With 17 New Originals Netflix Continues to Woo Asia: Language Originals and Anime Galore

With the aim of connecting people around the world with Asian entertainment, Netflix has launched its first-ever content showcase in the region, “See What’s Next: Asia.” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, as well as performers and creators from Netflix series and films, unveiled 17 new Asian original productions from Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, India, and South Korea.

These projects join 100 new and returning originals across eight countries in Asia through 2019, as Netflix increases its investment in the Asian region and its creative voices. Netflix’s first forays into Asian storytelling released this year with the likes of crime thriller Sacred Games (India), anime series DEVILMAN crybaby (Japan), and variety comedy BUSTED! (Korea), which have become quite popular in the 190 countries, where Netflix is present.

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“Asia is home to the world’s great creative centres, producing some of the most compelling films and series of today,” said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer for Netflix. “The beauty of Netflix is that we can take never-seen before stories from South Korea, Thailand, Japan, India, Taiwan, or elsewhere, and easily connect them to people all over Asia and the world. More than half of Asian content hours viewed on Netflix this year are viewed outside the region, so we have confidence that our upcoming slate of Asian productions will find fans in their home countries and abroad.”

The titles announced today will join a rich library of Asian, Hollywood, and international content on Netflix, in sync with members’ personal tastes, in languages they prefer, and devices they’re watching on, all without commercials or commitments.

The Netflix content showcase, See What’s Next: Asia, hosted more than 200 media and influencers from 11 countries across Asia. News from the day includes:

• Narcos: Mexico Mano a Mano – Exclusive Clip
• Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
  • The film will have an exclusive limited theatrical engagement beginning November 29and launch globally on Netflix December 7
  • Trailer
  • Key Art
• KingdomSeason 1
  • Teaser Trailer with January 25, 2019Launch Date Announcement
  • Trailer
  • First Look Stills
• BUSTED!
  • Busted! Showrunner Chang Hyukjae announced Lee Seung-gi, from A Korean Odyssey, will be joining the season 2 cast.

Netflix has also made announcements for its upcoming originals, which include a bonanza of anime titles with deeply rooted source material for anime lovers:

• Pacific Rim. Returning to the epic battle of Kaiju and Jaegers, this original anime series will expand upon the story of the first two live action movies and follow two siblings, an idealistic teenage boy and his naïve younger sister, who are forced to pilot an abandoned Jaeger across a hostile landscape in a desperate attempt to find their missing parents. Co-showrunners for the show are Craig Kyleof Thor: Ragnarok fame and Greg Johnson of X-Men: Evolution. Legendary Entertainment, which also worked on Kong: Skull Island and Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, will be the production company.

• Altered Carbon. This anime feature, set in the same universe of the Netflix live-action sci-fi series (second season in production from Skydance Television), will explore new elements of the story mythology. Written by Tsukasa Kondo and Dai Sato of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo fame, it comes from animation studio, Anima.

• Cagaster of an Insect Cage. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where a mysterious disease “Cagaster” turns people into giant murderous insects, this manga-based series follows the struggle of a young couple to stay alive. Directed by Koichi Chigira of Last Exile and Full Metal Panic! Fame, it belongs to the animation studio, Gonzo.

• Yasuke. In a war-torn feudal Japan of mechs and magic, a retired ronin must take up his sword when he is charged with the task of transporting a mysterious child, whom dark forces want to eliminate. The series is created and directed by LeSean Thomas, who is also serving as Executive Producer. Grammy nominee Flying Lotus will compose the music and be an Executive Producer on the show. Lakeith Stanfield (Atlanta, Sorry to Bother You) will be the voice of the protagonist “Yasuke”, who is based on the historical samurai of African origin who fought with Oda Nobunaga.

• Trese. Set in a Manila where the mythical creatures of Philippine folklore live in hiding amongst humans, Alexandra Trese finds herself going head to head with a criminal underworld comprised of malevolent supernatural beings. This anime series is based on the Philippine graphic novel by the same name, created by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldissimo. Executive Producer is Jay Oliva, who was the same for Wonder Woman and The Legend of Korra, along with Producers Shanty Harmayn and Tanya Yuson at BASE Entertainment, a studio based in Jakarta and Singapore.

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The Stranded and Shimmers, two action and suspense packed Thai language originals are also lined up. The Stranded will be the first Netflix original series since the GMM Grammy multi-title deal. Also, an exciting Chinese language original called Triad Princess is coming up.

With 130 million paid memberships in over 190 countries, Netflix is currently the world’s leading internet entertainment service, offering TV series, documentaries, and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen. Members can also play, pause, and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

The Indian unit of Netflix, has made profits in its first year of operations, making a net profit of INR 20.2 lakh for 2017-18. The company made an entry into India in January 2016 as part of its global roll out and has shown revenues worth INR 58 crore for FY18, according to its filing with the Registrar of Companies.