Kenji Studio Launches Kickstarter Campaigns for English Releases of Santa Company Anime Films, Manga

Kenji Itoso's KENJI STUDIO launched Kickstarter campaigns on Monday to release English-dubbed and English-subtitled versions for the Santa Company: Secret of Christmas (Santa Company: Christmas no Himitsu) and Santa Company: Midsummer Merry Christmas (Santa Company: Manatsu no Merry Christmas) anime films on December 25. The company also started a Kickstarter campaign to release the Santa Company color manga in English on the same day.

All three campaigns will run until January 18. As of press time, the Santa Company: Secret of Christmas Kickstarter has raised US$2,058 of its US$9,000 goal, the Santa Company: Midsummer Merry Christmas campaign has raised US$550 of its US$7,500 goal, and the manga campaign has raised US$619 of its US$6,000 goal.

If the total amount raised for all three campaigns crosses US$40,000, there will be a stage greeting with the lead voice actors dressed up as Santa Claus. If the total raised reaches US$100,000, Itoso will work with a crew including screenwriter Sadayuki Murai (Natsume's Book of Friends, Pet, Sabikui Bisco, Millennium Actress, Perfect Blue) to produce a sequel to Santa Company.

The Kickstarter pages note that the company has already started the English translation and dubbing work in time for a Christmas release, but they still need funding. The online screening is scheduled to be available to backers on Christmas, and the permanent releases of the movies for backers is scheduled for February 2023. The campaigns also note that although the works are scheduled for this December, they may be delayed.

Itoso held a Kickstarter campaign in 2013 to fund the first Santa Company film, which met its US$50,000 goal. The original anime debuted at the Tokyo International Film Festival in October 2014. Santa Company: Secret of Christmas, an extended film version of the film, opened theatrically in Japan in November 2019. The new version commemorated 100 years of diplomatic relations between Japan and Finland.

Santa Company: Midsummer Merry Christmas debuted worldwide online through MyAnimeList in January 2021. ORENDA and Umi no Magnet Education Committee worked with KENJI STUDIO to release the film. The film aims to raise awareness of marine waste, and is part of the "CHANGE FOR THE BLUE" initiative by the Nippon Foundation's Umi to Nippon Project.

Yuzuki Momoi and Chiharu Shinagawa launched the Santa Company color manga on LINE in 2019. The second and third compiled book volumes, which were the final ones, launched in December 2021.

Source: Kickstarter (link 2, link 3)