News Reporting

Reports: Production IMS Sending Bankruptcy Letters to Employees


Production IMS LogoIt appears that things are not well in the land of twintails and sister devils.

On June 8, a Production IMS staffer who goes by the Twitter handle “saikickmouseao” took to Twitter to post a letter from the studio, stating that the company is consolidating its debts amid bankruptcy proceedings. The tweet reads:

Rough Translation:

From Production IMS, it’s an announcement that the studio is consolidating its debts and obligations as part of bankruptcy proceedings.

It appears that that this was sent to a lot of people in the anime world, including me, and I’m sure everyone is disappointed.

Production IMS Bankruptcy Letter

A second animator, who goes by “Yamayama-san” corroborated the story on Twitter. A rough translation of their tweet reads:

Today, I received a direct mail from a law firm. “Because the anime studio went bankrupt, they are unable to pay your compensation.”

Is this the end? What about guarantees? Don’t mess with me, IMS!

We have reached out to Production IMS for further comment, and will update our coverage once we receive a response.

Production IMS was founded by former members of AIC in February 2013, in Tokyo’s Nerima ward. The studio is currently helmed by Yoshiyuki Matsuzaki. Production IMS came under fire in December 2017, when animator Teru Miyazaki claimed that the studio wasn’t paying its animators.

Through its history, Production IMS has produced seventeen titles, including Castle Town Dandelion, High School Fleet, and The Testament of Sister New Devil.

Sources: OtakomuTwitter (saikickmouseao) Twitter (0007Kok) (Thanks to L.B. Bryant for the tip!)

About the author

Samantha Ferreira

Samantha Ferreira is Anime Herald’s founder and editor-in-chief. A Rhode Island native, Samantha has been an anime fan since 1992, and an active member of the anime press since 2002, when she began working as a reviewer for Anime Dream. She launched Anime Herald in 2010, and continues to oversee its operations to this day. Outside of journalism, Samantha actively studies the history of the North American anime fandom and industry, with a particular focus on the 2000s anime boom and bust. She’s a huge fan of all things Sakura Wars, and maintains series fansite Combat Revue Review when she has free time available. When not in the Anime Herald Discord, Samantha can typically be found on Bluesky.

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