"Dreamland": the cult French manga is coming to anime after 20 years

Twenty years after its creation, Dreamland is reaching a new milestone. Reno Lemaire's manga, considered one of the major works of "manfra" (a contraction of manga and French), will be adapted into an animated series starting in October 2026. Presented as a preview at Japan Expo, this adaptation symbolizes the growing recognition of a French creation that has long remained in the shadow of Japanese productions.

A French universe inspired by the conventions of Japanese manga

Published by Pika Édition since 2006, Dreamland tells the story of Terrence, a high school student scarred by the loss of his mother in a fire and paralyzed by his fear of fire. After overcoming this trauma, he discovers he can travel to Dreamland, a parallel world built from human dreams, where his phobia becomes a power allowing him to control flames.

With 24 volumes published and over 800,000 copies sold, the series has become the longest-running French manga ever created by a French author. Its anime adaptation is being produced by ADN, Crunchyroll, La Chouette Compagnie, and Ellipse Animation. Directed by Joe Celse and Juan Pablo Machado, with a screenplay by Antoine Maurel and Jean-Luc Cano, the series will be released episode by episode on ADN starting in October.

The first screening of an episode at Japan Expo marked a symbolic moment for fans, twenty years after Reno Lemaire's debut. The event comes at a time when "manfra" has gradually gained legitimacy with the public, after having long been criticized by some readers attached to an exclusively Japanese vision of manga.

An adaptation that asserts its French identity

For the project team, the challenge wasn't to replicate the conventions of Japanese anime exactly, but to find a balance between Japanese influences and a French personality. Juan Pablo Machado explains that the goal was not to "imitate," but to develop a unique style, capable of retaining the energy of great action series while asserting a different sensibility.

The anime embraces its French roots: the settings incorporate elements of Montpellier, and the characters move within a distinctly French environment, far removed from the Japanese school settings often associated with anime. This is Reno Lemaire's way of bringing French culture to a genre largely popularized by Japan.

While Dreamland has already begun to gain traction in Japan with the publication of its first volumes by Euromanga, its success remains limited in the country. The author points out that the Japanese market operates differently, particularly with the importance of pre-publication in specialized magazines before the release of collected volumes.

This adaptation therefore represents a new challenge: after captivating several generations of French readers, Dreamland must now prove that a universe conceived in France can find its audience beyond its borders. The first episodes will also be shown as a preview in cinemas on September 19 and 20, 2026, before their streaming release.