The multi-sector company U-NEXT Holdings announced on Monday that its board of directors decided to acquire the anime studio GoHands as a wholly owned subsidiary. The acquisition via a transfer of stocks will go into effect on June 1.
Through this acquisition, U-NEXT Holdings aims to integrate U-NEXT (formerly GyaO! NEXT, self-described as Japan's biggest streaming platform) with the high-quality animation production capacity of GoHands. The holding company projects the acquisition will provide value by bringing down costs, improving productivity and product quality through digital technology, and producing animation of its intellectual property,
GoHands was established in Osaka in August 2008, and it worked on such anime titles as K, Hand Shakers, and Momentary Lily. It was going to animate CLAMP's Tokyo Babylonmanga in 2021, but the production committee canceled the anime over alleged plagiarism. GoHands then sued the entertainment company King Records for non-payment in the aftermath. Ringo Kishimoto heads GoHands as its representative director.
U-NEXT Holdings was established in February 2009 as the holding company of the streaming service GyaO! NEXT, which then received its new name U-NEXT. Yasuhide Uno is U-NEXT Holdings' president and CEO.
Sources: U-Next Holdings, Comic Natalie