Sunrise x Shaft: Gundam and Madoka Studios Tease First-Ever Joint Anime

Two of anime’s most recognizable studios are joining forces for the first time, and the announcement alone has fans buzzing. Sunrise, the studio synonymous with Gundam, and Shaft, the house behind Puella Magi Madoka Magica and the Monogatari series, have teased their first-ever joint anime project — with a full reveal scheduled for June 23–24, 2026.

⚡ TL;DR — Sunrise (Gundam) and Shaft (Madoka Magica) announced their first-ever collaboration, an original anime. A countdown account is teasing it now, with the official reveal set for June 23, 2026, at 24:30 JST (early June 24).

A countdown to a mystery

The studios kicked things off by launching an official X account titled “Sunrise x Shaft New Anime,” beginning a countdown toward the project’s reveal. The first teaser featured the use of “color scripts” — the painted sequences animators use to map a production’s mood and color palette — offering an early, abstract glimpse into the anime’s world without giving away the premise.

Crucially, the studios have kept the important details under wraps. There is no confirmed format (TV series, film, or otherwise), no story synopsis, and no staff list. Everything points to the official reveal on June 23 at 24:30 JST, which lands in the early hours of June 24 in Japan.

Why this pairing is so intriguing

What makes this collaboration stand out is just how different the two studios are.

Sunrise is one of the most storied names in anime, defined above all by the decades-spanning Gundam franchise and a long history of grounded mecha, space opera, and action. Its work tends toward strong character drama wrapped in large-scale, often militaristic worlds.

Shaft, by contrast, is one of the medium’s most distinctive stylists. Under director Akiyuki Shinbo, the studio developed an instantly recognizable visual language — sharp angles, bold typography, surreal staging, and rapid editing — that defined Madoka Magica and the Monogatari series. It is experimental in a way few studios dare to be.

Putting those two sensibilities in the same room is genuinely unusual. Will the result lean toward Sunrise’s grounded storytelling or Shaft’s stylistic flourish? That tension is exactly what has fans speculating, and it is why a single teaser has generated so much discussion.

An original project, not an adaptation

One detail that raises the stakes: this appears to be an original anime, not an adaptation of an existing manga or light novel. Original productions carry more risk — there is no built-in fanbase or source material to lean on — but they also offer creative freedom, and some of the most beloved anime of the past two decades, including Madoka Magica itself, have been originals.

What to watch for

For now, this is a tease rather than a full announcement, but it is the kind of pairing that rewards attention. Keep an eye on the June 23–24 reveal for the project’s format, premise, and creative team. If the collaboration delivers on the promise of its two pedigreed studios, it could become one of the more talked-about anime of the next couple of years.

In a season already stacked with franchise finales and sequels, an ambitious original from two legendary studios is a welcome wildcard.