— Showcasing some of the biggest titles and talent, this year’s highlights include stop-motion series Pokémon Concierge, anime based on fan-favorite IPs like PLUTO or BEASTARS FINAL SEASON and live action adaptations for Zom 100: Bucket list of the Dead and ONE PIECE —
Returning to Anime Expo, North America’s biggest fan event for all things Japanese pop culture, Netflix showcased their diverse slate of upcoming anime and live action adaptations, including fan-favorites like PLUTO or BEASTARS FINAL SEASON as well as news and talent appearances for the highly anticipated stop motion series Pokémon Concierge, live action adaptations Zom 100: Bucket list of the Dead and ONE PIECE.
Hosting the ‘From Japan to the World’ J-Content presentation in front of over 3,000 fans at the Main Events Stage, the panel featured the newly announced Pokémon Concierge (December, 2023) series star Non, who will voice the lead character Haru in the Japanese version, and who delighted fans with a behind the scenes look at the upcoming series and newly presented teaser art. The story about Haru’s adventures at the Pokémon Resort will join an ever expanding slate of J-Content. This includes previously announced titles like BEASTARS FINAL SEASON (Coming Soon), whose main character Legoshi surprised fans onstage with a first look at some of the character designs for the upcoming and final season.
Netflix also gave fans and press a new glimpse at upcoming project PLUTO (October 26, 2023), an anime adaptation of the legendary manga of the same name by Naoki Urasawa. Coming all the way from Tokyo, anime legend Masao Maruyama excited fans with insights into his decade-spanning career in the industry and what makes the upcoming PLUTO project so special, before presenting a brand-new teaser trailer for the series.
Fans also heard from the stars of upcoming zombie-comedy flick Zom 100: Bucket list of the Dead (August 3, 2023), with co-creator of the original manga Kotaro Takata and lead-actor Eiji Akaso presenting the first teaser trailer, while joking about 100 things they’d do before the zombie apocalypse would take over.
Before wrapping up the panel, fans were additionally treated to a special video message by the cast of the highly-anticipated ONE PIECE live action series (August 31, 2023), in which series lead Iñaki Godoy took viewers to a special meeting with legendary voice actor Mayumi Tanaka, revealing that the original voice cast of the long-running anime series will reprise their roles for the Japanese dub of the upcoming series.
See below for additional highlights and announcements:
ZOM 100: BUCKET LIST OF THE DEAD – August 3, 2023
Akira Tendo (Eiji Akaso) works at an abusive company where he suffers endless late hours, power harassment from his boss, and illogical tasks. He spends his days feeling more dead than alive. One morning, the town is overtaken by zombies and the familiar landscape is already devastated. Seeing such destruction, Akira shouts with glee that he doesn’t need to go to the office anymore. Showing his innate positivity, Akira comes up with a list of 100 things he wants to do before he becomes a zombie, including cleaning his home and camping on his balcony and sets out to complete his bucket list.
Director: Yusuke Ishida
Screenplay: Tatsuro Mishima
Original Music: Yoshiaki Dewa
Music Producer: Kohei Chida
Director of Photography: Taro Kawazu
Production Design: Ryota Eguchi
Action Director: Yuji Shimomura
Sound Recordist: Masaharu Tanabe
Sound Design: Hiro Ishizaka
Editor: Eri Usukine
VFX Supervisor: Jeffrey Dillinger
VFX Producer: Ryo Takatama, Tomofumi Akahane
Stylist: Haruki Kouketsu
Hair and Make-up Direction: Rie Suda
Special Makeup Director: Soichi Umezawa
Executive Producer: Shinichi Takahashi
Producer: Akira Morii
In Association with: Plus One Entertainment
Production Company: ROBOT
Cast: Eiji Akaso, Mai Shiraishi, Shuntaro Yanagi, Kazuki Kitamura
ONE PIECE – Premiere date: August 31, 2023
Based on Japan’s highest-selling manga series in history by Eiichiro Oda, ONE PIECE is a legendary high-seas adventure unlike any other. Monkey D. Luffy is a young adventurer who has longed for a life of freedom since he can remember. Luffy sets off from his small village on a perilous journey to find the legendary fabled treasure, ONE PIECE, to become King of the Pirates! But in order to find the ultimate prize, Luffy will need to assemble the crew he’s always wanted before finding a ship to sail, searching every inch of the vast blue seas, outpacing the Marines, and outwitting dangerous rivals at every turn.
Co-Production: Netflix and Tomorrow Studios (an ITV Studios partnership).
Netflix will handle physical production.
Writers / Co-Showrunners / Executive Producers: Matt Owens, Steven Maeda
Executive Producers: Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements of Tomorrow Studios
Executive Producer: Eiichiro Oda
PLUTO – Premiere date: October 26, 2023
Europol detective robot Gesicht races to solve a string of murders targeting advanced robots and key figures in robot law, uncovering the greatest evil in history. Praised by many as a masterpiece, the manga PLUTO is based on Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy ‘The Greatest Robot on Earth’ arc from 1964 and created by Naoki Urasawa (20th Century Boys, Yawara!, Master Keaton) and his long-time co creator Takashi Nagasaki. The suspense drama takes place in a neo-futuristic world where humans and high-functioning robots live in complete harmony. The globally acclaimed manga has won numerous awards, including the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.
Based on PLUTO by Naoki Urasawa & Osamu Tezuka
Producer: Takashi Nagasaki
Creative Supervisor: Macoto Tezka
Supported by Tezuka Productions and ‘BIG COMIC’ Published by Shogakukan
Executive Producers: Masao Maruyama, Taro Maki, Yuji Yamamoto
Director: Toshio Kawaguchi
Character Designer / Supervising Animation Director: Shigeru Fujita
Creative Advisor: Naoki Urasawa
Supervising Animators: Kazunori Aoki, Kaku Saito
CGI Director / Special Effects Compositor: Takahiro Miyata
Art Director: Chikako Shibata
Compositing Director: Mitsuhiro Sato
Audio Director: Masafumi Mima
Music:Yugo Kanno
Animation Production: Studio M2
Produced by GENCO
POKÉMON CONCIERGE – December, 2023
‘Pokémon Concierge’ is the first collaborative production between Netflix and The Pokémon Company and an ambitious stop-motion project produced by critically acclaimed dwarf studios. Expanding the Pokémon world, the story follows Haru, a concierge at the ‘Pokémon Resort,’ and her interactions with Pokémon and their owners who visit as guests.
Director: Iku Ogawa
Screenplay by: Harumi Doki
Concept Arts / Character Design: Tadahiro Uesugi
Production: dwarf studios
Voice Cast: Non (Haru)
BEASTARS FINAL SEASON – Premiere date: Coming Soon
A new chapter of the animal human drama BEASTARS begins! After that final battle, where did the gray wolf Legoshi go? BEASTARS is an animal human drama set in a world where bipedal carnivores and herbivores live together. In this unique world, the gray wolf Legoshi and his classmates attend the Cherryton Academy, where all students stay in dormitories. This is the story of love and friendship that goes beyond species. However, at times, their unrestrainable instincts as carnivores and herbivores lead to tragic events. This new chapter tells the story after Seasons 1 and 2.
Based on the manga by: Paru Itagaki
Animation Production: Orange
Voice Cast: Chikahiro Kobayashi (Legoshi)
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