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Toei Animation to Establish Department Focused on Dragon Ball

Toei Animation announced last Friday that it will introduce a number of department restructurings on April 1, part of which will be the establishment of a third department under its Anime Planning and Production Headquarters that will focus mainly on Dragon Ball projects. Atsushi Suzuki (Digimon Adventure tri., Expelled from Paradise producer), will head the new department, in addition to retaining his titles of executive and business development department head.

The other two divisions will also be reorganized. The Television Planning Department, which focused on television anime, will be renamed into Planning Division Department 1. It will retain its current focus. Under the department will be Video Planning Office 1, the Overseas Video Planning Office, and the Video Planning Management Office. Takashi Washio (Maho Girls Precure!, Tiger Mask W planning) will remain the head of the department, as well as the Video Planning Management Office. He will no longer be the head of the Film Office.

The Video Planning Department, which focused on CG anime, will be renamed into Planning Division Department 2, and will also retain its current focus. Under the department will be Video Planning Office 2 and the Media Planning Office. Kōichi Noguchi (KADO - The Right Answer producer) will remain the head of the department, as well as Video Planning Office 2.

In addition, the Production Management Department and the Ōizumi Studio General Affairs Office will be merged and renamed the Studio Management Department, and the General Affairs Department and the Human Resources Department will be merged and renamed the General Affairs Human Resources Department.

Shueisha, the publisher of Akira Toriyama's original Dragon Ball manga, similarly established a "Dragon Ball Room" to focus exclusively on the property in June 2016.

Source: Animation Business Journal (Tadashi Sudo)