Rising Costs & Market Pressures Cause Concern About Future of Original Anime

Kenji Horikawa, founder of P.A. Works (Angel Beats, Umamusume: Pretty Derby), has voiced deep concern about the future of original anime amid rising production costs and market pressures. Speaking to Real Sound, Horikawa explained that investors increasingly view original works as too risky compared to adaptations, making it harder for studios to pursue fresh ideas. He warned that with the overwhelming volume of new anime and audience fatigue, the creative impulse to craft unique stories is weakening. Original productions require building entire worlds, characters, and narratives from scratch, demanding enormous effort. Horikawa fears that without change, studios may “forget how to make an original work.” Still, P.A. Works remains committed, with its 25th anniversary project Dusk Beyond the End of the World in development.

GamesRadar+, Molly Edwards – Angel Beats, Umamusume anime studio founder feels “sense of crisis” original anime may disappear amid “rapidly” rising costs: “Even if we all want to, we might forget how to make an original work” – 20th August 2025