Warner Bros. is expanding anime production in Japan

Warner Bros. Discovery is making a big push into anime by expanding its investment and production of Japanese anime through its studio in Japan. They are finding a lot of success with their anime projects and want more. This news comes as they are planning to release its own DC anime series ISEKAI Suicide Squad.

James GibbonsWBD’s president for Asia-Pacific said in a statement: “We have a Japanese anime studio, which has been producing five to ten anime series per year in recent years. We have approved the expansion to bring it to more of ten series per year”.

The anime studio launched in 2011 and has since produced over 80 projects that include a mix of high-quality anime, live-action series, and films. Some of these projects include JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Chronicle of RagnarokAND Batman Ninja.

Gibbons went on to explain, “We sold them to third parties. This was one of the parameters. And they’re doing very well. And so as we see the appeal of the category, we’re expanding it. Anime is one of the best ways to reach audiences between the ages of 18 and 30, which is incredibly elusive. Globally, although not in all markets, but certainly in the United States, in some parts of Europe and Latin America, we have a strong anime audience.”

He continued: “There are Japanese anime that come from the original IP. But there are also souls who come from elsewhere. And we looked at our DC universe and said, “We can take these characters and reinvent them in the world of anime,” which is not easy because you have to do it right. You have to work with the right studios to make it happen and build your fan base.

A spokesperson for the studio added: “We see strong growth for the genre, increasing its reach and relevance not only to Asian audiences but globally.”

Some great anime projects have come out of this studio and it will be interesting to see what future anime projects come from the studio after ISEKAI Suicide Squad is released.

Source: variety