A boy who was obsessed with “Grendizer” now connects the world with anime – The challenge of Saudi Arabia’s Manga Productions
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Saudi Arabia, known as an oil powerhouse, is expanding its investment in the content industry by hoping to rely on oil. It also includes manga and anime.
Manga Productions, a Saudi Arabian anime and manga production company, will exhibit at AnimeJapan 2025. The company, which will be exhibiting for the second time last year, will be heading by Bukari Isamu. Before the company was founded, he worked as a diplomat at the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Japan, and is a person with a strong understanding of Japanese society. We spoke to Mr. Isamu about the company’s business and joint production with Japan.
[Interview and text by Sugimoto Hotaka]
■Saudi Arabs grew up watching Japanese anime
–What is the intention behind Manga Productions exhibiting a booth at Anime Japan?
Isamu: I grew up watching Japanese anime, so I love Japan, but in Saudi Arabia, people like me are not special, and a lot of people grew up watching Japanese anime.
The reason for participating in Anime Japan is to deepen cultural exchanges with anime lovers and to learn about Saudi Arabia’s culture through anime. AnimeJapan is one of the biggest anime events not only in Japan but also in the world. For us, anime is more of a culture than a content, so we want to bring our own anime to Japanese people as well. Of course, it requires a business perspective, but I’m here to make friends rather than business partners. I value relationships more than money, so I want to participate in Anime Japan, make friends, build trust and trust.
–What kind of anime did you like when you were a child?
Isamu: I also loved “Arabian Night: The Adventures of Sinbat,” “UFO Robo Grendizer,” “Captain Wings,” and “The Rose of Versailles.” The younger generation today is also favoured by the Saudi Arabia for works that are popular in Japan, such as Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan, and SPY x FAMILY.
–In Saudi Arabia, world-renowned titles are gaining popularity.
Isamu:I agree. However, one thing that bothers me is that many of Japanese anime these days are targeted at adults. Of course, these works are very interesting, but the little kids around the world are surprisingly not exposed to Japanese anime. When it comes to anime, my generation was Japanese. I still love anime because I’ve been watching it since I was a child. If we don’t make more anime for children, we won’t know what the global market for Japanese anime will be like in 10 or 20 years from now. I think it may also be due to the declining birthrate, but Japanese anime has global power. If we look at the world, there are a huge number of children, so I think we should not forget about the global market. To this end, we, Manga Productions, would like to work together with Japanese studios to create works that aim to become the world.
–Is the Asatile series that your company co-produced with a Japanese studio, and are all watched by the whole family in Saudi Arabia?
Isamu:yes. Not only small children, but also fathers and mothers also watch it. Adults take children to the cinemas for Disney and Studio Ghibli works too. Therefore, it is important to also find it interesting for adults to watch. The person I focused on in “Asatir” was the Arabic version of voice actor. The purpose of using veteran voice actors, famous for parents with small children in the 1980s and 1990s. On the other hand, we are using young people because we want to give new talent a chance for the main characters.
–Isamu gave a lecture at last year’s Anime Japan Business Day, and it was said that one in three Saudi Arabians watch anime. How do Saudi people watch anime?
Isamu: Asatile was broadcast on eight platforms around the world and was broadcast on the channel MBC, the most influential television station. That’s also a Friday evening, which is a time when it’s prime time. In the past, many people viewed it as pirated copies, but as we Manga Productions officially engaged in business with Japanese companies, we are now able to enjoy it through official routes.
Regarding “Grendizer U,” it was also aired in Saudi Arabia without a time lag between the Japanese broadcasts. It was difficult to broadcast the Arabic dubbed version at the same time as in Japan, but I did my best to have a wonderful experience for the Saudi Arabians. By providing this product without a time lag, we can reduce pirated copies and the culture of watching anime through official routes will become established. The quality of the dubbed version has also become very high. I believe that the spirit of “Made in Japan” is a sense of responsibility towards quality. Since we are working on Japanese anime, we created it based on that sense of responsibility.
— “Grendizer” is a work from the 1970s, but is it becoming more common in Saudi Arabia with young people?
Isamu: That was a big challenge. We needed to bring back the former heroes to the present day, like in Marvel movies, to the younger generations. Regarding “Grendizer”, I was also in charge of distribution from countries other than Japan. This is the first time that a Middle Eastern company has ever done. He has also become a game publisher. A huge bronze statue was also erected in Riyadh and was recognized by the Guinness Book of Records. Furthermore, approximately 500,000 potato chips in tie-up with the Grendizer U sell at a daily rate. By deploying IP 360 degrees, we would like to continue to develop its development that will spread to the younger generation as well.
–Last year, the topic of construction of a theme park for Dragon Ball was also widely reported in Japan.
Isamu:I’m not in charge, but if there’s anything I can say about Japanese social media, there are some people who say they’re disappointed that it was made by the Saudi Arabia. But this is like a Japanese athlete doing well in Europe. This is a sign that the characters born in Japan are active all over the world. This example is how successful I think it is, as Japan and Saudi Arabia work together to show the world something they have never seen before. Rather, if this theme park were from an IP from another country, it would have been even more frustrating.
■Human resource development and a vision for the future
–Manga Productions’ operations range from anime, manga, and game businesses.
Isamu: The core of Manga Productions is IP creation. Although the focus is on anime, our business is to manage and operate IP, including areas such as manga and games.
We also develop human resources, and in cooperation with the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture, we have dispatched Saudi manga artists to the KADOKAWA Content Academy for three years to develop manga artists.
Furthermore, with the cooperation of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education and Culture, the company teaches manga to 3.5 million students through online courses. We use an online platform run by the Ministry of Education.
–3.5 million people is an incredible number. That’s how much someone who wants to become a manga artist is in Saudi Arabia now.
Isamu:yes. Anime and manga are culture. And just because you learn manga doesn’t mean you’ll become a manga artist. We are now in the age of AI. In the age of AI, imagination should be important in every situation. Learning manga means learning the skills to create and express new ideas. That skill should be useful everywhere in society.
–Does that mean that manga is being used as an educational tool?
Isamu:That’s right. Saudi Arabia has competitions to compete for cultural skills. Manga is also included in 13 categories, including speeches and songs.
–In terms of human resource development, will animators be trained in addition to manga artists as well?
Isamu: We will develop all kinds of human resources. They also include those involved in distribution, license management, and game developers. Although he was unable to distribute the film himself in the first film, he was able to work on the 2021 film Journey. I am responsible for distribution in Saudi Arabia at Grendizer U.
I have been in my eighth year since starting this company, and I believe that the biggest achievement of the past eight years has been that I was able to develop such staff.
–Human resource development is also a major challenge in Japanese anime. Do you have any thoughts about the Japanese anime industry from the perspective of human resource development?
Isamu: The lack of talent may be due to the declining birthrate and aging population, but I think it’s because the anime industry is not becoming an attractive workplace. For example, you don’t hear of a lack of talent in the financial industry. The same applies to manufacturing industries such as automobiles. After all, the future cannot be fought with the old way of thinking, so I think there is a need for change.
Also, I would like to say that when interacting with the world, we should not do it based solely on Japanese business mindset. While commitment is important, it is a problem that decision-making takes too long. Negotiations that take two or three years in Japan will end in two or three months in other countries. Another company I run started business with a Korean company. Webtoons will also be starting in the Middle East, but Korean companies not only value their time, but their staff can speak Arabic.
–The slow decision-making of Japanese companies is a problem that has been pointed out in many places.
IsamuHowever, I would like to say one thing: While it certainly takes time to make decisions for Japanese companies, they always keep their promises when they trade. Japanese companies are no match for trust in terms of trust. That’s really great.
Since I was a student, I have been an agency for the government. At that time, it is not just the words that will translate, but the mindset. By doing so, we hope to become a bridge between Japan and the world. I want to speed up that bridge into a highway this time. 。
— Will Japan continue to carry out various projects in the future?
Isamu: Of course, some works are rooted in Saudi Arabian culture, while others are not. We also want to value our originality and differentiate ourselves. I would like to create these works with a sense of responsibility towards the quality of Made in Japan. Manga Productions is also developing new IPs. Our company was founded in 2017 and only released two works in the first three years, but has since released to 10 works to date. I plan to release more works in the future.
