Studio N signs MOU with Toei Animation To Co-Produce Animation of WEBTOON's <GOSU>
Studio N signs MOU with Toei Animation To Co-Produce Animation of WEBTOON's <GOSU>
Studio N signs MOU with Toei Animation to Co-produce Animation of WEBTOON's <GOSU>
- Studio N and Toei Animation to produce an animated adaptation targeting the global market using WEBTOON's original content.
- Expect synergy between Studio N's storytelling and production capabilities and Toei Animation's unrivaled production technology
April 17, 2023
Studio N will jointly produce WEBTOON's <GOSU> into an animated adaptation with Toei Animation, the largest animation production company in Japan.
The MOU signing ceremony for the collaboration between Studio N and Toei Animation was held on April 14th at the NAVER WEBTOON headquarters. The ceremony was attended by key officials from both companies, including CEO Kwon Mi-kyung of Studio N and Chief Producer Takashi Washio of Toei Animation and creator Mun Jeong-hoo of "GOSU"
With this agreement, the two companies will combine Studio N's storytelling and video production capabilities with high global expandability and Toei Animation's unrivaled production technology to introduce an animation series targeting the international market as well as Korea and Japan.
The original webcomic of the animation, GOSU (written and illustrated by Giun Ryu and Moon Jeonghoo), depicts the bloody battle between the greatest master in the world, Gang Yong, and numerous Murim masters. Since 2015, GOSU has been serialized on NAVER WEBTOON for six years and ranked as one of the top webcomics. GOSU is considered one of the best martial arts webcomics in Korea and is serviced in multiple languages, including English, Japanese, and Chinese, with a global cumulative number of views reaching 1.4 billion.
Kwon Mikyung, CEO of Studio N, said, "I am very excited to present a WEBTOON IP, which is attracting attention from the global market, as an animation with Japan's top production company. This partnership will serve as an opportunity to strengthen Studio N's animation business capabilities further while expanding the global fandom of the original IP."
Chief Producer Takashi Washio of Toei Animation said, "GOSU is a masterpiece that combines a grand worldview, a powerful story, and attractive characters. This coproduction is a meaningful attempt to create a global hit with Studio N, which leads the way in webcomic IP adaptations, and Toei Animation, which has strengths in action animation series."
Previously, WEBTOON IPs such as "Tower of God (SIU)," "The God of High School (Yongje Park)," and "Lookism (Taejun Pak)" were created and streamed as animations through global OTT platforms, proving the competitiveness of the original content. Studio N is leading WEBTOON's adaptation business by expanding its production from producing WEBTOON's webcomic originals such as <Sweet Home> and <Yumi's Cells> to making its first original series like <Our Beloved Summer>. Last March, Studio N participated in the production of the movie <Unlocked>, based on a Japanese novel, which garnered popularity both in Japan and around the world.
Established in 1956, Toei Animation is the world's largest animation company, producing many global hits, such as Galaxy Express 999, Dragon Ball, One Piece, Slam Dunk, and Sailor Moon. It has built a strong animation fandom worldwide through 255 theatrical animations and series animations of 13,100 episodes.
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