The profit experience of adult animation

　　

"In Japan, before the animation for children to make money, now, adult animation can also recover costs." ”　

November 9, held to the seventh session of the Shanghai International Arts Festival for the first time ushered in a series of cartoon culture and arts activities, including the diffuse exhibition, cartoon exhibition and seminar three parts, from the Wen Hui Xinmin United Press Group, Japan Trade Promotion agency Shanghai Representative Office, Shanghai Dazzle cartoon TV and Asian Music Festival Organizing Committee co-sponsored. In addition, the Japanese animation industry, some of the big figures have come to Shanghai to participate in seminars and lectures exchange, so that people on the Japanese animation business mode of operation has a more in-depth and detailed understanding. Of course, the prosperity of Japanese anime is not only related to the perfect industrial chain, but also with their numerous anime fans (some of which are particularly crazy, known as OTACU) is not unrelated.

TV: Playing cartoons doesn't make money

In the seminar entitled "The Role of the media", the President of Japan Sky Perfect TV, Mr. Shimizu, introduced the relationship between Japanese television and anime. Japan's television broadcast of cartoons began in the 1960 's, but because the cost of animation production is very high, TV broadcast animation will lose money, there are 20% of the deficit, so we began to study how to operate the business, so that animation into a cultural product. After years of trying and perfecting, Japanese TV station has already formed a set of effective animation business model. Play the animation does not make money, but the cartoon periphery derivative product is to have the profit, therefore must focus on "two times utilization", the animation can develop rapidly.

Mr Watanabe of "Banjieye" explained the pattern in detail: In Japan, the animated programs broadcast by the TV stations were provided by the sponsors, who financed the program, and obtained the right to commercialize the cartoon image, and could interrupt the relevant advertisement during the course of the program. For example, the Fuji Taiwan broadcast "Astro Boy", the animation production and broadcast costs are shared by several sponsors, then the Meiji won the image of Astro Boy's candy manufacturing rights, and Sega can operate Astro Boy's game, and candy and game ads can be interrupted during the program session. The advantage of this model is that it not only solves the problem of the cost of animation, but also leads to derivative products.

This mode of operation, in turn, put forward new demands on the TV station. "The function of TV station is to let more people see animation, let the person who likes some kind of animation see this kind of animation," Mr. Shimizu said, "To this end, the television station will consider many aspects, such as boys like what cartoon, girls like to see what cartoons, for the audience different age will adjust the broadcast period. The target is a 4-14-year-old cartoon, morning, afternoon, before dinner, is a good time, and for the more than 20-year-old young viewers, Friday, Saturday late Night is a good period. The appropriate playback time in different cities and seasons will be different, such as a place 5 o'clock in the afternoon days black, then you can choose to play in 4 o'clock, if it is summer, may be delayed to 7 points. In short, the most important thing is that your audio-visual objects must be in front of the TV, can not allow them to adapt to your time, you have to adjust themselves to adapt to them. So that they can look over and over again, do not think that it is enough to see again, see the second time and see the first time the feeling is completely different, the second will be more cordial, will think to buy cartoon image of the product. ”

On top of that, there are some small business-operation tips, for example, a cartoon played at 6:30 is very popular, so you can add a cartoon show in 6:00 and 7:00 (Japanese cartoons are usually 30 minutes), so many people will follow the three film, which is called "sandwich effect" , in order to the middle layer, the upper and lower layers are associated with to eat.

In fact, all these television stations have only one purpose: "Let people not pay to see the animation, but let them spend money to buy animated derivative products." As the Japanese animation industry chain, whether television or film, animated cartoons have no profits, making money is DVD audio-visual products and derivatives, so the function of TV stations and cinemas are "propaganda" carrier, let the audience know like a cartoon image, and then buy products. In fact, in the years of operation, the TV station played a far more role than the display platform, they will participate in the development of goods and animation production. For example, the cartoon is about Magic Girl, she used magic tools is very good derivative products, then the tool's modelling, function and color, and so on, the television station will discuss with the animation production company, also will consult with the advertisement sponsor. For the television itself, with good ratings, the media status will rise, advertising prices will then improve.

Publishing: Comics is the first step

In Japan, in addition to Hayao Miyazaki and other minorities, more than 90% of the animation is based on comic books. For the Japanese animation industry, comics are definitely the first place.

According to two senior editors Qingshui Paoya and Todo Todali, a famous Japanese publishing institution, Kodansha, the Japanese comic magazine has reached 93, and the contemporary youth are all grown up reading comic books. Like television, comic magazine for gender and age also have a breakdown, Kodansha is currently publishing 14 kinds of comics magazine, of which 9 are boys comics, there are 5 girls comics. Boys comics reflect friendship, inspirational, growing more, some with a bit of violence and pornography, and adolescent comics to love to grow as the main line. Boys and girls in the comics to see the students, for high school students to see, and just set foot on the social youth to see (the famous "first letter D" is published in this magazine), there are adults as the object. Girls ' magazines and so forth. Magazines with the most weekly (Japanese anime is a weekly magazine in a series of comics, while the television also plays a weekly animation, the two are synchronized), there are two weekly and monthly.

The reporter saw two editors from Japan to bring the original magazine, are thick one, about four hundred or five hundred pages of the appearance, it is said that the thickest of a monthly magazine reached 1000 pages. Even though there are so many publications, the publication cycle is so dense, and the circulation of each magazine is still staggering, the magazine's best-selling one can reach 2.3 million volumes, 1 million copies of the monthly magazine, and girls ' magazines with a circulation of 500,000-600,000 volumes. On the other hand, publishers according to the reader, will be the magazine's Good Serial comics published in a booklet, an average of one months magazine editorial department also publishes 30-40 booklets, best-selling first edition on the printing of 2 million volumes, such as "Magic Card Maiden Sakura" in Japan, the circulation reached 11.2 million volumes, overseas also has 4.34 million volumes. From these figures, there is no doubt that the popularity of Japanese comics and the sheer size of the comics market can be seen.

In fact, the Japanese cartoons and we see the European and American, Taiwan and other countries of the cartoons are completely different, they are generally not humorous irony, and the form of melodrama, each cartoon is not a square, but cut into a "shooting" style. Mr. Qingshui Paoya told me that this style of Japanese comics dates back to fifty or sixty years ago, Mr. Higashitotsuka, the author of "Astro Boy", the first to advocate such a shooting comic. At that time, the hands of Mr. Higashitotsuka envy of the United States Disney animation, think it is difficult to make in Japan, try to close to the animation of a lens to draw out, unexpectedly incredibly from a lattice, led the Japanese later cartoon trend.

Because of the special status and special form of Japanese comics, publishing House magazine editors are very important, they will discuss with the comic book plot, design characters, and participate in the shooting.

"For example, the first letter D", it published the magazine we have done a detailed survey, the reader to the main youth blue-collar, so the design of the car as a major link, a little bit of pornography and violence. Young people who have just set foot in society, their goal is the car and beauty, and the car must be a little hard to get the kind of, girls should be they like the lovely beautiful type. In short, consider what the reader likes. ”

For Japanese publishers, regular comics competitions are also an important link, through a few times a year of competition, natural selection of comic book players, become a subordinate comic magazine author. In general, the winners will be able to serialize their cartoons in a magazine for two or three years in a year. Thus, the production chain of comics is quite complete.

The strength of Japanese comics is also reflected in some TV dramas, such as the famous "Tokyo Love Story". "In Japan, before the animation for children to make money, now, adult animation can also recover costs." "Water Pauya said.