Studio GoHands Sues King Records over Tokyo Babylon for ¥450 Million

The occult anime, Tokyo Babylon has been on a rollercoaster ride for a long time due to the plagiarism scandals leading to the deferment of the release and finally getting canceled.

This brought a massive uproar among both the companies involved, studio GoHands and the production house King Records, and now they are involved in a legal battle.

Due to the cancelation of the anime Tokyo Babylon, anime studio GoHands is suing King Records for 450 million yen (approximately 2.57 million USD).

King Records initially made a contract with the anime studio GoHands to create the anime Tokyo Babylon in October 2020. The studio had already made 13 episodes by the end of November 2020, but the plagiarism scandal arose, resulting in a delay. 

Upon further investigation, King Records discovered more examples of plagiarism from the same anime studio. GoHands claimed that they were requested by King Records to revise the character designs along with their costumes. They were also asked to continue their work to broadcast the anime on the agreed date.

The deal, unfortunately, fell through as the record company didn’t pay the studio after January.

The record company had agreed to pay the amount of 314.6 million yen (approx. 2.87 million USD) in instalments from December 2020 to August 2021, yet paid only one. GoHand couldn’t stop at this juncture and thus took extreme measures of suing the former partner for 450 million yen. 

An additional 171.8 million yen was added to the ¥314.6 million to mediate the cost of the other seven episodes on which the contract was yet to be shaken upon.

I understand how difficult it must have been for the fans, given their excitement was purged entirely after the project’s cancelation. 

But, the good news is that CLAMP, Tokyo Babylon’s creator, has reassured us, saying that they will try to find a new studio as soon as they can. 

About Tokyo Babylon

Tokyo Babylon is a manga created by Clamp, Nanase Okawa, and Mokona. It was adapted into an OVA, a live-action film, and will be getting an anime series in 2021.

The plot focuses on Subaru Sumeragi, the leader of the Onmyoji clan. He and his sister are responsible for protecting Tokyo from all kinds of supernatural disasters.

The bonds between Subaru, Hokuto, and Seishiro deepen; however, it is sure to lead to a tragic ending.

Source: Asahi Website