Detailed introduction to Japan’s comic industry 2

Reflections from the inspection of the Japanese animation industry

Shanghai Zhangjiang Cultural Science and Technology Creative Industry Development Co., Ltd.

In order to learn from Japan’s advanced experience in developing the animation industry, we provide The Shanghai Culture, Technology and Creative Industry Base" (hereinafter referred to as the "base") has clarified its ideas for the development of the animation industry. Lu Fangzhou, deputy general manager of Zhangjiang Group, led by Zhangjiang Group, Wenhui Xinmin United Newspaper Group, Zhangjiang Culture, Technology and Creative Industry Development Co., Ltd. and A 10-member Japanese animation industry inspection team composed of personnel from the cultural management department of the Pudong New Area government went to Japan to inspect the animation industry from April 2 to April 12. During the 11 days in Japan, the delegation visited the "2005 Tokyo International Animation Exhibition" and visited ***13 customers from the Japan Animation Association, publishing houses, animation/game production companies, derivative product developers and other related enterprises. In the last few days of the inspection, the delegation also visited Tokyo Disneyland and the Aichi World Expo.

"2005 Tokyo International Animation Exhibition" brings together all the animation industry in Japan. All the latest animated TV and movies are first exposed here. There are 197 exhibitors, including animation production companies and broadcasting stations. , copyright companies, animation-related product manufacturers and auxiliary businesses, animation colleges/universities, etc., it can be said to be a concentrated display of the entire Japanese animation industry. Through the two-day visit on April 2nd and 3rd, the delegation gained a macroscopic and intuitive understanding of the mature and developing Japanese animation industry.

The 13 companies visited later also covered all aspects of the animation industry chain, which deepened the delegation's understanding of the Japanese animation industry.

The overall characteristics of the development of the Japanese animation industry

1. The animation industry is highly developed

After more than 50 years of development, today’s Japanese animation industry has reached an annual growth rate of 3 With a scale of one trillion yen, a complete industrial chain created by the cooperation of freelancers, personal studios, publishing houses, TV stations, animation production companies, industry associations, toy developers, game developers, and educational institutions covers comics publishing, Animated TV and film production, derivative product development, electronic game development, vocational education and mobile phone value-added services and other fields.

In Japan, the circulation of comic magazines and single volumes accounts for 45% of the total circulation of magazines and books, including science fiction, adventure, politics, economics, anecdotes, romance, sports, history, science, religion , humorous jokes, literary novels, documentary reportage and other themes.

There are about 80 cartoons released in movie theaters a year, and about 75 cartoons (episodes) broadcast on TV stations every week, which is about 3,900 cartoons (episodes) a year; and Japanese cartoons are also popular in the international market. Occupying an important share, 60% of cartoons broadcast globally are produced in Japan, while in Europe this proportion reaches 80%.

2. The age range of animation consumers is large, and the market is highly segmented

During the 11 days in Japan, we deeply felt that this is a country where everyone reads comics. Whether it is children going to school, office workers taking the subway in the morning or evening, or even truck drivers waiting at the red light, they are all reading comics. Among the convenience stores everywhere, the most eye-catching items are the colorful comics, magazines and books. The newly launched mobile download comics based on 3G mobile phone platform are also enthusiastically sought after and expected by the market. All this is enough to reflect the broad consumer groups of the Japanese animation industry.

But this does not mean that a comic in Japan can be suitable for all ages. On the contrary, the market segmentation of the Japanese animation industry is very high. Not to mention the animation products for different age groups, even comic magazines also targeted at teenagers are divided into boys' editions and girls' editions.

At the same time, Japan’s animation industry has also become an important carrier of pornographic and violent culture. Not to mention restricted works, even in unrestricted works, pornographic and violent elements can be seen everywhere. This is also the result of excessive competition in the Japanese animation industry, market saturation, and lack of government intervention.

3. The animation industry chain with copyright as the core is complete and mature

The traditional Japanese animation industry chain is shown below:

The core of this industry chain It is creative intellectual property, or copyright. This core exists in different forms in different links of the industrial chain, is endowed with different values, and is developed to varying degrees.

The first stage: magazine serialization

This is the stage of copyright formation. No matter how excellent a comic work is, it has no market value before it is published. The reason why magazine serialization can become the forefront of the industry chain is that its entry barriers are low. After being serialized and published, a comic work is endowed with copyright value. At this stage, the value of copyright is still relatively low.

The second stage: single book release

This is the stage where the value of copyright continues to develop. There are so many comic magazines published in Japan, and the number of serialized works is even more difficult to count. However, only a small number of these works can be released as stand-alone books. Only those works that are recognized and sought after by readers and have been screened by the market can be released as stand-alone books. At this stage, the copyright value is increased and the intangible assets of the cartoonist himself begin to have market value.

The third stage: production and broadcast of TV cartoons

This is the stage where the value of copyright has been greatly increased. As the most powerful form of mass media today, the influence of television is unmatched by paper media. The production of a work into a TV cartoon means that its copyright value has been greatly improved; at the same time, TV cartoons High production costs and long cost recovery periods also significantly increase market risks. Therefore, the transformation from "comic" to "animation" is essentially a process of the market screening works. Only works proven by the market to be truly outstanding will be made into TV cartoons. At this stage, copyright value reaches its peak.

The fourth stage: spin-off development

Different from the screening promotion in the previous stages, the transition from TV animation to spin-off development is almost an inevitable result. Because the cost of TV cartoons is high, the price of acquisition and broadcast by TV stations can only recover 60%-70% of the cost. Derivative development is an indispensable way to recover costs and achieve profitability. At this stage, the value of copyright is developed and released in multiple forms and through multiple channels.

With the continuous development and maturity of the Japanese animation industry, a new industrial chain model has emerged in the modern Japanese animation industry.

The diagram is as follows:

Several links in the industrial chain no longer develop in a linear sequence, but show a trend of diversified development. Publishing houses no longer monopolize the front-end of industrial development. Any link in the industrial chain can serve as the front-end, leading to radioactive development. For example, the world-famous "Pikachu" first became a video game and later became a comic book; many of Tecmo's game products have also been adapted into TV and movie works; and Bandai's "Dim Sum Panda" designed specifically for the Chinese market is even a derivative product. Cut in, and then develop animation works to cooperate with the sales of snacks. The core of circulation in this new industrial chain is still copyright, but the process of forming copyright value no longer relies solely on publishing houses. However, as the only mass communication method, the broadcast of TV cartoons still plays an important role in enhancing the value of copyright. .

The already very mature Japanese animation industry model is still developing and changing, and the development of 3G mobile phone technology will become one of the important driving forces for this change. In Japan, there is technology that allows mobile phones to download comics and browse them. The comics downloaded to the mobile phone are basically similar to comics published in print, but simple sound and vibration effects are added according to the characteristics of mobile phones. It can be said that it is the boundary between comics and animation. A new form of comics. There are currently 80 million mobile phones in Japan, all of which are 3G mobile phones. However, only 1 million currently support the comic download business. It is expected that the number will reach 10 million to 20 million next year.

It is believed that in the near future, mobile phone value-added services will become an important part of the Japanese animation industry chain.

4. A mechanism to let the market discover and cultivate talents

Looking at the industrial chain of the modern animation industry, originality is the soul of copyright value, and each link in the industry chain only carries out the original creation. Various forms of performance and commercial development, and the source of original ability is talent.

During our inspection, we found that the Japanese animation industry’s mechanism for discovering and cultivating original talents is very worthy of our reference and learning. Contrary to the situation where many domestic colleges and universities are vying to open animation and cartoon majors, there is a common sense in the Japanese animation industry: cartoonists are not trained by schools. Looking at the resumes of famous Japanese cartoonists today, indeed none of them are graduated from universities. Graduated from animation major. In Japan, where the animation industry is so developed, the main training institutions for animation creation are vocational training institutions. Academic education only appeared in recent years, and its role in training talents is far less than that of publishing houses.

The top three publishers engaged in comic publishing in Japan are Shueisha, Shogakukan and Kodansha. The comic magazine "Shounen Jump" (Shueisha) with the largest circulation has an average circulation of 3 million copies and sells The price is only 250 yen, which is less than the price of two bottles of mineral water in Japan. The comic book business has already become an important business segment and source of income for famous Japanese publishing houses. Shogakukan, founded in 1922, is the largest comprehensive publishing house in Japan, with an average annual sales of 160 billion yen, accounting for 8% of the total sales of Japan's publishing industry, ranking among the top three. Since Shogakukan founded the juvenile comic magazine "Shounen SUNDAY" in 1959, it has successively published children's comics, girls' comics, youth/adult comics and other magazines, with a total of 19 types so far. The sales volume of individual comics this year has reached 100 million copies, among which "Dora" A Dream", "Detective Conan", "Ranma 1/2" and many other comic works have been made into animated films and are very popular at home and abroad.

The developed comic print publishing industry not only cultivates consumer groups for the entire Japanese animation industry, but also assumes an important role in discovering and cultivating professional talents. In Japan, the growth process of a cartoonist is generally as follows: create freely or enter a well-known cartoonist studio to gain experience in low-level work, and then submit articles to cartoon magazines or participate in various cartoon competitions to strive for serial works to be published in cartoon magazines. , in the process of serialization, he received further training and guidance from the editor of the publishing house, and then grew into a real cartoonist. The key reason why publishing houses can play such an important role in talent discovery and training is to provide young creatives with a low-threshold channel that gives creative copyright value and cultivates copyright value based on market response.

5. Benefit sharing and risk sharing mechanism in the production of TV cartoons

As mentioned before, the TV cartoon link is responsible for promotion in the industry chain Copyright value plays an important role, but high costs and long cost recovery periods also greatly increase risks. In today's Japan, the average production cost of TV cartoons is 500,000 yen per minute. Based on an average of 22 minutes per episode, the average cost of an episode of cartoons is 11 million yen, while the acquisition price of TV stations can only realize 60%-70% cost recovery: The average acquisition price is only 8 million yen/episode when broadcasting during the prime time period from 7pm to 8pm, when the price is highest. When broadcasting in the morning or late night on holidays, the acquisition price is usually reduced. Half or even free. Cost recovery for other parts depends on developing derivative products and selling them to overseas markets.

If such high risks are borne by animation production companies alone, it will definitely be detrimental to the development of the industry. In Japan, we have seen the risk-taking mechanism of animation production companies, derivative product developers and television stations.

Derivative product developers adopt early intervention to share risks.

From the perspective of the traditional animation industry chain model, derivative product developers wait until the copyright value is increased, that is, after the TV cartoons are broadcast, before they intervene in the industry chain. However, in actual operation, derivative product developers often take Intervene in advance, advance the licensing fees for derivative product development before the copyright value has been increased, and even become one of the investors in the production of TV cartoons. This early intervention allows derivative product developers to obtain development authorization at a lower price, while also helping TV animation producers share risks. In the Japanese animation industry in recent years, it is not uncommon for derivative product developers to directly develop original products and serve as the front end of the industry chain.

The mechanism for broadcasting cartoons on Japanese TV stations is also fully adapted to the needs of the entire industry chain. Different from the usual one episode per day in China, Japanese TV stations usually broadcast cartoons one episode per week. The broadcast cycle of a work is usually based on years, that is, 52 episodes. TV stations usually sign broadcast contracts with production companies starting from 26 episodes. This broadcast method has two main benefits: The first benefit is to give TV stations and production companies room to adjust according to market response. The TV station dynamically adjusts the broadcast period of a cartoon. A work whose market response is lower than expected may be adjusted to a worse time period or even not renewed after the six-month contract expires, while a work that is gradually accepted by the market The work may also be adjusted to a better time period; the production company generally adopts a method of producing while broadcasting. The basic unit is 13 episodes, which is one season. In this way, the production company can adjust the production policy according to market response and demand. Dynamic adjustment. Another benefit is that by extending the broadcast cycle of the work, it increases the market influence and the market value and lifespan of derivative products. As mentioned earlier, the development of derivative products is an important way for TV cartoons to recover costs and achieve profitability. In this sense, TV animation can be said to be commercials for derivative products. The effect of commercials after one year and two months is The difference is self-evident.

6. The development of the Japanese animation industry is facing bottlenecks

After more than 50 years of development, the Japanese animation industry has also reached a bottleneck period of development while being highly developed. This bottleneck is manifested in the production There are two aspects: excess power and convergence of original themes. In other words, today’s Japanese animation industry needs to both go out and bring in.

Faced with excessive competition in the domestic market, Japanese animation companies are focusing on exploring overseas markets. For example, Japanese toy development giant Bandai generates 79% of its current business from the local market, and its future goal is to increase the share of the company's business in overseas markets to 50%.

In the process of developing overseas markets, due to the policy barriers faced, Japanese companies were unable to make a big move into China, which has a closer cultural background and greater market potential. However, they have achieved greater results in the European and American markets. . Still taking Bandai as an example, of the overseas market business that currently accounts for 21% of the company's total, the United States accounts for 10%, Europe accounts for 8%, and Asia only accounts for 3%. This is also true of the information we learned from the Japan Animation Association (AJA). Many AJA member companies have tried to cooperate with China, but there has been no successful case so far. In addition to the high policy wall, the reasons for the failure include constant friction between the Chinese and Japanese cooperation parties due to different understandings of the animation industry, and the imperfect protection of domestic intellectual property rights, which has led to the proliferation of piracy.

Although competition in the Japanese animation market is fierce, it is not without room. The first Korean cartoon to be broadcast in Japan last year is a strong indication that the Japanese market is open and welcoming to fresh ideas and themes from overseas. Traditional Chinese culture is inherently connected to Japanese culture. If it can be expressed in modern animation language, it is not impossible for themes and works from China to enter the Japanese market.

Compared with the Japanese animation industry, my country’s animation industry faces the current shortcomings

1. The industrial chain is incomplete

At present, most of my country’s animation industry is at the end of the animation industry chain. Peripheral, mainly processing and manufacturing.

These animation production companies, toy processing factories, etc. are still engaged in order-taking, labor-intensive work, which does not generate copyright value. Therefore, they can neither obtain high economic returns nor truly promote the development of my country's animation industry.

Local original attempts often do not respect the laws of industrial development and artificially cut off the industrial chain. Domestic original works often skip the stage of print comic publishing and go directly to the production of TV cartoons. The works do not have any market basis, and it is more difficult to target the real needs of the market, resulting in poor market response of the works, a subsequent reduction in copyright value, and derivative development. There is no way to talk about it.

2. The mechanism for discovering and cultivating talents is imperfect

As the animation industry receives increasing attention in our country, many colleges and universities across the country have opened animation majors. This will of course contribute to the development of our country’s animation industry. Development provides human resources, but relying solely on educational institutions to discover and cultivate talents is far from enough.

As mentioned before, judging from the experience of the development of the Japanese animation industry, cartoonists are not trained in schools. Comic magazines play an indispensable role in discovering and cultivating talents. Looking back at our country, comic magazines have not played their due role in this regard, and most of them are poorly run. To sum up, there are roughly three reasons:

1) The editorial level is relatively low

In Japan, the core competitiveness of a successful comic magazine is the ability of the editor. A good editor not only has a keen eye for discovering excellent talents and excellent works, but also can make valuable suggestions to comic authors based on his rich professional experience, promote the growth of a young comic author, and create an outstanding but immature idea. into a work with good market response. And an excellent cartoon editor is not trained in school, but is trained by "passing on, helping and guiding" like a master leading an apprentice. Japan's Shinchosha has a history of more than 100 years since its establishment. Japan's oldest publishing house only started publishing comics five years ago. Now its revenue from the comics business accounts for 10% of the company's total revenue. Being able to achieve good results in the comics industry so quickly is inseparable from the fact that they spent a lot of money to poach senior comics editors from other publishing houses 5 years ago. This shows how crucial the editor's experience and level are to the success of a comic magazine.

2) Increased costs due to poor distribution channels

3) Insufficient financial strength

3. TV cartoon production is high risk and low return

Different from the mechanism in which Japanese TV cartoons are produced while being broadcast, according to the regulations of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, in my country, all production of cartoons must be completed before they can be submitted to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television for approval and apply for a broadcasting license. In other words, there is no guarantee that a cartoon will be broadcast before production is completed, which results in all risks being borne solely by the cartoon producer.

The price for Chinese TV stations to purchase cartoons is even pitifully low. Even the highest-priced CCTV and SMG purchase domestic cartoons for less than 3,000 yuan/episode. The price for county-level TV stations is even lower. The purchase price is even less than 1,000 FLASH, pretending to be animation, to reduce costs.

4. Inadequate protection of intellectual property rights

From our contacts with Japanese animation companies, we learned that although the Japanese animation industry covets the Chinese market, it is often deterred by the rampant piracy problem. Piracy can be said to be a fatal blow to the animation industry with copyright value as its core. If the core of the industrial chain loses its value, the industrial chain will naturally cease to exist.

The future of the Japanese animation industry is bleak

Japanese animation has always been derided as a novelty culture that only appeals to children and cartoon fans in the West. But in recent years, the anime market has found a wider audience and become one of Japan's most valuable exports. According to statistics from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, sales of Japanese cartoons in the United States reached US$4.36 billion in 2002, more than three times the value of Japanese steel products imported into the United States.

But just when the animation industry appears to have entered a golden age, Japanese animation producers, government officials and analysts are warning that the industry's long-term prospects are bleak. Due to low wages and poor working conditions, young people in Japan no longer want to work in animation. Meanwhile, as demand for anime has soared, there are concerns that production quality has declined.

If an animated film is an instant hit, the profits are shared by the production committee that invested in the film's production, including television stations, advertising agencies and other agencies, and the studio that created the film is often excluded from the committee.

"In addition, the biggest structural problem in the Japanese animation industry is that the companies that produce animation and invest in animation production are not the same company," said Mr. Suzuki of Studio Ghibli. So the main reason for success is that we invest in our own production and don't give up any rights in these self-created works," he said. And many smaller production companies either don't have the financial resources to make such investments, or don't have the means to raise money independently. As a result, as an official from the Media and Content Industry Bureau of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said, "Animation workers are having difficulty surviving economically. This has become a big problem."

Another trend has intensified people's concerns about The Japanese animation industry is worried that this highly labor-intensive job is being lost to low-cost Asian countries such as China and the Philippines. It is estimated that 70% of Japan's animation production business has been transferred to other parts of Asia, and some people warn that the Japanese animation industry is being hollowed out.

Today, the Japanese government has taken countermeasures aimed at helping anime creators get decent remuneration. Private investors have also emerged, allowing animation companies to self-finance.

Teenagers like Japanese animation. The animation industry in Beijing has been slow for several beats

As soon as they entered the gate, they saw a row of faceless cartoon characters standing on cardboard. From time to time, there were boys and girls excitedly They walked over and "lent" them young faces, and the camera next to them "clicked"... This is the scene that reporters saw at the 7th Beijing Animation and Animation Conference yesterday. The conference opened on July 29 and lasted for four days.

■Teenagers: Like Japanese animation

At the conference site of the agricultural exhibition hall, the reporter met a sophomore girl named Yang. She majored in English and especially liked the national animation in the animation conference. Cosplay star home show. The reporter found that the celebrity show attracted many teenagers, but the animation works selected by the organizers did not include domestic works, such as Japan's "Naruto", "Fruits Basket" and "Inuyasha". When interviewed, most of the young people who participated in the animation conference said they liked Japanese animation works. Yang said that Japanese animation works attracted her in terms of storyline and style of painting. Another high school freshman girl named Liu also agreed with her view, believing that Japanese animation works are "well drawn and have good plots."

Have fun. “Beijing, as the cultural center of the country, is several times slower than Shanghai, Guangzhou and Changsha in the development of animation industry.” Having witnessed ten years of development of Chinese animation, she is worried.

Not long ago, the General Administration of Press and Publication decided to build online game and animation industry development bases in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu. Based on the industrial base, it will radiate to surrounding areas, drive regional industry development, and promote talent. training, technological innovation and product development, thereby making China’s online game publishing industry bigger and stronger. However, in recent years, the development of Beijing’s animation industry has not been particularly noteworthy.

The development of the national animation industry lags far behind that of Europe, the United States and Japan. In 2004, the global output value of derivative products related to the game and animation industries exceeded US$500 billion. It is understood that the annual output value of the British digital entertainment industry accounts for 7.9% of GDP, making it the country's largest industry. The global box office and DVD revenue of Japanese animation will reach 5.2 billion US dollars this year. According to reports, the export value of Japanese animation products is much higher than the export value of steel. According to predictions from the China Animation and Animation Association, the total output value of China's animation industry in 2004 was only 11.7 billion yuan.

In 2005, China's animation industry had an estimated output value of 18 billion yuan.

■Appeal: Policy support is very important

Industry insiders pointed out that the underdevelopment of China’s animation industry is mainly reflected in four aspects: insufficient originality and promotion of it as a popular art. It is not successful in public life, and animation is still just a "niche" art; social awareness has a great influence, and animation is not only regarded as an educational tool, but also limited to creation for teenagers; serious piracy affects creative enthusiasm; the competition mechanism is imperfect , Great market action ability. To sum up in one sentence, China's animation industry has "first-rate painting skills, second-rate story writing skills, and third-rate action capabilities." Based on this, from the "China Original Animation Industry Development Seminar" held on July 29, the reporter learned that the Beijing Municipal Government The Press and Publication Bureau is taking the lead and is jointly discussing the "Beijing 2005-2008 Animation and Game Industry Base Construction Plan" in conjunction with the Beijing Municipal Radio and Television Bureau.

Yan Baohua hopes that Beijing will play a "leading and demonstration" role in China's animation industry. To achieve this, government support is essential. It is understood that China’s animation talent gap is large. Last year, media reports stated that “China’s animation talent shortage is 150,000.” To reverse this situation, government departments should provide support to the animation industry in terms of policy, funding, and talent training.

Japanese animation industry: exports of super steel cartoons penetrate the world

During the Golden Week in May, cinemas large and small in Tokyo were busy: the walls of Hibiya Cinema were replaced with Advertisements for the new American blockbuster "Brad 3", while "Conspiracy on the Horizon" (the latest episode of the animated series "Detective Conan") in some small theaters near supermarkets attracted many primary school students.

On the light rail leading to the city center, apart from concentrating on texting, most of the passengers are reading something, mostly comics. The comics in the newsstand at the station are divided by gender and age, so people can always find the comics that suit them best.

Japan is known as the "Kingdom of Animation" and is the world's largest animation production and exporting country. Currently, more than 60% of the animation works broadcast globally are from Japan. In Europe, the proportion is even higher, reaching More than 80%. Among the various cultural industries in Japan, the various animation programs broadcast in movie theaters and TV stations are particularly eye-catching. Various animation characters fill the streets, which have long transcended the scope of magazines and television and penetrated into every aspect of Japanese society. corner.

Seeing that Hollywood movies can penetrate more and more widely around the world than American products, Japan has also begun to pursue their status in international culture, and animation is favored by the Japanese government.

The animation industry provides a new bright spot for Japan’s economic development

Japanese people love comics very much, and the comic culture is very developed. According to a survey by Japan's Mitsubishi Research Institute, 87% of people in Japan like comics, and 84% of people own items related to comic characters. There are more than 430 animation production companies nationwide in Japan, with a group of top international cartoon masters and animation directors as well as a large number of animators who work conscientiously on the front line. The popularization and development of television and online media, as well as the continuous improvement of communication methods, have laid a good foundation for the development and growth of the Japanese animation market, making Japanese animation works more and more influential in the cultural market and becoming popular all over the world.

Hayao Miyazaki, the most famous animation writer in Japan today, has used his extraordinary talent to create a series of classic works such as "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind", "Castle in the Sky", "Princess Mononoke" and "Princess Mononoke". "The box office record set by "E.T." far exceeds that of the American film "E.T." The film's soundtrack CD also set a new record in the history of CD release. In Japan today, the box office revenue of cartoons accounts for more than one-third of the total box office revenue of the Japanese film industry. Among Japan's exported films, the number of cartoons greatly exceeds the number of ordinary films.

At present, the annual turnover of the Japanese animation industry has reached 230 trillion yen, making it the third largest industry in Japan. The broad animation industry has accounted for more than ten percentage points of Japan's GDP (gross domestic product).

According to data released by the Japan External Trade Organization, the total revenue from Japanese cartoons and related products sold to the United States in 2003 was US$4.359 billion, four times the total revenue from Japan's steel exports to the United States. Comics, animations, books, audio-visual products and franchised peripheral products have formed a complete "industrial chain" in Japan, driving the development of Japan's economy. The famous new institutional economist Masahiko Aoki believes that Japan is in another great historical turning point since the Meiji Restoration. As a result, a series of profitable industries such as animation and entertainment have emerged in Japan that surpass the automobile industry.

In recent years, the world has paid more and more attention to the rise of Japan's cultural industry. "Time" magazine once published a cover article arguing that Japan is transforming from a major product manufacturing country to a major exporter of cultural industries. While other economies in the world are applying computer technology to the communications industry, Japan is applying it to the manufacture of new cultural products. This overflow trend has been approved and pursued by Japanese society. Masahiko Aoki believes that Japan A progressive economic transformation is being attempted with the rise of new cultural industries.

Animation brings three major business opportunities

For a long time, Japan has mainly focused on exploring and developing the animation industry and animation-related markets from the following three aspects.

The first is to vigorously create a broadcast market for cartoons. According to survey data released by relevant Japanese parties, in 2004, there were approximately 81 animation films released in domestic cinemas in Japan. Japanese TV stations broadcast more than 80 episodes of animation programs every week, and nearly 4,000 episodes of animation programs were broadcast in a year.

Survey data recently released by the Japan Digital Content Association shows that in 2003 (April 2003 to March 2004) Japan’s animation market sales (anime movie box office, anime movies and anime TV videos, The total operating income of specialized television channels, etc.) reached 373.9 billion yen, an increase of 160.4 billion yen from 213.5 billion yen in 2002, an increase of more than 75.1%. The revenue of the Japanese film industry in the same year was only more than 200 billion yen.

Secondly, we should actively create a market for animation derivative products, vigorously carry out secondary development and utilization of animation works, and enhance the added value of animation works. Characters, stationery, toys, game software and clothing derived from animated comics have formed a huge "animation industry chain" around the world. The animated television series MechaWarrior is one example. Bandai, Japan's largest toy manufacturer, accounts for approximately 15% to 17% of its total annual sales from robot toys.

Survey results from the Japan External Trade Organization show that Japan’s domestic animation-related market size has exceeded 2 trillion yen. The development of animation has driven the development of related industries such as music, publishing, advertising, theme parks and tourism, and is constantly creating new business opportunities.

Third, vigorously explore overseas markets and accelerate the introduction of Japanese cartoons to the world. Japanese animation producers attach great importance to exploring overseas markets. Japan exported its first animated TV series "Astro Boy" to the North American market eight months after it was broadcast in 1963. Since the 1970s, Japanese animation producers have turned their attention to Asian countries. Japanese cartoons such as "Smart Ikkyu" and "Doraemon" are well-known in China. In the late 1970s, the Japanese animation film "Gundam Sentinel" began to be broadcast on French television and successfully landed in the European market. Since then, Japanese cartoons have begun to dominate the world animation market. Some are even exported to more than 70 countries.

The government vigorously supports the animation industry

In order to expand the international sales of animation films and accelerate and increase the spread and influence of Japanese culture overseas, the Japanese government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government are Implement support and support policies for Japan’s animation industry. The Japanese government not only regards animation as an important export industry, but also cultivates it as an independent culture