So Iyoku is a massive troll and I love him.
A Shueisha insider recalls, "Without consulting his superiors, Mr. Iyoku unilaterally decided to make a film adaptation of Toriyama-sensei's 'SAND LAND'. He always focused on serving the author, for better or worse. At the same time, there was criticism from anime production companies and TV networks that he had a condescending attitude." In addition to these evaluations, progress was lacking in collaborations with the metaverse and AI that higher-ups were anticipating. As a result, in 2022, he was reassigned to a new business department. This unwelcome transfer became the trigger and within a year, Iyoku went independent.
Interview by Soichiro Morita in Weekly Toyo Keizai magazine
Iyoku: "you want AI? Ok, I'll give you AI! Meet the singer for the Daima ED, her name is Ai!"
The whole shenanigans about the rights being fought over between the Tori estate (with his family and Iyoku), Shueisha and Toei is a headache, buuuut... This is peak content.
Anyway I leave you with Torishima's wide words in Bakuman:
