Prime Video to Double Investment in Japanese Original Content — 5ch: ‘Oshi no Ko Was Great’

From our other sites

The story

On September 3, Amazon held its strategy presentation “Prime Video Presents Tokyo” in Tokyo, announcing plans to more than double its investment in Japanese original productions going forward. Nine notable titles were showcased, including a live-action adaptation of “The Apothecary Diaries” and the newest installment in the “Silent Service” series, with the company also signaling a renewed focus on sports and anime. On 5ch, opinions flew over which Amazon originals hit and which missed — comments like “Oshi no Ko was good, but Like a Dragon wasn’t” were common — while news that HBO Max would become available for an extra fee starting in October also drew attention.

Prime Video to More Than Double Investment in Japanese Originals, Unveils 9 Notable Titles Including “The Apothecary Diaries”

On September 3, Prime Video held its strategy presentation “Prime Video Presents Tokyo” in Tokyo, laying out its growth strategy going forward.

◆ Prime Video to More Than Double Japanese Original Content

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

What people said

7AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:06
Re: #1
> The third installment in the "Silent Service" series, "Silent Service: Awaken, New York" (streaming worldwide from summer 2027)

That's the only one I actually want to see
70AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:43
Re: #7
Bet Seagal just goes on a one-man rampage anyway
8AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:06
Unlike Netflix, Amazon Prime stuff always ends up kind of disappointing.
Probably the directors and writers they bring in just aren't very good.
17AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:12
Re: #8
Oshi no Ko: good.
Like a Dragon: bad.
36AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:20
Re: #8
Even with American originals it's always "eh, kind of a letdown."
Guess there's just something off about a lot of it.
63AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:38
Re: #8
Netflix is full of duds too though
9AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:07
"Hannin" (The Culprit) was actually pretty good
10AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:07
They should just focus on sports and anime.
Live-action is a waste of effort.
37AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:20
Re: #10
Sports and anime aren't even worth bothering with anymore.
Live-action is where the real value is — deep down everyone actually prefers live-action.
20AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:13
Re: #9
Lol there's a Korean cast member in it
31AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:18
Re: #20
In the original the character's Japanese, but for some reason the drama changed them to Korean
35AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:20
Re: #31
"Study of Fighting" is safe since the drama changed all the Korean characters to Japanese ones
28AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:18
Re: #14
That was seriously boring
32AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:19
Re: #28
Yosuke Kubozuka was in that though
30AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:18
Re: #6
Did you see "Gas Human" (Gas Ningen)?
41AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:21
Re: #30
That actually got decent reviews — apparently they're using the same director for a Japanese live-action drama of Parasyte next
34AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:20
The screenwriter for The Apothecary Diaries is Erika Yoshida —

the one who caused a backlash after dismissing Bocchi the Rock's original manga depictions as "noise" if you're aiming to dominate the season
44AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:22
Re: #34
The frog's fine

—yeah, figured
59AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:36
Re: #34
Seems like she'll shove some weird ideology into it
62AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:37
Re: #34
It's her skill that turned Bocchi — which was mediocre in the original — into a hit.
Even the original creator praised her for it.
38AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:20
DAISUKI, the anime streaming service run under the Cool Japan initiative, couldn't compete with Prime Video or Netflix and pulled out early
42AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:22
Re: #38
I don't think they were ever serious about it to begin with.
Cool Japan itself was basically just a scheme for middlemen to skim profits.
39AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:21
The Japanese remake of "Marry My Husband" was pretty decent
52AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:27
Re: #39
That's about the only Amazon original that was actually good.
"Hannin" hooked me early on but kind of fizzled out by the end.
83AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:53
Re: #39
Lol it's a Korean drama remake
49AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:26
HBO Max streaming starts October 1st —
Prime members can add it for an extra ¥1,000/month
57AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:33
Re: #49
This is actually great news, since U-NEXT is expensive
71AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:43
Re: #49
Same timing as Hulu, huh
84AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:55
Re: #49
HBO was partnered with U-NEXT — did they just betray them?
74AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:46
Korean dramas turned out to be just a stepping stone for Japanese dramas 😊
78AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:50
Re: #74
Amazon Prime doesn't operate in Korea, so there are no original Korean dramas on there.
Though a few Korean drama remakes made in Japan were produced as Amazon Prime originals.
79AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:51
Re: #3
As long as it's good, who cares who's behind the scenes
88AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:58
Re: #79
Even in anime, more Chinese and Korean staff have moved into key roles lately.
Used to be they only handled the bottom-tier work.
80AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:51
Just watched Reacher — it was good
82AnonymousSep 4, 2026 13:52
Re: #80
I forgot the plot so I'm rewatching from season 1 lol

Background and Key Points

Prime Video competes with Netflix, Hulu, and U-NEXT in Japan’s domestic streaming market, and aims to solidify its subscriber base by rolling out buzzworthy original titles. The HBO Max integration mentioned in the thread, launching in October, is part of Amazon’s push to expand its lineup by bringing in overseas studio content, and will require an extra fee even for existing members. “The Apothecary Diaries” is based on a popular novel/anime series; its screenwriter, Erika Yoshida, is also known for the “Bocchi the Rock” anime adaptation, though she previously drew attention for comments about the source material’s depictions — fueling interest in this live-action version as well. In the thread, many voiced the view that Amazon’s past originals have been “hit or miss,” sparking discussion that went beyond simple like-or-dislike reactions.

※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisports Sokuho+) thread “[Entertainment] Prime Video More Than Doubles Investment in Japanese Originals, Unveils 9 Notable Titles Including “The Apothecary Diaries”… Also Focusing on Sports and Anime.”

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *