The upcoming series Rick and Morty: The Anime will premiere this year on the HBO Max streaming service.

The anime, while based on the cartoon series created by Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland is an original product from Takashi Sano, Studio Deen, Telecom Animation Film, and more. Telecom is known for their work on the Lupin III series, Inspector Gadget, and most recently Don’t Toy With Me Miss Nagatoro.

Takashi Sano developed the anime project and released a series of short pilot films back in 2020 and 2021. The series was picked up for a 10-episode season based on fan reception to the project.

While the series is produced by a Japanese studio with Japanese cast and staff, fans have argued whether it counts as an an actual anime or not. The website MyAnimeList removed the short films from their site after determining that although it fit all the other qualifications, it wasn’t actually made for a Japanese audience.

You can check out one of the short films Rick and Morty: Samurai & Shogun from Studio Deen below.

A premiere date for Rick and Morty: The Anime has yet to be announced.