Three webtoon series, including The Remarried Empress, The Boxer and Teenage Mercenary, are set to be adapted into anime. LINE Digital Frontier (라인 디지털 프론티어; LDF) will work with Japanese animation studio Hayate and global anime streaming platform Crunchyroll to develop and produce webtoon adaptations. The three companies plan to work together from the early development stages on about 15 selected webtoons.

Background and context

The announcement is notable both for revealing anime adaptations of three titles and for setting the scope of the development and production collaboration at about 15 webtoons.

The structure of the participating companies also illustrates the nature of the collaboration. LDF is the Japanese subsidiary of Webtoon Entertainment (웹툰 엔터테인먼트), the parent company of Naver Webtoon (네이버웹툰). The partnership also includes Japanese animation studio Hayate and global anime streaming platform Crunchyroll. The announcement therefore describes a collaboration linking the webtoon business, Japanese anime production and a global anime platform.

What this news means

Readers may get the chance to experience familiar webtoons in a different format: anime. However, the fact that adaptations are planned does not mean that release dates, broadcast or streaming arrangements, or production teams for individual titles have been determined. Until such information is confirmed, it is difficult to tell when or in what form the works will actually be released.

The news is also significant in terms of the international expansion of webtoon content. LDF, the Japanese subsidiary of Webtoon Entertainment, Naver Webtoon's parent company, is participating in a collaboration that brings together a Japanese studio and a global platform, and the three companies will work together from the early development stages. This shows that the anime adaptations will be pursued through partnerships spanning multiple stages. The collaboration alone, however, does not allow conclusions to be drawn in advance about the works' international release reach or performance.

For example, readers who have enjoyed one of the three titles may have a new adaptation in another format to look forward to. But with no release schedule, cast or production team announced yet, there is not enough information to make concrete plans to watch.

What is confirmed and what remains unknown

Confirmed facts

  • Three webtoon series are to be adapted into anime: The Remarried Empress, The Boxer and Teenage Mercenary.
  • LDF is the Japanese subsidiary of Webtoon Entertainment, the parent company of Naver Webtoon.
  • LDF will collaborate with Japanese animation studio Hayate and global anime streaming platform Crunchyroll.
  • The three companies plan to work together from the early stages on the development and production of about 15 selected webtoons.

What remains unknown

  • The release dates and broadcast or streaming schedules for the anime adaptations have not been announced.
  • No details have been made public about the production teams, animation formats or voice casts for individual titles.
  • It has not been confirmed which webtoons, besides the three named titles, are among the roughly 15 selected works.

What readers should look out for

  • Readers interested in a particular title should check official follow-up announcements for release dates and broadcast or streaming schedules.
  • The announcement does not specify the production teams, formats or voice casts for individual titles, or identify additional selected works, so readers can watch for separate announcements of those details.