"The end of anime starts here." MAPPA and Netflix team up to create new original anime - fans are alarmed
Netflix and Studio MAPPA have announced a new strategic partnership in which the companies will jointly work on anime at all stages of production, from script development to merchandise release. New original MAPPA projects will be released simultaneously around the world. Several titles are already in production, but their details have not yet been disclosed.
The new agreement continues the collaboration that began in 2020, when Netflix announced "production alliances" with MAPPA, Science SARU and other studios. By that time, most of MAPPA's projects, including "Jujutsu Kaisen" and "Hell's Paradise," had already been released on the platform.
Studio President Manabu Otsuka noted that the expansion of the partnership reflects MAPPA's philosophy:
“This strengthening of the partnership reflects our long-standing concept of MAPPA as a self-sufficient studio — both creatively and in terms of business plan. Japanese studios should think globally — from planning and development to international release.”
Netflix VP of Content Kaata Sakamoto added that the platform hopes that by combining "MAPPA's unique production approach and Netflix's global reach, we can expand the possibilities of anime" on the world stage. At the same time, Netflix emphasizes that over the past five years, the anime audience on the service has tripled, and more than half of subscribers regularly watch Japanese animation.
The announcement of the deal caused a stir in the fan community. Some of the audience welcomes the growing influence of Japanese animation and new opportunities for studios, while others are skeptical of the wording about Netflix's "global perspective." In the comments, they recall the platform's previous experiments, accuse the company of trying to seize "the last frontier of self-expression" and ironically state that "the end of anime starts here."
