'The Boy and the Heron' begins international marketing
'The Boy and the Heron' begins international marketing
Plus: Publishers and museums tackle manga archival challenges; Streamers are bottlenecking anime production; Cosplay grows with e-commerce; and more
This is the weekly newsletter of Animenomics, covering the business of anime and manga. Today is Wednesday, September 13, 2023.
In case you missed it: Buichi Terasawa, the manga creator of the science fiction action series Space Adventure Cobra, has died of a heart attack at the age of 68.
‘The Boy and the Heron’ trailer released internationally
Last week, New York-based film distributor GKIDS released the first ever teaser trailer of Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron ahead of its international debut, breaking from the film’s initial zero-marketing strategy in Japan.
Why it matters: Studio Ghibli, in preparing for its biggest feature film release in nine years, has shown that it isn’t afraid to use unconventional ways to remain relevant with audiences.
Vice president of international Junichi Nishioka told IndieWire that the company is letting GKIDS call the shots on international promotion.
Rewind: Studio Ghibli president Toshio Suzuki told Japanese media in June that the company wasn’t planning to promote Miyazaki’s first feature film in a decade beyond using a teaser poster.
Yes, but: News of Suzuki’s statement went viral online, forgoing the need for any direct marketing spending. Audiences were also keen to point out that the film’s end credits point to a trailer having been produced after all, though it isn’t immediately clear if the GKIDS trailer is the same cut.
The Boy and the Heron went on to have the biggest domestic opening in studio history, surpassing Howl’s Moving Castle in 2004.
Behind the scenes: Despite not having a major film release since 2013, Miyazaki and the Studio Ghibli brand have staying power domestically and abroad.
Since 1986, Ghibli’s films have been aired over 200 times on Friday Roadshow, a popular programming block for films on Nippon TV. Leading up to The Boy and the Heron’s release, it aired Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, From Up on Poppy Hill, and Princess Mononoke.
The opening of Ghibli Park last year has also proven to be a popular attraction for domestic and international tourists as fans seek to experience the settings of their favorite Ghibli films.
Plus: Studio Ghibli produced The Boy and the Heron with the latest in film photography technology, using Dolby Vision for high dynamic range (HDR) video and Dolby Atmos for surround sound.
GKIDS president Dave Jesteadt told IndieWire that when The Boy and the Heron is released on December 8, it will be the biggest in the company’s 15-year history.
The last time a Miyazaki film was released in North America, Studio Ghibli still had a distribution contract with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Publishers take initiative to archive manga drawings
Since the beginning of the manga publishing industry in Japan, an estimated 60 to 70 million pieces of ‘genga’, or original drawings, have been produced, but there are logistical and legal hurdles to efforts to protect and archive them.
Why it matters: As Japanese government agencies revive plans for a national art museum for anime and manga, the publishing industry is eager to share lessons from prior manga archival efforts.
Driving the story: A consortium of museums, universities, and comic publishers formed the Manga Archive Organization (MAO) in May to address the urgent need for archival of original manga drawings.
Japan’s publishing giants Kadokawa, Shogakukan, Shueisha, and Kodansha have committed to funding the organization, which is located at the Yokote Masuda Manga Museum in Akita prefecture, for its first five years.
How it works: An independent panel of experts is tasked with assessing drawings for historical value without interference from publishers, and high priority manga works are selected for preservation.
The organization is independent of the government-run Manga Genga Archive Center (MGAC), whose role is consultative and not actual archival.
What they’re saying: In an interview with Comic Natalie, Yokote Masuda Manga Museum director Takashi Oishi says the goal is to archive 72,000 pieces of ‘genga’ each year.
The museum is already storing 450,000 pieces and only has a capacity to store up to 700,000 pieces.
Discussions are underway with Kyoto Seika University to allow the Kyoto International Manga Museum to become a preservation center.
Yes, but: Because rights to original drawings in Japan are held by the manga author, there is concern that individuals and organizations that take ownership of such drawings would be subject to an inheritance tax.
Unlike in western countries, Japanese publishers don’t own physical manga drawings. Royalties are paid to the manga author every time the drawings are used in publication or in exhibitions.
Oishi admits the museum hasn’t received a tax bill for its archival efforts, but he reiterates the need for government clarity on the issue.
Clippings: Live-action ‘One Piece’ takes Netflix throne
One Piece’s live-action adaptation premiered at the top of Netflix’s weekly Global Top 10 rankings for English-language television programs. The series ranked first in viewership in Japan and 45 other territories in its first week. (Netflix Top 10)
Fate/Grand Order and its anime adaptations continue to deliver value for Aniplex as the original mobile game, now in its ninth year of operation, has crossed US$7 billion in lifetime player spending, 81 percent of it coming from Japanese users. (Sensor Tower)
Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Tokyo Anime Business Accelerator Program is organizing a series of seminars in October and November to support Japanese businesses aiming to expand overseas in animation, such as participating in the MIFA Annecy International Animation Film Market. (Animation Business Journal)
The murder trial of a man accused of killing 36 people and 32 others in an arson attack on a Kyoto Animation studio building in 2019 has begun after the accused pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. (Kyodo News)
Scholar: Global streaming is tying up anime production
“You have studios that can’t take on new work until 2026 because they are booked up the wazoo working for the streamers. But as you say, the problem is that the streamers will fork out all this money for a show and then just kill it for the tax write-off.”
— Jonathan Clements, author of Anime: A History, published by the British Film Institute
Context: Film journalist Andrew Osmond interviewed Clements for Anime News Network, where the British pundit shares his views on the successes and failures of anime in the hands of streaming providers like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Crunchyroll, and even Pornhub.
Clements’ interview shares up-to-date insights on China’s role in the anime industry, the economics of anime’s hardcore fans, and the transition of anime distribution to streaming video.
The second edition of Anime: A History will be out in print on September 21.
Global cosplay market rises with e-commerce growth
Cosplayer Aoi Takamura pays attention to detail when dressed as characters from her favorite anime Black Lagoon. One antagonist in the series, Roberta, is a former South American guerrilla who doesn’t use American-made weapons, so Takamura had to order a musket from Spain to be delivered to her home in Japan.
Driving the story: Bunshun Online this week published a two-part interview with the 47-year-old cosplayer on her three decades of experience cosplaying anime characters with realistic costumes.
Takamura isn’t shy about revealing her age, a stance that many cosplayers, especially female ones, avoid out of fear of discrimination and ridicule.
On the ground: Easier access to anime makes cosplaying more acceptable, and the growing presence of international e-commerce platforms means costumes have gotten cheaper and materials have become more readily available.
While Takamura can make her own costumes, that effort takes her months, so today she mostly orders them from elsewhere. “I’m an ancient cosplayer, after all,” she quips to Bunshun.
Zoom out: A survey published last year by Tokyo-based Yano Research Institute estimates that Japan has around 340,000 cosplayers and that the domestic cosplay market stands at ¥25 billion (US$170 million).
A separate report published in 2021 by U.S.-based Allied Market Research estimates that the global cosplay costumes market will grow to US$23 billion by 2030.
The actual musket depicted in Black Lagoon? It’s a Charleville musket commonly used in France in the 18th and 19th centuries.
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