Interview: PIXTA CEO Daisuke Komata on New AI Anime Platform Anipops

On August 12, PIXTA Inc. relaunched Anipops as a short-form anime streaming platform for a global audience, alongside a newly established in-house studio that produces its titles with generative AI. Five original series went live at launch.

PIXTA operates Japan’s largest stock content marketplace and has expanded in recent years into licensing image and video data for AI training. Anipops itself launched in March 2026 as a submission site for individual AI creators before being rebuilt around the studio model, with the original upload features continuing separately as Anipops Creators.

The launch arrives during an unresolved period for generative AI in the anime industry. In October 2025, CODA formally asked OpenAI to stop training on its member companies’ works, and the Association of Japanese Animations issued a joint statement with publishers and the Japan Cartoonists Association. Japanese voice actors ran the NOMORE無断生成AI ((NOMORE Unauthorized Generative AI) campaign in 2024 seeking consent and disclosure standards.

Anime Corner interviewed PIXTA President and CEO Daisuke Komata about the platform, its production process, and how it looks at the public’s concerns regarding AI. The interview was conducted by email and is presented in full below.

Q: Anipops began in March 2026 as a submission site for individual AI creators, and has now been rebuilt around an in-house studio. What did those first months teach you that made the studio-led model necessary?

A: While the submission-site phase showed us the value of having an open space where a wide range of creative work could be shared, we realized that delivering a consistent, ongoing story as a long-form series requires a structure that can oversee the process from planning through quality control. We therefore moved to a studio-led model. That said, we continue to offer a space for individual creators to submit their work and connect with fans through “Anipops Creators” (anipops.com/creators). This environment is maintained and developed as a place where creators can post their own anime and engage with fans.

Q: When PIXTA says everything from planning and scriptwriting to animation is completed in-house, what does that pipeline actually look like in practice? Please walk us through how one episode goes from script to final cut, and how many people are involved.

A: Our in-house Anipops Studio leads the entire process, from determining the direction of the project and scriptwriting through video quality control and the final decision on release. As for the source material, some works are based on fully original scripts, while others are based on external novels for which we have obtained permission. For each episode, once the script is completed, we first confirm the visual direction using rough sketches, then move on to video production using generative AI. The episode is then completed after human review and corrections. The number of people involved varies by work, so it is difficult to give a single figure, but we have a system in place where multiple people review the work at each stage.

Q: Which generative models does Anipops Studio use in production, and what data were they trained on?

A: We use a combination of several external generative AI services in production. Because the technology is evolving rapidly and we are continually reviewing which tools we use, we would prefer not to disclose the names of individual services at this time. As for training data, we do not train our own models in-house. For works based on licensed source material, our contracts specify that the original work is not used as training data.

Q: PIXTA lets stock contributors opt out of AI training use, and later decided to stop accepting AI-generated submissions to the stock library, citing buyer demand for human-made content. How do you reconcile those decisions with launching an AI anime studio?

A: The stock business and Anipops have different purposes. In the stock business, we stopped accepting “AI-generated material” as of May 22, 2026, but this does not in any way mean that we intend to deny creative activities using AI. The reasons were that a large volume of AI-generated content had accumulated in a short period, making it more difficult to match buyers with the content they were looking for, and that demand was growing among buyers for works that creators had photographed or created themselves. We continue to accept works where AI is used only as an auxiliary tool, as long as it does not substantially alter works that the creators themselves have photographed or created. The stock business delivers content that buyers are looking for, and we revised our handling policy in response to changes in demand. Anipops, on the other hand, involves works that we plan and are responsible for producing, and we see AI as one of the technologies that supports that production. We believe that respecting human creativity and embracing AI as a new means of expression are not contradictory and can coexist within our company.

Q: Was any content from the PIXTA library used in developing or fine-tuning the models behind these five series? If so, how were the contributors involved?

A: No content from the PIXTA library has been used in the production of Anipops, including these five series.

Q: The five series are credited to “Anipops Studio” rather than to named individuals. Do you plan to publish per-episode credits for the writers, translators, directors, artists, and composers involved, and to label AI-generated content visibly on the platform?

A: For works based on licensed source material, we plan to credit the original author and the title of the original work in accordance with our contracts. We currently have no plans to publish the names of individual staff members, such as writers or directors, or to explicitly label content as AI-generated. We intend to comply with any labeling or disclosure requirements mandated by applicable laws and regulations in each region.

Q: Character and visual consistency is often difficult in generated video. How does Anipops Studio maintain a stable look through an eight or fifteen episode series?

A: We establish detailed guidelines for the characters and the world in advance, and we maintain visual consistency by using the same reference artwork and settings when generating each episode. The generated footage is reviewed by people to ensure that it meets those standards, and we have a review process involving multiple staff members before any episode is released.

Q: Are the voices in these series performed by professional voice actors or generated? If generated, how was consent handled, and what is your response to the concerns raised by the NOMORE無断生成AI campaign in October 2024?

A: For the voices, we use external generative AI services and operate in accordance with each provider’s terms of service and contractual conditions. We take seriously the growing public concern about protecting the voices and rights of voice actors and performers. We will continue to monitor developments in the industry and consider what steps may be necessary.

Q: In October 2025, CODA formally asked OpenAI to stop training on member companies’ works, and the AJA issued a joint statement with publishers and the Japan Cartoonists Association. As a Japanese company producing anime with AI, where does Anipops position itself relative to those statements?

A: We take the statements issued by industry organizations and related companies seriously. We recognize that respecting the wishes of creators and rights holders is an important issue for us as well, and we continue to discuss and consider it internally.

Q: In the United States, works generated without sufficient human authorship are currently treated as ineligible for copyright protection. If Anipops originals cannot be fully protected in key overseas markets, how does that affect your plans to license or expand them?

A: We recognize that copyright laws and practices differ by country and region. We are carefully considering our overseas expansion plans in light of the legal frameworks in each jurisdiction.

Q: Entry-level animation work, particularly in-betweening and backgrounds, is both the lowest-paid stage of the Japanese pipeline and the stage AI is most often used to replace. It is also where most animators build the skills that lead to key animation and direction. What would you say to animators who see a studio like this as removing that first step?

A: We recognize that in-betweening and background work are the starting points for many animators. Anipops is not intended to replace existing production environments or career paths. Many of the people involved in our productions had no prior experience in animation production. We see this as an effort to provide a new entry point into animation production for people who had not previously been involved in animation.

Q: What happens to the creators who uploaded during the submission-site phase? Anipops Creators continues, but the commercial focus has moved to in-house titles. Is there a route for community creators to be paid or featured on the main platform?

A: We continue to operate Anipops Creators as a platform for creators to pursue their activities. We are currently considering how it might connect with our main service and what a compensation structure could look like.

Q: At 19.99 dollars a month, Anipops is priced at or above services with much larger catalogues, alongside a 50 cent per-episode option and ad-supported viewing. How did you arrive at that structure, and which tier do you expect most viewers to use?

A: We designed the pricing structure with reference to the value of the content, the viewing experience, and the price ranges of comparable services overseas. We set prices in Japanese yen domestically and in US dollars overseas, taking local conditions into account. As the service has only just launched, we are still assessing usage patterns to determine which tier will be the most widely used.

Q: The release points to China’s vertical short drama market as the opportunity. In that market, AI-generated titles now dominate output and per-episode revenue has fallen sharply as it has become crowded. What makes you confident Anipops can avoid that same compression? Related to this, you mention future collaborations with existing IP. Have any rights holders expressed interest so far?

A: We are aware of the trends in the Chinese market. As for collaborations with existing IP, we do not have any concrete plans at this time, but we do see it as one possibility for the future.

Q: You are launching into an audience that is broadly hostile to generative AI in anime. Did you anticipate that, and what is your message to a fan who has decided on principle not to watch AI-produced anime?

A: We are fully aware of the concerns surrounding generative AI, and we have no intention of dismissing those voices. Anime production has historically been a high barrier to entry for many people. We see great potential in AI as a means of enabling anyone to express their own creative vision. Anipops is not intended to replace existing anime culture, but rather to be offered as one new option among many.

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Our thanks to Daisuke Komata for answering our questions, and to PIXTA for arranging the interview.