[20][21][22] The creation of the studio was proposed by Choi during the making of the short film Kick-Heart (2013),[17] which was the first large-scale Japanese animated project to be successfully crowdfunded on Kickstarter.

[23] The studio's first official production under the Science Saru name was an episode of the American Adventure Time animated series entitled Food Chain (2014), on which Yuasa worked as director, writer, and storyboard artist; Choi served as co-director.

By the end of 2013, the company had expanded to a staff of five, including Yuasa, Choi, and Abel Góngora, a former member of Ankama Japan;[17][25] the studio's first productions began with this small crew.

[26] Food Chain received critical acclaim as one of the best episodes of the series,[27][28][29] was an official competition selection at Annecy,[30] and was nominated for the Annie Award for Outstanding Television Direction.

[35][36][37][38] Science Saru also provided production assistance on a pair of episodes of the Bones television series Space Dandy (2014); and both received critical acclaim.

[32] By early 2016, Science Saru had gained experience and built a name in the industry; while still a small team, the company was ready to undertake its first large-scale project.

[45] During the production of Lu Over the Wall, Yuasa and Science Saru were offered the opportunity to produce a second feature film, the comedy romance Night Is Short, Walk On Girl (2017), based on the novel by Tomihiko Morimi.

[48] Although Lu Over the Wall was completed first, it was released after Night is Short, Walk On Girl; this was in part due to a marketing suggestion that it might be preferable for the studio's first film to be based on a pre-existing property familiar to Japanese audiences.

[55] Lu Over the Wall and Night is Short, Walk On Girl, as well as Yuasa's pre-Science Saru feature film Mind Game (2004), were licensed for North American distribution by GKIDS.

[56] Most significant to Science Saru's growing popularity was the Netflix release of Yuasa's animated series Devilman Crybaby (2018), based on the manga by Go Nagai.

[58] Devilman Crybaby was an immediate and massive international hit;[59][60] with 90% of its viewers outside Japan, the series achieved the largest global audience for the studio to that date.

[77] Also in 2019, Science Saru produced the series Super Shiro (2019), an installment of the popular Crayon Shin-chan franchise created by Yoshito Usui.

[97] A film compilation version of the series was subsequently released in Japanese theaters in November 2020,[103] and was awarded a Jury Selection Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival.

Yuasa cited his desire to take a rest from directing after seven years of continuous work, but reaffirmed his commitment to completing additional projects with Science Saru in the future.

[110] Later that year, Yuasa was further recognized with the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon by the Japanese government in recognition of his distinguished contributions to artistic and cultural development.

[111] In fall 2021, Science Saru released a pair of interrelated projects: the Masaaki Yuasa feature film Inu-Oh (2021), and the animated television series The Heike Story (2021).

Based on the novel by Hideo Furukawa and featuring character designs by Ping Pong creator Taiyō Matsumoto, Inu-Oh is a musical drama film set during the 14th Century in Japan which centers on the unique and unexpected friendship between two traveling Noh performers.

[6][118] Following the conclusion of its streaming release, The Heike Story was named one of the best series of 2021,[119][120][121][122][123][124] and was nominated in 3 categories for the 2022 Anime Trending Awards.

[125] Additionally, in September 2021, Science Saru produced two short films for the animated anthology project Star Wars: Visions (2021).

Directed by Tomohisa Shimoyama,[145] written by Dai Satō,[146] and based on a concept by Masaaki Yuasa,[147] the series drew inspiration from Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and premiered to excellent reviews.

[150] The project was directed by Shingo Natsume, while screenwriter Makoto Ueda, character designer Yusuke Nakamura, and the majority of the original Japanese voice cast reprise their creative roles from The Tatami Galaxy.

According to Choi, staff are chosen based on skill regardless of national origin, and the inclusion of global perspectives helps create more well-rounded stories.