Manga Productions
Manga Productions is a Saudi Arabian entertainment company developing and distributing animation, video games, comics, and licensed Japanese intellectual property.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Manga Productions is a Saudi Arabian animation and creative-content company headquartered in Riyadh and owned by the Misk Foundation. Established in 2017, the company was created to develop entertainment properties and build connections between Saudi Arabia, the wider Arab world, and international creative industries. Its activities cover animated films and television series, video games, comic books, intellectual-property licensing, localization, and regional distribution. The company’s operating model combines original production with international partnerships. In animation, Manga Productions has worked with Japanese studios, including Toei Animation, while positioning its projects for audiences in the Middle East and for wider international distribution. Its television production Asateer: Future’s Folktales, co-produced in 2020, was distributed across the Arab world, the United States, and Japan. The series reportedly exceeded 100 million streams across more than 40 platforms. A follow-up, Asateer2: Future’s Folktales, premiered in November 2024 through MBC1 in Saudi Arabia and TV Tokyo in Japan. Manga Productions expanded its feature-animation profile through The Journey, a 2021 film produced with Toei Animation. The film was distributed in the Middle East, Japan, the United States, and Europe. It received the Experimental Category Award at the Septimius Awards in Amsterdam, described as the first such win by a Middle Eastern production. The project illustrates the company’s strategy of combining Japanese animation expertise with stories and cultural themes connected to the Arab region. The company also operates in interactive entertainment. It develops and publishes mobile and console games and undertakes localization and distribution for international game properties in the Middle East and North Africa. In September 2024, it released Future’s Folktales: Hopper Quest, a free-to-play mobile title based on its animated television property. Its regional distribution activities have included Japanese and international releases such as Dynasty Warriors: Origins and Nioh 3. Comics and intellectual-property management form additional parts of the business. Manga Productions has published titles including Bissa and Mercury Girl, the latter serialized from 2023. In 2022, it entered a partnership with Dynamic Planning Corporation concerning management of the Grendizer franchise in the Middle East. The relationship was followed by the unveiling of a 33.7-metre Grendizer statue in Riyadh in November 2022, which Guinness World Records recognized as the largest metal sculpture of a fictional character. In 2023, Manga Productions acquired global distribution rights for Grendizer U from Dynamic Planning; the Arabic-language version premiered in Saudi Arabia on July 5, 2024, concurrently with the Japanese release. Manga Productions opened a Tokyo office in 2019, reinforcing its role as a bridge between Saudi and Japanese media businesses. It has also participated in the regional distribution of Captain Tsubasa Season 2: Junior Youth and became the official uniform sponsor of Nankatsu SC, a Tokyo football club associated with the Captain Tsubasa franchise. Overall, the brand combines content creation, franchise stewardship, localization, and distribution, with an emphasis on cross-border Saudi-Japanese collaboration and the international circulation of Arabic-oriented entertainment.
History
Manga Productions was founded in Saudi Arabia in 2017 as a subsidiary of the Misk Foundation, a Saudi organization associated with youth development, education, and cultural initiatives. From its beginning, the company was structured as a creative-content business rather than solely as an animation studio. Its stated activities encompass animation, games, comics, licensing, localization, and distribution, allowing it to participate in several stages of the entertainment value chain. A central element of its development has been cooperation with Japan. Manga Productions opened a Tokyo office in 2019, giving the company a base closer to Japanese studios, rights holders, and entertainment companies. It subsequently worked with Toei Animation on animated projects and developed a business model that linked Saudi and Arab storytelling ambitions with Japanese production expertise and established international distribution networks. The company’s first major television property described in the available reference material was Asateer: Future’s Folktales, co-produced in 2020. The series was distributed across the Arab world, the United States, and Japan, and reportedly passed 100 million streams on more than 40 platforms. The project was followed by Asateer2: Future’s Folktales, which premiered in November 2024 on MBC1 in Saudi Arabia and TV Tokyo in Japan. Together, the productions demonstrate Manga Productions’ interest in developing continuing intellectual properties rather than treating each project as a standalone release. Manga Productions broadened its film profile in 2021 through The Journey, a feature produced with Toei Animation. The film received international distribution in the Middle East, Japan, the United States, and Europe. Its Experimental Category Award at the Septimius Awards in Amsterdam gave the company recognition in an international film setting and was described as a first for a Middle Eastern production in that category. The firm also moved into games and comics. It develops and publishes mobile and console titles, while also localizing and distributing external properties for the Middle East and North Africa. In September 2024, it launched Future’s Folktales: Hopper Quest, a free-to-play mobile game connected to its animated series. Its comic publishing activities include Bissa and Mercury Girl, the latter serialized from 2023. Licensed Japanese intellectual property became another important business area. In 2022, Manga Productions partnered with Dynamic Planning Corporation to manage Grendizer in the Middle East. The partnership received substantial public visibility through a 33.7-metre Grendizer statue unveiled in Riyadh in November 2022. Guinness World Records recognized the structure as the largest metal sculpture of a fictional character. In 2023, Manga Productions acquired global distribution rights for Grendizer U, and its Arabic-dubbed version premiered in Saudi Arabia on July 5, 2024, at the same time as the Japanese release. The company has also worked around the Captain Tsubasa property, handling regional distribution for Captain Tsubasa Season 2: Junior Youth and becoming the official uniform sponsor of Nankatsu SC, a Tokyo football club linked to the manga franchise. In addition, its distribution portfolio has included international game releases such as Dynasty Warriors: Origins and Nioh 3. These activities show a business that combines original production, adaptation, rights management, localization, and cross-border distribution. The available material does not identify a change in ownership, a public listing, or a named chief executive.
- 2024
Hopper Quest and Grendizer U Arabic release
[1]Manga Productions launches Future’s Folktales: Hopper Quest and releases the Arabic-dubbed Grendizer U in Saudi Arabia.
- 2024
Asateer2 premieres
[1]The second Asateer series premieres on MBC1 in Saudi Arabia and TV Tokyo in Japan.
- 2023
Grendizer U rights are acquired
[1]The company acquires global distribution rights for Grendizer U and continues publishing Mercury Girl.
- 2022
Grendizer partnership and Riyadh statue
[1]Manga Productions partners with Dynamic Planning for Middle Eastern Grendizer management and unveils a record-recognized statue in Riyadh.
- 2021
The Journey is released
[1]The feature film made with Toei Animation reaches audiences in the Middle East, Japan, the United States, and Europe.
- 2020
Asateer: Future’s Folktales is co-produced
[1]The animated television series is co-produced and distributed across multiple international markets.
- 2019
Tokyo office opens
[1]The company opens an office in Tokyo to support its relationships with Japanese creative and entertainment businesses.
- 2017
Manga Productions is founded
[1]Manga Productions is established in Saudi Arabia as a subsidiary of the Misk Foundation.
Products and positioning
A Saudi-led, internationally oriented entertainment company that develops Arabic-connected stories while collaborating with Japanese studios and managing global media franchises across the Middle East and North Africa.
Animated television series · 2020
Asateer: Future’s Folktales
An animated television property co-produced by Manga Productions in 2020. The series was distributed across the Arab world, the United States, and Japan and reportedly exceeded 100 million streams across more than 40 platforms. It represents the company’s effort to build original, repeatable entertainment properties for both regional and international audiences.
Animated television series · 2024
Asateer2: Future’s Folktales
The sequel to Asateer: Future’s Folktales. It premiered in November 2024 on MBC1 in Saudi Arabia and TV Tokyo in Japan, extending the franchise through a simultaneous Saudi-Japanese television presence.
Animated feature film · 2021
The Journey
A feature-length animated film produced with Toei Animation and released in 2021. Distributed across the Middle East, Japan, the United States, and Europe, the film combines Japanese animation production with a story positioned as a Middle Eastern production. It received the Experimental Category Award at the Septimius Awards.
Mobile video game · 2024
Future’s Folktales: Hopper Quest
A free-to-play mobile game based on the Future’s Folktales animated property. Released in September 2024, it extends one of Manga Productions’ screen properties into interactive entertainment and forms part of the company’s broader mobile and console publishing activity.
Comic book
Bissa
A comic title published by Manga Productions. The available reference material identifies Bissa as part of the company’s publishing catalogue, but does not provide further details about its creators, format, plot, or publication schedule.
Serialized comic · 2023
Mercury Girl
A fantasy-adventure comic series published by Manga Productions and serialized from 2023. It demonstrates the company’s expansion beyond screen media into original or company-managed comic intellectual property.
Licensed animated television series · 2024
Grendizer U
A Grendizer-related animated property for which Manga Productions acquired global distribution rights from Dynamic Planning in 2023. The company released an Arabic-dubbed version in Saudi Arabia on July 5, 2024, concurrently with the Japanese release.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023Nankatsu SC uniform sponsorship
Japan
Manga Productions became the official uniform sponsor of Nankatsu SC, a Tokyo-based football club associated with the Captain Tsubasa manga and media franchise.
Outcome. The sponsorship connected the company’s regional Captain Tsubasa distribution work with a Japan-based sports property linked to the franchise.
- 2022Riyadh Grendizer statue unveiling
Saudi Arabia
Manga Productions unveiled a 33.7-metre Grendizer statue in Riyadh as a public-facing activation connected with its Middle Eastern management of the franchise.
Outcome. Guinness World Records recognized the statue as the largest metal sculpture of a fictional character.
Brand decisions
2024
Launch Future’s Folktales: Hopper QuestProduct launchBackground
The company extended its animated Future’s Folktales property into interactive entertainment.
Action taken
Manga Productions released the title as a free-to-play mobile game in September 2024.
Aftermath
The release broadened the property’s format from television animation to mobile gaming.
2023
Acquire global Grendizer U distribution rightsStrategyBackground
Following its Grendizer relationship with Dynamic Planning, Manga Productions pursued a broader distribution role for the new animated property.
Action taken
Manga Productions acquired global distribution rights for Grendizer U from Dynamic Planning.
Aftermath
An Arabic-dubbed version premiered in Saudi Arabia on July 5, 2024, concurrently with the Japanese release.
2022
Enter a Grendizer management partnershipStrategyBackground
Manga Productions expanded from original content into the management and regional exploitation of established Japanese intellectual property.
Action taken
The company partnered with Dynamic Planning Corporation to manage the Grendizer franchise in the Middle East.
Aftermath
The relationship led to a major Riyadh public activation and later to Manga Productions acquiring global distribution rights for Grendizer U.
2019
Open a Tokyo officeStrategyBackground
Manga Productions sought a closer operating presence in Japan, a major center of animation, manga, and games.
Action taken
The company opened an office in Tokyo.
Aftermath
The office supported subsequent collaborations and rights relationships involving Japanese studios and intellectual-property owners.
Recent events
- 2024
Future’s Folktales: Hopper Quest launches on mobile[1]
Product launch
Manga Productions released a free-to-play mobile game based on its Future’s Folktales animated property.
- 2024
Grendizer U Arabic version premieres in Saudi Arabia[1]
Product launch
The Arabic-dubbed edition of Grendizer U premiered in Saudi Arabia on July 5, 2024, simultaneously with its Japanese release.
- 2024
Asateer2: Future’s Folktales premieres in Saudi Arabia and Japan[1]
Product launch
The sequel to Asateer: Future’s Folktales premiered in November 2024 on MBC1 in Saudi Arabia and TV Tokyo in Japan.
- 2023
Manga Productions secures global distribution rights for Grendizer U[1]
Other
The company acquired global distribution rights for Grendizer U from Dynamic Planning.
- 2023
Manga Productions expands its comic publishing slate[1]
Product launch
Mercury Girl began serialization as one of the company’s published comic properties, alongside titles such as Bissa.
- 2022
Manga Productions partners with Dynamic Planning for Grendizer[1]
M&A
The company entered a partnership to manage the Grendizer franchise in the Middle East.
- 2022
Riyadh unveils a record-setting Grendizer statue[1]
Campaign
Manga Productions unveiled a 33.7-metre Grendizer statue in Riyadh. Guinness World Records recognized it as the largest metal sculpture of a fictional character.
- 2021
The Journey receives an Experimental Category Award[1]
Other
The Journey, Manga Productions’ feature film made with Toei Animation, won the Experimental Category Award at the Septimius Awards in Amsterdam.
- 2020
Asateer: Future’s Folktales exceeds 100 million streams[1]
Other
The animated series reached more than 100 million streams across over 40 platforms after distribution in the Arab world, the United States, and Japan.
- 2019
Manga Productions opens a Tokyo office[1]
Other
The Saudi creative-content company established an office in Tokyo, strengthening its operating relationship with the Japanese animation and entertainment sector.
Sources2 sources
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