Get Ready: LINE Manga Unveils 20 Exciting New Animated Adaptations This Year!
Discover how Naver Webtoon's Japanese arm is revolutionizing the webtoon IP landscape, unlocking new creative opportunities!
Naver WEBTOON's Japanese Subsidiary Expands Webtoon IP Business
Naver's WEBTOON has announced exciting developments from its Japanese subsidiary, LINE Digital Frontier. On February 13, CEO Shin-bae Kim revealed plans to produce 20 animated adaptations of webtoons this year, marking a significant expansion in their webtoon-based intellectual property (IP) business.
© Line Manga
Strategic Expansion into Multi-Platform IPs
During a press conference at LINE Digital Frontier's Tokyo headquarters, Kim emphasized the company's strategy to transform webtoon content into various media formats, including dramas, films, and animations. He stated:
“We are focusing on expanding our webtoons into various forms of media in Japan, building an independent and dominant value chain.”
Aggressive Pursuit of Adaptations
LINE Manga has been actively pursuing webtoon adaptations, with a notable increase in production:
- 2022: 1 adaptation
- 2023: 2 adaptations
- 2024: 12 adaptations planned
This July, the platform will release an animated adaptation of Clevatess -Majū no Ō to Akago to Shikabane no Yūsha-, a Japanese webtoon serialized on LINE Manga. Other upcoming projects include:
- Dark Moon: The Blood Altar
- Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint
Japan's Global Influence in Anime
Kim highlighted Japan's significant role in the global anime market, noting that Japanese TV and theatrical anime often capture attention in the U.S. He explained that expanding into animation is crucial for long-term revenue growth. He also pointed out that LINE Manga is unique in operating a webtoon platform in Japan while simultaneously building a comprehensive global IP value chain.
Investment in Production Capabilities
To bolster its IP development, LINE Digital Frontier has recently invested in the Japanese webtoon production studio Number Nine. Kim remarked:
“The number of webtoon production studios in Japan is growing, and we plan to collaborate on co-productions while increasing our investments in this sector.”
He added, “We will continue investing more aggressively to create successful cases.”
Source: Hankyung (Ji-eun Jung)