Transatlantic Alliance: Carl Jones’ Martian Blueberry Partners with TeamTO for Neo-Noir Anime Series “Junichiro Jackson”
Carl Jones, the legendary animation veteran renowned for his work on The Boondocks and Black Dynamite, has announced that his studio, Martian Blueberry, is officially partnering with French animation powerhouse TeamTO. Together, the studios are developing “Junichiro Jackson” (also known as JJ), a premium adult animated series that promises to merge hard-boiled detective fiction with high-end anime aesthetics.
The project marks a monumental milestone for Paris-based TeamTO, serving as the flagship launch title for TeamTOKO—the studio’s brand-new production division entirely dedicated to premium, anime-inspired adult animation.
A Psychological Thriller in a Fractured Future
Conceived as a 10-part serialized 2D psychological thriller, each episode of Junichiro Jackson will run for a tight, action-packed 30 minutes.
The series is set against the backdrop of a technologically saturated, socially fractured near-future New York City. The narrative follows the investigations of Junichiro Jackson, a weary private detective who takes on a seemingly routine case, only to stumble into a massive, systemic corporate and supernatural conspiracy. As the mystery unravels, Jackson is forced to confront both literal demons lurking in the city’s underbelly and the dark, unaddressed trauma of his own past.
According to TeamTO producers Marco Balsamo and Tara Sibel Demren, the core of JJ aims to tackle deep-seated, modern societal anxieties. “At its core, JJ is about identity, isolation, and the emotional cost of living in an increasingly disconnected world,” the producers shared. “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.”
Pushing Animation Culture Beyond Hollywood
For Carl Jones and Martian Blueberry co-founder Love Jones, the transatlantic collaboration offers a rare chance to break free from traditional network constraints and create uncompromised, music-driven adult storytelling.
“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,” Carl and Love Jones said in a joint statement. “JJ is the kind of project that reminds us why we started Martian Blueberry in the first place. We love anime and music-driven worlds that exist outside the traditional boundaries of Hollywood, stories shaped by different cultures, perspectives, and lived experiences.”
To deliver on that music-driven promise, the production has locked in the acclaimed hip-hop group Coast Contra, who are under contract to compose original music and audio tracks that will serve as the rhythmic heartbeat of the show’s stylized action sequences.
