Japanese news outlet Keizaikai released part of a recent interview with Warner Bros. Discovery Japan General Manager Buddy Marini and Kunio Yamada, Warner Bros. Japan VP and Head of Film Division. When answering what areas Warner is particularly focused on in Japan, Marini shared that one aspect was ramping up anime production, saying:
“We own a lot of global IP and are involved in a wide range of businesses, including film production and distribution, pay TV broadcasting, home entertainment, games, content licensing, and streaming. We not only bring Hollywood movies and American TV series to Japan, but also produce local content.
In addition to live-action Japanese films, we have produced around 90 Japanese anime titles, including JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and Record of Ragnarok. As part of our strategy to expand Japanese creativity globally, we currently release four to five titles a year, but we plan to further increase the number of titles we produce in the future.“
More generally, Yamada added that Warner’s current aims in Japan are to produce around eight Japanese live-action films annually and acquire more IP that is acceptable to the Japanese market. Although he couldn’t reveal names, he teased a release lineup of “powerful [Western] IPs that are expected to be global hits,” with some “very familiar to Japanese people.” He expects the market share of foreign films to increase to 30 to 40 percent, compared to last year’s 25%, and spoke bullishly about the upcoming 2027 Harry Potter TV series by HBO, Brontë Film and TV, and Warner Bros. Television.
Through its subsidiaries, Warner Bros. Discovery has supported the production of anime like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Record of Ragnarok, Suicide Squad: ISEKAI, Batman Ninja, Shokugeki no Souma, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, and more. In March last year, Warner Bros. Discovery’s president of Asia-Pacific, James Gibbons, confirmed to Variety plans to increase anime production to more than 10 series a year.
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This comes as major anime production companies have similar plans: KADOKAWA aims to increase its number of anime productions and studios, with a particular focus on more sequels and longer seasons of hit titles (Mainichi). Toho is also increasing its M&A efforts in anime. Sony’s Crunchyroll and Aniplex will produce titles for a global audience through their new HAYATE joint venture. CyberAgent launched a new anime studio, CA Soa, earlier this year.
Source: Keizaikai August Edition (released on June 22)
Featured image © Hirohiko Araki & LUCKY LAND COMMUNICATIONS/SHUEISHA
Harry Potter via Aidan Monaghan/HBO
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