{"rewrite":{"id":"r_ec0b248e1fa2b89200311e57","clusterId":"c_b62ace3608e5034133c77173","slug":"manga-productions-pivots-to-in-house-anime-ips","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Manga Productions Pivots to In-House Anime IPs","summary":"Saudi anime studio Manga Productions is shifting toward producing its own intellectual properties after years of co-creating and importing anime with Japanese companies. CEO Essam Bukhary discussed the pivot, the company's in-house project Henna, AI adoption resistance, and a growing domestic market at AnimeJapan.","whyItMatters":"The shift to original IP changes how Manga Productions negotiates with Japanese rightsholders, since the company now understands the difficulty of producing and protecting anime.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eManga Productions announced Henna at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival earlier this summer. The project is the studio\u0026#39;s first in-house anime, a departure from its prior work co-creating and importing anime into Saudi Arabia.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChief executive officer Essam Bukhary said the move to producing original IP has built rapport with Japanese rightsholders when the company acquires titles for Middle East distribution. Being an IP producer means understanding how difficult production is and why protecting IP matters, he said.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe company intends to introduce artificial intelligence into production processes where possible, though Bukhary acknowledged some employees resist the change. He compared Japan\u0026#39;s content industry today to its electronics industry of the 1990s, under pressure to transform as competitors and new technologies arrive.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Manga Productions is moving from co-creating and importing anime to producing its own IP. Henna is its first in-house project, announced at Annecy. CEO Essam Bukhary says the shift changes how the company deals with Japanese rightsholders.","twitterPost":"Saudi studio Manga Productions is pivoting to original anime IP after years of co-creating with Japanese companies. Henna is its first in-house project. CEO Essam Bukhary says producing IP builds trust with Japanese rightsholders.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Manga Productions is pivoting from co-creating and importing anime to producing its own IP, with Henna as its first in-house project. CEO Essam Bukhary says the shift helps the company negotiate with Japanese rightsholders. The studio also plans AI adoption despite internal resistance.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Animenomics\",\"url\":\"https://news.animenomics.com/p/manga-productions-launches-saudi\",\"title\":\"Manga Productions launches Saudi anime IPs\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4598,"outputTokens":550,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1788035939,"createdAt":"2026-08-29T20:29:05.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-29T20:31:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-29T20:29:05.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_b62ace3608e5034133c77173","canonicalTitle":"Manga Productions launches Saudi anime IPs","representativeArticleId":"a_cf215f12b8dc10d51a577a1e","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[\"Manga Productions\"],\"people\":[\"Essam Bukhary\"],\"type\":\"business\",\"domain\":\"industry\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"business","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-26T12:04:13.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-26T12:04:13.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-29T20:31:46.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Animenomics","url":"https://news.animenomics.com/p/manga-productions-launches-saudi","title":"Manga Productions launches Saudi anime IPs"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":["Manga Productions"],"people":["Essam Bukhary"],"type":"business","domain":"industry","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}