TeamTO Expands Into Adult Animation With Anime-Inspired Thriller ‘Junichiro Jackson’

European animation studio TeamTO, acquired in 2024 by Riva Studios, is expanding into adult animation with Junichiro Jackson (JJ), a new anime-inspired psychological thriller being developed in collaboration with Los Angeles-based Martian Blueberry.

The series is the first original project announced under TeamTO’s recently launched TeamTOKO label and represents the beginning of a broader strategic partnership between the two studios.

Currently in development, JJ is planned as a 10-episode, half-hour serialized thriller that combines neo-noir mystery, action, anime-influenced visuals, and music-driven storytelling. Set in a near-future New York City, the story follows private investigator Junichiro Jackson as a seemingly ordinary case draws him into a conspiracy that threatens to unravel the city while forcing him to confront his own inner demons.

The project’s first teaser trailer will debut during TeamTO’s Studio Focus presentation at Annecy on June 23, where TeamTO executives Marco Balsamo and Tara Sibel Demren will join Martian Blueberry founders Carl and Love Jones onstage to discuss the series and present early footage.

In a release, TeamTO producers Marco Balsamo and Tara Sibel Demren said:

At its core, JJ is about identity, isolation, and the emotional cost of living in an increasingly disconnected world. What inspired us to create this project was the opportunity to explore the grey areas of deeply complex characters within a fractured society that feels increasingly reflective of the world around us.

The Joneses added:

Partnering with TeamTO is about pushing animation culture forward through fearless creativity, diverse voices, and experimental storytelling to create something meaningful, impactful, and unlike anything audiences have seen before. JJ is the kind of project that reminds us why we started Martian Blueberry in the first place.

Martian Blueberry was co-founded by Carl Jones, whose credits include The Boondocks, Black Dynamite, and Young Love. The studios said additional projects are already in development as part of their growing partnership.