If you grew up flipping through _The Celestial Zone_ (天界無限), the wuxia comic Wee Tian Beng created back in March 1999, its heroes are about to move. On 13 November 2026, new Singapore company XM Media launched at Game Fest 2026 at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre and announced plans to turn the comic into a multi-season anime from 2027, using AI-assisted animation.
That makes it one of the clearest local test cases yet for a question every young creative in Singapore is asking. Can AI help a homegrown story reach the world without pushing artists out of the picture?
A Comic Hit Gets a Second Life
For anyone who missed it the first time, The Celestial Zone blends traditional wuxia (Chinese martial-arts fantasy, think swordsmen and secret techniques) with a modern comic style. XM Media calls it Singapore’s first international comic hit, and by the company’s count it has sold millions of copies across some 40 countries.
The teaser that played at the launch leans into the series’ sense of humour. In it, a swordsman introduces himself, names his sword and his martial-arts move Meteor Shower, then grumbles that his sword and his kungfu are more famous than he is. It’s a cheeky little beat that longtime readers will recognise, and a promising sign that the anime is keeping the comic’s personality intact.
XM Media’s presentation slides describe the plan as a multi-season series that will retell the comic’s stories “with advanced AI animation for a new generation of audiences worldwide.” The company says the series starts from 2027, though that’s a studio target rather than a locked release date, and no platform, episode count or language options have been announced.
Meet the Other Project
The Celestial Zone wasn’t the only teaser on the bill. XM Media previewed _Mystical Gateway_ (玄門), a comic co-created by Wee Tian Beng and XM Media CEO Kerr Sun, and illustrated by Yeo Hui Xuan in 2018.
According to XM Media, it’s Singapore’s first fantasy comic blending wuxia-inspired action with manga style, and it’s being developed into an anime movie slated for late 2026. The company’s pitch is a fun one for locals: Singapore landmarks reimagined as mystical hubs of magic and guardians, mixed with Asian folklore about destiny. Seeing a familiar corner of the island turned into a spirit battleground is exactly the kind of hook that could pull in viewers who’ve never touched the comic!
Who’s Behind XM Media
XM Media is a Singapore company incorporated in August 2026, according to its slides, and it describes itself as an IP (intellectual property) developer for ACG, shorthand for Anime, Comics and Gaming. Translation: it owns and grows original characters and stories across all three formats.
The founding trio is Kerr Sun as CEO, Frank Yong as Chief Business Officer (he’s Managing Director of C2E4, too) and Wee Tian Beng as Chief Creative Officer. Having the original creator in the creative chair matters here, because fans tend to forgive a lot when the person who drew the first panel is still steering.
The company picked a fitting stage for the debut. Game Fest 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of the festival, and the XM Media leadership team’s joint statement calls the launch its “next leap forward” in bringing Singapore comics to the global stage.
So, Where Does AI Fit In?
This is the part that’ll make or break the project with fans. In its launch release, XM Media describes AI as a “practical production assistant” that “drastically accelerates production scale while safeguarding full artistic integrity.”
That’s the detail to watch once full trailers land. Still, there are humans clearly on the crew. XM Media lists Koh Chong Wu, film-maker of Late Night Ride, as the artist on The Celestial Zone, alongside Wee Tian Beng himself.
What Students Told XM Media
The most interesting numbers at the launch didn’t come from the comics at all. XM Media ran its own survey of 195 respondents across six campus roadshows at Singapore Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, ITE (Institute of Technical Education), Nanyang Polytechnic and SMU (Singapore Management University), and presented the initial findings on stage.
The results are refreshingly split. 44.1% said they want to learn how AI can be used alongside traditional creative skills, and 30.3% felt AI is most useful in animation and content creation. On the flip side, 31.8% said they’re concerned AI may replace creative jobs and degrade art.
That nearly one-in-three worry is worth taking seriously, especially for anyone studying animation or design right now. XM Media says it wants to work with Institutes of Higher Learning to train the next wave of creators. If the company wants that third of students on its side, the finished anime has to prove the artists are still the ones calling the shots.
Why It’s Worth Watching
Singapore’s convention calendar, from AFA to gamescom asia, is packed with imported anime and games. A homegrown wuxia series aiming for global screens is a rarer sight, and that alone makes The Celestial Zone anime one to keep an eye on.
Whether it lands depends on the animation itself, the story and how openly XM Media talks about its AI pipeline. For now, the teasers suggest the comic’s humour has survived the jump, which is a decent start for a story that’s waited more than 25 years for its anime moment.
🗓️ Date: XM Media launched on 13 November 2026
📍 Location: Game Fest 2026, Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre
🎬 Mystical Gateway: Anime movie slated by XM Media for late 2026
📺 The Celestial Zone: Multi-season AI-assisted anime planned from 2027
📱 Socials: @XMMEDIASG on Instagram and TikTok
Grew up with Xing Ling and his famous sword, or curious to see Singapore landmarks turned into magical battlegrounds? Follow XM Media at @XMMEDIASG on Instagram and TikTok for the Mystical Gateway release date, the first full look at The Celestial Zone anime and any workshops it opens to students. This is one local story worth following from the very first frame!
Photos and Visuals courtesy of XM Media.
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