Shin-Ei Animation is releasing a promotional web anime series for Lotte's Pie no Mi snack brand on YouTube, while the broader CG anime industry faces pressure to adopt AI tools that the studio has not yet publicly addressed.
Shin-Ei Animation, a studio best known for long-running TV properties, has moved into direct-to-consumer promotional content. On June 3, 2026, the studio announced a partnership with Lotte Chocolate to produce a web anime series for the Pie no Mi snack brand. Titled Pie no Mi: Oshi no Mori he Yōkoso, the series is set to premiere on the Lotte Chocolate YouTube channel on June 4 at midnight Japan Time. The cast includes Yumiko Kobayashi and Rie Hikisaka.
The same day, a separate story on AI tools in CG anime production noted that Autodesk is embedding AI tools like Flow Studio into 3ds Max and Maya, software widely used by Japanese CG anime studios. While DandeLion Animation Studio and Toei Animation commented on AI adoption, Shin-Ei Animation did not appear in that story. The studio's stance on AI tools in production is not addressed in any of the available stories.
The two stories together show Shin-Ei Animation active in a new promotional format but silent on the industry-wide shift toward AI-assisted production workflows. No further projects, staffing changes, or financial details about the studio are provided in either story.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.
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Autodesk is embedding AI tools like Flow Studio into 3ds Max and Maya, software widely used by Japanese CG anime studios. DandeLion Animation Studio president Kazuhiro Nishikawa acknowledged AI is unavoidable but stressed the need for controlled use. Toei Animation reiterated it does not actively use AI in production. DandeLion's upcoming adaptation of Eleceed will test Flow Studio for motion capture.
Lotte Chocolate and Shin-Ei Animation are partnering on a new web anime series for the Pie no Mi snack brand. Titled Pie no Mi: Oshi no Mori he Yōkoso, the series will premiere on the Lotte Chocolate YouTube channel on June 4 at midnight Japan Time. The cast includes Yumiko Kobayashi and Rie Hikisaka.