Viz Media to Develop Animated Kids Series Called Gakkimals

Posted on June 1, 2016

Viz Media has announced plan to develop an animated series for kids called Gakkimals. The series is based on the Japanese children's property. The characters are part animals and part musical instruments.

The series will be produced under license from ShoPro, which is a subsidiary of three Japanese publishing houses: Shogakukan Inc., Shueisha Inc. and Hakusensha Inc. The Gakkimals original concept was created by PecanNuts, a Japanese production duo.

Viz Media CMO Brad Woods says in a statement, "The acquisition of Gakkimals represents an important step in our initiative to develop new and engaging global content in partnership with our creative partners in Japan. Gakkimals is a truly unique children's property that combines the evergreen appeal of music and animals into a vibrant environment that inspires early childhood learning with a fun cast of endearing characters. We look forward to working closely with our partners at ShoPro to develop this exciting new show."

Anime News Network says the characters first appeared on Norista Ha~i!, a TV Tokyo children's program.

ANIMATED