By Mark Seavy 

Amid the growing global demand for anime, production studios—hit by staff shortages and multiple projects—are struggling to keep pace. 

At fan-focused events like the recent Anime Expo in Los Angeles, a broad array of new titles are promoted, many with consumer product plans in hand. But behind the scenes, a number of production studios are working on two or three projects at once, resulting in delays of six to 18 months after a season airs before a sequel is greenlit. 

The recent production of Sakamoto Days, for example, was led by TMS Entertainment and involved 23 studios to complete the project. The series first aired on Netflix on January 11 with a second batch of episodes due on July 14. Studios like Studio Bones (My Hero Academia), Toei Animation (Dragon Ball Z), CloverWorks (Wind Breaker), Wit Studio (Attack on Titan), and Studio Ghibli (My Neighbor Totoro) have also been stretched to meet production and release deadlines.  

These delays were very much on the mind of attendees at Anime Expo, which highlighted new content and consumer product plans, as they can throw a wrench into licensing strategies. 

“The only limitation right now is the supply chain because there are a limited number of studios and talent to get the content out,” said Marc Harrington, Senior Manager for Business Development at Aniplex of America, whose Japanese parent operates A1 Pictures and CloverWorks studios along with 3D animation company Boundary. “There are just more fans now because they are up on the classics [Pokémon, Dragon Ball Z, Naruto] and people are more used to anime than before. But you can only get so much content out and one of the challenges is training new animators and finding great talent to keep it going.” 

Yet despite the studio concerns, new content was on full display at Anime Expo. Videogames, for example, are increasingly being adapted for anime. Because while anime has long been a source for videogames, console titles are now following the reverse path.  

CD Projekt Red is developing Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 with the animation studio Trigger based on its 2020 videogame release Cyberpunk 2077. The 10-episode series will be released on Netflix, which also streamed the first season in 2022. And Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Tsushima, which was published by Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2020 for the PlayStation console, is being adapted for anime and will released on Crunchyroll’s streaming service in 2027. 

“Videogames are an incredible source of IP and share a lot of narrative DNA with anime,” said Anna Songco Adamian, VP of Global Consumer Products at Crunchyroll. “Video games offer fans similarly nuanced, dramatic animated storytelling that exists in anime [versus other forms of animation, which is typically seen as content for kids or focused on comedy].” 

There also are manga and anime series being brought to the big screen. For example, the first part of the film trilogy Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle is being released globally later this year by Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures with Aniplex and Toho handling distribution in Japan. A licensing program will be tied to each of the three films, Harrington said.  

Additionally, there are manga titles being adapted for anime, including one that gained interest at the Anime Expo, Gachiakuta, the first episodes of which premiered on Crunchyroll on July 6. The manga debuted in Kodansha’s Weekly Shōnen Magazine in 2022. The manga series Wind Breaker, which launched with Kodansha in 2021, will also get the film treatment later this year with Warner Bros. Japan. 

And while all of this new content represents significant opportunities for the global brand licensing industry, ongoing production delays could make it difficult for manufacturers and retailers to launch products and experiences effectively.