KLab's Pivot From Mobile Games to AI Filmmaking
KLab, the Tokyo-listed company best known for mobile titles like Love Live! School Idol Festival, is betting on AI-generated entertainment. The company announced it will produce an AI anime movie titled The CELEBRITY SECRET, adapted from Miho Sakurai's (桜井美帆) bestselling novel Why Are Celebrity Bags So Small? The Secret Rules of Money and Happiness, published by KADOKAWA in December 2024.
KLab shifted its business toward AI entertainment in August 2025 and launched the KLab AI GUILD in May 2026, a registration-based program that pairs AI creators with commercial production projects spanning film, music, and anime. The CELEBRITY SECRET will be produced in collaboration with AI GUILD members, with KLab aiming to build what it calls a new anime production model that fuses traditional methods with AI technology.
What the Story Is About
The source novel follows Jun, a temp worker stuck in what the book calls a "poverty and unhappiness mindset." Jun meets Medicina, a woman active on the world stage, and gradually learns the perspectives and lifestyles of celebrities. The story is framed as a success narrative about how Jun transforms her life by adopting what the book terms "The Celebrity Secret."
Themes include women's independence and well-being. Author Miho Sakurai described the project in a published comment as fulfilling a lifelong dream, stating her intent to bring Japanese animation culture and values to a global audience, particularly in support of women's independence and future generations.
The Cannes Screening, With a Caveat
KLab submitted a teaser for The CELEBRITY SECRET to the AI Film Awards, a third-party event held in Cannes, France in May 2026. Anime Anime reported that the teaser was praised for combining Japanese animation culture with AI-driven creativity.
An important distinction: the AI Film Awards is organized by KM Universe and is not affiliated with the official Cannes Film Festival. The event uses the Cannes location but operates independently. The source article describes it as an "AI映像アワード" (AI video award) held in Cannes, not as part of the festival itself.
Looking Ahead
The CELEBRITY SECRET is scheduled for release in 2027, though no specific date or distribution partners have been announced. No cast, director, or streaming platform has been confirmed. AI-assisted production remains contentious in the anime industry. Earlier in 2026, the spring anime Ascendance of a Bookworm drew backlash when its opening sequence was found to use generative AI, leading to a replacement.
The CELEBRITY SECRET is openly AI-produced from the start, which may defuse or intensify that kind of reaction. An official site is live at thecelebritysecret.com, though no public trailer has been posted yet.