Zuiyo (瑞鷹株式会社 ''ZUIYO Co., Ltd.'', or: ズイヨー ''Zuiyō'') is a
Japanese animation
is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening ...
company founded in
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
and headquartered in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
.
The studio has produced in the past a variety of series based on Western literature such as ''
Moomin
The Moomins ( sv, Mumintroll) are the central characters in a series of novels, short stories, and a comic strip by Finns, Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish language, Swedish by Schildts in Finland. The ...
'', ''
Heidi, Girl of the Alps
is an anime television series produced by Zuiyo Eizo and is based on the novel ''Heidi's Years of Wandering and Learning'' by Johanna Spyri (1880). It was directed by Isao Takahata and features contributions by numerous other anime filmma ...
'' and ''
Vicky the Viking
''Vicky the Viking'', known as ''Wickie und die starken Männer'' () in Germany and Austria and in Japan, is an animated television series which tells the adventures of Vicky, a young Viking boy who uses his wits to help his Viking fellows. It ...
''.
History
Zuiyo Enterprise and Zuiyo Eizo (1969-1975)
The company was founded as Zuiyo Enterprise (瑞鷹エンタープライズ ''Zuiyō Entāpuraizu'') in April 1969, by
TCJ former manager Shigeto Takahashi. The company was involved in the production of animated series for the TV anime staple ''Calpis Comic Theater'' (''Karupisu manga gekijō''), later known as ''
World Masterpiece Theater
was a Japanese TV anime staple that showcased an animated version of a different classical book or story each year from 19:30 to 20:00 on Sunday on Fuji TV. It originally aired from 1969 to 1997 and from 2007 to 2009. Commonly abbreviated to ...
'', broadcast on
Fuji TV
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network Sys ...
. These series were based on
children's literature
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
such as ''
Moomin
The Moomins ( sv, Mumintroll) are the central characters in a series of novels, short stories, and a comic strip by Finns, Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish language, Swedish by Schildts in Finland. The ...
'' and ''
Andersen Stories''. These earlier series' animation were commissioned to two other studios:
Mushi Production
or Mushi Pro for short, is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Fujimidai, Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. It previously had a headquarters elsewhere in Nerima.
The studio was headed by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka started it as a rivalry wit ...
and
Tokyo Movie Shinsha
, formerly known as the , also known as or , is a Japanese animation studio established on October 22, 1946.
TMS is one of the oldest and most famous anime studios in Japan, best known for numerous anime franchises such as ''Lupin the Third'', ...
, while Zuiyo was mainly involved in the planning.
Between 1972 and 1973, Zuiyo Enterprise changed its name to Zuiyo Eizo (ズイヨー映像 ''Zuiyō Eizō'') after changing headquarter. However, the studio will continue to be credited as Zuiyo Enterprise in some foreign versions of its works. In this time Zuiyo was working on its first independent production based on
Johanna Spyri
Johanna Louise Spyri (; ; 12 June 1827 – 7 July 1901) was a Swiss author of novels, notably children's stories, and is best known for her book ''Heidi''. Born in Hirzel, a rural area in the canton of Canton of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland, ...
's ''
Heidi
''Heidi'' (; ) is a work of children's fiction published in 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri, originally published in two parts as ''Heidi: Her Years of Wandering and Learning'' (german: Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre) and ''Heidi: How She Used ...
'', an ambitious project on which
Isao Takahata
was a Japanese director, screenwriter and producer. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he earned international critical acclaim for his work as a director of Japanese animated feature films. Born in Ujiyamada, Mie Prefecture, Takahata joined Toei ...
and
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widel ...
also worked on. In 1967 Takahashi had already produced a short pilot for a Heidi series with TCJ, but the project was shelved. In the meantime Zuiyo also worked on ''
Vicky the Viking
''Vicky the Viking'', known as ''Wickie und die starken Männer'' () in Germany and Austria and in Japan, is an animated television series which tells the adventures of Vicky, a young Viking boy who uses his wits to help his Viking fellows. It ...
'', a German co-production with
ZDF
ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...
and
ORF
ORF or Orf may refer to:
* Norfolk International Airport, IATA airport code ORF
* Observer Research Foundation, an Indian research institute
* One Race Films, a film production company founded by Vin Diesel
* Open reading frame, a portion of the ...
, based on
Runer Jonsson's eponymous book series. In 1974 ''
Heidi, Girl of the Alps
is an anime television series produced by Zuiyo Eizo and is based on the novel ''Heidi's Years of Wandering and Learning'' by Johanna Spyri (1880). It was directed by Isao Takahata and features contributions by numerous other anime filmma ...
'' and ''Vicky the Viking'' were broadcast in Japan, soon gaining a huge success also in Europe. Nevertheless, Zuiyo Eizo found itself in financial difficulties due to the high production costs of its series, not enough repaid by the selling of its properties to European market. In
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
, Zuiyo Eizo was split into two entities: Zuiyo Co., Ltd., which absorbed the debt and the rights to the ''Heidi'' anime and other previous series, and
Nippon Animation
is a Japanese animation studio. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, with chief offices in the Ginza district of Chūō and production facilities in Tama City.
Nippon Animation is known for producing numerous anime series based on works of ...
, which was essentially Zuiyo Eizo's production staff (including Miyazaki and Takahata), which would continue to produce World Masterpiece Theater, retaining the rights of other series on which the studio was working on, such as ''
A Dog of Flanders
''A Dog of Flanders'' is an 1872 novel by English author Marie Louise de la Ramée published with her pseudonym "Ouida". It is about a Flemish boy named Nello and his dog, Patrasche, and is set in Antwerp.
In Japan, Korea, Russia, Ukraine and ...
'' and ''
Maya the Honey Bee
is an anime television series produced first by Zuiyo Enterprise and Asahi Broadcasting Corporation of Osaka. After the first 6 episodes, Zuiyo Enterprise would split into Zuiyo Company and Nippon Animation, which retained the rights of th ...
''.
Zuiyo
From here on, Zuiyo mainly dealt with the distribution and marketing of its previous creations, co-producing only occasionally new anime.
Between 1979 and 1983 the studio temporarily returned to be named Zuiyo Enterprise. In 1979, the studio produced a theatrical re-edited footage film based on ''
Heidi, Girl of the Alps
is an anime television series produced by Zuiyo Eizo and is based on the novel ''Heidi's Years of Wandering and Learning'' by Johanna Spyri (1880). It was directed by Isao Takahata and features contributions by numerous other anime filmma ...
''. Between the
80s
Ribosomes are a large and complex molecular machine that catalyzes the synthesis of proteins, referred to as translation. The ribosome selects aminoacylated transfer RNAs (tRNAs) based on the sequence of a protein-encoding messenger RNA (mRNA) ...
and the early
90s
The 90s ran from 90 AD to 99 AD.
Significant people
* Titus Flavius Domitianus, Roman Emperor (AD 81– 96)
* Nerva, Roman Emperor (AD 96
AD 96 ( XCVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Jul ...
, Zuiyo produced in collaboration with other studios some animated series such as ''
Serendipity the Pink Dragon
is an anime television series produced by ZUIYO Enterprise that aired on NTV on 1 July 1983, ending on 23 December. The series was based on the ''Serendipity'' books by Stephen Cosgrove and character designs for the animation version were don ...
'' (1983), ''
Elves of the Forest
is a Japanese anime television series produced by Zuiyo and animated by Shaft. It was originally broadcast on Fuji TV for 23 episodes between October 5, 1984, and January 1, 1985.
Plot
Joulupukki Family lives along with the tonttu and wigh ...
'' (1984–85), ''Fairy Dick'' (1992) and the
OAV ''Fox Wood Tales'' (1991–92).
In the
2000s
File:2000s decade montage3.png, From top left, clockwise: The World Trade Center on fire and the Statue of Liberty during the 9/11 attacks in 2001; the euro enters into European currency in 2002; a statue of Saddam Hussein being toppled durin ...
, the studio was involved in the production of experimental
CGI animated series and short films such as ''Popee the Performer'', ''RAHMAN'' and ''Elec-king The Animation''.
Between 2010 and 2017, Zuiyo also produced a series of parody shorts in which Heidi's characters appear in a comedic-zany way: ''Tei nenpi shōjo Haiji'' (2010), 13 streaming commercials promoting a new model of
Nissan Note
The is a supermini/subcompact hatchback or a mini MPV manufactured and marketed worldwide by Nissan. Introduced in 2004, the first-generation Note was primarily marketed in Japan and Europe, and was produced in Japan and the United Kingdom. The ...
, and ''Arupusu no Shōjo Haiji? Chara Onji'' (2016) and ''Arupusu no Shōjo Haiji? Chara Onji Z'' (2017) a series of short films starring Heidi's grandfather.
Select works
TV Series
* ''
The Chronicles of Kamui the Ninja'' (忍風カムイ外伝 , ''Ninpū Kamui Gaiden'') – 1969 (co-produced with
TCJ)
* ''
Moomin
The Moomins ( sv, Mumintroll) are the central characters in a series of novels, short stories, and a comic strip by Finns, Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish language, Swedish by Schildts in Finland. The ...
'' (ムーミン, ''Mūmin'') – 1969-70 (co-produced with
Tokyo Movie Shinsha
, formerly known as the , also known as or , is a Japanese animation studio established on October 22, 1946.
TMS is one of the oldest and most famous anime studios in Japan, best known for numerous anime franchises such as ''Lupin the Third'', ...
and
Mushi Production
or Mushi Pro for short, is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Fujimidai, Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. It previously had a headquarters elsewhere in Nerima.
The studio was headed by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka started it as a rivalry wit ...
)
* ''
Andersen Stories'' (アンデルセン物語, ''Anderusen Monogatari'') – 1971 (co-produced with Mushi Production)
* ''
New Moomin
is the second anime television series adaptation of the Moomin book series by the Finnish illustrator and writer Tove Jansson. It is a remake of the 1969-1970 ''Moomin'' series, which was loosely based on the books.
It was produced in 1972 by ...
'' (新 ムーミン, ''Shin Moomin'') – 1972 (co-produced with Mushi Production)
* ''
Little Wansa
is a mascot for Sanwa Bank designed by Osamu Tezuka. It was later turned into a manga series by Tezuka and an anime series from 1973.
The hero of Wansa-kun was Wansa, a puppy who is sold for a pittance, then escapes, and spends much of the ...
'' (ワンサくん, ''Wansa-kun'') – 1973 (co-produced with Mushi Production)
* ''
Fables of the Green Forest
is an anime television series based on a series of books published in the 1910s and 1920s by Thornton W. Burgess which ran on the Japanese network Fuji Television from 7 January 1973 to 30 December 1973. It consists of 52 episodes and was pro ...
'' (山ねずみロッキーチャック, ''Yama Nezumi Rokkī Chakku'') – 1973 (co-produced with Mushi Production)
* ''
Heidi, Girl of the Alps
is an anime television series produced by Zuiyo Eizo and is based on the novel ''Heidi's Years of Wandering and Learning'' by Johanna Spyri (1880). It was directed by Isao Takahata and features contributions by numerous other anime filmma ...
'' (アルプスの少女ハイジ, ''Arupusu no Shōjo Haiji'') – 1974
* ''
Vicky the Viking
''Vicky the Viking'', known as ''Wickie und die starken Männer'' () in Germany and Austria and in Japan, is an animated television series which tells the adventures of Vicky, a young Viking boy who uses his wits to help his Viking fellows. It ...
'' (小さなバイキング ビッケ, ''Chiisana Viking Vikke'') – 1974-75 (co-produced with
ZDF
ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...
,
ORF
ORF or Orf may refer to:
* Norfolk International Airport, IATA airport code ORF
* Observer Research Foundation, an Indian research institute
* One Race Films, a film production company founded by Vin Diesel
* Open reading frame, a portion of the ...
, Taurus Film, Mushi Production (eps. 1–26) and completed by
Nippon Animation
is a Japanese animation studio. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, with chief offices in the Ginza district of Chūō and production facilities in Tama City.
Nippon Animation is known for producing numerous anime series based on works of ...
(eps. 53-78))
*
''A Dog of Flanders'' (フランダースの犬, ''Furandāsu no Inu'') – 1975 (eps. 1-20, 24–26, property of
Nippon Animation
is a Japanese animation studio. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, with chief offices in the Ginza district of Chūō and production facilities in Tama City.
Nippon Animation is known for producing numerous anime series based on works of ...
)
* ''
Maya the Honey Bee
is an anime television series produced first by Zuiyo Enterprise and Asahi Broadcasting Corporation of Osaka. After the first 6 episodes, Zuiyo Enterprise would split into Zuiyo Company and Nippon Animation, which retained the rights of th ...
'' (みつばちマーヤの冒険, ''Mitsubachi Māya no Bōken'') – 1975-76 (eps. 1–6, property of Nippon Animation)
* ''
Serendipity the Pink Dragon
is an anime television series produced by ZUIYO Enterprise that aired on NTV on 1 July 1983, ending on 23 December. The series was based on the ''Serendipity'' books by Stephen Cosgrove and character designs for the animation version were don ...
'' (ピュア島の仲間たち, ''Pyuatō no Nakama-tachi'') – 1983 (co-produced with Dragon Production,
SHAFT, Studio Unicorn and Tama Production)
* ''
Elves of the Forest
is a Japanese anime television series produced by Zuiyo and animated by Shaft. It was originally broadcast on Fuji TV for 23 episodes between October 5, 1984, and January 1, 1985.
Plot
Joulupukki Family lives along with the tonttu and wigh ...
'' (森のトントたち, ''Mori no Tonto Tachi'') – 1984-85 (co-produced with SHAFT)
* ''Fairy Dick'' (妖精ディック, ''Yōsei Dikku)'' – 1992 (co-produced with
Grouper Productions,
Marubeni
(, OSE: 8002, NSE: 8002) is a ''sōgō shōsha'' (general trading company) headquartered in Nihonbashi, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the largest ''sogo shosha'' and has leading market shares in cereal and paper pulp trading as well as a st ...
)
OAV
* ''Fox Wood Tales'' (フォックスウッドものがたり, ''Fokkus uuddo monogatari'') – 1991-92 (co-produced with Grouper Productions, Marubeni and Nippon Columbia)
Film
* ''
Arupusu no Shōjo Haiji'' (アルプスの少女ハイジ) – 1979
Commercial
* ''Tei nenpi shōjo Haiji'' (低燃費少女ハイジ) – 2010 (co-produced with Studio Crocodile)
References
External links
Official siteZuiyo Enterprise at
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
's encyclopedia
Zuiyo Eizo at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
Zuiyo at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
Zuiyo at
IMDb
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
{{Authority control
Animation studios in Tokyo
Mass media companies established in 1969
Japanese companies established in 1969
Japanese animation studios
Companies of Japan