To satisfy what seems to be an insatiable global demand for anime content right now, Netflix has formed a strategic co-development deal with MAPPA, the Japanese anime studio behind Jujutsu Kaisen (pictured) and Attack on Titan.

Netflix has secured exclusive streaming rights to MAPPA’s next slate of productions, which it will offer to subscribers in more than 190 countries. The studio currently has several unannounced titles at various stages in its pipeline, from pre-development to early production. Netflix will play a role in their creative journeys, as well as taking the lead on L&M planning and execution. 

It’s not hard to understand why the streamer wants to work more closely with MAPPA. Many of the studio’s series that Netflix has previously acquired (including Ranma 1/2 and Vinland Saga) have reached global acclaim and are already highlighted on a dedicated feature page that’s prominent on the streamer’s on-screen interface. According to Netflix, views for anime-style content have tripled over the last five years, and more than half of its 325 million subscribers say they have watched an anime series. 

MAPPA says this landmark deal is an opportunity for it to maintain its status as an independent studio and develop anime with global audiences in mind, rather than relying solely on Japanese broadcasters to finance its shows and get them in front of a more domestic viewership. CEO and president Manabu Otsuka says Netflix is giving MAPPA room to lead every stage of the projects’ development, from understanding the needs of the audience, to identifying new business opportunities for IP expansion.