by The anime information site “Anime Hack,” operated by Eiga.com, has many anime-related columns. Among them, we would like to introduce a column by journalist Naoshi Sudo, which focuses on the ten most significant news stories related to the anime business this year.
For decades, Japanese anime has been popular around the world. However, since 2010, its popularity has surpassed anything, and the 2020s are about to become even more popular. According to a survey by the Japan Animation Association released in December of this year, the global market for Japanese anime in 2022 hit an all-time high of 2.9277 trillion yen.
This trend is reflected in the anime business, which has been undergoing dramatic changes for 23 years. Here, we have summarized the most notable events as ten major news items.
‘2023 Anime Business Top 10 News
- Nippon Television becomes a subsidiary of Studio Ghibli
- Director Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film, “How Do You Live?” was released with zero publicity
- The global market for Japanese animation (2022) is the highest ever, approaching 3 trillion yen
- Berlin’s “The Sparrow’s Door Shut” was selected for the official competition of the International Film Festival
- New CG expressions were also presented, and “THE FIRST SLAM DUNK,” directed by the original author, became a big hit
- Sony Pictures sold two animation-specialized stations to Nojima
- Toho Invested in Thai CG studio Igloo Studio
- Japanese content has been adapted into overseas animation one after another, from “Mario” to “ULTRAMAN.”
- Domestic film festivals focus on foreign feature animations
- Crowdfunding for “Mountains of Madness” anime production 320 million yen
In his final years, the world goes wild over Hayao Miyazaki’s latest work.
Director Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film, “How Do You Live?” was released on July 14, 2023. It has been ten years since his previous work, “The Wind Rises,” and it attracted attention as his first feature after retracting his retirement announcement. However, the unusual promotion that did not include theatrical previews, TV commercials, or preview screenings drew attention.
This is a change in the current way of promoting movies, which involves careful planning of promotions and increasing exposure in advance. Regarding box office sales, the domestic box office figure was 8.4 billion yen, which is smaller than previous films, but the excitement is rising overseas.
When it was released in North America on December 8 under the new title “The Boy and the Heron,” it topped the weekend box office and became Studio Ghibli’s biggest hit. By December 25, it had won the Best Animated Film Award at the New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago Film Critics Associations. It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and is the frontrunner for the Academy Award.
Even more news was reported in October. Nippon Television is making Studio Ghibli a subsidiary. Nippon Television will acquire shares from individual shareholders, including founding members. Studio Ghibli, independently managed for 38 years since its establishment in 1985 and was considered the ideal anime studio, will be affiliated with a major broadcasting company.
New challenges of “The Sparrow’s Door Shut” and “THE FIRST SLAM DUNK”
Will there ever be another Japanese director who stirs up enthusiasm like Hayao Miyazaki? There are many talented anime directors in Japan, and we have high hopes for them. Makoto Shinkai is at the top of the list. “The Sparrow’s Door Shut,” released in Japan in July 2022, was selected for the official competition at the Berlin International Film Festival in February.
This is the first time in 21 years that a Japanese animated film has achieved this feat, since Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” in 2002. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the Golden Globe Awards along with “How Do You Live?” This is the first time in history that two Japanese anime works have been nominated simultaneously.
However, Makoto Shinkai’s reputation and popularity lie more in Asia and the fan movement. This is symbolized by “The Sparrow,” which broke the highest-grossing Japanese film record in China and South Korea.
“THE FIRST SLAM DUNK” was another big hit in China, South Korea, Taiwan, and East Asia. It caused a sensation in East Asia when it was adapted into an anime in the 1990s, and the original author, Takehiko Inoue, directed and wrote the screenplay for this feature film. Not only was the story interesting, but the CG expression, which made it seem like the manga pictures were coming to life on the screen, was highly praised by those in the industry.
Anime business restructuring of major companies, from studios to anime specialty bureaus
As the anime business grows, giant companies are expanding their anime operations. Following the grouping of TOHO Animation Studio in 2022, Toho has invested 32% in Thailand’s leading CG studio Igloo Studio. In addition to looking overseas for production sites lacking in Japan, they also look at the growing Southeast Asian market.
While the number of new animation studios, groupings, and acquisitions of overseas companies is increasing, Sony Pictures has separated part of its animation business. The anime specialty broadcasting stations (CS) under its umbrella, Animax and Kids Station, were transferred to Nojima, a major consumer electronics retailer. This is because the Sony Group is concentrating more on anime production and distribution.
New international expansion, overseas use of Japanese content
As Japanese anime and manga rapidly become international, there is also a growing movement to utilize Japanese works overseas. The Super Mario Bros. Movie” has become a worldwide hit and is a co-production between Universal Pictures and Nintendo, produced by Illumination, the world’s top CG animation technology. The live-action version of Netflix’s original dramaONE PIECE” is also popular, ranking first globally regarding weekly views.
These trends are likely to continue. Netflix is currently working on ULTRAMAN: RISING” by ILM in the US, Tencent Video in China is working on a new work inspired byHana no Ko Runrun”, and India is working with TV Asahi on a reboot of Obotchamakun''.Grendizer U,” a reboot version of “UFO Robo Grendizer,” announced this year, would not have been possible without Saudi Manga Production’s participation in the planning. Countries worldwide are now turning their attention to Japan as a treasure trove of original works made into films.
Film festival and crowdfunding from the grassroots
As the anime business grows in size, mutual exchange on a cultural level is also becoming more critical. While Japanese anime is actively expanding overseas, Japan has only been able to incorporate foreign works fully. This situation has been changing in recent years, and the trend is for foreign feature-length animations to be screened in Japan.
The Niigata International Animation Film Festival, which focuses on feature films, started in March 2023, and the Tokyo International Film Festival has also revamped its animation section to include more foreign features. The second Hiroshima Animation Season in 2024 will also begin a feature competition. The number of venues for screening foreign films is expanding.
In the fan movement, the big news is that approximately 320 million yen was raised through crowdfunding for the “Madness Mountains” anime film project. Including the roughly 120 million yen in crowdfunding for the pilot version, the project received 440 million yen in support. This overturns the conventional wisdom that raising funds for full-length anime production took more work through fan support alone.
