Jisogi: Anime Studio Tycoon

Make an anime. Try not to go under while you do it.

The name comes from 自転車操業 — jitenshasōgyō — the Japanese expression for a business that only stays upright as long as it keeps pedalling. That is the game.

You run an anime studio. Staff cards sit in front of your studio board and get assigned to actions; the goal is to release an original anime built from three script parts — Setting, Plot and Twist. Around that, the grind: paying people, keeping the lights on, and deciding which corner to cut this month.

Worker placement with real weight to it. Plays solo, and one to four at the table, in sixty to a hundred and twenty minutes. Over 8,000 copies went out worldwide before this reprint, which arrives with revised rules and components.

Perfect for: Worker-placement players who want a theme that isn't another medieval village.

1–4 players | 60–120 minutes | Age 12+