Plus: Shoji Kawamori joins AI CG animation project; J-pop music producer sees risk in close ties with anime; Top trending anime titles in 2024; and more
Richardson! Thanks for another excellent column. Did you read my Answerman piece on MACROSS? Big West also responded to my enquiries, but I didn’t really get a definitive answer on when it will be available on Disney+ in the USA. 🤷♂️
It is worth noting that only 20 territories currently have MACROSS on their Disney+ avails. I wonder what the hold up is?
Is Three Body Problem becoming China’s new “Monkey King”? The books have been adapted up the wazoo. There’s bountiful, appallingly animated adaptations available on TenCent, mediocre live action movies and a really shit Netflix series from the creators of Game of Thrones. It seems that every quarter there’s some adaptation being announced. It’s a yawn fest. 🥱
I think the Jpop producer has a point. Hitching Japanese Pop and rock artists fortunes to anime and the global fandom is likely a good place to start, but it shouldn’t be the only promotional tool in an artist’s arsenal. Anime fans are not high value enough to sustain a large scale touring artist.
I had a VTuber agency complain to me that anime fans simply don’t bring in enough income for their live concert business and they were hoping to expand their offering into classic rock IP in the same way the team behind ANNA Voyage have done.
I always thought anime fandom was a very decent average annual spend consumers when compared to general entertainment consumers, but that may not be satisfactory enough for those investing in premium entertainment experiences.
I did read your column, Jerome. I had actually forgotten about the Macross deal until your column reminded me of it. That’s why I reached out to my Harmony Gold contact to get their perspective. I’ve also verified with family in Indonesia that Disney+ Hotstar carries the Macross sequels with English subtitles, so I don’t think localization if the hold-up.
“The Three-Body Problem” is a great work of science fiction, so I’m not surprised there is a lot of interest in the IP, but I’ve also read some pieces saying that the political landscape has made any association with China a dampener on investor and consumer interest, so this “global” production is clearly trying to be more palatable to international audiences.
As for anisong live entertainment, I don’t think promoters outside Japan have quite figured out the formula for this yet. At the same time, I don’t know enough about the live music business to understand how they work.
Picking on your point of the constraints facing anime theme songs... so many lack melody to Western ears... but not all. A theme song has 1:30 in which to make its voice heard - that's 1:30 for the opening theme and 1:30 for the closing theme - but typically the full version of each can run to 3 minutes, 4 minutes, or longer. A good theme song can perk my interest Favourites are personal and here's a small selection, including the all important YouTube viewcount.
#
Konosuba God's Blessing on this Wonderful World - ending theme S3 - 『Ano Hi no Mama no Bokura』 by Aqua + Megumin + Darkness (Sora Amamiya, Rie Takahashi, and Ai Kayano)
Completely zany isekai where hero Kazuma Satou - thrown into a world saving mission - compels the goddess who summoned him (Aqua) to help him out. Caution: season 3 reprises gags from S 1 + 2 - so don't just dive in.
#
Train to the End of the World - ending theme - Rokudenashi - Eureka
A zany take on the end of the world which somehow pulls in a love affair with Japanese Rail - which from personal experience are 100 percent better than in the UK. Anyhow the world is ready to end, and it falls to 4 schoolfriends to rescue: a 5th friend, Japan, and the rest of the world (in that order) from the mess it has got itself into.
#
Reign of the Seven Spellblades - Sword Flower - 「Kenka」by Kujira Yumemi
Oliver, a young student with a secret mission of veangance has just joined Kinberley Magic Academy. The academy has dark secrets and if Oliver is to survive he must form a bond with another student; katana wielding girl, Nanao.
Putting my writing hat on, character and story plausibility works well and the handling of themes compare favourably to, say Harry Potter - at least on a level with Gaiman's Neverwhere. Opening and closing themes are both fitting and pleasing to the ear.
Like many anime on the little missed Crunchyroll commenting platform, Seven Spellblades was targeted by flashmobs who used to badmouth new works just because they could. To go all business-brain for a moment, such activity damages business stability which directly impacts creator income stability. Now if only pirating outfits began to do the decent thing a cough up the dosh to the artists etc who've been ripped off... (but that's another topic)
#
Anyhow my list is long.
So yes, the artform of theme music is both opportunity and constraint.
I just want to add that Kawamori-san DOES NOT AGE! How does that happen?! LOL!
Richardson! Thanks for another excellent column. Did you read my Answerman piece on MACROSS? Big West also responded to my enquiries, but I didn’t really get a definitive answer on when it will be available on Disney+ in the USA. 🤷♂️
It is worth noting that only 20 territories currently have MACROSS on their Disney+ avails. I wonder what the hold up is?
Is Three Body Problem becoming China’s new “Monkey King”? The books have been adapted up the wazoo. There’s bountiful, appallingly animated adaptations available on TenCent, mediocre live action movies and a really shit Netflix series from the creators of Game of Thrones. It seems that every quarter there’s some adaptation being announced. It’s a yawn fest. 🥱
I think the Jpop producer has a point. Hitching Japanese Pop and rock artists fortunes to anime and the global fandom is likely a good place to start, but it shouldn’t be the only promotional tool in an artist’s arsenal. Anime fans are not high value enough to sustain a large scale touring artist.
I had a VTuber agency complain to me that anime fans simply don’t bring in enough income for their live concert business and they were hoping to expand their offering into classic rock IP in the same way the team behind ANNA Voyage have done.
I always thought anime fandom was a very decent average annual spend consumers when compared to general entertainment consumers, but that may not be satisfactory enough for those investing in premium entertainment experiences.
I did read your column, Jerome. I had actually forgotten about the Macross deal until your column reminded me of it. That’s why I reached out to my Harmony Gold contact to get their perspective. I’ve also verified with family in Indonesia that Disney+ Hotstar carries the Macross sequels with English subtitles, so I don’t think localization if the hold-up.
“The Three-Body Problem” is a great work of science fiction, so I’m not surprised there is a lot of interest in the IP, but I’ve also read some pieces saying that the political landscape has made any association with China a dampener on investor and consumer interest, so this “global” production is clearly trying to be more palatable to international audiences.
As for anisong live entertainment, I don’t think promoters outside Japan have quite figured out the formula for this yet. At the same time, I don’t know enough about the live music business to understand how they work.
Picking on your point of the constraints facing anime theme songs... so many lack melody to Western ears... but not all. A theme song has 1:30 in which to make its voice heard - that's 1:30 for the opening theme and 1:30 for the closing theme - but typically the full version of each can run to 3 minutes, 4 minutes, or longer. A good theme song can perk my interest Favourites are personal and here's a small selection, including the all important YouTube viewcount.
#
Konosuba God's Blessing on this Wonderful World - ending theme S3 - 『Ano Hi no Mama no Bokura』 by Aqua + Megumin + Darkness (Sora Amamiya, Rie Takahashi, and Ai Kayano)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b4ofq13jIk
1.4m views
Completely zany isekai where hero Kazuma Satou - thrown into a world saving mission - compels the goddess who summoned him (Aqua) to help him out. Caution: season 3 reprises gags from S 1 + 2 - so don't just dive in.
#
Train to the End of the World - ending theme - Rokudenashi - Eureka
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv1meSYlrqE
4.0m views
A zany take on the end of the world which somehow pulls in a love affair with Japanese Rail - which from personal experience are 100 percent better than in the UK. Anyhow the world is ready to end, and it falls to 4 schoolfriends to rescue: a 5th friend, Japan, and the rest of the world (in that order) from the mess it has got itself into.
#
Reign of the Seven Spellblades - Sword Flower - 「Kenka」by Kujira Yumemi
feat. Mimizuku & Fukuro (Kujira Yumemi · Fukuro · Mimizuku)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N-Y9tpYfXQ
0.8m views
Oliver, a young student with a secret mission of veangance has just joined Kinberley Magic Academy. The academy has dark secrets and if Oliver is to survive he must form a bond with another student; katana wielding girl, Nanao.
Putting my writing hat on, character and story plausibility works well and the handling of themes compare favourably to, say Harry Potter - at least on a level with Gaiman's Neverwhere. Opening and closing themes are both fitting and pleasing to the ear.
Like many anime on the little missed Crunchyroll commenting platform, Seven Spellblades was targeted by flashmobs who used to badmouth new works just because they could. To go all business-brain for a moment, such activity damages business stability which directly impacts creator income stability. Now if only pirating outfits began to do the decent thing a cough up the dosh to the artists etc who've been ripped off... (but that's another topic)
#
Anyhow my list is long.
So yes, the artform of theme music is both opportunity and constraint.