Toonami Wants to Put More Focus on Horror Anime (Exclusive)

The horror genre is one that hasn’t been represented that often in horror television series and feature-length films, and while Junji Ito is getting ready to receive two new adaptations in the near future, there are countless horror series that have yet to hit anime. During our latest interview with Housing Complex C‘s producer, Maki Terashima-Furuta, the creator confirms that Cartoon Network’s programming block is looking to dive headfirst into terror and are seeking to work on additional horror properties in the future.

Housing Complex C is a series that isn’t based on a manga and/or light novel series, instead, creating an original series that plays on the themes presented by H.P. Lovecraft, which would typically venture into cosmic horror and scares that could be incomprehensible. In discussing the origins of how the series originated from both Toonami and Studio Akatsuki, Terashima-Furuta hinted that conversations were underway to focus more on chills and thrills within the medium: 

“Jason DeMarco and I have been talking about starting a horror anime genre on Toonami and so with Uzumaki being delayed, we created Housing Complex C as a placeholder. I had worked with Studio Akatsuki before and they did such a brilliant job that I decided we could start something together. I was looking for an original idea that was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft as the author has so many fans worldwide, and let Akatsuki run wild with it. ” 

The Time For Horror Anime is Nigh

The producer of Housing Complex C also took the opportunity to discuss how the success of the current spooky series, and the upcoming Junji Ito adaptation, will play a heavy role in their decision to move forward in giving anime fans some scares in a medium that is often bereft of terrifying shows and movies: 

“Horror is something that everybody loves. There haven’t been that many horror anime, whether it is original horror or horror based on the works of Junji Ito or Kazuo Umezu, there are a lot of horror mangakas in Japan that I would love to see their stories made into anime. We’ll see how Uzumaki ultimately does, but Housing Complex C is doing very well. I was shocked by the overwhelmingly positive reactions to it and we’re sure Uzumaki will be a huge hit. It looks amazing and it will blow peoples’ minds as we’ve put in so much work into it. I’m happy to explore more into the horror world of anime.”

Housing Complex C’s finale airs on Cartoon Network on October 23rd at midnight.