MAPPA Crafts Musical Dreams in New Netflix Anime 'Beat & Motion'

MAPPA is expanding its Netflix partnership with a fresh project drawn from a Shonen Jump+ success story. During the studio's 15th anniversary lineup reveal on June 19, it announced the anime adaptation of Naoki Fujita's Beat & Motion, set to premiere worldwide exclusively on Netflix in 2027.

The story centers on Tatsuhiko, a university student who has abandoned his dream of becoming an animator, and Nico, a determined indie singer-songwriter who reignites his creative fire. Their collaboration on a music video becomes the spark for a tale about chasing passion, clashing perspectives, and forging something uniquely their own.

A complete production team was revealed alongside the first teaser visual and trailer. Yuki Komada directs, Misaki Morie handles series composition and scripts, and Kazunori Aoki serves as character designer and chief animation director with Mina Ōsawa. Shūichirō Umeda voices Tatsuhiko Hirayama and Aya Gomazuru voices Nico Kashiwagi.

The source manga emerged as the grand prize winner of Shueisha's MILLION TAG creator contest before running on Shonen Jump+ from 2023 to early 2025. MAPPA's involvement signals another high-profile bet on blending music, animation, and youthful ambition in the studio's signature style.