From Tower of God to Solo Leveling and True Beauty, webtoons are taking over anime. We have seen the industry explode in recent years, and as webtoons become bigger, more fields are eyeing web comics. Anime has been at the forefront, and thanks to a new report, we have learned Studio Pierrot is jumping into the fray. The studio behind Naruto and Bleach is teaming up with a South Korean animator to bring webtoons to the screen.
As you can see below, Studio Pierrot and Red Dog Culture House have come together. The two companies have locked in a partnership, and it will bring their teams together. Moving forward, the companies will do joint productions targeting “global” audiences, and the partnership will focus on Latna Saga.
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Studio Pierrot Is Getting Into Webtoons at Last
According to the deal, Latna Saga: The Survival Sword King is the first IP gunning for an adaptation under this deal. The series will move into production later this year, so no release window has been decided. However, the anime adaptation of Latna Saga could arrive as soon as 2025 if industry trends hold up.
As for this specific deal with Studio Pierrot, it is expected to last three years. It will be back by investment and funding from Japanese production companies. Once Latna Saga has been handled, future projects will be up for grabs as Studio Pierrot and Red Dog Culture House have more IPs in their future.
Now if you are not familiar with Latna Saga, the webtoon went live in 2019 under creators YKB and Soon Q. Studio Khit oversees the web comic, and it tells the story of Hanbin Ryu as he is taken to a new world isekai style. Following a career in the military, Hanbin is keen to fight, but things go wrong with his isekai hop. The man took 20 years to travel, and when he reaches his new world, Hanbin is faced with a society that hates travelers. He is forced to rank up his reputation in-world to show the world wrong, and of course, plenty of villains made themselves known to the Sword King.
Anime Is Expanding Its Webtoon Ties in Big Ways
Clearly, Studio Pierrot is ready to turn its attention to webtoons, and this kind of expansion is warranted. When it comes to graphic novels, manga and webtoons are leading the game globally. Series like Solo Leveling have earned billions of views to date, and their anime adaptations are popping. Next January, Solo Leveling season two will make its grand debut, and hype for the show is high.
There is no denying the anime industry’s interest in webtoons, so Studio Pierrot’s new partnership will expand its reach. This year, shows like True Beauty brought their anime to life, and Tower of God season two made its grand debut. From The God of High School to Noblesse, the list of anime webtoons is growing by the day. So while Studio Pierrot keeps focus on Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, well – you should know its staff is also looking at WEBTOON and Tapas for new projects.
What do you make of this latest anime x webtoon deal? What webtoon series would you like to see tackle the small screen? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X (Twitter) and Instagram.