AI Tools Enter CG Anime Production Workflows
The integration of AI into standard CG production software means anime studios specializing in 3D computer graphics will face increasing pressure to adopt tools they have been cautious about.
Animenomics
Industry
FROGMAN's DLE Launches AI Brand for Older Anime Properties
The brand marks a formal move by a veteran anime studio to repurpose its back catalog through generative AI, parallel to its existing traditional anime brand.
Anime News Network
Shunsuke Saito Joins Japan International Influencer Association Legal Committee
The appointment formalizes a platform operator's internal compliance rules into an industry-wide regulatory effort, signaling that legal oversight of foreign influencer PR in Japan is moving from individual company practice to collective standard-setting.
ASCII.jp
KLleon and Hakuhodo DY ONE Form Strategic AI Digital Human Partnership
The partnership pairs a specialized AI digital human developer with a major advertising group's consulting arm, targeting the gap between technological interest and full-scale brand-aligned deployment in the Japanese market.
ASCII.jp
Anthropic Files Confidentially for IPO, Revenue Hits $47 Billion
The confidential filing signals that Anthropic is ready to test public market appetite for AI companies, joining SpaceX and OpenAI in what TechCrunch called an IPO season where the two largest AI firms face off.
GIGAZINE
Influencer Vova Training Joins One Rep as Chief Creative Officer
The appointment brings a life-coach influencer with a large social media following into a formal executive role at a company that produces video and runs a human resource introduction business.
ASCII.jp
Game Future Summit 2026 Goes Solo as Organizer MOTTO Takes Full Control
The management shift from a joint venture to a single organizer signals that GAME FUTURE SUMMIT is prioritizing perceived neutrality over the operational resources a business partner like Game8 provided.
GameBusiness.jp
CEDEC2026 Registration Opens June 1, First Official Merchandise on Sale
The introduction of official merchandise and expanded Lightning sessions signal CEDEC's effort to build a stronger community identity beyond its core developer conference programming.
GAME Watch, GameBusiness.jp, Inside
Tokyo Government Launches Genre-Specific Overseas Expansion Consultations
The shift to genre-specific consultations signals a more targeted approach to helping Tokyo's small content businesses navigate international markets, starting with the game sector.
GameBusiness.jp
Fantia Reverses Censorship Mandate After Creator Backlash
The rapid reversal shows that the original censorship push was not a government directive but a private policy change, and that creator trust and revenue may take a lasting hit.
Niche Gamer (Anime)
Animation Veteran Kunihiko Hamada Leaves Madhouse After 35 Years
Hamada's departure removes a long-tenured staff member who shaped the visual identity of multiple Madhouse productions across three decades.
Anime News Network
ONIGO Acquires Full Control of ESCom, Strengthens So-Two Alliance
The full acquisition and deepened So-Two partnership signal ONIGO's intent to vertically integrate food production, wholesale, and delivery under one management structure.
ASCII.jp
T-NEXT Signs Agreement With KHL1 to Expand Japanese Food Brands in New York
The deal pairs a Japanese platformer that holds global licenses for major food brands with a U.S. operator of Michelin-starred Japanese restaurants, aiming to scale premium Japanese food content in the Eastern U.S. market.
ASCII.jp
Shogakukan Scandal Widens as Second Convicted Creator Found on MangaOne
The revelation that Shogakukan's MangaOne platform harbored a second convicted sex offender under a pseudonym, after already apologizing for the first case, suggests a systemic failure in editorial oversight rather than an isolated incident.
TheOASG
Crunchyroll Co-Produced More Than One in Six New TV Anime in 2025
The data confirms Crunchyroll's production footprint is far larger than casual viewers assume, shaping what gets made and which genres dominate the seasonal slate.
Anime By The Numbers
HiAnime, the Biggest Bootleg Anime Site, Is Reportedly Dead
The shutdown of the dominant pirate site removes the single biggest source of illegal anime streaming in the US, though the broader piracy ecosystem remains intact.
Anime By The Numbers
North American Anime Business Sees Double-Digit Growth and Global Expansion in 2025
The sustained growth in North America is now a structural driver for the entire anime industry, with Japanese studios and publishers explicitly prioritizing international markets over domestic ones.
Anime By The Numbers
Netflix and MAPPA Sign Landmark Anime Partnership
The deal gives MAPPA financial stability and creative freedom outside the production committee system, while Netflix secures exclusive access to one of the most respected anime studios among Western fans.
Anime By The Numbers
Dubbing Producer Reuben Lack Discusses Anime Localization Challenges
The interview provides a working professional's perspective on how accelerated production schedules and inexperienced vendors are affecting English dub quality, a topic rarely addressed in detail from inside the industry.
Anime by the Numbers
Crunchyroll Subtitles Shift to Simpler Format With Fall Season
If Crunchyroll has permanently abandoned its typesetting standards, no major streaming service will offer the level of subtitle detail that has been a hallmark of the platform's anime-specific approach for nearly two decades.
Anime By The Numbers
Square Enix Marketing Manager Discusses Manga Publishing Challenges in the U.S.
The interview provides a direct look at the operational and market-specific hurdles a relatively new manga imprint faces in the U.S., including the gap between teenage readership and adult purchasing power.
Anime By The Numbers
Anime Expo 2025 Schedule Reveals Industry Priorities
The shift from public lobby deal-making to private meetings, combined with the scheduled programming, lets observers read the industry's strategic priorities before the convention floor even opens.
Anime By The Numbers
Anime Viewership on Netflix Grows 10 Times Faster Than Other Content
Netflix's anime growth is real but comes almost entirely from sub-licensed hits and East Asian viewership, not from the exclusive titles the company promotes as its global strategy.
Anime by the Numbers
Anime Production Incentives Create a Prisoner's Dilemma, Analysis Argues
The analysis frames the industry's output problem as a structural incentive mismatch, not a creative one, suggesting that committee-led production prioritizes IP portfolio growth over sustainable quality.
Anime By The Numbers