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Recently, more and more Netflix original series (anime) pop up in my feed and so far, all of them are of extremely high quality. This goes in audio, visuals and usually story as well. Most of them are fairly unique compared to the mainstream ones.

So what I am curious about is if these are different from normal series. Like, do they have limitations for publication? For example, most series in Japan are for Japan only and are only able to leave the country through shipping DVDs or illegal streaming services. Is a Netflix original basically the same without any limits for publication?

What about production costs? Are those covered by Netflix and is the cast for example appointed by Netflix or does Netflix maybe have their own teams behind the shows?

Normally I wouldn't be bothered by this, but I have noticed a significant difference in quality from the big hits in Japan and Netflix original series. For example, most shows tend to forget about background characters, surround audio etc. In Netflix originals, I have yet to encounter these minor quality flaws. So what is it that makes the major difference between them?

I do am aware that legally the Netflix originals can only be found on Netflix. Does this mean that Netflix might be a new competitor in the anime industry?

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There are two differences.

  1. Netflix Original Series are either produced, co-produced or hosted exclusively on Netflix, and when in relation to anime it will almost always be referring to "hosted exclusively". Other anime would be hosted by one or many of any range of other platforms/mediums. Some may go straight to TV, some get bought by multiple platforms, ect... it depends on the series and Netflix Original Series just happen to be hosted by Netflix. - stack reference, wiki reference

  2. Netflix Original Series can be planned and made for Netflix, or the rights can be bought by Netflix after production. Either way, Netflix would be creating/purchasing shows that they believe are marketable to their customer base and this would result in a slight variation in popular themes than other airing anime. Currently, the top countries for Netflix usage are Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, America and Canada (reference) so the shows picked up by Netflix are more likely to have jokes/references/themes/styles that are deemed as popular in these countries. An example of something that would be less likely to pop up a Netflix Original is an anime show featuring lots of Dajare (Japanese Puns) since wordplay in Japanese is structured around the language and difficult to translate for the same popular impact it would have locally. Keep in mind this is not a strict rule for what Netflix can pick up, just a general difference noticed when looking at the platforms shows as a whole.

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