Great news for anime fans as the popular streaming service Netflix announces that thirteen anime titles will be making their way to the platform in a few days' time. The news comes as the result of a deal struck between Netflix, and the Nippon Television Network Corporation, or Nippon TV.
The deal was announced on Monday, August 29, and it will see various classic anime titles become available on the Netflix streaming platform in select countries as of September 1.
Netflix has seen steady growth in its anime catalog in recent years and has even been spearheading various original anime projects. Some of these include Yasuke (2021), Neo Yokio (2017) and Castlevania (2017). The non-exclusive deal with Nippon TV is one in a series of agreements made between Netflix and the Japanese broadcaster, which boasts a huge influence over Japanese television and has been active in broadcasting animated titles since the 1950s.
Nippon TV has an extensive catalog of anime classics, and those being offered to Netflix in the most recent deal include Death Note and two related films; 38 episodes of Hunter x Hunter (2011); NANA; Claymore; both seasons of Kimi ni Todoke (From Me to You); Parasyte – the Maxim; Ouran High School Host Club; the adaptation of Naoki Urasawa's Monster; Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! and, even the 1997 Berserk.
The titles will be made available in up to 190 countries depending on the series, with countries in all regions being targeted for the upcoming update to Netflix's anime roster, save for the Death Note franchise, which includes the films Death Note: Relight 1 and Death Note Relight 2 which will only be available in 14 countries. Some of the countries that will have the aforementioned titles made available to them are South Africa, Italy, Spain, Finland and Saudi Arabia.
During the AnimeJapan convention held in Tokyo in April, Netflix revealed the intention to bring 40 new anime titles from various genres to the platform in the year 2022 alone. A deal struck with Nippon TV earlier this year saw Netflix users gain access to the broadcaster's biggest drama series, Old Enough, which is being streamed in 190 countries and territories.
Akane Inoue, who is involved in anime sales and licensing at Nippon TV, has hailed this partnership with Netflix, stating that Nippon TV's involvement in the production of anime titles has put the broadcaster in good stead, and that "the timing could not be better", especially with the current upward trend that the anime is experiencing all around the world.
Source: The Economic Times