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Manga Productions Showcases Saudi Innovation at Anime Japan 2025

Over four days, the Manga Productions team engaged with visitors during both public and business sessions. (SPA)
Over four days, the Manga Productions team engaged with visitors during both public and business sessions. (SPA)
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Manga Productions Showcases Saudi Innovation at Anime Japan 2025

Over four days, the Manga Productions team engaged with visitors during both public and business sessions. (SPA)
Over four days, the Manga Productions team engaged with visitors during both public and business sessions. (SPA)

Manga Productions, a subsidiary of the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation (Misk), concluded its participation in Anime Japan 2025, one of the world's most prestigious anime exhibitions.

Manga Productions sponsored the global event for the first time, reinforcing its commitment to establishing Saudi Arabia’s presence in the anime industry. Held at Tokyo Big Sight, the exhibition attracted more than 150,000 visitors and featured over 100 participating companies worldwide.

Manga Productions chief executive Dr. Essam Bukhari expressed pride in the company's participation and gratitude for the enthusiastic reception from Japanese and international audiences.

Sponsoring such a significant event is a strategic step in fostering partnerships for co-production, distribution, and content licensing, he added.

He also highlighted how Saudi Arabia's economic growth and development are opening doors for deeper collaboration with Japanese and international companies, further cementing the Kingdom's status as a global hub for creativity in the entertainment sector.

Bukhari noted that participation in Anime Japan 2025 boosts Saudi Arabia’s global image, showcasing the Kingdom’s creative identity on a prestigious international platform. It also strengthens connections with audiences and media partners while promoting innovative Saudi content.

Over four days, the Manga Productions team engaged with visitors during both public and business sessions. The company offered an immersive cultural experience, allowing attendees to explore Saudi creativity through traditional clothing displays, cultural activities, and Saudi coffee tastings.

Manga Productions remains dedicated to solidifying Saudi Arabia's position as a leader in the entertainment industry, bringing the latest Japanese entertainment innovations to the Saudi market. This aligns with the Kingdom’s vision for developing the creative content industry, positioning it as a global entertainment hub.

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‘Secrets of the Penguins’ to Be Premiered on Eve of Earth Day

A group of adult Emperor penguins travel along the sea ice on their bellies after exiting the water against, as the ice shelf is seen in the distance, on the Ekström Ice Shelf, Antarctica, in this undated handout image obtained by Reuters on April 17, 2025. (National Geographic/Bertie Gregory/Handout via Reuters)
A group of adult Emperor penguins travel along the sea ice on their bellies after exiting the water against, as the ice shelf is seen in the distance, on the Ekström Ice Shelf, Antarctica, in this undated handout image obtained by Reuters on April 17, 2025. (National Geographic/Bertie Gregory/Handout via Reuters)
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‘Secrets of the Penguins’ to Be Premiered on Eve of Earth Day

A group of adult Emperor penguins travel along the sea ice on their bellies after exiting the water against, as the ice shelf is seen in the distance, on the Ekström Ice Shelf, Antarctica, in this undated handout image obtained by Reuters on April 17, 2025. (National Geographic/Bertie Gregory/Handout via Reuters)
A group of adult Emperor penguins travel along the sea ice on their bellies after exiting the water against, as the ice shelf is seen in the distance, on the Ekström Ice Shelf, Antarctica, in this undated handout image obtained by Reuters on April 17, 2025. (National Geographic/Bertie Gregory/Handout via Reuters)

Years of filming, often in extreme conditions, has provided new insights into the extraordinary challenges endured by penguins for a documentary series to be premiered on Monday, the eve of Earth Day.

"Secrets of the Penguins" is voiced by US actor Blake Lively and hosted by National Geographic explorer Bertie Gregory, who hopes to engage the widest possible audience with the natural world.

He says filming that included 274 days on the Ekström Ice Shelf in Antarctica, home to around 20,000 emperor penguins, as well as in locations from Cape Town in South Africa to the Galapagos Islands, led to discovering "new penguin secrets".

"I have filmed penguins a lot before," he said. "I thought I knew penguins. I was so wrong."

The three-part series, to be screened on Disney+ on Monday, and on Nat Geo Wild from Tuesday, in all took more than two years to film.

The highlights include penguin chicks jumping off a 50-foot (15 m) ice cliff in order to dive into the sea for the first time in their young lives.

"As soon as the first one went ... they all started to jump. It was an amazing moment to witness," Gregory said, adding the exploit has never been broadcast before.

"They're the only animal in the world to raise their young during the Antarctic winter. It is the coldest, darkest, windiest place on Earth," he said further.

Gregory says the significance goes beyond any one species.

"We should want to look after penguins, not just because it makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside, but because we need healthy, wild places for so many things," he said.

The 31-year-old explorer has two Daytime Emmy Awards for the series "Animals Up Close with Bertie Gregory" and a BAFTA Television Craft Award for shooting British naturalist David Attenborough's "Seven Worlds, One Planet".

He does not see himself taking on the mantle of the 98-year-old Attenborough, who is still at work.

"He's one of a kind," Gregory said. "There is no replacement."