Anime
Madhouse Stops Making New Stories, Starts Licensing Old Ones
Thursday, July 2, 2026 Edition
Madhouse's shift from original anime to manga adaptations reflects a studio-wide retreat into IP hedging. When the safest film project is one with an existing reader base, you're no longer in the business of imagining things—you're in the business of converting existing audiences.
Madhouse greenlighting manga-to-anime film adaptation rather than developing original IP
Pattern reflects industry-wide financing squeeze forcing studios toward pre-validated properties
Risk aversion in anime production now determines what stories get told at all
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