Anime's Top Studios Are Hoping to Expand Partnerships Overseas
Since the invention of the internet, fans have been using social media and countless websites to help in introducing fans the world over to the anime medium. Dragon Ball Z for example gained serious momentum when clips of Super Saiyans battling one another made their way across the world wide web thanks to Real Player Clips. Now that anime studios are branching out to other parts of the globe, producers at Wit and Production I.G. recently took part in a seminar praising the latest major collaborations.
In a recent online seminar, TIFFCOM 2022, Production I.G producer Hiroshi Ito and Wit Studio producer Tetsuya Nakatake discussed how the internet and the connectivity of the globe have made it easier to put together anime projects with those who live outside of Japan. Specifically, the producers noted that countries such as Brazil, Taiwan, France, and China, have given them the opportunity to work with amazingly talented artists thanks in part to being able to see their art via social media. With anime being streamed into houses around the world, both producers made note that these artists have "passionate otaku hearts" and have become worthy additions to creating these collaborations.
The Anime Game Is Changing
Another interesting tidbit of this discussion was that Nakatake and Ito noted that thanks to the influence of anime, and its continued growth via the internet and streaming services, they expect more Hollywood artists to be influenced by the medium well into the future. In discussing the work that they have done with Netflix specifically, the Wit and I.G. producers noted that anime has become a safer investment for the platform as the production costs tend to remain the same when the project begins, helping them to have bigger budgets. Certainly, a notable example this year was Studio TRIGGER's Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, the video game adaptation that has become one of the biggest new series of the year when it comes to anime.
A big comment made during this seminar was also that the producers assured those in attendance that despite the increase in overseas collaboration, the general approach to anime production would not change.
What has been your favorite collaboration within the anime world? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.