Anime Output Has Nearly Doubled Since 2005
Japan produced 254 new TV anime titles in 2024, according to Association of Japanese Animations data cited in a FRIDAY analysis. In 2005, that number was 136. The near-doubling is driven largely by streaming. Platforms like Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Amazon Prime Video have replaced the living room TV as anime's primary screen, and the money that follows has reshaped how shows get funded.
Takeshi Kikuchi (菊池健), representative director of the MANGA Research Institute and organizer of the IMART industry conference, told FRIDAY that the old production committee model, where multiple companies split costs and decision-making, is giving way to single-platform funding. Streaming services now increasingly acquire shows before they air, meaning producers can recoup costs before a single episode reaches an audience. He pointed to That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime as one example where cost recovery was reportedly expected before broadcast.
The result is constant demand for source material. Kikuchi's 2023 survey puts manga-based anime at roughly 45% of all titles, with another 25% adapted from novels. Most of those novels get manga adaptations along the way, pushing the effective manga-origin rate to about 70%.
Why Historical Manga Travels Well
With studios hungry for adaptable manga, why is the historical genre punching above its weight? Kikuchi points to a simple appeal: people enjoy watching different interpretations of stories they already know.
He cited Oda Nobunaga as an example. Japanese audiences have seen the warlord in period dramas countless times and know exactly how his story ends at Honnōji. They tune in anyway to see how each new version interprets him. That logic scales internationally. Kikuchi noted that Chinese audiences enjoy Yasuhisa Hara's Kingdom as a fantasy, embracing creative liberties with the historical record rather than objecting to them.
A global tailwind helps too. Korean romance fantasy, a genre built around women navigating palace intrigue and royal courts, has become a worldwide hit. That demand has created appetite for Japanese stories with similar settings. Natsu Hyūga's The Apothecary Diaries, a mystery-romance set in a fictionalized imperial court, is the standout Japanese example riding that wave.
Red River and Jaadugar both fit the pattern. Chie Shinohara's Red River follows a modern Japanese teenager transported to the ancient Hittite Empire, while Tomato Soup's Jaadugar centers on a former slave navigating Genghis Khan-era politics. Both put women at the center of vast historical power structures, the space Korean romance fantasy has primed global audiences for.
Looking Ahead
Red River premieres July 7, 2026, on NTV's late-night AnichU block, with Tatsunoko Production handling animation and Kōsuke Kobayashi directing. The 28-volume manga is published in English by Viz Media, which began releasing 3-in-1 omnibus editions in October 2024. An international streaming partner for the anime has not been announced.
Jaadugar arrives three days earlier on July 4 via TV Asahi's IMAnimation slot. Science SARU (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Devilman Crybaby) produces, with Naoko Yamada as chief director. Crunchyroll will stream the series internationally. The source manga is published in English by Yen Press under the title A Witch's Life in Mongol.
Both launches land in the same week of July 2026. For the global streaming audience, both premieres will test whether historical manga can match the international pull that battle shonen and romance have built in recent years.