RisingJoy has committed to making 30 vertical anime series by the end of Q1 2027, with the first six already delivered, and has inked a deal with NTT DOCOMO Studio & Live.
The framework MOU with NTT DOCOMO Studio & Live encompasses the international distribution of the Japanese company’s vertical content, including its anime slate. Titles may be licensed on a non-exclusive, title-by-title basis, with terms agreed separately for each release.
The six completed vertical anime series under the RJOY Originals banner are Addicted to the Dark Boss, Hide My Secret in the Moonlight, In the Devil’s Hand, Last Order from the Revenge Club, Locked Away I Became Unbreakable and Modern Cinderella Behind the Lies. Four more will be released by year-end, and two more land in January. The slate was developed and directed by RisingJoy’s creative team, using AI production tools.
The titles are available in Japanese and English on the RJOY branded service in Indonesia and Malaysia through the IDN App and sooka. RisingJoy is distributing the shows via its licensing operation.
Cassandra Yang, co-founder and CEO of RisingJoy, said, “Most successful vertical series today are live action, and vertical anime is still an underdeveloped category. We read that as an opportunity rather than a limitation. Our own data shows the anime audience is narrower for now, but those viewers are more loyal, more engaged, and more attached to the characters, and that is what franchises are built on. This is a strategic category for us, not an experiment.”
RisingJoy is also working with local partners across Asia to develop further originals.
“The industry’s default has been Chinese production houses making English-language titles for the world,” Yang said. “The next step is IP that starts where the audience is. The talent, the genre instincts and the production discipline are already in these markets, and we bring the format knowledge and the route to market, so a title made in Asia can reach audiences in São Paulo and Los Angeles.”
