Aquastar Co.

What Aquastar Co. does

Aquastar Co. (株式会社アクアスター) is a privately held Japanese digital creative company founded on November 14, 1991, and headquartered in Tokyo's Chuo-ku. The company provides end-to-end visual content services spanning six product categories: illustration and manga production, digital solutions (website, AR, VR, interactive content), marketing services (SNS, web, and IP tie-up promotion), game graphics (character illustration and 3DCG/2D animation), presentation support (storyboard/comp illustration, Mac operator services, video editing), and movie production (live action, animation, GIF animation). Its business model is custom professional services delivered on a project-by-project, quote-driven basis, with no subscription or recurring revenue component disclosed; the only publicly disclosed pricing covers Mac operator hourly rates (¥5,000–¥7,000/hour) and manga page rates (¥70,000 color, ¥50,000 black and white).

The company's customer base spans Japan's major advertising agencies (Dentsu, Hakuhodo), production houses (Tohokushinsha, AOI Pro.), consumer brands (Morinaga Seika, Sushiro, JR East, Kansai Electric Power), and government entities (Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). Distribution is entirely direct: clients engage through the company website, phone, and an account management team, with no third-party reseller or marketplace channel. Operating scale is supported by a 3,000+ external creative partner network and reported throughput of 1,000+ storyboard projects and 100+ anime/game illustration projects per year. President and Representative Director Hiroyoshi Harada leads the firm as an independent, privately held corporation with no parent company, no external funding rounds, and no public listing.

Beyond its Tokyo headquarters, Aquastar operates a Kansai branch in Osaka (established April 1, 2020) and satellite offices in Nagoya and Fukuoka, providing coverage across Kanto, Kansai, Chubu, and Kyushu. Recent strategic activity centers on client engagement programming — Content Tokyo 2026 exhibition participation, AQUASTAR SOLUTION DAY (July 2026), and an active graduate recruitment site launched in June 2026 — alongside a 35th-anniversary milestone in November 2026. International activity is limited but present, exemplified by a 2023 illustrator exchange with Cambodia-based YAMADA ANGKOR ANIMATION.

Name

Aquastar Co.

Legal name

株式会社アクアスター

Website

https://aqua-star.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Aquastar Co. is a Tokyo-based digital creative company, founded in 1991, that produces illustrations, manga, animation, video, and AR/VR content on a project basis for advertising agencies (Dentsu, Hakuhodo), consumer brands, game/anime companies, and government clients across Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Creative Production Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (541850)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Outsourced Art/Audio Production Services (2D/3D, Animation, VFX, Audio/VO) (MPAFAKAM)

Keywords

• Illustration production services
• Digital creative services
• Manga advertising production
• Game graphic design
• Visual content production

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Creative Services Revenue: Aquastar generates revenue through a broad portfolio of creative services including illustration制作, manga/comic production, animation/video production, game graphics, web content, AR/VR development, interactive content, SNS marketing, WEB marketing, and tie-up promotion. Services are offered on a project-by-project basis as a custom production company, with no subscription or usage-based model described.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Aquastar is a digital creative company that produces visual and experiential content for advertising, branding, and marketing. Its core services span illustration, manga/comic promotion, character design, web production, AR/VR development, interactive content, SNS and web marketing, IP tie-up promotion, game graphics (illustration and 3DCG/2D animation), presentation-support (storyboard, Mac operator, video editing), and live-action/animation/GIF video production. The company delivers end-to-end campaigns from planning through production to delivery for advertising agencies, brands, game/anime IP holders, and government clients.

Product overview

Aquastar Co. is a digital creative company that achieves communication through 'visual and experiential' approaches to maximize and deliver appeal, solving business challenges. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of creative services organized into six main categories: (1) Illustration Services - including illustrations, manga/comics, character design, and graphic design; (2) Digital Solutions - covering website production, AR/VR development, web content, and interactive content; (3) Marketing - encompassing SNS marketing, web marketing, and tie-up/IP promotion; (4) Game Graphics - featuring game illustration and 3DCG/2D animation; (5) Presentation Services - including storyboard/comp illustration, mac operator support, and video editing; and (6) Movie Production - covering live action video, animation, and GIF animation. The company also operates regional satellite offices in Kansai (Osaka), Aichi (Nagoya), and Fukuoka to serve clients across Japan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Illustration Services (イラストレーション) Industry-leading illustration production covering original illustrations, touch matching, character designs, and graphic design for advertising and promotional materials, offering the industry's most diverse range of illustration styles.
• Manga Promotion (マンガプロモーション) Promotion using manga/comics to solve business challenges, including pamphlets, fliers, internal promotions, 4-panel comics, single-panel visuals, manga landing pages, and manga banners.
• Character Promotion (キャラクタープロモーション) Character design and promotion services that facilitate communication with customers, from original character creation to existing IP-based designs.
• Design Production (デザイン制作) Custom design production aimed at achieving sales promotion and revenue increase goals, creating designs from scratch tailored to specific purposes and requirements.
• Website Production (WEBサイト制作) Creative planning and production services that deliver valuable brand experiences to users, from planning through implementation.
• AR Development (AR開発) AR content development creating attention-grabbing digital communication tools for promotional and engagement purposes.
• VR Development (VR開発) VR content development providing browser-based VR experiences tailored to specific purposes.
• WEB Content Development (WEBコンテンツ開発) Flexible development of web content ranging from campaigns to surveys, supporting various digital engagement needs.
• Interactive Content (インタラクティブコンテンツ) Interactive content development using sensing and projection mapping technologies for deployment at retail stores and events.
• SNS Marketing (SNSマーケティング) Social media marketing services that expand touchpoints with users by combining various content types, including strategy, content creation, and account management.
• WEB Marketing (WEBマーケティング) Web marketing services focused on effective digital strategies that go beyond simple attention-grabbing advertisements.
• Tie-up Promotion (タイアッププロモーション) Collaboration promotion services suggesting optimal combinations from infinite possibilities, including IP/character tie-ups and brand partnerships.
• Game Illustration (ゲームイラスト) Game illustration services handling over 100 anime IP and game illustrations annually, including character designs, backgrounds, and promotional artwork.
• 3DCG / 2D Animation (3DCG / 2Dアニメーション) 3DCG production that materializes 2D designs as envisioned, and 2D animation production for various media.
• Storyboard/Comp Illustration (絵コンテ/カンプ) Storyboard and comp illustration services with over 1,000 annual productions, offering photorealistic, color, monochrome, and light touch styles for winning presentations.
• Mac Operator (マッカー) Mac operator services for presentation support, including layout, coloring, photo compositing, and PPM creation using Illustrator, Photoshop, PowerPoint, and Keynote, billed hourly with weekday/weekend and after-22:00 rate differentials and a minimum 5-hour guarantee.
• Video Editing (映像編集) Video editing services covering offline editing, online editing, motion graphics, and TVCM production with comprehensive editing capabilities.
• Live Action Video Production (実写映像制作) Live action video production services for product/service introductions, company introductions, recruitment videos, training materials, and advertising, from planning to delivery.
• Animation Production (アニメーション制作) Animation production services including full animation, illustration animation, mini anime/C-parts, and teaser videos, from planning and direction through dubbing completion.
• GIF Animation (GIFアニメーション) GIF animation production leveraging 30 years of illustration expertise, optimized for SNS promotion, advertising banners, websites, and game standby screens.

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• YAMADA ANGKOR ANIMATIONminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAquastar and Cambodia-based anime production company YAMADA ANGKOR ANIMATION co-hosted an online illustrator exchange event 'Illustrator Exchange Connecting Through Art' on June 16, 2023, to share illustration techniques and foster cross-cultural creative exchange. Aquastar provided technical training on character illustration to YAA staff. This was part of Aquastar's international talent development initiative.
• 一般社名団法人コンピュータエンターテインメント協会 (CESA)minorOthersAquastar is a member of the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association, Japan's trade association for the video game and entertainment software industry.
• 公益社団法人愛知・名古屋広告協会minorOthersAquastar is a member of the Aichi/Nagoya Advertising Association, a public interest incorporated association supporting the advertising industry in the Chubu region.
• 的一般社団法人日本広告業協会minorOthersAquastar is a member of the Japan Advertising Industry Association, a national industry body representing advertising companies.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Robot Communications: Japanese integrated digital creative and communications firm offering creative production, content marketing, and digital advertising services to brands and agencies. Highly comparable to Aquastar's illustration/creative/digital marketing portfolio and Japanese enterprise client base.
• SANZIGEN: Tokyo-based 3DCG animation studio producing commercial, game, and anime content. Closely comparable to Aquastar's 3DCG/2D animation and game graphics service lines.
• TRIGGER (anime studio): Japanese animation studio specializing in high-end commercial anime and game-related animation. Comparable to Aquastar's animation and game/anime IP illustration capabilities, particularly for high-profile IP tie-up work.
• Septeni Holdings: Japanese digital advertising and marketing group providing creative content, SNS marketing, and digital media services. Closely comparable business model to Aquastar's marketing and SNS content service lines, with overlap in enterprise and brand clients.
• Wit Studio: Japanese animation studio producing commercial anime content and IP-driven projects. Comparable to Aquastar's animation, illustration, and anime IP tie-up service lines for game/anime clients.
• Polygon Pictures: Tokyo-based animation and CGI studio producing 2D/3DCG content for film, games, and commercial clients. Directly comparable to Aquastar's 3DCG/2D animation service line and its commercial/anime crossover production model.
• IG Port: Japanese holding company for animation production (Production I.G, Wit Studio) and IP licensing. Comparable to Aquastar's anime/game illustration, 2D/3DCG animation, and IP tie-up promotion capabilities, particularly in commercial anime-adjacent illustration work.

Broad incumbents

• Dentsu Inc. Japan's largest advertising agency and a documented enterprise client of Aquastar. Operates broadly across advertising, creative production, and digital marketing, providing services that overlap with Aquastar's full-stack creative portfolio but at significantly larger scale.
• ADK Holdings: Third major Japanese advertising agency holding group providing creative, content, and digital marketing services. Comparable at the broad industry level to Aquastar's creative production and digital marketing offerings, with a larger integrated portfolio.
• Hakuhodo Inc. Second-largest Japanese advertising agency and a documented enterprise client of Aquastar. Provides end-to-end advertising, creative, and digital services comparable to Aquastar's portfolio, but as part of a much larger diversified holding group.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aquastar_pr
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCoyu_pwDhGAKs26dPPBlQXQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/aquastar.web.co.jp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aqua-star

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aquastar Co.