Katsuhiro Otomo, the creator of "Akira", has founded a new animation studio called Oval Gear. Along with the launch of its official website and X account, the team confirmed that they are already working on their first project, but its name and details have not yet been revealed.
The studio's statement says that Oval Gear was created to pass on the visual language and author's style that Otomo has developed over many years to a new generation, as well as to release new animation projects for a global audience.
Fans immediately linked the launch of Oval Gear with Orbital Era – a full-length science fiction anime that Otomo announced back in 2019. There is no official confirmation yet, but the studio's website uses an image of a character in a space suit with a skateboard – exactly like in the promotional materials for Orbital Era.
According to available information, Orbital Era will tell the story of teenagers living in a developing space colony. When Oval Gear will reveal its first project is still unknown.