ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Movies and TV devider Prime Video unveils previews for key Asian content

Prime Video unveils previews for key Asian content

Published Feb 19, 2026 10:52 am
(Clockwise from left) "Siren's Kiss," "Fist of the North Star" and "The Ghost in the Shell" (Prime Video)
(Clockwise from left) "Siren's Kiss," "Fist of the North Star" and "The Ghost in the Shell" (Prime Video)

Prime Video unveiled the previews for select titles from Japan, Korea, and India at the inaugural Prime Video Presents International Originals in London. 

Presented by Gaurav Gandhi, vice president, APAC (Asia-Pacific) and ANZ (Australia and New Zealand) for Prime Video, the preview showcased a sampling of Asian content coming to the service in 2026, with the full slate to be announced in the coming months. 

The showcase reinforced Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios’ commitment to delivering premium Asian storytelling to audiences across the world.

The first Prime Video Presents: International Originals showcase was held in London, an event presenting a selection of Prime Video's biggest International Originals movies and series expected to resonate with a global audience in 2026. 

Introduced by Kelly Day, vice president of Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios International, and hosted by Nicole Clemens, vice president of International Originals and teams across the world, the showcase featured guest appearances from actors Stanley Tucci, Nicole Wallace, Park Min-young and Wi Hajun, actors and filmmakers Dolores Fonzi, Alia Bhatt, and author Mercedes Ron.

Prime Video execs Gaurav Gandhi (left), vice president for APAC (Asia-Pacific) and ANZ (Australia and New Zealand), and Kelly Day, vice president of Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios International (Prime Video)
Prime Video execs Gaurav Gandhi (left), vice president for APAC (Asia-Pacific) and ANZ (Australia and New Zealand), and Kelly Day, vice president of Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios International (Prime Video)

Prime Video said stories from Japan, Korea, and India are becoming truly global, ranking among the video streaming service’s most watched, outside the English content slate. 

The stories, rooted in local cultures yet resonating universally, reflect the growing appetite for authentic narratives that transcend geographic boundaries. The titles previewed from the wider slate at the event build on the momentum, combining globally celebrated franchises, fresh new voices, and long-term partnerships with leading creators and studios across the region.

Korean content

Korean content continues driving global engagement on Prime Video, with hits like “Marry My Husband” and “No Gain No Love” both reaching the platform's global top 10 based on out of country viewership. 

Prime Video is deepening this commitment with major additions to its Korean library, bringing culturally rooted Korean storytelling to audiences worldwide

The Korean titles previewed at the event showcase romance-led storytelling complemented by genre-blending narratives and large-scale productions, in collaboration with leading Korean studios including CJ ENM, SLL, Coupang Play, and others. 

“Siren's Kiss” stars Wi Hajun (left) and Park Min-young (Prime Video)
“Siren's Kiss” stars Wi Hajun (left) and Park Min-young (Prime Video)

Highlights include “Absolute Value of Romance,” a meta romantic comedy starring Kim Hyang Gi and global K-pop idols; “Human x Gumiho” (working title), a supernatural romance led by Jun Ji-hyun (aka Gianna Jun) and Ji Chang-wook; and “Siren's Kiss,” a psychological thriller starring Park Min-young and Wi Hajun. 

“See You at Work Tomorrow!” explores workplace romances, while “Love in Disguise,” starring Yim Siwan, caters to growing demand for genre-crossing storytelling. For audiences seeking epic scale, “The Sacred Jewel” (working title) delivers historical drama set against the Mongol invasions of Goryeo. 

Anime

With the strong global growth of Anime, Prime Video reinforced its ambition to become the destination for high-quality anime content with a carefully selected slate serving both longtime fans and new audiences.

Prime Video highlighted three marquee titles from its 2026 Anime slate, starting with exclusive worldwide rights for the definitive reboot of “Fist of the North Star: Hokuto No Ken.” Produced by TMS Entertainment, the reboot reimagines the globally famous manga series as an animated experience combining cutting-edge computer-generated imagery with hand-drawn animation, celebrating its 40th anniversary. 

The preview also included “The Ghost in the Shell,” the influential cyberpunk series exploring the intersection of humanity and technology in a hyper-connected 2029 metropolis which will be streamed on Prime Video exclusively worldwide (except Russia and China; in Japan Prime Video has an early exclusive window), and “From Old Country Bumpkin” to “Master Swordsman” season 2, following season 1's success ranking among Prime Video's Top 10 titles in over 45 countries. These three titles offer just a taste of the full 2026 Anime lineup to be announced in the coming months.

"Fist of the North Star" (Prime Video)
"The Ghost in the Shell" (Prime Video)

 Indian content

Prime Video Presents International Originals also featured a special preview of “Don't Be Shy!,” an upcoming Indian Original movie about a young-adult, female-forward coming-of-age drama written and directed by Sreeti Mukerji and produced by Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt under Eternal Sunshine Productions. 

"Don't Be Shy!" (Prime Video)

The preview included a conversation between Alia Bhatt and Nikhil Madhok, head of Originals, Prime Video India, exploring filmmaking for young audiences and the importance of female-forward storytelling. Prime Video's comprehensive Indian content slate, featuring a much broader slate, will be unveiled in March at Prime Video Presents India.

"We are delighted to offer this early preview of compelling titles from our Anime, Korean, and Indian slate at the inaugural Prime Video Presents International Originals," said Gandhi.

He added, "This is just a taste of what's in store for our customers in 2026 - we have so much more coming. Content from Japan, Korea, and India is emerging as a powerful cultural force in global entertainment, driven by emotionally authentic stories that resonate far beyond their home markets. Building on strong viewer momentum and deep partnerships with creators across these regions, our 2026 lineup underscores our long-term commitment to championing Asian storytelling on the global stage. Stay tuned for many more announcements throughout the year."

ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.