Arms (company)

Not to be confused with Arms industry.

Arms Corp., Ltd. (Japanese: 有限会社アームス, Hepburn: Yūgen-gaisha Āmusu; stylized as ARMS) was a Japanese animation studio based in Suginami, Tokyo and active from 1996 to 2020. It is mostly known for being the studio that created the popular anime adaptation, Elfen Lied

Arms

Native name	有限会社アームス
Romanized name	Yūgen-gaisha Āmusu
Formerly	Garyū Studio
Company type	Yūgen gaisha
Industry	Anime, hentai (until 2005)
Founded	November 18, 1996; 28 years ago (1996-11-18) August 31, 2017 (Common Sense)
Defunct	July 22, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-07-22)
Fate	Bankruptcy
Successor	Studio Signpost
Headquarters	Suginami, Tokyo, Japan
Key people	Osamu Shimizu (Representative director)

History

The studio was formed on November 18, 1996 as a split from Studio Kikan to operate the company's hentai brands. Studio Kikan was already producing hentai under its own name and the pseudonyms Triple X and Dandelion. When Arms was founded, the company took over all hentai-oriented works but continued using the Triple X and Dandelion brand names, as well as creating its own Garyuu Studio, until about 2002.

The animator and character designer Rin Shin is the chief animation director for several productions by Arms which tend to have an above-average amount of fan service, for example the Ikki Tousen and Queen's Blade series. She also developed the character designs for I"s Pure.

After its founding, ARMS was, at first, a producer of hentai (most notably its productions with Green Bunny), but ceased productions of erotica in the mid-2000s with the growing popularity of their televised works.

Common Sense era

The company officially changed its name from Arms to Common Sense (株式会社コモンセンス) in August 31, 2017,^[1] but maintained the Arms label as a trade name.^[2]

On May 31, 2020, Common Sense decided dissolving the company following a shareholder meeting, with Tokyo district court accepting notice of liquidation filed in July 22, 2020.^[2][3]

Productions

Hentai

Title	Director(s)	Released	Eps	Note(s)
La Blue Girl[4]	Kan Fukumoto	June 26, 1992 – July 9, 1993	4	as Dandelion
New La Blue Girl	Kan Fukumoto	January 28, 1994 – March 25, 1994	2	as Dandelion
Dōkyūsei: End of Summer	Kinji Yoshimoto	July 8, 1994 – May 12, 1995	4	as Triple X
Injū Den Twin Dolls	Kan Fukumoto	July 22, 1994 – August 26, 1994	2	as Dandelion
Shin Angel	Kaoru Tooyoka	October 21, 1994 – November 22, 1995	5	as Dandelion
Venus 5	Osamu Inoue	November 11, 1994 – December 9, 1994	2	as Dandelion
My Sexual Harassment	Yōsei Morino	December 15, 1994 – October 6, 1995	3	as Triple X
Dragon Knight Gaiden	Kaoru Toyooka	February 25, 1995	1	as Triple X
Injū Seisen Twin Angels	Kan Fukumoto	May 5, 1995 – September 12, 1997	8	as Dandelion
Kakyūsei	Kan Fukumoto	June 16, 1995 – November 22, 1995	4	as Triple X
Dragon Rider		October 27, 1995 – January 26, 1996	2	as Triple X
Dōkyūsei Climax	Kan Fukumoto Takashi Kobayashi	December 22, 1995 – March 15, 1996	2	as Triple X
Akiko	Kaoru Toyooka	March 15, 1996 – July 26, 1996	2	as Triple X
Can Can Bunny Extra	Katsuma Kanazawa	January 19, 1996 – April 21, 1997	2	as Triple X
Dōkyūsei 2	Yōsei Morino	March 22, 1996 – December 18, 1998	12	as Triple X
Rei-Lan: Orchid Emblem	Hideaki Kushi	June 21, 1996	1	as Dandelion
Lady Blue	Kan Fukumoto	July 26, 1996 – November 8, 1996	4	as Dandelion
Advancer Tina	Kan Fukumoto	August 21, 1996	1	as Dandelion
Mystery of Nonomura Hospital	Nobuetsu Andō	November 8, 1996 – January 24, 1997	2	as Triple X
November 18, 1996: Arms founded. Some productions still credited to Dandelion and Triple X until 2002.
Kawarazaki-ke no Ichizoku The Animation	闇黒堂霜魚	November 29, 1996 – April 25, 1997	2	as Triple X
Amy to Yobanaide	Kan Fukumoto	February 28, 1997 – June 27, 1997	2	as Triple X
Tokyo Private Police	Shinichi Higashi	July 21, 1997 – August 21, 1997	2	as Dandelion
Virtuacall	Kaoru Toyooka	August 29, 1997 – October 24, 1997	2	as Triple X
Welcome to Pia Carrot	Katsuma Kanazawa	October 24, 1997 – April 24, 1998	3	as Triple X
Gloria: House of the Forbidden Fruit	Yasuhiro Kuroda	November 28, 1997 – April 24, 1998	3	as Triple X
Isaku	Katsuma Kanazawa	November 28, 1997 – May 29, 1998	3	as Triple X
Dōsō Kai: Yesterday Once More	Kan Fukumoto	December 19, 1997 – September 25, 1998	4	as Triple X
Desert Island Story X	Katsuma Kanazawa	July 24, 1998 – April 23, 1999	4	as Triple X
Midnight Panther	Yōsei Morino	August 25, 1998 – December 18, 1998	2
Welcome to Pia Carrot!! 2	Kan Fukumoto	October 23, 1998 – April 23, 1999	3	as Triple X
Natural (also called as Teacher's Pet)	Kan Fukumoto	February 25, 1999	4
Words Worth	Kan Fukumoto	August 25, 1999 – November 25, 2000	5
Desert Island Story XX	Katsuma Kanazawa	December 10, 1999 – June 23, 2000	4	as Triple X
Luv Wave	Katsuma Kanazawa	March 31, 2000 – October 27, 2000	3
Mezzo Forte	Yasuomi Umetsu	May 25, 2000 - June 25, 2001	2	A film edition was released in Japan on July 23, 2004. This version includes 20 minutes of extra footage, but without the sex scenes.
Isaku Respect		February 23, 2001 – September 21, 2001	3	as Triple X
Inma Seiden	Kan Fukumoto	March 25, 2001 – October 25, 2002	6
Él	Katsuma Kanazawa	April 25, 2001 – July 25, 2001	2
La Blue Girl Returns	Kan Fukumoto Hiroshi Ogawa	May 25, 2001 – May 25, 2002	4
Princess Memory	Wataru Tomii	June 25, 2001 – September 25, 2001	2
Natural 2: Duo	Kinji Yoshimoto	November 25, 2001 – July 24, 2003	4
Virgin Touch	Yoshitaka Fujimoto	May 24, 2002 – August 23, 2002	2
Words Worth Gaiden	Wataru Tomii	July 25, 2002 – September 25, 2002	2
Dōsō Kai Again	Kan Fukumoto	July 25, 2002 – December 20, 2002	2	as Triple X
Mizuiro	Shigeki Awai	August 23, 2002 – December 6, 2002	2
Slave Nurses	Katsuma Kanazawa	January 24, 2003 – July 25, 2003	3
Crimson Climax	Katsuma Kanazawa	February 21, 2002 – September 25, 2003	3
Flutter of Birds 2: Tenshi-tachi no Tsubasa	Hiroaki Nakajima	May 23, 2003 – August 22, 2003	2
Dark Shell: Lust in the Cage	Katsuma Kanazawa	June 25, 2003 – September 25, 2003	2
One: True Stories	Kan Fukumoto	November 21, 2003 – May 28, 2004	3	as ARMS+
Body Transfer	Yoshitaka Fujimoto	December 21, 2003 – March 25, 2004	2	as ARMS+
Kawarazaki-ke no Ichizoku 2 The Animation	Yōsei Morino	January 23, 2004 – August 27, 2004	4	as ARMS+
Immoral Sisters: Blossoming		June 25, 2004 – September 24, 2004	2	as ARMS+
Another Lady Innocent	Kinji Yoshimoto Satoshi Urushihara	November 11, 2004	1	as ARMS+
Night Shift Nurses: Experiment		July 29, 2005 – January 27, 2006	3	as ARMS+
Hininden: Gauss	Kan Fukumoto	December 22, 2005	1	as ARMS+

Television series

Title	Director(s)	Released	Eps	Note(s)
Mezzo DSA	Yasuomi Umetsu	January 4, 2004 – March 30, 2004	12	Original work.
Elfen Lied	Mamoru Kanbe	July 25, 2004 – October 17, 2004	13	Adaptation of a manga by Lynn Okamoto. Episodes 2, 5, and 10 were subcontracted to Studio Guts.
Kakyūsei 2	Yōsei Morino	October 1, 2004 – December 24, 2004	13	Based on a game by ELF.
Girls High	Yoshitaka Fujimoto	April 3, 2006 – June 19, 2006	12	Adaptation of a manga by Towa Oshima.
Himawari!	Shigenori Kageyama	April 8, 2006 – July 1, 2006	13	Adaptation of a manga by GoDo.
Himawari!!	Shigenori Kageyama	January 6, 2007 – March 31, 2007	13	Sequel to Himawari!.
Ikki Tousen: Dragon Destiny	Koichi Ohata	February 26, 2007 – May 14, 2007	12	Sequel to Ikki Tousen: Battle Vixens.
Genshiken Pt.2	Kinji Yoshimoto	October 11, 2007 – December 27, 2007	12	Sequel to Genshiken OVA.
Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians	Koichi Ohata	June 11, 2008 – August 27, 2008	12	Sequel to Ikki Tousen: Dragon Destiny.
Queen's Blade: The Exiled Virgin	Kinji Yoshimoto	April 2, 2009 – June 18, 2009	12	Based on a series of visual combat books published by Hobby Japan.
Queen's Blade 2: The Evil Eye	Kinji Yoshimoto	September 24, 2009 – December 10, 2009	12	Sequel to Queen's Blade: The Exiled Virgin.
Hyakka Ryōran: Samurai Girls	KOBUN	September 4, 2010 – December 20, 2010	12	Adaptation of a light novel series by Akira Suzuki and Niθ.
Queen's Blade Rebellion	Yōsei Morino	April 3, 2012 – June 19, 2012	12	Media franchise sequel to the Queen's Blade series.
Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero	Rion Kujo	July 6, 2012 – September 21, 2012	12	Adaptation of a light novel series by Tetsuto Uesu and Tamago no Kimi.
Maoyu: Archenemy & Hero	Takeo Takahashi	January 5, 2013 – March 30, 2013	12	Adaptation of a light novel series by Mamare Touno, Keinojou Mizutama, and Toi8.
Hyakka Ryōran: Samurai Bride	KOBUN	April 5, 2013 – June 21, 2013	12	Sequel to Hyakka Ryōran: Samurai Girls.
Wanna Be the Strongest in the World![5]	Rion Kujo	October 6, 2013 – December 22, 2013	12	Adaptation of a manga by ESE and Kiyohito Natsuki.
Wizard Barristers: Benmashi Cecil	Yasuomi Umetsu	January 12, 2014 – March 30, 2014	12	Original work.
Brynhildr in the Darkness	Kenichi Imaizumi	April 6, 2014 – June 29, 2014	13	Adaptation of a manga by Lynn Okamoto.
Isuca	Akira Iwanaga	January 24, 2015 – March 28, 2015	10	Adaptation of a manga by Osamu Takahashi.
Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid	Hiraku Kaneko	October 10, 2015 – December 26, 2015	12	Part of a media franchise created by Marvelous.

OVAs

Title	Director(s)	Released	Eps	Note(s)
Welcome to Pia Carrot!! 2 DX	Yōsei Morino	December 18, 1999 – October 25, 2000	6	Adaptation of an eroge by Cocktail Soft, KID, and Stack. As Garyū Studio.
First Kiss Story	Kan Fukumoto	February 14, 2000	1	Adaptation of a visual novel by HuneX. As Garyū Studio.
One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e	Yōsei Morino	August 10, 2001 – May 24, 2002	4	Adaptation of an eroge by Tactics. As Garyū Studio.
Nakoruru: Ano Hito kara no Okurimono	Katsuma Kanazawa	May 25, 2002	1	Adaptation of a fighting game by SNK. As Garyū Studio.
From I"s	Yōsei Morino	December 9, 2002 – March 25, 2003	2	Adaptation of a manga by Masakazu Katsura. Co-produced by Pierrot. As Garyū Studio.
With You: Mitsumeteitai	Yōsei Morino	December 25, 2002 – May 25, 2003	2	Adaptation of a game by Cocktail Soft. As Garyū Studio.
Elfen Lied: Regenschauer	Mamoru Kanbe	April 21, 2005	1	Episode 10.5 of Elfen Lied.
I"s Pure	Mamoru Kanbe	November 1, 2005 – July 23, 2006	6	Adaptation of a manga by Masakazu Katsura. Co-produced by Pierrot.
Saiyuki Reload Burial	Koichi Ohata	April 27, 2007 – December 28, 2007	3	Adaptation of a manga by Kazuya Minekura.
Ramen Angel Pretty Menma		January 25, 2008	1
Queen's Blade: Beautiful Warriors'	Kinji Yoshimoto	August 8, 2010 – January 9, 2011	6	Sequel to Queen's Blade 2: The Evil Eye.
Ikki Tousen: Shūgaku Tōshi Keppu-roku	Rion Kujo	November 12, 2011	1	Sequel to Ikki Tousen: Xtreme Xecutor.
Brynhildr in the Darkness: Much Ado About Nothing	Kenichi Imaizumi	March 26, 2014	1	Episode 11.5 of Brynhildr in the Darkness.
Ikki Tousen: Extravaganza Epoch	Masashi Kudō	December 21, 2014 – December 28, 2014	3	Sequel to Ikki Tousen: Shūgaku Tōshi Keppu-roku.
Hyakka Ryōran: Samurai After	Toshinori Fukushima	January 23, 2015 – July 1, 2015	2	Sequel to Hyakka Ryōran: Samurai Bride.
Isuca: Paradise	Akira Iwanaga	August 16, 2015	1	Episode 11 of Isuca.
Ikki Tousen: Western Wolves	Takashi Watanabe (Chief) Mitsutoshi Satō	January 3, 2019 – February 27, 2019	3

Films

Title	Director(s)	Released	Length	Note(s)
Kite	Yasuomi Umetsu	February 25, 1998 – October 25, 1998[A]	60 minutes (Uncensored) 45 minutes (Censored)	Original work.
Kite Liberator	Yasuomi Umetsu	April 8, 2008	60 minutes	Original work.

1. Kite: International was released as a compiled version of the two originally released OVAs for the Western audience. Despite its original two-episode release, Kite is most commonly found in its film format.