Anime producer Hideo Katsumata was recently interviewed about the growth of the Anime Times streaming service, which he heads as president, as well as planning and production strategies, and animation conditions in Japan.
As the representative of Avex Pictures, which led the production committee of the YURI!!! on ICE anime, Katsumata was also asked by Animehunch about the cancellation of the Ice Adolescence sequel film.
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“I can’t talk about the details, as that includes some very private matters. But if you ask whether it’s a creative or business issue, the reasons stem from the creative side. The main reason is that it couldn’t be made due to creative reasons. Since it was an original animation, the people involved—including the creators and the animation studio, MAPPA… among the creators, on the creative side, a situation arose where it just became impossible to proceed with production.“
In a massive surprise to fans, YURI!!! on ICE the Movie: Ice Adolescence was canceled in April 2024, seven years after its announcement. No concrete reason was given at the time, with anime studio MAPPA posting to X (formerly Twitter), “The production committee and staff have been in constant discussions to create and to deliver the movie, but due to various circumstances, we have had to make the difficult decision to stop the production. (excerpt)”
You can read more here about what Katsumata and AnimeTimes are up to in India—a market that the company is primarily targeting for expansion. Katsumata shared in May that, two years after its India launch in 2023, it finally felt like the platform was expanding. He added that the platform has returned 20 billion yen (~$132 million) in revenue to production committees.
YURI!!! on ICE began as a 12-episode original anime series created by Mitsuro Kubo and Sayo Yamamoto (also director). Crunchyroll describes the series:
Yuri Katsuki carried the hope of all Japan on his shoulders in the Figure Skating Grand Prix, but suffered a crushing defeat in the finals. He returned to his hometown in Kyushu and hid away in his family’s home, half wanting to continue skating and half wanting to retire. That was when the five-time consecutive world champion, Victor Nikiforov, suddenly showed up with his teammate, Yuri Plisetsky, a young skater starting to surpass his seniors. And so the two Yuris and the Russian champion Viktor set out to compete in a Grand Prix like none the world has ever seen!
Source: Animehunch
© Yuri!!! on ICE Production Committee
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