A new animated version of "Ninja Hattori-kun" will be made in India, where the series has been a major hit, TV Asahi Corp. said.
The series will be aired in India beginning in May and possibly in Japan as well by the end of the year, TV Asahi said Tuesday.
The new "Ninja Hattori-kun," based on "gag manga" comics by cartoonist Fujiko Fujio (A), will be the first in around 25 years.
After the cartoonist draws 26 new stories, TV Asahi's subsidiary animation studio will do some basic work on the material and an Indian production company will create the animated series, according to the broadcaster.
The previous series aired in Japan from 1981 to 1987 and in India starting in 2004.
TV Ashai is aiming to boost profits from its content business, including animation, in India in cooperation with Hakuhodo DY Media Partners Inc.
"Ninja Hattori-kun" features a child ninja who befriends an elementary school boy in contemporary Tokyo.
