News

Animax Asia Licenses Yo-kai Watch Anime, Cartoon Network Licenses The Snack World Anime

Singaporean content distribution company Bombanbridge Media announced on Tuesday that Animax Asia has licensed the "latest seasons" of the Yo-kai Watch television anime, while Cartoon Network Asia has licensed The Snack World television anime.

Animax Asia's license includes Yo-kai Watch: Shadowside, the latest season of the anime. The show entered the new season in Japan on April 13.

The series is set after the events of the Yo-kai Watch Shadowside: Oni-ō no Fukkatsu anime film, and centers on the character Keisuke, the younger brother of Natsume. Natsume is the daughter of previous protagonist Keita and she was the protagonist of the film. Keisuke is a fifth grader who does not believe in ghosts, UFOs, or even yo-kai. Lately, he has noticed that Natsume has been coming home late, and one day decides to tail her. When he discovers that Natsume goes to a yo-kai detective agency, Natsume is forced to involve Keisuke in her activities.

In both the film and series, yo-kai have the ability to transform into "lightside" and "shadowside" forms. In these forms, yo-kai show different personalities, abilities, and appearances.

The film premiered in Japan last December, and ranked #2 in its opening weekend. The film had earned 1,863,413,400 yen (about US$17.33 million) total as of January 21.

MediaLink Entertainment Limited distributed the license for the original Yo-kai Watch television anime in Southeast Asia, where it aired on Toonami, Cartoon Network, and other local channels in various Southeast Asian territories.

Cartoon Network Asia will premiere The Snack World in Asia in 2019.

The anime premiered in Japan in April 2017 and aired for 50 episodes.

Level 5's official website for the cross-media project describes the television anime:

Chup and his friends' impossible adventure finally begins!

With the evil merchant Vinegarr having taken away his hometown, Chup goes on a quest to pay him back a thousand fold. The world is a traditional fantasy setting, but many things are very modern. A comedy adventure unfolds in this casual fantasy world!

OLM Digital, Inc. animated the series.

Level-5 previously streamed the project's pilot film in both Japanese and English audio in 2015, and a short film similarly debuted alongside both the 2015 and 2016 Yo-kai Watch films.

The Snack World is Level-5's fourth cross-media project after Inazuma Eleven, Little Battlers eXperience, and Yo-kai Watch.

Thanks to Kyle Miller for the news tip.

Source: Bomanbridge via Regular Capital