Google NotebookLM Unveils Anime Video Generation Feature

Google's AI-powered note-taking tool NotebookLM has launched a significant visual upgrade to its video summary feature, now capable of transforming uploaded documents into stylized videos using the Nano Banana image generation model from the Gemini 2.5 Flash family.

Enhanced Creative Capabilities

The update introduces six new artistic styles:

• Classic modern minimalist
• Whiteboard sketch simulation
• Watercolor soft art
• Retro print nostalgic poster
• Traditional culture heritage
• Anime Japanese cartoon style

Currently available to Google AI Pro subscribers, the feature will roll out to free users in coming weeks. The system processes documents in minutes through:

1. Key point extraction
2. AI voice narration
3. Stylized illustration rendering

The Nano Banana model has already processed over 5 billion AI image edits, marking Google's accelerated push into multimodal AI tools.

User Reception and Technical Challenges

Early testing shows particular popularity for the anime style, which converts dry data into engaging narratives ideal for education and marketing. However, users report:

• Frame stability issues with complex content
• Occasional distortion/blurring
• Stronger performance in whiteboard/watercolor styles

The anime style demonstrates promising contextual understanding but requires refinement in visual coherence.

Localization Challenges for Chinese Users

The update faces notable hurdles with Chinese language processing:

• Dialect confusion in voiceovers
• Unnatural text outputs
• Subtitle synchronization issues
• Mixed Chinese/English results

Google acknowledges these limitations and plans multilingual improvements through iterative updates.

The whiteboard style currently offers the most stable experience for Chinese-language documents.

Practical Applications Beyond Entertainment

The feature strengthens NotebookLM's core value proposition:

• Students can create animated textbook reviews
• Professionals can develop stylized reports
• Customizable output through topic/chapter selection Community feedback suggests NotebookLM is evolving from note-taking assistant to full visual creation tool. # Key Points:
  1. Six new styles including anime transform document summaries into engaging videos
  2. Powered by Nano Banana from Gemini 2.5 Flash family (5B+ edits processed)
  3. Currently Pro-only, rolling out widely soon
  4. Anime style popular but shows stability challenges
  5. Significant localization issues persist for Chinese content