The mobile software company Aplix Corporation announced on Thursday that it will acquire the Japanese anime studio Anime International Company (AIC) as a wholly owned subsidiary for 700 million yen (about US$8.5 million). Aplix intends to offer anime videos and other contents in China and Southeast Asia on smartphones from Korea's Samsung Electronics, China's Huawei Technologies, and other makers.

Aplix is buying AIC from the pachisuro (pachinko-parlor slot machine) maker Oizumi, which had just acquired AIC last year. At the time, Oizumi spent 530 million yen (US$6.3 million) for 95% of AIC.

Toru Miura established the studio that would become AIC on July 15, 1982, and he is its current head. AIC has a number of sub-studios within itself: AIC Digital, AIC Spirits, AIC ASTA, AIC PLUS+, and AIC Takarazuka. It has 95 million yen (US$1.1 million) in capital.

AIC has worked on Strike Witches 2, Amagami SS, the anime adaptation of Tsukasa Fushimi's Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai (Oreimo) light novel series, and the ongoing Hourou Musuko anime recently. AIC produced about 200 anime titles in the past, including Megazone 23, Gall Force, Bubblegum Crisis, Vampire Princess Miyu, Tenchi Muyo!, Aa Megami-sama, Armitage III, El Hazard, Seto no Hanayome, Bamboo Blade, and Sora no Otoshimono.

Aplix was founded in 1986, and it had 13.263 billion yen (US$160 million) in capital as of 2009. Its chief executive officer is Ryu Koriyama.