Jisogi: Anime Studio Tycoon

It should be fairly obvious that one look at the art and theme and this was an instant draw for me. Which is interesting now that I look at the reason I even got notice of this game was from the publisher's previous game, The Queen's New Capital. That game did not stay in my collection, but I had backed this project before knowing that The Queen's New Capital felt pretty "mid" to me. Thankfully, I think they definitely improved in both design and actually paired with real artists this time around and that helped elevate this game in a positive way.

In Jisogi: Anime Studio Tycoon, you've taken over a collapsed anime studio that's just been broken up and its your job to become successful. There's a shared worker placement board where you can send your staff to do various tasks. What's interesting here is that when players ggo to a spot, they aren't necessarily blocking others from taking that action. Instead, it makes it more expensive for the next player to do that same action. Also, actions are restricted to certain staff types. You start with one each but you can eventually hire more as well as promote a staff to give them abilities and possibly scoring bonuses.

Of course, all of this is so that your studio can release an anime. To do so, you'll be collecting and arranging script parts that describe the anime you're producing. You'll also want to ensure you gather art for it too as it acts as a multiplier. On top of that, there's the trends and opportunities to consider when formulating what kind of anime to release. With only 4 rounds to do so, it's pretty important to try and release an anime each round.

What's interesting is just how much they leaned into the theme, you even have to manage the profits and costs of your studio, sometimes even having to take on debt in order to pay your staff. As seen from this excerpt from the rulebook:

JISOGI was created emulate the hard truth of running a company
with a limited budget and low-profit margins. Getting debt
cards is a normal and almost unavoidable part of the
early game. Players must find a balance between income
and expenditures, making sure to collect the payback for their
investments before the end.

It's truly impressive that this developer/publisher seemingly pulled this game out of thin air when compared to their very first release, and I am happy with how well developed and designed Jisogi is. My husband was so taken in and engaged with this game, and that can be a high threshold for a game to overcome. So I'm happy I took the risk with this game and that it payed off well with fulfilling enjoyment.