Currently, many animation production companies are creating a wide variety of anime to entertain us. However, I think the majority of people know about anime, but don't know anything about animation production companies and have no interest in them. However, if you research animation production companies, you will find that the companies that make the anime you like are almost always the same. Furthermore, each animation production company has a different style, so if you research them, you will be able to enjoy anime even more. In this article, we will introduce the animation production company "Doga Kobo".
What is Doga Kobo?
Source: Doga Kobo © Doga Kobo
The animation production company Doga Kobo was founded in 1973, is headquartered in Tokyo, and has about 70 employees. It is an animation production company with a long history, and produces high-quality anime despite its small staff.
Characteristics of Doga Kobo
Source: Doga Kobo ©Doga Kobo
The company was founded by Hideo Yoshizawa, a manga artist and animator, and Iku Ishiguro, an animator and director. These two are veteran animators from before the war, with excellent drawing skills, and are skilled enough to have worked on the drawings of "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" and "Pokémon". In the early days, they mainly worked as a subcontractor for other major anime production companies, but since 2000, they have been handling original anime and prime contractor (in-house project) works.
Doga Kobo's Style
Source: Doga Kobo ©Doga Kobo
Doga Kobo does not produce anime that often. However, it is clear that they carefully produce high-quality anime one by one. It faithfully reproduces the original work, and the direction and drawing are stable. It does not deal with battles with a lot of action, but rather with romantic comedies and slice-of-life stories. That doesn't mean there isn't much action, and the cute boys and girls are lively and active. They generally turn manga from the "Manga Time Kirara" series into anime. It is a popular anime production company for those who like anime with cute girls going about their daily lives. In addition, they often hire new voice actors, and are a company that often discovers golden eggs.
Anime Rankings for Doga Kobo's Prime Contract Works
We have ranked the top 10 anime produced by Doga Kobo. To be honest, the works from 10th place to 5th place are all equally interesting, so you will enjoy any of them.
10th place: Gauril Dropout
Source: Doga Kobo © Doga Kobo
This is an anime adaptation of a manga that began serialization in Comic Dengeki Daioh in 2013. Six volumes have already been released. The story is that Gauril, who lives in heaven, graduated from angel school at the top of his class, and then went to high school in the human world to train. However, he got hooked on the entertainment of the human world and "dropped out." It is a story about an angel who loves games and lives a reclusive life, spending her days with various characters.
9th place YuruYuri
Source: Doga Kobo © Doga Kobo
Serialized in Comic Yurihime since 2008, it is still being serialized today. The 16th volume is currently on sale. The anime is also popular and has been produced and broadcasted in three seasons. It's a slice-of-life anime with laughs and occasional yuri, featuring the Goraku Club, a group of four girls from Nanamori Junior High School, the girls in the student council surrounding them, and their families. It's a manga that has had such a huge impact on yuri works since YuruYuri that it's often said, "Before YuruYuri, after YuruYuri." If you enjoy girls' yuri, be sure to check it out.
8th place Love Lab
Source: Doga Kobo © Doga Kobo
This manga began serialization in 2006. It is currently being serialized in Manga Time Special, and 13 volumes have been released so far. It was made into an anime in 2013. The protagonist attends the prestigious Fujisaki Private Girls' Junior High School, known to the world as a school for young ladies, and is a member of the student council executive committee. The Student Council Executive Committee, where all sorts of weirdos gather, has become a place to "study love" at the president's discretion. This anime depicts the girls of the Student Council Executive Committee researching and proving love.
7th place: Ongoing Unidentified
Source: Doga Kobo © Doga Kobo
This manga, which began serialization in 2009 in Manga 4-Koma Palette and Megami Magazine, was made into an anime in 2014. A total of 12 episodes were produced and broadcast. The protagonist, Yorunomori Kobeni, has just turned 16 and is in charge of the housework in place of her busy mother, spending peaceful days with her older sister. One day, she meets a boy named Mimine Byakuya, who claims to be Kobeni's fiancé, and his sister, Mimine Mashiro, and they end up attending the same high school and living in the same house. This is a youthful romantic comedy anime about a mysterious relationship between Kobeni and Byakuya.
6th place Sansha Sanyou
Source: Doga Kobo © Doga Kobo
Serialized in Manga Time Kirara since 2003 and still ongoing. 13 volumes have been released, and it was made into an anime in 2016, with a total of 12 episodes produced and broadcast. As the title suggests, it is an anime that depicts the high school life of two girls with different personalities who meet, become friends, and have a humorous story. The title refers to the three girls with different personalities, and also includes the fact that the kanji character for "leaf" is used in the girls' names. It's a heartwarming, slice-of-life anime, so you can watch it casually!
5th place: Himouto! Umaru-chan
Source: Doga Kobo © Doga Kobo
Serialized in Weekly Young Jump from 2013 to 2017. 12 volumes have been published, and the anime was released in 2015. The anime was also popular and two seasons were produced and aired. Doma Uma, a high school girl living in Tokyo, was perfect: beautiful, with excellent grades, good sports skills, good friendships, good relationships, and the ability to communicate like a monster. However, when she returned to the apartment where she spent time with her brother, she changed completely, from a "beautiful little sister" to a "dried fish girl" who stays up late, eats a picky diet, and lives an unhealthy lifestyle. Her appearance also changes, and she transforms into a "two-headed character." This anime depicts the funny daily lives of the brother who takes care of his little sister, and the classmates around them. Of course, there are romantic comedy elements too!
4th place Tada-kun never falls in love
Source: Doga Kobo © Doga Kobo
Broadcast began in 2018 as an original anime by Doga Kobo. A total of 13 episodes were produced and broadcast. It was produced by the same production staff as "Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun", so if you liked "Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun", please check it out. The story is a school romantic comedy. The main character, "Tada Mitsuyoshi", who belongs to the photography club, meets a foreign girl while taking a photo. This anime depicts the daily life of such a girl and the story of falling in love with her.
3rd Place Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun
Source: Doga Kobo © Doga Kobo
Serialized in Gangan Online since 2011 and is still being serialized. In 2014, it was made into an anime with a total of 12 episodes. One day, the protagonist, Sakura Chiyo, a high school girl attending Roman Academy, musters up the courage to confess her feelings to a boy she likes. The boy who confessed to her takes out a colored paper, signs it, and hands it to her, saying "Thank you." In fact, the boy is a manga artist who draws manga that Chiyo also likes. When Chiyo finds out that the boy is a shojo manga artist serializing in the monthly magazine "Nozaki Umetaro," she ends up helping him out as an assistant for some reason. This is an anime that depicts the seemingly fruitful but unfruitful love story between these two in a humorous way. Chiyo is so cute that it's definitely worth a watch.
2nd Place: Plastic Memories
Source: Doga Kobo © Doga Kobo
This original anime by Doga Kobo began airing in 2015, with a total of 13 episodes. In an era when androids helping with household chores have become the norm, Mizugaki Tsukasa, who failed her university entrance exam, is assigned to Terminal Services, a company that collects androids, through her parents' connections. In this anime, Tsukasa pairs up with Isla, an android whose lifespan is about to reach 9 years and 4 months, and they carry out the difficult task of retrieving androids. As you watch, you can guess the punchline, but even so, it's still a thrill. Make sure you have a bath towel ready.
1st Place NEW GAME
Source: Doga Kobo © Doga Kobo
Serialized in Manga Time Kirara Carat since 2013 and still ongoing, 7 volumes have been released so far, and was made into an anime in 2016. It became popular and a second season was produced and aired. After graduating from high school, the main character, Suzukaze Aoba, gets a job at Eagle Jump, the company she admires and the creator of Fairy Story, a game she played as a child. In order to make her dream of becoming a character designer come true, she works hard every day as a subordinate to her idol, character designer Kou Yagami. This is an anime that beautifully depicts the behind-the-scenes of game production with only girls. It is a work that you will definitely enjoy whether you are interested in game production or not, so it is an anime that you should definitely watch.
Doga Kobo Summary
Source: Doga Kobo ©Doga Kobo
This time, we introduced the anime production company Doga Kobo. Doga Kobo is very good at drawing cute girls, and they make them look attractive. Furthermore, they are an animation production company that produces very good anime, despite being a small company, and the stories are well-thought-out so that you won't get bored. The anime mentioned here are only a small part of the whole. There are many other great anime out there, so be sure to check them out. That's all for today. Thank you for reading.
