KADOKAWA anime director Takeshi Kikuchi shared in a recent interview with Mainichi the company’s strategies to ensure more stable and sustainable anime production. As one of the leading anime producers in Japan, responsible for titles such as “Re:Zero”, “Oshi no Ko”, “The Eminence in Shadow” and “Classroom of the Elite”, KADOKAWA plans to optimize its approach in the face of growing costs and challenges of the industry.
«Simply increasing the number of productions is not viable in terms of profits» commented Kikuchi. «Instead of increasing projects, we should focus on creative ideas such as producing more sequels to successful series or increasing the number of episodes per season.».
One of the keys to KADOKAWA’s plan is to expand the number of internal studios. Currently, the company has significant stakes in studios such as ENGI (53%), KADAN, Kinema Citrus (31.8%) and Doga Kobo. Kikuchi noted that they assign projects based on the unique characteristics of each studio, and expressed interest in opening more studios in the future.
Likewise, KADOKAWA is developing a centralized contract system, which will be implemented in 2025. This system seeks to facilitate the management of freelancers, who play key roles in anime production. Kikuchi highlighted that improving working conditions and offering clear career paths for animators and voice actors is essential. «We want animators to be able to plan their lives with greater stability», he stated.
KADOKAWA also seeks to coordinate its adaptations with the endings of the original works, as was the case with “Oshi no Ko,” and accelerate production schedules to ensure that releases can be localized and promoted internationally. «If a series is not subtitled soon after its premiere in Japan, audiences will turn to fansubs on piracy sites», Kikuchi warned.
Despite the proposed benefits, KADOKAWA’s strategies have raised concerns. Prioritizing sequels could limit originality in adaptations and pressure publishers to promote works designed for long seasons. Furthermore, although schedules are sought to be optimized, the industry already faces problems with tight production times, which could be aggravated if longer projects are not properly planned.
Yuichi Fukushima, producer of titles such as “Spy x Family” and “Attack on Titan,” recently noted that two-course series are increasingly difficult to produce. This trend towards longer productions could create risks of collapse if not managed precisely. As KADOKAWA implements its strategies, its success or failure could set the path for other major companies in the competitive world of anime.
Fountain: Mainichi Shimbun
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