercury of the Sailor Moon fame and also Cerberus from...
(Chloe, Limelda Jorg, Jodie Hayward in El Cazador de la Bruja), and Kaori Nazuka
Kaori Nazuka
is a freelance voice actress and singer. She is a graduate of the Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music. She also announced that she got married in February 2011.-TV anime:1999:*Ojarumaru...
(Subaru in .hack//Sign, Shino in .hack//Roots).
The famous Japanese composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and music producer Yuki Kajiura
Yuki Kajiura
, born August 6, 1965 in Tokyo, Japan, is a Japanese composer and music producer. She has provided the music for several popular anime series, such as one of the Kimagure Orange Road movies, Noir, .hack//SIGN, Aquarian Age, Madlax, My-HiME, My-Otome, .hack//Roots, Pandora Hearts, Puella Magi...
has created musical scores for multiple projects by Bee Train since Noir (whose appeal lay to a large degree in its soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
). Kajiura has provided music for Sign, Liminality, Madlax (as part of FictionJunction Yuuka
FictionJunction YUUKA
is a pop duo, part of Japanese composer Yuki Kajiura’s solo project FictionJunction, consisting of Yuuka Nanri and Kajiura .-Biography:...
), Tsubasa Chronicle, and recently El Cazador de la Bruja
El Cazador de la Bruja
, is an anime television series directed by Kōichi Mashimo and animated by Bee Train studio. It is a spiritual successor of Noir and Madlax and the final installment of Bee Train's "girls-with-guns" trilogy. The series was aired on TV Tokyo from April to September in 2007...
. When explaining his preference for Kajiura's work, Mashimo once commented that "she's a storyteller who just happens to know how to write music". Another frequent collaboration is that between Bee Train and the musical duo Ali Project
Ali Project
Ali Project is a Japanese band with a strong Japanese Aristocrat-style image, consisting of and .In the band's earlier days, their musical style tended towards light, cheerful and/or refreshing songs. However, the sound has changed in recent times to take on a darker and more mysterious tone...
(Noir, Avenger
Avenger (anime)
- External links :*...
, .hack//Roots). Generally, the music plays a just as important role in Bee Train's works as visuals and dialogue do, sometimes even drowning the latter (heard, for example, in .hack//Sign, Avenger, and Madlax).
Production
| Year | Title | Type | Eps | Director | Writer | Composer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Popolocrois Monogatari PoPoLoCrois (anime) The first anime series of "Popolocrois Story" was released in 1998, and the story is based immediately after the first PS1 game "Popolocrois Monogatari" and before the ¨Poporogue¨ game... |
TV | 25 | Kōichi Mashimo Koichi Mashimo is a well-known Japanese anime director and the founder of the animation studio Bee Train. Since the creation of the studio, Mashimo directed or otherwise participated in all its works, for example, as a member of art or sound department... |
Aya Matsui | Kow Otani |
| 1999 | Arc the Lad | TV | 26 | Itsuro Kawasaki | Akemi Omode | Michiru Oshima Michiru Oshima , is a Japanese composer who has worked on several video game, movie, and television titles. Her works include composition for the video games Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf for Super Nintendo, Ico for PlayStation 2, Legend of Legaia for the PlayStation , is a Japanese composer who has... |
| 1999 | Wild Arms: Twilight Venom | TV | 22 | Itsuro Kawasaki | Hideki Mitsui Itsuro Kawasaki Aya Matsui Akemi Omode Chinatsu Houjou Hideki Mitsui Kenji Kamiyama Kenji Kamiyama , born on March 20, 1966 in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, is a Japanese anime director. He has worked regularly with the anime studio and production enterprise, Production I.G, such as his work on Jin-Roh, Patlabor, Blood: The Last Vampire, and for whom he has directed the Ghost in the Shell: Stand... |
Kow Otani |
| 1999 | Medabots Medabots Medabots, known in Japan as , is a role-playing video game franchise developed by Natsume and published by Imagineer in Japan in 1997. The video game franchise was later adapted into a Japanese anime television series produced by Bee Train. Spanning 52 episodes, the series originally aired on TV... (first season) |
TV | 52 | Tensai Okamura | Ryōta Yamaguchi Ryota Yamaguchi is a Japanese anime screenwriter often associated with Sunrise.He penned a number of scripts for Sunrise's anime TV series The Vision of Escaflowne, as well as writing the movie version, Escaflowne: A Girl in Gaea with director Kazuki Akane.... |
Osamu Tezuka |
| 2001 | Noir Noir (anime) is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series produced in 2001 by the Bee Train animation studio. Kōichi Mashimo directed Noir, it was written by Ryoe Tsukimura, and the soundtrack was composed by Yuki Kajiura... |
TV | 26 | Kōichi Mashimo | Ryoe Tsukimura | Yuki Kajiura Yuki Kajiura , born August 6, 1965 in Tokyo, Japan, is a Japanese composer and music producer. She has provided the music for several popular anime series, such as one of the Kimagure Orange Road movies, Noir, .hack//SIGN, Aquarian Age, Madlax, My-HiME, My-Otome, .hack//Roots, Pandora Hearts, Puella Magi... |
| 2001 | Captain Kuppa Desert Pirate | TV | 26 | Kōichi Mashimo | Kōichi Mashimo | Hayato Matsuo |
| 2002 | .hack//Liminality .hack//Liminality .hack//Liminality is the OVA series directly related to the .hack video game series for the PlayStation 2, with the perspective of Liminality focused on the real world as opposed to the games' MMORPG The World. Liminality was separated into four volumes; each volume was released with its... |
OVA | 4 | Kōichi Mashimo | Kazunori Ito | Yuki Kajiura |
| 2002 | .hack//Sign .hack//SIGN .hack//Sign is an anime television series directed by Kōichi Mashimo and produced by studio Bee Train and Bandai Visual, that makes up one of the four original storylines of the .hack franchise... |
TV | 26 | Kōichi Mashimo | Kazunori Ito Hiroaki Jinno Kōichi Mashimo Kirin Mori Akemi Omode Mitsuhiko Sawamura Michiko Yokote |
Yuki Kajiura |
| 2002 | .hack//Gift | OVA | 1 | Kōichi Mashimo | Kazunori Ito | Yuki Kajiura |
| 2003 | Avenger Avenger (anime) - External links :*... |
TV | 13 | Kōichi Mashimo | Hidefumi Kimura | Ali Project Ali Project Ali Project is a Japanese band with a strong Japanese Aristocrat-style image, consisting of and .In the band's earlier days, their musical style tended towards light, cheerful and/or refreshing songs. However, the sound has changed in recent times to take on a darker and more mysterious tone... |
| 2003 | .hack//Legend of the Twilight .hack//Legend of the Twilight is a science fiction manga series written by Tatsuya Hamazaki and drawn by Rei Izumi. The twenty-two chapters of .hack//Legend of the Twilight appeared as a serial in the Japanese magazine Comptiq, and published in three tankōbon by Kadokawa Shoten from July 2002 to April 2004... |
TV | 12 | Kōichi Mashimo Koji Sawai Koji Sawai is a Japanese anime director and artist. He primarily works alongside his friend Koichi Mashimo and studio Bee Train but has also done work for other studios.-Biography:Koji Sawai was born on September 14, 1955, in Tokyo Japan... |
Akatsuki Yamatoya Satoru Nishizono |
Yuji Yoshino Yuji Yoshino is a Japanese composer who has done a variety of works in video game music, such as in .hack//Legend of the Twilight. He has also arranged a number of music collections for the Suikoden series, including Genso Suikoden IV Music Collection ~Another World~, some tracks of Genso Suikoden Celtic... Yoko Ueno Yoko Ueno is a Japanese recording artist. She has performed in the bands, Oranges & Lemons, Vita Nova, Marsh-Mallow, and Zabadak. She is also a notable musical composer, having written music for several anime series, most prominent being .hack//Legend of the Twilight, Azumanga Daioh , and Brigadoon... |
| 2003 | Immortal Grand Prix Immortal Grand Prix refers to two anime series co-produced simultaneously by Cartoon Network and Production I.G. The first is a "microseries" consisting of five 5-minute episodes, and the second is a 26-episode animated series loosely related to the first.... |
TV | 5 | Kōichi Mashimo | Kōichi Mashimo Yuki Arie |
Fat Jon Fat Jon Fat Jon the Ample Soul Physician is an American hip hop producer from Cincinnati, Ohio and one of the four members of Five Deez, alongside Pace Rock, Sonic, and Kyle David... |
| 2004 | Madlax MADLAX is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series produced in 2004 by the Bee Train animation studio. Kōichi Mashimo directed Madlax and the soundtrack was composed by Yuki Kajiura... |
TV | 26 | Kōichi Mashimo | Yōsuke Kuroda | Yuki Kajiura |
| 2004 | Meine Liebe Meine Liebe is a series of dating sims by Konami for the Game Boy Advance and PlayStation 2.Meine Liebe has been adapted into an anime series produced in 2004 by the studio Bee Train, which was broadcast across Japan by the anime television network, Animax... |
TV | 13 | Kōichi Mashimo | Akemi Omode | Yoshihisa Hirano Yoshihisa Hirano is a Japanese composer.- Biography :Yoshihisa Hirano studied composing at Juilliard School in 1992, and later at Eastman School of Music. Some of the awards he has received include first prize in the Axia Tape Competition in Japan during his high school years and New York's New Music for Young... |
| 2005 | Tsubasa Chronicle (first season) | TV | 26 | Kōichi Mashimo | Hiroyuki Kawasaki | Yuki Kajiura |
| 2006 | Meine Liebe wieder Meine Liebe is a series of dating sims by Konami for the Game Boy Advance and PlayStation 2.Meine Liebe has been adapted into an anime series produced in 2004 by the studio Bee Train, which was broadcast across Japan by the anime television network, Animax... |
TV | 13 | Shinya Kawano | Akemi Omode | Yutaka Minobe |
| 2006 | .hack//Roots .hack//Roots is a 26-episode anime series, animated by studio Bee Train, that sets as a prologue for the .hack//G.U. video games. It is the first .hack TV series broadcast in HDTV . It is set seven years after the events of the first two anime series and games... |
TV | 26 | Kōichi Mashimo | Kazunori Ito Miu Kawasaki |
Ali Project |
| 2006 | Spider Riders Spider Riders is a series of science fiction novels first published in December 2004, published by Newmarket Press written by Tedd Anasti, Patsy Cameron-Anasti and Stephen D. Sullivan . The stories became the basis of the animated television series produced by Cookie Jar Entertainment of Canada and Bee Train of... |
TV | 52 | Kōichi Mashimo Takaaki Ishiyama |
Yōsuke Kuroda | Fumitaka Anzai Nobuhiko Nakayama |
| 2006 | Tsubasa Chronicle (second season) | TV | 26 | Kōichi Mashimo Hiroshi Morioka |
Hiroyuki Kawasaki | Yuki Kajiura |
| 2007 | Murder Princess Murder Princess is a manga by Sekihiko Inui. An OVA series was later produced by Marvelous Entertainment and Bee Train based on the manga. The anime had been licensed by ADV Films but was transferred to Funimation in 2008.-Plot:... |
OVA | 6 | Tomoyuki Kurokawa | Tatsuhiko Urahata | Yasufumi Fukuda |
| 2007 | El Cazador de la Bruja El Cazador de la Bruja , is an anime television series directed by Kōichi Mashimo and animated by Bee Train studio. It is a spiritual successor of Noir and Madlax and the final installment of Bee Train's "girls-with-guns" trilogy. The series was aired on TV Tokyo from April to September in 2007... |
TV | 26 | Kōichi Mashimo | Kenichi Kanemaki | Yuki Kajiura |
| 2007 | Spider Riders: Yomigaeru Taiyou Spider Riders is a series of science fiction novels first published in December 2004, published by Newmarket Press written by Tedd Anasti, Patsy Cameron-Anasti and Stephen D. Sullivan . The stories became the basis of the animated television series produced by Cookie Jar Entertainment of Canada and Bee Train of... |
TV | 26 | Kōichi Mashimo | Yōsuke Kuroda | Fumitaka Anzai Nobuhiko Nakayama |
| 2008 | Blade of the Immortal Blade of the Immortal is a Japanese manga series by Hiroaki Samura. The series won an Excellence Prize at the 1997 Japan Media Arts Festival and the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award in 2000 for Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material... |
TV | 13 | Kōichi Mashimo | Hiroyuki Kawasaki | Kow Otani |
| 2008 | Batman Gotham Knight: Field Test Batman: Gotham Knight is a 2008 direct-to-DVD animated superhero anthology film of six animated short films set in-between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. It depicts Batman battling against the mob of Gotham City, as well as other villains... |
Video | 1 | Hiroshi Morioka Hiroshi Morioka is a Japanese anime director and artist. Primarily working alongside director Koichi Mashimo at Bee Train animation studio, he's come on scene in his work with some notable productions by Bee Train including the anime adaption of Clamp's Tsubasa Chronicle and the third segment Field Test in Batman:... |
Jordan Goldberg | Christopher Drake Christopher Drake Christopher Drake is an American film and television composer.Drake was personally selected by Academy Award nominated film director Guillermo del Toro to provide the music for the first two 75-minute animated movies, Hellboy: Sword of Storms and Hellboy: Blood and Iron... |
| 2009 | Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ | TV | 26 | Kōichi Mashimo | Gen Urobuchi Yōsuke Kuroda Hideki Shirane Noboru Kimura Tatsuya Takahashi Yukihito Nonaka |
Hikaru Nanase |
| 2010 | Halo Legends: Homecoming Halo Legends Halo Legends is a collection of seven short anime films set in the Halo science-fiction universe. Financed by Halo franchise overseer 343 Industries, the stories were created by six Japanese production houses: Bones, Casio Entertainment, Production I.G., Studio 4°C, and Toei Animation... |
OVA/ONA | 1 | Koji Sawai | Hiroyuki Kawasaki | Martin O'Donnell Martin O'Donnell Martin "Marty" O'Donnell is an American composer known for his work on video game developer Bungie's series, such as Myth, Oni, and Halo... |
| 2010 | Psychic Detective Yakumo Psychic Detective Yakumo is a novel by Manabu Kaminaga published in Nihon Bungeisha with illustrations by Katoh Akatsuki and later in Kadokawa Bunko with cover illustrations by Yasushi Suzuki. The book has been adapted into two manga series, an anime, a live-action drama series and a stage play.-Plot summary:Yakumo Saitou,... |
TV | 13 | Tomoyuki Kurokawa | Hiroyuki Kawasaki | R・O・N |
| 2011 | Hyouge Mono Hyouge Mono is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Yamada. It won an Excellence prize for manga at the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival and the Grand Prize at the 2010 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. It was adapted into an anime series in 2011. The official website was updated to reflect the change... |
TV | 39 | Koichi Mashimo | Hiroyuki Kawasaki | Kow Otani Cro-Magnon Cro-Magnon The Cro-Magnon were the first early modern humans of the European Upper Paleolithic. The earliest known remains of Cro-Magnon-like humans are radiometrically dated to 35,000 years before present.... |
Other participations
Bee Train also participated in the following works as a general for hire company, handling such tasks as animation.- .hack//Games First Quartet participation with Project .hack
- .hack//G.U. participation with Project .hack
- Afro Samurai: Resurrection: 2nd key animation
- Ah! My Goddess: The MovieAh! My Goddess: The Movieis a 2000 Japanese animated film directed by Hiroaki Gōda, written by Michiko Yokote and Yoshihiko Tomizawa, animated by Anime International Company and co-produced by Kodansha, Dentsu, Sega Enterprises, Pony Canyon, Nippon Shupan Hanbai, AIC, MOVIC and Shochiku, based on the manga of the same name...
: In-Between Animation - Angel Beats: 2D Works (D-Station), Finish animation (Studio Road)
- Baka and Test - Summon the Beasts: D-Station: Digital works, photography assistance,
- Batman: Gotham KnightBatman: Gotham Knightis a 2008 direct-to-DVD animated superhero anthology film of six animated short films set in-between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. It depicts Batman battling against the mob of Gotham City, as well as other villains...
: Field Test short film production/in-between animation/ink and paint-Studio Road/editing studio - Blood: The Last VampireBlood: The Last VampireBlood: The Last Vampire is a 2000 anime film produced by Production I.G and SPE Visual Works and directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo. The film premiered in theaters in Japan on November 18, 2000...
: In-Between Animation - Cowboy Bebop: The MovieCowboy Bebop: The Movie, known internationally as Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, is a 2001 animated film directed by Shinichirō Watanabe. The screenplay was written by Keiko Nobumoto, based on the Cowboy Bebop television series created by Sunrise. The plot centers on Spike Spiegel and his crew as they find a criminal who is...
: In-Between Animation - FLCLFLCLis an original video animation series written by Yōji Enokido, directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki and produced by the FLCL Production Committee, which included Gainax, Production I.G, and Starchild Records....
: In-Between Animation - Fullmetal AlchemistFullmetal Alchemist, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is styled after the European Industrial Revolution...
: Key animation - Gun Sword: Animation finish
- Gurren Lagann: Second Key Animation, In-Between Animation
- Haibane RenmeiHaibane Renmeiis a 13-episode anime series based on the work of Yoshitoshi ABe. It began as an original dōjinshi comic series, , but this was quickly superseded by the anime and was never completed...
: In-Between Animation - Heroic AgeHeroic Age (anime)is a science fiction anime directed by Toshimasa Suzuki. It is produced by XEBEC and airs on Japanese television networks. The series first aired on April 1, 2007 and ended on September 30, 2007, with 26 episodes....
: Production Cooperation (episode 04) - Honey and CloverHoney and Cloveris a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Chika Umino. It is also known as and H&C. It is published by Shueisha, initially serialized from June 2000 to July 2006 in the magazines CUTiEcomic, Young YOU, and Chorus, and collected in ten bound volumes...
: Animation - House of Five LeavesHouse of Five Leavesis a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Natsume Ono and serialized in Shogakukan's seinen magazine Ikki. The series began in 2006, and has been collected into 8 volumes by publisher Shogakukan. The manga was licensed for distribution in North America by Viz Media.The manga series was adapted...
: 3D Layout (D-Station) - Immortal Grand Prix: In-between Animation
- Katekyo Hitman Reborn!: In-Between Animation, Key Animation
- Le Chevalier D'EonLe Chevalier D'Eonis a 24-episode anime TV series produced by Production I.G based on an original story by Tow Ubukata. The anime originally aired in Japan on WOWOW from August 19, 2006 to February 2, 2007. The story has also been adapted into a manga series written by Tow Ubukata and illustrated by Kiriko Yumeji,...
: In-Between Animation - Mayoi Neko Overrun!Mayoi Neko Overrun!is a Japanese light novel series by Tomohiro Matsu, with illustrations by Peco. As of March 25, 2010, eight volumes have been published by Shueisha under their Super Dash Bunko imprint. A manga adaptation by Kentaro Yabuki started serialization in the shōnen manga magazine Jump Square on January 4,...
: Production Assistance (ep. 4; D-Station/BeeTrain) Finish (Studio Road) Second key animation (C-Station) - Major: Yūjō no Winning Shot: Key Animation
- Mind Game: Animation
- Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Second SeasonMobile Suit Gundam 00is an anime TV series, the eleventh incarnation of Sunrise's long-running Gundam franchise consisting of two seasons. It is directed by Seiji Mizushima and written by Yōsuke Kuroda, and features character designs by Yun Kōga. The twenty-five episode season was officially announced by Sunrise...
: In-Between Animation - Phantom of InfernoPhantom of InfernoPhantom of Inferno is a visual novel game created by Nitroplus, and distributed by Hirameki International . It came out in Japan in 2000, and then was distributed in America as an AnimePlay title in 2003...
(XBox 360 version): Remade for the Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
the new game features the character designs created for the series as well as the voice cast. - PotemayoPotemayois a Japanese four-panel comic strip by Haruka Ogataya. The manga was first serialized in the four-panel manga magazine Moeyon in July 2004. In October 2005, the manga moved to the Japanese seinen manga magazine Comic High! and continued until January 2011...
: Second Key Animation - Prism ArkPrism Arkis a Japanese erotic video game and the sequel of Prism Heart developed by Pajamas Soft. Its first release was on August 25, 2006. This work contains adult-only content of a sexual nature....
: Key Animation - Professor Layton and the Curious VillageProfessor Layton and the Curious VillageProfessor Layton and the Curious Village, released in Japan as , is a puzzle adventure video game for the Nintendo DS system. It was developed by Level-5, and published by Level-5 within Japan and Nintendo internationally. It was released in Japan during 2007, and in PAL regions and North America a...
: Animation Editing - RIN ~Daughters of Mnemosyne~MnemosyneMnemosyne , source of the word mnemonic, was the personification of memory in Greek mythology. This titaness was the daughter of Gaia and Uranus and the mother of the nine Muses by Zeus:* Calliope * Clio * Erato...
: Second Key Animation - R.O.D. The TV: In-Between Animation
- Ryoko's Case File: In-Between Animation
- Sengoku BasaraSengoku Basarais a series of video games developed and published by Capcom, as well as a bigger media franchise based on it, including two anime series and an animated film...
: Key Animation - Slayers Revolution: Key Animation
- Sora Kake GirlSora Kake Girl, is a Japanese anime television series, created and produced by Sunrise. Based on the original concept by the Sunrise animation staff, the series is directed by Masakazu Obara and written by Jukki Hanada, overseeing a team of animators noted for their previous work on My-HiME and My-Otome.The...
: Key Animation - Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind: In-between animation
- Sword of the StrangerSword of the Strangeris a 2007 Japanese anime feature film directed by Masahiro Andō and produced by Bones. The film follows Kotaro, a young boy who is hunted by the Ming from China for mysterious reasons. Among the Ming is a fearsome Western fighter named Luo-Lang, whose only desire is to find a worthy opponent...
: Second Key Animation - Tales of the AbyssTales of the Abyssis a console role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco in Japan and Namco Bandai Games in North America. Tales of the Abyss's characteristic genre name is The Meaning Of Birth RPG . It is the eighth mothership title in the Tales series, and was released for the...
: In-between animation - Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New WorldTales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New WorldTales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, known in Japan as , is a console role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco Bandai for the Wii as a cross of spin-off and sequel to Tales of Symphonia for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2. Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of...
: In-between animation - Tennis no Ōjisama - Futari no SamuraiTennis no Ojisama - Futari no Samuraiis an animated film based on the manga series The Prince of Tennis by Takeshi Konomi. It was produced by Nihon Ad Systems and Production I.G., and directed by Takayuki Hamana...
: Animation - Toradora!Toradora!is a Japanese light novel series by Yuyuko Takemiya, with illustrations by Yasu. The series includes ten novels released between March 10, 2006 and March 10, 2009, published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint. Three volumes of a spin-off light novel series was also created,...
: Episode 4 - Tsubasa Chronicle: Tokyo Revelations : In-between Animation
- Wolf's RainWolf's Rainis an anime series created by writer and story editor Keiko Nobumoto and produced by Bones Studio. The series was directed by Tensai Okamura and featured character designs by Toshihiro Kawamoto with a soundtrack produced and arranged by Yoko Kanno. It focuses on the journey of four lone wolves...
: Production Cooperation, In-Betweens (ep. 13) Finish (Studio Road) - xxxHolic Kei: 2nd Key Animation
- XenogearsXenogearsis a science-fiction console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation. It was released on February 11, 1998 in Japan and on October 20, 1998 in North America. The game was never released in PAL territories...
: Animation Production animation cut scenes
Other Divisions
Bee Train Digital is Bee Train's small special effects and other works area that has mostly provided additional production support to projects such as effects, finishing and photography work for .hack//SIGN, .hack//Liminality, Avenger, and Murder Princess. It has recently created special effects for Toaru Majutsu no Index and 2D works in ending theme of CanaanCanaan (anime)
Canaan is a 13-episode anime television series, conceptualized by Type-Moon co-founders Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi, based on the scenario that they created for the Nintendo Wii visual novel 428: Fūsa Sareta Shibuya de, which is noted for being one of the few games to be have been awarded a...
. Bee Train has two other divisions. Through the 2009-2010 year new divisions were added. C-Station Department which serves as its animation design department and D-Station Department the digital production and digital photography works.