Anime name
ame pippin
2026
One of anime’s boldest artists is officially returning to the director’s chair. Masaaki Yuasa, one of modern anime’s most celebrated and unique directors, has announced the production of his first original animated filmsince 2021’s acclaimedInu-Oh.
Daisy’s Life, an anime feature based off of the eponymous Japanese magical realism novel, has been announced this week throughVarietyfor a 2026 release date. The film is going to be the first project of his brand-new Tokyo-based studio, ame pippin. The film is billed as a childhood Japanese drama of loss and friendship expanded to the limits of reality.
“A 100-Meter Radius on a Cosmic Scale”
Synopsis and Inspirations for the Film
Masaaki Yuasa is no stranger to works that transcend the limits of spacetime. In his statement toVariety, he makes it exceptionally clear thatDaisy’s Lifehopes to capture the epic whimsicality of his past works likeLu Over the WallandRide Your Wave:
“Even among the works of [source material novelist] Ms. Banana Yoshimoto, this is a novel that evokes visual images throughout, and while there are parts that are vividly scary, the final passage is very happy, like something I had dreamed of in the past. I would like to depict the life of the protagonist who works for a yakisoba restaurant in a downtown area with a 100-meter radius on a cosmic scale.”
Yuasa’s Legacy and Future
Science Saru and ame pippin
In Yuasa’s more than two decades of directing since his avant-garde breakoutMind Game, he has become one of the most visually distinct figures in contemporary anime. From anime series such asThe Tatami GalaxyandDevilman Crybabyto theatrical projects ranging fromLu Over the Wallto his recent period piece rock operaInu-Oh, Yuasa’s many projects have garnereda cult following in Japan and abroadfor their mixture of surreal visual spectacle and sincere, character-driven storytelling.
On the production end, his experience with the new studio ame pippin is reminiscent of his previous experience as co-founder of Science Saru. While certainly bearing the creative genes of Yuasa through his own projects with the studio likeLu Over the WallandInu-Oh, the studio has branched out through both its international IP adaptations like 2021’sStar Wars: Visionsanthology and2023’sScott Pilgrim Takes Off, as well as its original projects likeThe Heike StoryandYurei Deco.
With Saru’s 2024 paranormal comedyDan Da Danbecoming one of the year’s biggest anime and fellow director Naoko Yamada becoming one of the most artistically acclaimed directors through her work on Saru projectsThe Heike StoryandThe Colors Within, Yuasa’s previous endeavors have certainly become some of the anime industry’s biggest success stories. Yuasa’s new studio and new film are certainly set to keep that moment going strong.
