One person's passion motivates others to create new businesses—our original manga-based anime production service is paving the way for the future of manga and anime

Our anime production service using original manga drawings was launched with the idea of helping support the future of manga and anime. It is an end-to-end content production service that transforms original manga manuscripts into high-quality anime, handling everything from planning to domestic and international broadcasting, as well as a variety of related services. We spoke with four members of the department about the goals and potential of the project: Tetsuya Hayama, who came up with the idea and built a broad network both inside and outside the company, along with Azumi Otaka, Masanori Wada, and Takumi Motohashi.

• Turning ideas into reality through networks inside and outside the company
• Paving the way for new anime production with an original manga-based anime production service
• Developments in picture books through the unique qualities of original manga-based anime
• Diverse companies are focusing on the ability to communicate clearly

[Profile] (from left to right in this photo)
Azumi Otaka: Responsible for AnimationID® project and other projects
Takumi Motohashi: Responsible for planning and related tasks utilizing original manga-based anime production service
Tetsuya Hayama: General Director of original manga-based anime production service
Masanori Wada: Responsible for projects of picture books and educational manga
They are all in the Contents and Marketing Planning Promotion Division, Publishing Innovation Operations, Dai Nippon Printing.

Manga and anime continue to spread Japan's unique appeal, both at home and abroad. Since the days of the Choju-Jinbutsu-giga scrolls, the worldbuilding, storytelling, and character creation expertise cultivated through manga expression have developed into animation techniques that have won fans around the globe.

One of the challenges facing Japanese anime in recent years is that, while flat-rate streaming services have expanded the ways content is delivered, production has not kept up with demand due to factors such as high production burdens and labor shortages. There are growing concerns that, if this trend continues, Japan's top talent and expertise may be lost to other countries and regions where the animation industry receives national-level support. Also, from the perspective of the manga market, which often provides the source material for anime, many popular, high-quality manga are being left behind, with people wondering, "Why haven't these been made into anime?"

Hayama, of Publishing Innovation Operations, describes himself originally as "just a salesperson who liked new things.” He adds, “I enjoyed creating diverse value with various clients." It was this awareness of the industry’s situation that sparked his idea to create this original anime production service using original manga drawings.

"There are many excellent manga titles, but only a handful are made into anime. At the time, I was involved in voice actor and anime song events.*¹ I’ve always been aware of the anime’s appeal and the high level of technology behind it, so I began looking for a solution that would benefit both the manga and anime industries. After talking to many people both inside and outside the company, I realized that using manga manuscripts as source material to create high-quality anime that was faithful to the original work would be the way to go,” says Hayama.

He continues, “The idea was very simple: anime is defined by full-color visuals, sound, and movement. I figured that turning manga into anime requires transforming a medium meant to be read into one meant to be watched. We named it ‘light anime,' incorporating the double meaning of 'light'-ening the production load and shining a 'light' on the work itself.”

“The first technical hurdle was figuring out how to animate still images from manga manuscripts. When the idea for this original manga-based anime production service was proposed as part of an internal new business project in April 2021, the motion comic format already existed, with manga broken down panel by panel and turned into video. However, this format required viewers to read the text in speech bubbles, which we felt greatly reduced the dynamism of the animation, despite it being video. To ensure the quality of the animation, we felt that it was essential to develop our own techniques for things like creating smooth motion and adding dialogue and sound effects.”

“Furthermore, to make it viable commercially, it was essential to develop two key channels: a supply of manga manuscripts for source material, and sales routes for the finished works. This meant not only forming contracts with publishers, who hold the rights to manga content, but also building distribution channels with TV networks, video streaming services, and other outlets.”

“In the process of working on these projects, we were reminded of the DNP Group's strengths. On the technical side, we confirmed that we have our own artisans for each part of the process, like removing speech bubbles, extending backgrounds, cutting out characters, and coloring, which allows us to handle the basic production in-house. And when it came to securing manga and developing distribution channels for anime, the trust DNP has built with publishers over the years also helped, especially in terms of managing sensitive data. Manga and other content are valuable assets for publishers, and entrusting them to someone else is like depositing money in a bank. Many publishers were open to the idea, saying, 'We can trust DNP,' which served as the starting point to launch the project. From there, we repeatedly approached TV stations, video streaming platforms, and education-related companies directly, gradually expanding our network." (Hayama)

Additionally, as Hayama aimed to create high-quality work on par with TV anime, there was one final piece he absolutely needed: finding a solid partner with expertise and a proven track record in anime production.

Tetsuya Hayama

"We knew we couldn't survive just by producing anime cheaply and quickly, so our collaboration project with Shufunotomo Infos Co., Ltd. (now Imagica Infos Co., Ltd.), a company with expertise in manga and TV anime, as well as web anime, gave us a powerful tailwind. Together, we exchanged ideas to raise the quality of the content. They also helped us with market research and partner acquisition, visiting around 30 publishers together. After a period of development, we named our collaborative project 'AnimationID®' in 2024. Within the original manga-based anime production service framework, we are involved in the overall planning and production of high-end content for TV broadcast and online streaming, as well as negotiating broadcast and distribution rights, and secondary development." (Hayama)

After much trial and error, the original manga-based anime production service was launched in August 2022, significantly reducing the time and cost of anime production while producing high-quality work on par with TV anime.

In a typical anime production, the script, structure, and drawings (including color design and character design) are completed before animation begins. Instead, this kind of anime production uses the original manga itself as the base to streamline the scripting and drawing stages. Normally, producing a one-season, 12-episode series takes two to three years, but this can be shortened to between six months and a year, with costs reduced to about one-fifth. These features are also a major advantage in not missing the opportunity to gain fans of the original work.

In terms of quality, one advantage is that there is little gap between the manga and the anime, since the animation is created directly from the manga. In addition, the method of fusing the characteristics of manga and anime, which was developed through our collaboration with Imagica Infos, ensures expressive artwork, smooth and efficient movement, dialogue, and sound effects tailored to each scene, and a cohesive sense of unity where everything works together organically.

AnimationID's first title, designed for TV and online streaming*² was "Chubby girlfriend & Pity boyfriend," broadcasting of which began on CBC TV in June 2024. Since then, two more titles have aired, and the project has been steadily building a track record. Otaka, the producer of AnimationID, recalls one unforgettable moment from that process.

"At one voice-recording session*³ I had the opportunity to be present on set with the manga artist of the work. I clearly remember how moved they were after watching the actual footage. From the beginning of the project, one of our core priorities has been to respect the intent of the original manga creators and their fans, so I felt encouraged by that moment and was reminded that this is a strength of this original manga-based anime production service. The response from fans has also been positive. As the quality of the animation continues to improve, we hope to keep creating works that meet everyone's expectations." (Otaka)

AnimationID is also taking on new challenges in terms of production models

"DNP and Imagica Infos work as a team to handle the entire production process, from project planning and negotiations with broadcasters and streaming platforms to promotion and secondary development, including merchandise production and event planning. As a result, decision-making is faster than with the production committee model commonly used in anime, and other non-production costs are kept down. This is only possible thanks to the cooperation of manga artists and publishers, and it shows again how closely connected DNP is to the publishing market." (Otaka)

Azumi Otaka

AnimationID is also taking on new challenges in terms of production models.

"DNP and Imagica Infos work as a team to handle the entire production process, from project planning and negotiations with broadcasters and streaming platforms to promotion and secondary development, including merchandise production and event planning. As a result, decision-making is faster than with the production committee model commonly used in anime, and other non-production costs are kept down. This is only possible thanks to the cooperation of manga artists and publishers, and it shows again how closely connected DNP is to the publishing market." (Otaka)

Alongside AnimationID, DNP has been working to expand original manga-based anime production into the fields of picture books and education. The future of learning is a key area DNP is working on. Here, Wada, who heads this, explains:

"Since original manga-based anime production is faithful to the artwork of the source manga, I thought that it would be a good match for picture books with their original illustrations. The publishing market is becoming more competitive, and we had already made videos to promote books, but we wanted to go further. By adapting them into original manga-based anime, we aimed to establish a new form of promotion and develop it into content that could be monetized."

As a key partner, DNP Group company TRC Library Service Inc. is leveraging its assets to distribute the content through the cloud-based digital library LibrariE & TRC-DL, as well as on video streaming platforms such as Netflix*⁴.

Approximately 20 works have been distributed so far. They are also actively working on adapting educational manga into original manga-based anime, and have already provided several titles, like the Weekly Manga: Japanese History, Revised Edition series (Asahi Shimbun Publications), to digital libraries.

"The task of turning picture books into original manga-based anime reminded me of how valuable this project is. For example, the original manga-based anime adaptation of the picture book Ringo Ringo Ringo Ringo Ringo Ringo by Mizumaru Anzai (Shufunotomo Co., Ltd.) on the flat-rate video service Netflix is an extremely short piece at just a minute and a half. This is unusual for Netflix, which tends to have longer content. Even so, it received such a strong response that it was featured as the top banner in genre-based recommendations. Simply put, it is a work about an apple rolling endlessly. The response far exceeded our expectations, and it made us realize how difficult it is to anticipate the impact of turning picture books into original manga-based anime. It also brought home the value that can be created by combining the appeal of picture books with that of animation." (Wada)

Masanori Wada

In addition, original manga-based anime, which can be archived as digital video and audio, also contributes to improved accessibility for a wide range of people. Its significance is also highly regarded in the fields of picture books and education, especially in terms of diversity and inclusiveness.

Original manga-based anime production is opening up new possibilities across a wide range of fields, and more companies are consulting with us as they were quick to recognize its value. Motohashi, who worked in corporate promotion before taking charge of the original manga-based anime production service, shared as follows:

Takumi Motohashi

"Original manga-based anime's ability to communicate clearly makes it useful not only for introducing products and services, but also for explaining complex mechanisms that are hard to convey through text alone, or for promoting their appropriate use. Since it can be easily localized by dubbing the narration into a target language, it is effective for international promotions, corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, and global branding efforts, both internally and externally. There are also various options for distributing original manga-based anime works, including corporate websites, social media, apps, and integration into the metaverse. In fact, we have already received inquiries from many companies." (Motohashi)

Regarding the ability to communicate clearly, Hayama is also paying attention to a particular trend among consumers.

"In recent years, key ideas like 'moving away from TV' and 'watching with variable speed playback'*⁵ reflect a growing tendency, especially among younger people, to avoid longer clips. I've found myself doing the same, often watching short videos on video-sharing platforms. Basically, even if something has the ability to communicate clearly, it does not matter unless people first actually want to watch it.

Original manga-based anime also must meet those needs, so we're exploring various approaches. These include producing episodes shorter than typical TV anime or creating vertical-format short animations designed for viewing on smartphones. Precisely because original manga-based anime production is a new method of converting still images to video, we intend to keep working on new formats that will be in demand, without being bound by existing video formats." (Hayama)

Original manga-based anime production has broken conventional approaches in many ways, pioneering new directions in anime production and new fields of application. What started as the vision of a single employee has gained support from many inside and outside the company, and is now generating significant business momentum.

*Please note that the information contained in this story was accurate as of the publication date.

October 8, 2025 by DNP Features Editorial Department