Anime may be making a shift to a more worldwide endeavor.

Production I.G. producer Hiroshi Ito and Wit Studio producer Tetsuya Nakatake discussed the collaboration between studios outside of Japan and those within to create anime projects at the annual TIFFCOM webinars. Anime is a Japanese-originated animation style that has quickly become popular throughout the West. 

While anime production has largely been confined to Japan, studios are starting to branch out and collaborate with those in other countries. 

A recent example of this is the Disney Plus series Star Wars: Visions, which brought together Production I.G., Science SARU, Studio Colorido, and others to create the anthology series in anime format.

Both Ito and Nakatake discussed opportunities to collaborate with artists from Brazil, Taiwan, France, and China. The producers also said streaming has made anime more accessible than ever, inspiring talented people to join in creation across borders.

The producers also said they expect more artists to want to partake as streaming continues to carry the genre forward. Both said partnerships with Netflix have proven beneficial for both sides.

They pointed to budgets for anime projects not fluctuating during production, freeing up money in the overall budget. An example of this, the two said, is Studio TRIGGER’s Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.

While anime may start to come out of other countries, the two producers assured fans that anime production would still remain true to its roots.

Production I.G. is responsible for animes such as Guilty Crown, Psycho Pass, Eden of the East, Haikyu!!, and Ghost in the Shell. They also provide anime cutscenes for video games such as Tales of Symphonia.

Wit Studio produced the first three seasons of Attack on Titan as well as The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Vinland Saga, Ranking of Kings, and Spy x Family.

This is a fascinating discussion that highlights the benefits of inclusivity and openness. Far too often, gatekeepers like to prevent any kind of change to an established medium.

These anime producers are saying the opposite as they welcome outside collaboration. Diversity is always a good thing as it can spark a lot of creative ideas and these producers seem to get that concept.

They are clear on sticking to their roots, but the openness to outside collaboration should continue to yield a lot of fun projects in the near future.

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Source: TIFFCOM (via Comic Book)

Featured Image: Lucasfilm (via IGN)