Bee Train Production, commonly referred to simply as "Bee Train," is an animation studio founded by Kouichi Mashimo in 1997. Their notable projects include animated entries of the .hack series (.hack//SIGN, .hack//liminality,.hack//tasogare no udewa densetsu,.hack//roots)and the "girls-with-guns" trilogy (Noir, Madlax, El Cazador de la Bruja.) They have a strong following in the yuri fandom for being involved in series portraying strong female leads with speculatively ambiguous relationships.