Toho has completed a global distribution infrastructure through acquisitions in North America, Europe, and Asia, and is co-producing the Netflix series Gas Man, set to premiere on July 2.
Toho has expanded its international distribution network through a series of acquisitions. In October 2024, it acquired US distributor GKIDS. In November 2024, it launched a Singapore-based Asian hub. On December 19, Toho announced it had acquired all shares of Glasgow-based Anime Limited from Germany's Plaion Pictures, gaining immediate distribution capabilities in the UK and France across theatrical, home video, TV, streaming, and merchandise. Toho will also establish a European regional headquarters in London, led by Toho Global, its overseas business division. Anime Limited founder Andrew Partridge will join the leadership team of the new European base. Toho and Plaion Pictures have agreed to a strategic alliance, with Plaion extending Toho's distribution reach into Germany, Italy, and other European markets. Toho cited the European anime market's estimated value of $4.77 billion in 2024, projected to reach $9.05 billion by 2030, as context for the expansion.
On the production side, Toho is co-producing the eight-episode Netflix series Gas Man, a reboot of Toho's 1960 special effects film The First Gas Man. The series is directed by Shinzo Katayama and executive produced by Yeon Sang-ho. It follows detectives Kenji Okamoto (Shun Oguri) and Kyoko Kono (Yu Aoi) as they pursue a killer who can turn his body into gas. The Gas Man is played by debut actor UTA. Filming ran from September 2024 to April 2025 across about 120 locations, with location scouting covering over 1,000 sites. The production achieved the first full closure of Tokyo Station front for a Japanese film shoot after 18 months of negotiations. The series streams worldwide on Netflix from July 2.
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The second edition of the Animal Beach Ball pop-up shop for My Hero Academia runs June 27 to July 12 at Tokyo Anime Center in Shibuya. Newly drawn visuals feature Tomura Shigaraki, Dabi, and Himiko Toga holding animal beach balls. Goods include acrylic stands, concept necklaces, and mochocho collaboration items. Online sales begin June 29.
Netflix and Toho have released the main trailer and key art for the eight-episode series "Gas Man," a reboot of Toho's 1960 special effects film "The First Gas Man." The series, directed by Shinzo Katayama and executive produced by Yeon Sang-ho, follows detectives Kenji Okamoto (Shun Oguri) and Kyoko Kono (Yu Aoi) as they pursue a killer who can turn his body into gas. The trailer shows the Gas Man, played by debut actor UTA, announcing a press conference where he will reveal his methods and next target. Suzu Hirose and Kento Hayashi play video streamer siblings, and Yutaka Takenouchi plays a former yakuza-turned-company president. Filming ran from September 2024 to April 2025 across about 120 locations, with location scouting covering over 1,000 sites. The production achieved the first full closure of Tokyo Station front for a Japanese film shoot after 18 months of negotiations. The series streams worldwide on Netflix from July 2.
Aniplex president Atsuhiro Iwakami will become the next president and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Japan, effective April 2026, as reported by the Nikkei and covered by Animenomics. Iwakami, who has led Aniplex for ten years, will be the first executive with a video production background to head the Japanese music giant. The appointment reflects the growing influence of Aniplex within Sony Music Group, as more than half of Sony Music's sales in Japan now come from non-music sources, including Aniplex. Aniplex produced both "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle," the highest-grossing anime film globally, and "Kokuho," Japan's highest-grossing live-action film. External revenue from Sony Music's visual media and platform business, which includes Aniplex, rose 42.8 percent in the nine months ended December 2025 compared to the same period last year. Prior to leading Aniplex, Iwakami worked on productions such as the "Monogatari" series, "Puella Magi Madoka Magica," and "Sword Art Online," and produced the mobile game "Fate/Grand Order" and the "Demon Slayer" anime adaptation.
Toho, the Japanese entertainment company behind Godzilla Minus One, announced on December 19 that it has acquired all shares of Glasgow-based anime distributor Anime Limited from Germany's Plaion Pictures. The acquisition gives Toho immediate distribution capabilities in the UK and France across theatrical, home video, TV, streaming, and merchandise. Toho will also establish a European regional headquarters in London, led by Toho Global, its overseas business division. Anime Limited founder and managing director Andrew Partridge will join the leadership team of the new European base. In a parallel move, Toho and Plaion Pictures have agreed to a strategic alliance, with Plaion extending Toho's distribution reach into Germany, Italy, and other European markets. The deal follows Toho's acquisition of US distributor GKIDS in October 2024 and the launch of a Singapore-based Asian hub in November 2024. Toho cited the European anime market's estimated value of $4.77 billion in 2024, projected to reach $9.05 billion by 2030, as context for the expansion. Financial terms were not disclosed.
At SusHi Tech Tokyo, executives from Production I.G, CoMix Wave Films, and MAPPA discussed alternatives to the production committee model. MAPPA's Manabu Otsuka, Production I.G's Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, and CoMix Wave Films' Noritaka Kawaguchi shared how their studios retain ownership. Studio Chizu's LLP model was also highlighted as a long-term alternative.
New survey data from the Japan Animation Creators Association shows a sharp rise in full-time salaried roles at anime production studios. In 2024, 47 percent of respondents held permanent positions, up from 17 percent in 2013. Non-permanent work fell from three in four to one in two over the same period. Average monthly working hours dropped to about 190, and median annual earnings rose to ¥4 million, though work stress remains high.