If you
thought corporate consolidation in the anime industry was going to calm down,
think twice. Sony continues to play Monopoly with
our favorite franchises, and on Monday announced a new master move: Kadokawa and Aniplex (a
subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment) have joined forces to create Animec
Inc., a new joint venture that will be dedicated exclusively to the
distribution and promotion of anime films.
Dominating
the otaku box office
The name
"Animec" isn't just a loose fusion of the words Anime and Cinema.
In a stroke of calculated nostalgia, Kadokawa revived the title of a popular
anime magazine they published in the '80s, with the blessing of their former
deputy director, Shinichirō Inoue. But beyond the tributes to the past, the
company's goal is very lucrative: to squeeze the most out of the value of the
works on the big screen.
The company
promises to implement "optimal launch strategies." In otaku language,
this means that not only will we see major domestic theatrical releases in
Japan, but it will further drive the trend of screening special screenings of
anime TV series in theaters (yes, that business model that has made the Demon
Slayer franchise multimillion-dollar).
Sony's
empire continues to expand
To
understand the magnitude of this alliance, you have to look at the big picture.
In January 2025, Sony officially became Kadokawa's largest shareholder by
acquiring approximately 10% of its shares. Now, they're using Aniplex (which
already owns animation titans like A-1 Pictures and CloverWorks,
as well as game developer Lasengle) to tie up loose ends in film distribution.
If we add to this that Aniplex and Crunchyroll (another Sony property) had already founded the production studio HAYATE Inc. in March of last year, it is clear that Sony is building an ecosystem where they control the work from its conception in Kadokawa's novels, through animation in its own studios, to its distribution in theaters and streaming worldwide.
