ANYCOLOR, the operator of NIJISANJI, reported higher sales and lower profit for the first quarter of its fiscal year ending April 2027 (May to July 2026). Sales rose 5.4% to 16.62 billion yen, while operating profit fell 8.8% to 6.39 billion yen. Both beat the company’s own outlook, and the full-year forecast was left unchanged. The results were published on September 9, 2026.
The numbers
According to the company’s earnings summary (non-consolidated, Japanese accounting standards), for May 1 to July 31, 2026:
- Sales: 16,620 million yen, up 5.4% from 15,768 million yen a year earlier
- Operating profit: 6,390 million yen, down 8.8% from 7,003 million yen
- Ordinary profit: 6,384 million yen, down 8.8%
- Net profit for the quarter: 4,365 million yen, down 10.6%
By our calculation from those figures, the operating margin was about 38.4%, down from about 44.4% a year earlier.
Against the company’s own outlook
In June 2026 the company had guided for first-quarter sales of about 15.6 billion yen (down 1.1%) and operating profit of about 5.69 billion yen (down 18.8%), according to Gamebiz. The actual results were above that on both counts. Gamebiz noted that the expected profit decline was mainly attributed to higher personnel costs as the headcount grows, and described the year as one of building a foundation: keeping and training staff, hiring specialists for new areas, and building management systems.
What drove the quarter
Logmi Finance’s write-up of the earnings briefing gives this segment commentary:
- Commerce: anniversary, seasonal and event-related items were roughly as expected, but music CDs released in the quarter sold well above expectations.
- Events: NIJISANJI Fes 2026 and three solo VTuber performances all drew a stronger response than forecast.
- Livestreaming: memberships were stable, Super Chat was about flat from the previous quarter, and advertising revenue fell from the previous quarter due to seasonality. YouTube watch time was described as strong.
- Promotion: some projects slipped at the end of July, but the segment was broadly as planned.
The company said the direct variable cost ratio rose because of large events in the quarter, which pushed up the overall cost ratio. Inventory write-downs were about 460 million yen, roughly as expected.
For readers following the talents, the same briefing notes that two new NIJISANJI talents debuted in July as the unit "Poppin Parlor," that there were no graduations in the quarter, and that three audition rounds were held. Kuzuha's album Adamantite was released on July 29, at the very end of the quarter, and the solo live "Bloody Alexandrite" followed on October 12; the sources do not say how much either contributed to the results. See our profile of Kuzuha.
Full-year forecast and shareholder returns
- Full-year forecast (fiscal year to April 2027): sales of 56.0 to 60.0 billion yen (up 0.6% to 7.8%), operating profit of 18.0 to 20.0 billion yen (down 10.8% to 0.9%). Unchanged from the last guidance.
- Dividend forecast: 62 yen per share (31 yen interim and 31 yen year-end), compared with 75 yen paid for the fiscal year ended April 2026.
- Share buyback: up to 7.0 billion yen, with purchases from September 10, 2026 through the end of the fiscal year.
What it means
The quarter shows sales still growing, but profit being squeezed as the company adds staff. The first-quarter beat came from music CDs and events, according to the briefing, and the company said it expects the second quarter to be lively as well, mainly for events. We have only reviewed the filing and the briefing summaries listed below, not other analyst commentary.
Sources
- 2027年4月期 第1四半期決算短信, ANYCOLOR, Japan Exchange Group TDnet (Japanese), September 9, 2026
- ANYCOLORの決算説明資料より…1Q業績見通し, Gamebiz (Japanese), June 11, 2026
- ANYCOLOR 2027年4月期 第1四半期決算, Logmi Finance (Japanese)
Reviewed by WVR Inoue on October 20, 2026. See our editorial standards.
Thumbnail: 【】歌ってみた KING 葛葉 【】 by Kuzuha Channel on YouTube. Shown via YouTube; all rights belong to their owners.
