Amazon is ramping up its television production in Japan.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon Japan has revealed 12 Japanese original series that will be available to Amazon Prime members globally. The 12 series that were announced cover a slew of genres, from dramas and documentaries to anime and kid’s shows. Some of the shows are already available to stream on the service in Japan, with others becoming available later in the year and in 2017.
The Japanese original series that were revealed include new takes on cult classic tokusatsu series Kamen Rider and Ultraman. Kamen Rider, which originally aired from 1971 to 1973, follows cyborg Takeshi Hongo as he fights against the powerful terrorist group Shocker. Ultraman, which originally aired from 1966 to ’67, centers on policeman Shin Hayata as he uses his ability to transform into Ultraman to fight various aliens and monsters.
Along with Kamen Rider and Ultraman are Magi, manga adaptations Baby Steps and Businessmen vs. Aliens, a historical time-travel drama and a 4K Japanese culture docuseries.
The announcement of Amazon Japan’s slate of original programming was made by Amazon Video vice president and chief of Amazon Studios Roy Price, along with both Amazon Japan’s president Jasper Cheung and Amazon Japan’s content head James Farrell. On the 12 Japanese original series, Price said, “We’re excited to add a great lineup of original Japanese programming to supplement the English-language series we’ve already created in the U.S. When we introduced Prime Video in Japan last year, we said we would be bringing 20 original series and we’re thrilled to introduce the first 12 of those.”
This still leaves 8 Japanese original programs for Amazon to announce. There is no word yet as to when these last 8 will be revealed, but it most likely won’t be anytime soon.