{"id":67208,"date":"2026-05-26T17:04:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T08:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=67208"},"modified":"2026-05-26T17:04:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T08:04:09","slug":"japan-sees-first-acquisition-of-an-anime-studio-by-a-domestic-streaming-platform-as-u-next-acquires-k-series-studio-gohands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/japan-sees-first-acquisition-of-an-anime-studio-by-a-domestic-streaming-platform-as-u-next-acquires-k-series-studio-gohands\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan sees first acquisition of an anime studio by a domestic streaming platform\u00a0as\u00a0U-NEXT\u00a0acquires\u00a0\u201cK\u201d series studio\u00a0GoHands\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

U-NEXT,\u00a0the\u00a0second biggest video\u00a0streaming platform\u00a0in Japan\u00a0after Netflix, announced on May 25 that it has signed an agreement to\u00a0fully\u00a0acquire\u00a0anime production company\u00a0GoHands, with the deal set to be\u00a0finalized\u00a0starting June 2026.\u00a0Writing for\u00a0Yahoo Japan<\/a>\u2019s expert column, domestic researcher and journalist Matsumoto Atsushi says this is the first such\u00a0occurrence\u00a0in Japan, calling it an \u201cextremely unusual development.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GoHands is the studio behind the original \u201cK\u201d anime series as well as the Seitokai Yakuindomo series. It\u2019s known for producing high-quality anime fully in-house, using a blend of 3DCG environments and unconventional camera movements. By acquiring the studio, U-NEXT hopes to strengthen its IP business, with one of its objectives being to produce anime based on its own franchises. Since the company already owns a digital webcomic label called U-NEXT Comic, it\u2019s likely looking to secure an in-house production environment for future anime adaptations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Seitokai<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to Matsumoto,\u00a0\u201cthis acquisition can be seen as symbolic of the current challenges facing the domestic anime industry and the industry\u2019s response to them.\u201d The\u00a0challenges he refers to\u00a0are\u00a0the\u00a0rising demand\u00a0for anime,\u00a0paired with a worsening shortage of\u00a0skilled\u00a0manpower, which\u00a0have created a situation in which IP holders sometimes have to wait for years until\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0able to secure a production slot at\u00a0an\u00a0anime studio.\u00a0Having full\u00a0ownership\u00a0over\u00a0an anime\u00a0production company is a surefire way to circumvent this, so given the\u00a0circumstances, it\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0come as a surprise that companies like U-NEXT\u00a0\u00a0are opting for M&As\u00a0of established studios.\u00a0By\u00a0acquiring\u00a0GoHands, U-NEXT will be able to internally handle everything\u00a0from\u00a0IP creation\u00a0and\u00a0anime adaptation\u00a0to\u00a0exclusive distribution.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 
Related: <\/strong>60% of the companies actually producing anime saw declining profit or losses in 2024, despite industry revenue being at an all-time high<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toho announces shift to \u201canime mass production phase\u201d amidst increasing demand. Aiming to reach quota of 30 seasons per year by 2032<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anime production company GoHands has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of major Japanese streaming platform holder U-NEXT.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":67211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,65],"tags":[73,17],"class_list":["post-67208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-nongaming-news","tag-anime","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nJapan sees first acquisition of an anime studio by a domestic streaming platform\u00a0as\u00a0U-NEXT\u00a0acquires\u00a0\u201cK\u201d series studio\u00a0GoHands\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Anime production company GoHands has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of major Japanese streaming platform holder U-NEXT.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/japan-sees-first-acquisition-of-an-anime-studio-by-a-domestic-streaming-platform-as-u-next-acquires-k-series-studio-gohands\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Japan sees first acquisition of an anime studio by a domestic streaming platform\u00a0as\u00a0U-NEXT\u00a0acquires\u00a0\u201cK\u201d series studio\u00a0GoHands\u00a0 - 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