Weltmacht oder Anrakushi

Yuji Nunokawa is president of Studio Pierrot (Bleach, Naruto,…) and president of the Association of Japanese Animations.

LURED BY THE GLOBAL MIRAGE

“Until recently, anime production companies aimed just to win over the [domestic] market of 100 million people,” Nunokawa said. “But facing the declining number of children and the possible contraction of the domestic market, each firm is feeling the pressure and turning its eyes to global market.”. Nunokawa said the most important task is to nurture producers who are free from traditional practices and have flexible ideas about overseas strategy.

ALIGNMENT ON WORLD STANDARDIZATION

“Take South Korean producers. Their domestic market is small, and they have the wisdom to do their business based on the premise of an overseas market. It’s standard for their executives to speak English and directly contact overseas clients,” Nunokawa said. South Korean creators make TV series and films based on universal standards, he said, and that’s why computer graphic skill there is so high. “They can do what we [Japanese] haven’t been able to,” he said. “How can we compete with them globally? Japanese producers must put their minds to this question.”

HE WHO PAYS THE PIPER CALLS THE TUNE

Nunokawa said structural reform may be necessary if global strategy is taken into account. “I think it’s OK for more overseas funding to be injected into production,” he said.. “To sell overseas, we should create a new scheme that can flexibly accept requests from broadcasters abroad before embarking on the project,” he said. “To do this, we should take not only finished products but also planned concepts to overseas events like film festivals and solicit investors there“, Nunokawa said.

Anime industry needs savvy producers to compete worldwide, Yomiuri Shimbun, Takamasa Sakurai, July 6th, 2012