Japan’s scripted entertainment industry is entering a pivotal phase, strengthening its position as one of Asia’s most active co-production partners alongside Korea. 

From grief to healing and, finally, to the quiet courage of sacrifice, Monochromatic Pictures’ “Korban” trilogy reaches its most personal chapter yet. Director-writer Jeevan Nathan and producer Audrey Anthoney reflect on what’s next for Aisyah, and for themselves.  

Los Angeles-based Girl, Bye Productions, a full-spectrum studio specializing in highconcept, character-fueled unscripted content, will debut at ATF anchored by two women-driven, maiden productions: “Manila Matriarchs” and the just-completed, “Project Empire”.  

The micro-drama wave is reshaping screens worldwide. Short-form storytelling has accelerated into a global movement defined by compact narratives, emotional immediacy and formats built for mobile consumption.

Asian series topped viewing hours on Netflix’s global non-English TV rankings for the year to 16 November, taking about 60% of the more than 10 billion hours spent viewing top 10 non-English programmes around the world.   

Korean vertical video platform Vigloo is opening an office in L.A. and will double microdrama/vertical series production in 2026. Neil Choi, founder and CEO of Spoonlabs, which operates Vigloo, told ContentAsia about his plans.