Netflix has announced a new partnership with Hitoshi One, the director of Tokyo Swindlers. Under this agreement, Netflix will exclusively produce and distribute new series and films by One over the next five years.
One made his directorial debut in 2011 with the film Moteki, which was adapted from a Japanese manga. This work earned him the award for Most Popular Title at the 35th Japan Academy Awards. He also won Best Director at the 39th Japan Academy Awards for his 2015 film Bakuman and received the Grand Prize in the TV category at the 60th Galaxy Awards for Elpis: Hope or Disaster.
His portfolio includes both live-action and animated projects. Some of his notable works are Scoop! (2016), Tornado Girl (2017), Sunny:
Tsuyoi Kimochi Tsuyoi Ai, the TV mini-series Kyouen NG, and last year’s New Dimension! Crayon Shinchan the Movie: Battle of Supernatural Powers Flying Sushi.
Tokyo Swindlers, which premiered in July, achieved significant success by ranking in Netflix’s Global Top 10 TV (Non-English) for five consecutive weeks. It also held the No. 1 position in Japan’s Netflix Top 10 TV chart for six weeks.
In a statement, One shared his surprise at receiving an exclusive contract from Netflix just two weeks after Tokyo Swindlers began streaming. “I was drawn to the distribution medium, a genre that is not yet as established as film and TV dramas,” he noted.
Sakamoto Kaata, Netflix’s VP of Content in Japan, praised One’s creative talents. “Mr. One has generously demonstrated his skills in Tokyo Swindlers, a thrilling story with quirky characters full of humanity. The series has become one of the most-watched shows in Japan on Netflix,” he said. He expressed excitement about discovering new stories through One’s unique perspective.
This year, Netflix has also released other titles from Japan, including action films like City Hunter and House of Ninjas, as well as unscripted content such as The Boyfriend.
Upcoming is Beyond Goodbye, which is inspired by a true story and has been selected for the Busan International Film Festival’s On Screen Section.
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