The World’s Attention Span Is Changing

Whether it’s TikToks, Reels, or anime edits on YouTube Shorts, short-form content has taken over how we watch and share stories. Short-form storytelling is one of key ways the next generation of fan bases will form, as more people are spending their time on social media.

But this is just one of many formats we’re exploring to build the the world of Azuki and bring the IP to life. From animated shorts to collectibles, to trading card games and long-form anime content in development, we’re experimenting across the board.

Even big players like Crunchyroll are exploring shorter anime formats to better connect with fans who grew up on fast, bite-sized content. People want stories that hit fast, feel fresh, and are easy to share or remix.

What We're Making for the World of Azuki

Three stylized anime scenes from the Azuki universe, featuring: left – a girl in a jacket and headphones standing in a gritty alley; center – a male celebrating at a table with a card game and a small beanz creature; right – a girl stacking books in a traditional Japanese scene with two beanz characters beside her. Bold "AZUKI" text is centered across the image.

Our animated shorts are original, stylized pieces of animation designed to live on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to draw in new fans to the world of Azuki.

Take Catch of the Day, our first mini-short. It features Azuki character Mizuki on a chaotic fishing trip. It’s short, funny, and packed with personality—perfect for sharing and looping. The Mizuki shorts series has been a fan favorite, garnering over 10 million views across social platforms.

Fractured Reflections, the second part of our anime anthology series, is also jam-packed with amazing visuals that showcase the Azuki universe, perfect for fan edits, remixes, and social sharing. The episode was led by legendary creators in the anime industry, with Creative Producer Goro Taniguchi (Code Geass, One Piece Film Red) and Character Design by Kazuto Nakazawa (Samurai Champloo and Kill Bill (Animation Part)), adding even more depth and style to the world we’re building.

We’re using this format to:

  • Introduce new characters and storylines in quick, digestible ways
  • Explore different tones and aesthetics within the Azuki world
  • Invite our community of artists to remix or build on top of the content

Short-form might seem too short to tell a story, but it’s still extremely expressive. And when combined with our community’s creativity, it can unlock entirely new ways of storytelling. We’ve seen this first-hand with our Mizuki art contest where over 200+ artworks were submitted.

IP Built for the New Era

At Azuki, we’re creating IP that can evolve, travel across formats, and be shaped alongside our fans. That includes:

Our goal is to make Azuki a living, breathing world that fans can engage with however they want, whether that’s watching, collecting, creating, or all of the above. We hope you enjoy the latest mini shorts series featuring, Shao, one of our beloved original characters in the world of Azuki!

Originally posted on Azuki.com