Ask John: Does Bee Train Just Animate Girls With Guns?

Question:
Are all Bee Train’s anime titles about Girls with Guns?

Answer:
Strictly speaking, the Bee Train anime studio does produce more than just girls with guns anime, but I can understand the perception. While the studio established in June 1997 has contributed work to a large variety of anime productions, Bee Train’s official website credits the studio with 16 in-house series (excluding video game animation sequences): Popolocrois Monogatari, Arc the Lad, Wild Arms -Twilight Venom-, Medalot, Captain Kuppa, Noir, Avenger, Madlax, Mein Liebe, .hack, Tsubasa Chronicle, Spider Riders, Murder Princess, El Cazador, Mugen no Jyunin, Phantom -Requiem for the Phantom-. The Mein Liebe, Spider Riders, and .Hack franchises had multiple series all animated by Bee Train. While Bee Train animated the first Medalot TV series, they did not animate the sequel series. Examination of Bee Train’s canon reveals that only four of the studio’s productions are literal girls with guns shows. If the qualification is expanded to shows about fighting girls the number increases to six. The perception that Bee Train predominantly produces girls with guns anime may be rooted in the fact that the studio’s battle girl anime titles are among its most recent and best known works.

It should also be noted that five out of six of Bee Train’s battle girl anime – Noir, Avenger, Madlax, El Cazador, and Phantom – were directed by Koichi Mashimo. Mashimo, who also directed the Dirty Pair movie, the Dominion OVA series, and the Bakuretsu Hunter TV and OVA series obviously has a fascination for combative girls. However, Mashimo’s filmography reveals that he’s also comfortable directing a variety of genres including racing (F), adventure (Robin Hood no Daiboken), dramatic fantasy (Weathering Continent, Eatman), giant robots (Gold Lightan), and sci-fi (Ai City, Irresponsible Captain Tylor). It’s not uncommon for prolific Japanese anime creators to gravitate toward particular themes of personal interest. Creators including Masamune Shirow, Mamoru Oshii, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Ai Yazawa, and Koge Donbo, to name a few, can also be said to have similar themes or styles that typify much of their work.