Variety is reporting that the Japanese animation house GDH (Samurai Seven, Witchblade), which was formed in 2002 from the merger of the Gonzo and Digimation anime studios, has plans to create a $43 million financing fund with Jupiter Investment, the Japanese affiliate of Goldman Sachs.  GDH will use the fund to finance a wide range of anime and game projects as well as live action films. 

GDH's arrangement with the Goldman Sachs subsidiary is quite different from the normal method of financing anime productions in Japan, which typically involve production committees.  GDH plans on issuing share warrants to Jupiter investment and utilizing other U.S.-style investment structures such as completion bonds.

GDH has its anime version of Top Cow's Witchblade debuting in Japan next month as well as numerous other projects in the works including a 3-D anime feature based on Miyuki Miyabe's fantasy novel Brave Story, which is set for release in Japan this summer.