GeeXPlus

GeeXPlus, also styled as GeeX+, is a Japanese talent agency focused on creators who produce content for audiences outside Japan. The company was established on July 1, 2019, by Kadokawa Corporation and initially operated as part of BookWalker. Its role has been to connect Japanese brands, publishers, and entertainment companies with international influencers by supporting talent management, campaign planning, content production, promotion, sponsorship, and distribution. The company’s origins predate its formal incorporation. Around 2017, BookWalker began sponsoring video reviews of manga and light novels by anime-focused creators. One of the early collaborators was Garnt Maneetapho, known online as Gigguk. These experiments helped demonstrate that overseas creators could serve as an effective bridge between Japanese entertainment businesses and global online communities. The concept behind GeeXPlus was also associated with Meilyne Tran, an American director who later became the company’s chief operating officer. The company’s development coincided with wider Japanese efforts to attract foreign workers and creators involved in promoting Japanese culture and content. In its early years, GeeXPlus became particularly visible through its work with anime and Japan-focused YouTubers. In October 2019, it invited Garnt Maneetapho, Connor Colquhoun, known as CDawgVA, and Sydney Poniewaz, known as Sydsnap, to move to Japan and create content there. The agency also worked with creators already living in Japan, including Joey Bizinger, known as The Anime Man, and Foxen Anime. In February 2020, Bizinger, Colquhoun, and Maneetapho launched the Trash Taste podcast, which became a prominent example of creator collaboration supported by the agency’s Japan-based network. GeeXPlus subsequently broadened its roster beyond anime commentary. In 2022, it signed gaming creator TheGamingBeaver and assisted with his move to Japan. In September of the same year, it signed artists Emily Sim, known as Emirichu, and Daidus. The two later created the shared channel Spilled Ink, for which GeeXPlus helped secure sponsorships. The agency also signed Onigiri, a virtual YouTuber and cooking creator, and supported her relocation to Japan. In October 2023, it opened a global creator application program intended to identify and support additional international talent. In 2024, it expanded into short-form creator representation by partnering with TikTok creator Kristine Fel, known as Kfel. The company’s corporate position changed in 2025. Following Kadokawa’s decision to merge BookWalker and Kadokawa Connected into Dwango, GeeXPlus was transferred from BookWalker to Dwango in February 2025. In June, it signed Megan and Ben, also known as HitoBito, former JET Programme English teachers who had built an audience on TikTok. GeeXPlus also appeared as a panel participant at Anime Expo 2025. At Anime Expo on July 3, 2025, GeeXPlus announced GeeXProduction, a division intended to provide deeper production support for creator-led projects. Rather than limiting its role to representation and sponsorship, the new division was designed to participate in projects from early planning through completion. Announced projects included Gigguk’s anime short film Bâan: The Boundary of Adulthood, DillonGoo’s 3D animated web series and webtoon Soul Mart, and OtakuVS’s independent animated web series Otachan! Rabbit Season. GeeXPlus therefore operates at the intersection of talent management, influencer marketing, Japanese pop-culture promotion, and digital-media production.

GeeXPlus grew out of experiments by Kadokawa’s BookWalker subsidiary with international anime and manga creators. Around 2017, BookWalker sponsored video reviews of manga and light novels, including work associated with Garnt Maneetapho, the creator known as Gigguk. These activities indicated that online creators could provide Japanese publishers with direct access to overseas fan communities. GeeXPlus was formally established on July 1, 2019, as a Kadokawa talent-agency division. Its stated purpose was broader than conventional advertising representation: it aimed to connect Japanese brands with global influencers while assisting with promotion planning, content production, and distribution. The company’s concept was partly associated with American director Meilyne Tran, who later served as chief operating officer. The agency also reflected Japan’s growing interest in bringing overseas creators into the country to promote Japanese content. In October 2019, GeeXPlus invited Gigguk, CDawgVA, and Sydsnap to relocate to Japan for content creation. Its network also included Japan-based creators such as The Anime Man and Foxen Anime. This concentration of international anime creators in Japan helped produce new collaborations. In February 2020, Gigguk, CDawgVA, and The Anime Man launched Trash Taste, a podcast that became one of the best-known projects associated with the agency’s creator ecosystem. From 2022 onward, GeeXPlus expanded into additional creator categories. It signed gaming creator TheGamingBeaver and supported his relocation to Japan. In September 2022, it signed artists Emirichu and Daidus; the pair later launched Spilled Ink in August 2023, with GeeXPlus helping them find sponsors. The agency also represented Onigiri, a virtual creator and cook, and supported her move to Japan. In October 2023, it launched an open global creator application program, signaling an effort to grow beyond a selectively recruited anime-creator roster. In October 2024, GeeXPlus signed TikTok creator Kristine Fel, or Kfel. This was described as the agency’s first partnership with a short-form content creator and showed the broadening of its platform strategy. Later that month, CDawgVA joined the company’s board, giving a represented creator a formal role in production oversight and growth planning. A corporate reorganization followed in February 2025. Kadokawa moved GeeXPlus from BookWalker to Dwango after deciding to combine BookWalker and Kadokawa Connected within Dwango in response to market competition. GeeXPlus continued to recruit creators, signing Megan and Ben, known as HitoBito, in June 2025. The same month, the company was announced as a panel participant at Anime Expo. On July 3, 2025, at Anime Expo, GeeXPlus launched GeeXProduction. The division was intended to extend the company’s role from representation and commercial coordination into hands-on development and production of creator-led intellectual property. Executive producer Rick Gao described the approach as involvement from initial planning through completion. The first announced projects included Gigguk’s animated short film Bâan: The Boundary of Adulthood, DillonGoo’s 3D animated web series and webtoon Soul Mart, and OtakuVS’s independent animated web series Otachan! Rabbit Season. GeeXPlus consequently occupies a hybrid position spanning talent management, influencer marketing, Japanese pop-culture promotion, and independent digital-media production.

• 2025

  GeeXProduction launched

  [1]GeeXPlusen.wikipedia.org

  GeeXPlus became part of Dwango and announced GeeXProduction at Anime Expo as a division for creator-led productions.

• 2024

  Short-form creator partnership and board expansion

  [1]GeeXPlusen.wikipedia.org

  GeeXPlus signed Kfel and added CDawgVA to its board.

• 2023

  Global creator application program launched

  [1]GeeXPlusen.wikipedia.org

  The agency opened a global application program for international talent.

• 2022

  Expansion into gaming and art creators

  [1]GeeXPlusen.wikipedia.org

  GeeXPlus signed TheGamingBeaver and later added Emirichu and Daidus to its creator roster.

• 2020

  Trash Taste begins

  [1]GeeXPlusen.wikipedia.org

  Gigguk, CDawgVA, and The Anime Man launched the Trash Taste podcast.

• 2019

  GeeXPlus founded

  [1]GeeXPlusen.wikipedia.org

  Kadokawa established GeeXPlus on July 1 as a talent agency focused on connecting Japanese brands with international creators.

• 2017

  BookWalker begins creator sponsorship activity

  [1]GeeXPlusen.wikipedia.org

  BookWalker, which later operated GeeXPlus, began sponsoring video reviews of manga and light novels by anime-focused creators.

A Japan-based creator agency and international cultural-marketing intermediary that helps Japanese brands work with global influencers while increasingly supporting original creator-owned media projects.

• Professional services · 2019

  Creator talent management

  GeeXPlus represents and supports international-facing creators working in anime commentary, gaming, illustration, cooking, virtual entertainment, TikTok, and related digital categories. Its support can include commercial coordination, relocation assistance, production planning, sponsorship development, and connections with Japanese brands and entertainment companies.

• Digital-media production · 2025

  GeeXProduction

  GeeXProduction is a GeeXPlus division announced in 2025 to support creator-led projects from early development through completion. Its announced scope includes anime shorts, animated web series, webtoons, and other digital-media formats.

• 2025

  Move GeeXPlus from BookWalker to DwangoM&A

  Background

  Kadokawa reorganized BookWalker and Kadokawa Connected within Dwango amid a more competitive market.

  Action taken

  GeeXPlus was transferred from BookWalker to become part of Dwango.

  Aftermath

  The agency continued talent recruitment and expanded its role into creator-led production.

  Source

• 2025

  Launch GeeXProductionProduct launch

  Background

  GeeXPlus sought to become more deeply involved in original projects developed by its represented creators.

  Action taken

  The company announced GeeXProduction at Anime Expo as a division for creator-led anime, web series, webtoons, and digital media.

  Aftermath

  Bâan: The Boundary of Adulthood, Soul Mart, and Otachan! Rabbit Season were announced as early projects.

  Source

• 2019

  Create a Japan-based international creator agencyStrategy

  Background

  Kadokawa sought a structured way to connect Japanese brands and entertainment businesses with overseas online audiences.

  Action taken

  It established GeeXPlus to manage global creators and coordinate promotion, production, and distribution.

  Aftermath

  The agency developed a network of creators living in or working with Japan, including the group associated with Trash Taste.

  Source

1. 1GeeXPlusen.wikipedia.org