Arabian folklore series begins streaming on Friday

HIDIVE announced on Thursday that it will begin streaming Saudi Arabian media company Manga Productions and Toei Animation's Future Folktales ( Asatir: Mirai no Mukashibanashi ) animated television series on Friday at 7:30 p.m. EDT.

Sentai Filmworks announced its license of the series on Wednesday, and it will release the anime on home video.

The series will premiere in Japan on J Tele on April 4, and it will have 13 episodes.

The series' story is set in Riyadh in the year 2050, and centers on a grandmother named Asmaa telling folktales from the Arabian Peninsula to her three grandchildren.

The cast includes:

Masako Nozawa as Asmaa

Naomi Ōzora as Maha

Sachiko Kojima as Rayan

Megumi Urawa as Sultan

Manga Productions streamed a teaser trailer in November 2017 for "The Woodcutter's Treasure," its first collaboration with Toei Animation. The project is a 25-minute animation based on Saudi Arabian folklore and aimed at children and families, and it served as a pilot for a television series. The company stated in November 2017 that it has two upcoming projects with Toei Animation: a 13-episode television series and a 90-minute film.

Manga Productions and Toei Animation announced in February that they have finished their animated collaboration film The Journey. Manga Productions previously planned to premiere the film at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The company plans to open the film this year.

Manga Productions is a subsidiary of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Foundation, also known as MiSK, and named for Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. The company aims to create animation, comic, and video game projects to "promote Saudi ideas and messages internationally." MiSK signed a memorandum with Japan's Digital Hollywood University in October 2017 to train Saudi designers and programmers in creating animation and games.

Sources: HIDIVE, Sentai Filmworks