Netflix reveals amp-up of originals offering in Japan, India, Korea at Tudum event

Anime film Onmyōji is based on the historical fantasy book series by Baku Yumemakura

Netflix is beefing up its content offerings in Japan, India and Korea with a raft of new greenlights and renewals.

The streaming giant revealed several new commissions and shared exclusive clips and details of upcoming projects at a series of events under the Tudum brand held in several cities.

In Japan, the streamer has commissioned an anime film adaptation of author Baku Yumemakura’s historical fantasy book series Onmyōji, set to premiere next year, in addition to an anime sci-fi series called Moonrise that will launch in 2024.

Also joining the Netflix Japan slate is Lookism, a new animated series based on a Korean webtoon about a teenager who wakes up one morning with a handsome face and perfect body. The adaptation, produced by Studio Mir (Dota: Dragon’s Blood, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf), will premiere on November 4.

It was also revealed that My Daemon, an anime series from writer Hirotaka Adachi, has gone into production and Netflix has also commissioned a second season of anime series The Way of the Household.

Netflix has been expanding its anime focus in recent months, recently acquiring 13 anime titles from Japanese broadcaster Nippon TV under a non-exclusive licensing pact.

Outside of anime, it has also been broadening its Japanese offering, including House of Ninjas, about ninjas on top secret missions, and a local version of dating format Love Is Blind.

In India, Netflix announced an adaptation of the popular Spanish-language young-adult drama Elite, which follows three working-class teens who enrol in an exclusive private school, but soon culture clashes lead to a murder. The adaptation, called Class, will star Gurfateh Pirzada, Chintan Rachh, Naina Bhan and Chayan Chopra.

Also on the upcoming Indian slate are: Scoop, a new series inspired by the biographical book from journalist and crime reporter Jigna Vora; Behind the Bars In Byculla: My Days in Prison; comedy Kathal, about the mystery of who stole a jackfruit; Qala, a period drama about a young singer’s search for love while navigating a frosty relationship with her mother; and 1990s-set crime thriller Guns & Gulaabs.

In Korea, Netflix confirmed that its popular supernatural drama Hellbound will return for a second season.

Separately, Netflix announced it is launching an internal games studio in Helsinki, Finland. Plans for the studio, which Netflix said will be built “from scratch,” come after Netflix earlier this year acquired Helsinki-based studio Next Games. The new studio will be led by Marko Lastikka as studio director.

The company said that, along with Night School Studio and Boss Fight Entertainment, the four studios will “develop games that will suit the diverse tastes of our members.”

Amir Rahimi, VP of game studios added: “It’s still early days, and we have much more work to do to deliver a great games experience on Netflix. Creating a game can take years, so I’m proud to see how we’re steadily building the foundation of our games studios in our first year, and look forward to sharing what we produce in the coming years.”