The giant streaming service called Netflix has featured animation for years. Keeping an eye on its rivals, namely- Disney, Apple, Comcast it has further confirmed its footing by stepping up its anime efforts and identifying animation as a way to lure viewers.

Considering the current scenario, in an article by Economic Times it is said that, Netflix is taking full advantage of the viewers stuck in their homes due to pandemic and has become the streaming television leader in the quarter to reach 203 million, topping 200 million despite recent price hikes, it’s quarterly earning update showed. The upward curve of Netflix’s success also includes the introduction of Anime or Japanese animation.

After the fall of Animax, Toonami, and Cartoon Network(when animes were aired), the medium changed from Television to Online. With the ban of pirated sites in India and other countries, Netflix became by far the most accessible as well as legally recognized medium to get hold of some really good anime for the Indian anime lovers. Also, the pandemic-induced lockdown further accelerated the consumption of services like online video and music streaming in the country. So, in the age of smartphones and low-cost internet, it is high time anime gets the appreciation it deserves just like any other entertainment medium.

Netflix India is Expanding its Anime Library

In recent times, Anime and Netflix both are booming exponentially in India. Seeing this anime popularity, Netflix India is increasingly expanding its anime series and movie library. There are nearly 200 Anime series available on Netflix India to choose from.

With the most recent update as early as January 2021, all the previous three seasons of the hit series Seven Deadly Sins are brought to the table.

Even the February Line up is also revealed as follows: From left to right

1. Oreimo (Ore no Imōto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai)
2. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
3. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
4. The Irregular at Magic High School

Netflix — which has made inroads in Japan, adding millions of subscribers — is betting on Japanimation to both defend its turf in the country and push deeper into Asia. Such is the craze for Anime in India, that there is a petition going on which demands Attack on Titan: Final Season to be released on Netflix India. We believe, “This Anime has the potential to shake the grounds for generations to come.”

Netflix Originals

Netflix has invested heavily in original shows and films to make itself a must-have service in the increasingly competitive streaming market. Apart from international original shows like, “The Crown”, “Lucifer”, “Money heist”, “Stranger Things” and more, Netflix has also invested enough in the Anime Industry.

Anime originals like “Violet Evergarden”, “Beastars”, “Dorohedoro”, “Great Pretender” are the result of clinching long-term partnerships with some of Japan’s notable animation studios. They are also available in Netflix India. With these in mind, Netflix thus far “has been a clear winner” of the bruising battle against Walt Disney Co. and Apple Inc. for streaming subscribers according to eMarketer analyst, Eric Haggstrom.

Not long ago, on 27th October 2020 at the two-hour Netflix Anime Festival 2020 virtual event, Netflix announced that they have 5 New Original Anime projects at hand, other than the 11 previously-announced titles which include both New Seasons of existing Netflix produced anime series.

The 5 newly added Netflix Originals include : Left to right

1.The Way of the Househusband 
2.Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan 
3.High-Rise Invasion
4.Thermae Romae Novae
5.Rilakkuma’s Theme Park Adventure

Moving on to the upcoming 11 previously-announced titles. They are: Left to right

1. Godzilla singular point
2. Transformers War for Cybertron: Earthrise
3. Vampire in the garden
4. Biohazard: Infinite Darkness
5. Pacific Rim : The Black
6. Trese
7. B: The Beginning Succession ( S2 )
8. Eden
9. Yasuke
10. Spriggan
11. BAKI ( Season 4 )

Above mentioned Series are expected to be released in either both English & Hindi Dubbed or in Original Japanese Audio with English & Hindi Subtitles in the near future.

India has the highest viewership of Anime films on Netflix globally

Believe it or not, apart from watching international series and anime originals, Indians seem to be big fans of Netflix movies too.

” India has the highest viewership of films globally on its platform and consumption of content in genres like kids, non-fiction and Korean dramas is also witnessing a strong growth.”

Economic Times, December 2020

Speaking of Anime movies, Netflix India Vice President (Content) Monika Shergill listed in a blogpost, Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back-Evolution, Blood of Zeus and One-Punch Man (S2) were the most popular anime titles in India in 2020.

Netflix Anime Collection in Hindi

From later 2020, Netflix India was able to release numerous anime series in Hindi and a few local languages. The series are both subbed and dubbed in Hindi including a project to change the user interface to the Indian mother tongue as well.

“We believe the new user interface will make Netflix even more accessible and better suit members who prefer Hindi”

Monika Shergill, VP-Content, Netflix India

The latest news on the Hindi Dubbed Netflix anime is the upcoming cyberpunk film, Altered Carbon: Resleeved, which is based on the characters from Richard K. Morgan’s novels. The movie is set to debut on Thursday, March 19, 2021.

Anime lovers understand, how difficult it is to convince and explain anime to those who have never seen it. Hence, it is a great opportunity to increase the influx of Indian subscribers without the knowledge of the English language. A fruitful way to expand the anime community to a whole new level!

Along with these latest anime, Netflix India has also brought some of the legendary anime from the old generation who took the world by storm from the ’80s to the late 2010s. Also, it has brought the latest high earning and cult following anime such as:

These are some of the anime titles with major following, in India as well as globally.

To summarize, Netflix has aced their business so far and it is still growing to become the all-mighty OTT platform. But to attain the position, Netflix has to keep investing in high-budget Hollywood-like works and multinational content in order to set itself apart from other players. Bringing in content like Japanimation and original projects is a fantastic way to have a grip on the market.

Netflix India is also doing a great job meeting the proper demands of the Indian mindset. They have some of the Top best exciting series and Romance-SoL series that you can binge all day long. Soon, the Anime community will be booming with new weeblings interested in making animations of their own. As Akatsuki Inc. steps in, the Netflix India Anime scenario will change for the good. More regional subbed and dubbed Japanese animation shows will be acknowledged among the desi anime lovers. Yet, including India, Asia still remains a mostly untapped market for the major streaming services like HBO Max, Disney Plus, and others. It seems it will probably take a few more years until they get the gravity of the streaming service situations in these regions.