‘How To Be A Sensei’: Japan’s Nippon & UK’s Anyway Content Teaming On Comedy Series About Woman Who Dreams Of Being A Manga Artist

Japan’s Nippon TV and UK indie Anyway Content are taking a comedy series about a young British woman following her dream of becoming a manga artist to MIPCOM Cannes.

The pair have struck a scripted co-development partnership for How to be a Sensei, which is being penned by Itaru Mizuno, the multiple Asian Academy Creative Award-winning director behind 2023’s breakout hit Rebooting, alongside award-wining British comedy writer Zoë Tomalin, who writes for the likes of Have I Got News For You and Hypothetical.

In How to be a Sensei, the protagonist takes her manga quest to Tokyo, where she heads to several iconic and underground locations. The series of hour-long episodes are in advanced development following a writing room that was recently held in the Japanese capital.

Nippon has worked with Mizuno on and off for more than a decade and the pair most recently combined on Japanese hit Rebooting. London indie Anyway was launched two years ago at MIPTV by St. Trinian’s director Oliver Parker, ex-Red Arrow Studios boss James Baker and Metro International Partner Sam Parker, and it has been building a slate since.

Mizuno said: “Meeting the team at Anyway Content and working alongside my incredible partner, Zoë, has been a stroke of inspiration.”

Baker added: “Recent successes have proven there is an appetite globally for storytelling that explores universal themes through different cultures. The partnership with Nippon TV is driven by the sole aim of enabling this funny, emotional and romantic tale to be told authentically through the brilliant creative minds and different perspectives involved.”

Nippon TV’s Head of Global Scripted, Sayako Aoki, is business producer for How to be a Sensei with Baker, Head of Development Kathryn Castles and Development Executive Cassie Smyth driving the project for Anyway Content. Sayako will be at MIPCOM to discuss the project with prospective financiers, commissioners, and production partners.

MIPCOM runs September 21 to 24. Yesterday, we revealed Estonia-Ukraine collab My Dear Mother, which is being distributed by Film.UA.