Kadokawa is a big name in anime, though its involvement in shows is mostly on the production committee and promotion side. That’ll change soon though, as Kadokawa is planning to open an in-house anime studio.
The company’s future anime plans were detailed in its second-quarter financial results report. Specifically, it was revealed there that Kadokawa is setting its sights on expanding its anime effort.
This doesn't come as a big surprise, especially considering that the company is already involved in lots of ongoing and upcoming titles.
Kadokawa: The Home of Numerous Isekai Titles
Kadokawa is one of Japan’s biggest media conglomerates, and it is perhaps best known for its various publishing arms. These include ASCII Media Works, Enterbrain, and Media Factory, among others.
Under these numerous publishers are popular isekai light novels such as KonoSuba, Re:Zero, Overlord, The Rising of the Shield Hero, and many more.
Because these light novels are published by Kadokawa brands, the company is also heavily involved in producing the anime adaptations of these titles.
Aside from the adaptations, Kadokawa has also produced the popular crossover series Isekai Quartet, which features characters from various isekai titles under the company.
Interestingly, Kadokawa is also part of anime production committees of shows that they don’t own the rights to. For instance, the company is involved in Oshi no Ko, a manga published by Shueisha.
Given the company’s involvement in numerous anime titles, it makes sense that the publishing giant is gearing up to open an in-house studio.
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Kadokawa Plans to Expand Anime Production With In-House Studio
In Kadokawa’s latest financial report, it was indicated that the company invests in over 40 titles annually, but only five projects per year are produced solely by Kadokawa and affiliated companies.
Thus, Kadokawa is set to establish a new studio that the company owns 100%. On top of this, the company indicated that they are looking into acquiring or furthering alliances with established studios.
Currently, the company invests in studios such as ENGI (Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!) and Kinema Citrus (My Happy Marriage). Given Kadokawa’s plans, it’s likely that more studios will join the group soon.
The goal here is for Kadokawa to produce up to 20 anime per year. Along with more productions, there’s also a goal of extending the length of anime projects so that the company can develop its licensing business.
Given these plans, we’ll likely see more light novels from Kadokawa get the anime treatment soon.
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Source: Animation Business Journal via Full Frontal
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