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It has been announced that the new TV anime series Knights of Sidonia, which is scheduled to begin airing in Japan next spring, will also be distributed overseas. Starting next summer, Netflix will begin distributing the show in areas throughout North America, Central America, and Europe.
Distribution of Japanese anime overseas is typically done by Crunchyroll and Daisiki as well as anime-exclusive video distribution sites in each country. However, Netflix––the world’s largest Internet TV network that includes not just anime, but a wide variety of programming covering movie and TV shows––has been chosen as the exclusive distributor of Knights of Sidonia. In recent years, Netflix has been strengthening its grip on the market with original content not distributed by any other company. Knights of Sidonia will become one such program.
The original work for Knights of Sidonia is a popular sci-fi manga of the same name written by Tsutomu Nihei and serialized in the monthly magazine Afternoon (Kodansha). The story takes place 1,000 years after the solar system is destroyed by strange beings called Gauna. A portion of the humans who fled the solar system now live on a giant spacecraft called Sidonia as it wanders the cosmos. Even still, the war with the Guana rages on. To combat the Guana, large weapons called Guardians were created. A dramatic tale centered on a Guardian trainee named Nagate Tanikaze unfolds.
A point that is picking up attention on top of the work’s dramatic story is that the anime is being produced by Polygon Pictures, which has created many hit anime released globally to date including Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Tron: Uprising. Now, the company is challenging itself with a new kind of digital animation that makes full use of the distinctive characteristics of Japanese anime. The wonderful seiyū staff is also already making headlines.
Netflix is a worldwide video distribution service that is available in over 40 countries and has over 40 million members. As an Internet TV network, members can utilize the service for a flat monthly fee. Video distribution is a worldwide industry. By having an extensive base of viewers, they are likely to acquire even more fans than those who are traditional anime fans. Erik Barmack, VP of independent content at Netflix, had the following to say regarding Knights of Sidonia: “Netflix has a huge base of anime fans and we are thrilled to be bringing exclusively for the first time to them a first-run anime series, especially one as well-plotted, humorous, and beautifully animated as Knights of Sidonia.”
Knights of Sidonia is the first Japanese anime to be exclusively distributed first by Netflix. This partnership aims for new possibilities in the challenging Japanese global video industry.
Source:animeanime
