Love anime and manga? Web3 platform aims to become ultimate destination for fans

Anime and manga are staples of Japanese culture — and in recent years, they've taken the world by storm.

Now, vibrant characters and stories from both genres are heading to the world of Web3.

MADworld is backed by Animoca Brands — and the platform's objective is simple: to become the ultimate destination for fans of anime and manga.

MADworld has partnered with Animoca Brands KK, UCOLLEX and industry giants such as Kodansha, Production I.G. and WIT Studio to bring the vibrant characters and stories from both genres to the world of Web3.

The project has previously announced its collaboration with Production I.G. to develop a slate of Web3 experiences for the anime productions Vampire in the Garden, Bubble and Great Pretender.

What's up next?

News of the collaboration was officially unveiled at the flagship NFT.NYC conference.

The Kodansha partnership will initially focus on two exciting titles, Ghost in the Shell and Fairy Tail. A series of NFTs and digital collectibles are being planned, and the first drops will entail extensive fan experiences and tie-ins to the stories and character arcs.

Kodansha has also been behind many other internationally acclaimed manga stories — Akira, Sailor Moon and Attack on Titan among them. The publisher, which launched all the way back in 1909, has been praised for having "a unique ability to tell the story creatively and with familiar cultural elements drawing millions of viewers worldwide."

MADworld's CMO Phillip Tran was full of praise for Ghost in the Shell and Fairy Tales — telling Cointelegraph: "They're masterpieces that have stood the test of time as its themes, structure, and visuals remain popular and loved. Moreover, by entering the world of Web3, the pieces are not just a beautiful memory of the journey of anime and manga but an active inspiration for new creators and fans to invest in community efforts to build out the metaverse."

Looking ahead, MADworld's ambition is to become the "connective tissue" that blends games, metaverses and applications together and become the “home of pop culture”. As an example, MADworld is bringing the B.Duck and MADminds NFT campaigns into The Sandbox. So it is fully within reason to expect MADworld’s repertoire to both include its own tech stack and to leverage its access to the full breadth of the Animoca Brands' ecosystem of Web3 experiences for its impressive IP pool.

Just the beginning

In the coming 12 months, the team at MADworld are planning to build upon their branding — and build awareness of the magical ecosystem they're currently creating. A series of fan engagement strategies are going to be deployed to keep anime fans coming back for more.

MADworld, Animoca Brands KK and UCOLLEX have already worked together to bring NFTs to the masses. Back in June, they jointly announced the launch of a new series dedicated to Japanese culture — harnessing the talent of local, authentic artists.

Some of the creatives championed through this collection include Masayuki Kojo, an artist who specializes in warrior paintings and uses sumi ink to depict the preparedness of fighters in the Warring States period.

The analog and digital sculptor Kenichi Asano, alongside the award-winning illustrator CRAZY CHOCOLATE, were also championed through this collection.

Japan's culture is distinctive, special and immersive — and while it may have been virtual because of the pandemic, the Tokyo Games was a spectacle bringing everything that's special about this country into people's living rooms.

And now, MADworld is vowing to do the same — offering a 21st-century way to enjoy anime and manga that extends far beyond well-thumbed copies of comics and books.