Naver to Release Popular Webtoon 'Noblesse' Worldwide on October 7
Kakao Webtoons Adapted into 4 Original Dramas for 'KakaoTV'
[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] Animations and dramas based on the 'national webtoon' are expected to gain popularity both domestically and internationally.
According to Naver on the 5th, Naver Webtoon will simultaneously release an animation based on the globally popular webtoon 'Noblesse' worldwide on October 7. This is the third animation Naver Webtoon is presenting in the global market following 'Tower of God' and 'God of High School.'
In Korea, it will be broadcast for the first time on October 7 at 10 PM through 'Naver Series On.' Overseas, it will be available in the US, South America, and Europe via the streaming service 'Crunchyroll.' In Japan, it is scheduled to air on TV channels such as 'TOKYO MX' and 'BS11' at midnight on October 7.
The 13-episode animation Noblesse is based on Naver Webtoon's intellectual property (IP) and produced by the Japanese animation studio 'Production I.G.' The well-known American animation content company Crunchyroll is participating as a global investor and distributor, and Naver Webtoon is also directly involved as an investor and distributor in this project.
Kim Shin-bae, Naver Webtoon Business Leader, said, "By presenting an animation co-invested with famous overseas companies on the global stage, the position of domestic animation has been elevated," adding, "We hope that through these projects, Korean webtoon IPs will gain attention on the world stage and receive more opportunities."
Noblesse is a dark action fantasy webtoon depicting the battle between the vampire noble 'Cadis Etrama Di Raizel,' who awakens after an 820-year slumber, and a mysterious organization called 'Union' aiming for world domination. Since its serialization on Naver Webtoon from December 2007 for about 11 years, it has been praised for its high-quality artwork and story development. It has recorded over 4.6 billion global cumulative views, gaining popularity not only in Korea but also overseas.
Meanwhile, Kakao M plans to present four webtoons from KakaoPage and Daum Webtoon as 'KakaoTV' original dramas.
Popular webtoon originals to be adapted into dramas include the fantasy mystery romance 'Beware of Boyfriend,' which has accumulated 2.17 million readers, 'Aquaman,' a story about escaping lifelong singlehood with 180 million cumulative views, 'Jaeminni, Secret Crush,' which recorded 1.3 million cumulative views, and 'Shadow Beauty.'
Shin Jong-su, Head of Digital Content Business at Kakao M, emphasized, "The core keyword of KakaoTV original content planned and produced by Kakao M is mobile-oriented," adding, "We will present original content that is not just watchable on mobile but is more enjoyable because it is viewed on mobile."
Kakao M has set a plan to produce six dramas and nineteen variety shows within this year, offering a total of about 350 episodes as KakaoTV original content.
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