Netflix has made no secret of its ambitions for Japanese anime, showcasing 40 new exclusive titles across a range of genres for 2022, including one from "Attack on Titan" creator, Tetsuro Araki. But the streamer clearly has a way to go before results match hopes, dreams and investment.

Almost 90% of Netflix’s subscribers in Japan watch anime, according to the streamer’s anime creative director, Kohei Obara, who describes anime as “one of the cornerstones of our investment in Japan”. Netflix also said in the run up to Mip TV 2022 that globally, viewing hours for Japanese anime on Netflix were up 20% last year compared to 2020. 

And yet, the genre – for now – remains a long way off the number of hours Japanese viewers spend watching Netflix’s Korean series, including relatively old titles such as 2019/2020 tvN blockbuster, "Crash Landing on You", and the first season of JTBC’s "Itaewon Class". 

Netflix’s weekly charts showed only one anime title, Kotaro Lives Alone, on Japan’s TV top 10. The series debuted on the list in March at number five, dropping to number nine in its second week. 

For the most recent week, 21-27 March, Korean drama took seven of the top 10 places, including the top three.  

In terms of demand, Japan’s free-TV networks maintain their absolute hold on anime, with massive demand for iconic titles such as "Attack on Titan", "My Hero Academia" and "Naruto", according to data science company Parrot Analytics, which said in January this year that global demand for anima had soared by 118% in 2020 and 2021.

Published in ContentAsia April 2022 magazine