Prime Video VP Says ‘Ghost In The Shell’, ‘Fist Of The North Star’ Lead Amazon’s Plan To “Become The Preferred Destination For Anime”
As the Japanese anime industry becomes more and more of a global enterprise with each passing year, an ever growing amount of Western companies have been trying to get in on the weeaboo game, from Netflix, to Sony, to even Disney – but rather than being just ‘one of many’, Amazon Prime is apparently shooting to become the global hub for anime streaming.
This bold proclamation towards Amazon’s anime future was delivered by Prime Video’s Oceania region vice president Gaurav Gandhi while speaking to viewers of the company’s Prime Video Presents: International Originals online showcase, as held on February 12th.
Per Deadline‘s Jessie Whittock, the VP began by declaring anime as a medium that is “truly experiencing explosive growth,” before going on to boast, “Given that we are the home for the best anime in Japan, we want to become the preferred destination for anime content globally too.”
To achieve this goal, said Gandhi, Amazon would be making a concentrated effort to build on their current-but-relatively-tiny library of anime distribution exclusives – its notable offerings currently including City the Animation, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, and New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt – on the backs of three upcoming productions.
First, he highlighted TMS Entertainment’s Fist of the North Star: Hokuto No Ken reboot, as green-lit to honor of the original anime’s 40th anniversary, of which he beamed, “Few properties can match the [series’] cultural impact.”
Next, alongside a brief preview, Gandhi raised Science Saru’s soon-to-premiere adaptation of what he considered “the most influential Japanese sci-fi work of all time”, The Ghost in the Shell, which will the anime studio will helm in collaboration with a production committee consisting of Bandai Namco Filmworks, Kodansha and Production I.G.
And finally, the Amazon exec put forth the second season of From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman, which the company believes only stands to grow its audience after its first season, as detailed by Whittock, “ranked among Prime Video’s top ten titles in 45 countries”.
“When we look at [the countries in the Asia-Pacific area], there’s an extraordinary opportunity to take exceptional local content from multiple entertainment ecosystems across the region and bring it to the world,” Gandhi ultimately told the crowd. “There’s tremendous appetite for content from this region outside its home countries – whether it’s Japanese anime, Korean dramas, or Indian films and series.”
“In fact, these are now amongst the most watched shows and movies outside their countries of origin on Prime Video. The opportunity is immense, and as a global service, we’re uniquely positioned to champion Asian content on the world stage.”
While most of Gandhi’s presentation was the usual ‘sterile corporate hype’, of particular note is his choice of “anime content” rather than just “anime”.
Seemingly hinting at a wider range of Japanese ‘otaku’ content than just animation, one wonders if Amazon may be looking to get in on the live-action anime game, either by licensing relevant series and films for distribution or producing their own adaptations, or possibly even revive their tokusatsu efforts.
Having previously worked with Toei to produce a duology of ‘mature’ Kamen Rider reimaginings, their efforts resulting in Kamen Rider Amazons and Kamen Rider Black before eventually petering out, that Amazon would produce another such take on the franchise – or even one of Toei’s Metal Heroes entries – is admittedly a long shot, but not entirely out of the question.
As for what we do know, the aforementioned The Ghost in the Shell and From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman Season 2 are both set to premiere on Prime Video sometime in July 2026, while the Fist of the North reboot is scheduled to release sometime later in the year.
