This is not YKK related, but I thought some of you might be amused by this news.
http://news.awn.com/index.php?ltype=top&newsitem_no=11409
Anime imports into the U.S. has grown from 23 in the 1980s to 42 in the 1990s and has already reached 40 during the four years through 2003, according to a survey by the government-affiliated Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). The organization also found that the anime market in the U.S. is worth $4.36 billion, which is 3.2 times the value of Japanese exports of steel products.
- Loran
Friday, July 9, 2004
Interesting news, Loran. In addition, one newspaper in Japan estimated that about 60% of all animated TV shows being shown in the world in originated in Japan.
- Peter by the Sea
Friday, July 9, 2004
Considering the <s> wealth of natural resources which Japan possesses </s> I am not too suprised that anime is a bigger export than steel is....
- Haniel Goertz
Saturday, July 10, 2004
At one time, American steel producers were overwhelmed by Japanese steel production. Its stell production is still substantial but I have read that Chinese steel is now flooding the market.
As for the market share of animation, I have read similar estimates. Something like 60% of all animation distributed throughout the world is Japanese. Their penetration of the American market has been far less in both relative and absolute terms than their penetration in other markets. The American TV market is dominated by vertically integrated companies (Disney, Time-Warner, Fox) that prefer to showcase properties they own. That is why the anime market has grown largely through DVD sales rather than through TV programming.
But the entire anime business pales in comparision to the manga business. ICV2 reported:
"While manga sales are growing quickly in the U.S., they still represent only about a tenth of the amount spent on anime. In Japan, the situation is reversed with a manga market of $4.4 billion dwarfing the $1.35 billion earned by anime. Interestingly the amount spent on character goods in Japan, $8.45 billion is almost double the manga total, demonstrating that the Japanese are indeed masters of tie-in merchandise. "
See this article:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/2953.html
That's right, the manga business it four times the size of the animation business in Japan. And that is before you factor in character goods. No wonder popular mangaka are treated like rock stars.
- Loran
Monday, July 12, 2004
"While manga sales are growing quickly in the U.S., they still represent only about a tenth of the amount spent on anime. In Japan, the situation is reversed with a manga market of $4.4 billion dwarfing the $1.35 billion earned by anime. Interestingly the amount spent on character goods in Japan, $8.45 billion is almost double the manga total, demonstrating that the Japanese are indeed masters of tie-in merchandise. "
That might be because in Japan manga isn't insanely overpriced like it is in the US, while anime is around normal DVD price here. (Not sure how much the DVDs go for over there).
- Zelmel
Monday, July 12, 2004
All this is just part of a brilliant plan to Otakinize the world and make pink hair and catgirls compulsory.
And cute robots running coffee shops as well, naturally.
- Andy Tucker
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
"All this is just part of a brilliant plan to Otakinize the world and make pink hair and catgirls compulsory. And cute robots running coffee shops as well, naturally."
That would be a fascinating but scary world !
- Peter by the Sea
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
"That might be because in Japan manga isn't insanely overpriced like it is in the US, while anime is around normal DVD price here. (Not sure how much the DVDs go for over there)."
This is a possibility. But the again, manga usually comes out in anthologies in magazines rather than by issue or volume... I'm not sure on the prices though. I've never looked into import manga.
As for DVDs, they're actually more expensive than they are here. Not only does each disk cost more, but there is usually less on each disk.
- kawaiiguy
Friday, July 16, 2004
My understanding is that the manga anthologies are very inexpensive and the tankobans cost less than their American counterparts. The ridiculously high cost of DVDs is, perhaps, one of the reasons animation is still a much smaller market than comics in Japan. Here in the USA, the comics are overpriced.
I don't think that is the reason for manga's popularity, however. It is the diversity of content that made manga an important cultural phenomena. In the USA, comics were segregated into a geek ghetto years ago. The entire medium was limited to childish superheros and lame fantasies about warrior babes. The rest of the country dismissed the entire medium as unworthy of interest. When American publishers first started to translate manga, they typically only published manga that fanboys in comics shops would buy.
It was a sub-culture inside a cult group inside a niche market. Not much growth potential there.
Then Tokyopop changed all that by marketing to (gasp) girls in (gasp) bookstores. Now Tokyopop ships more comics than Marvel.
When all those little girls grow up and start making comics themselves, we will have the same kind of comics market you see today in Japan.
So go on down to your local bookstore. Sidle to some little 13 year girl in the manga section and say, "Hi! You're cute. Can I buy you some art supplies?"
- Loran
Friday, July 16, 2004
"I'm not sure on the prices though. I've never looked into import manga. "
Well, its much more expensive in the US. For instance, the first volume of Azumanga Daioh in English is $14, while in Japan it was 690 yen.
- Zelmel
Friday, July 16, 2004
Makes sense if you consider the size of Japan and then the urban coverage. Intelectual and technological innovation must surpass the value of their natural resources to sustain such a powerful economy in such a tight space.
- Velurajesh Shkandlar
Sunday, September 5, 2004
Well, steel is a bad comparison item anyway. As far as I know Japan has limited suppies of iron ore, and it is of rather poor quality. I'm not sure if they even have coal.
If you need to import the raw materials anyway, it might be better, cheaper and cleaner just to get the finished product.
- Z
Monday, September 6, 2004
Japan imports lots of iron ore and exports lots of steel. You don't need your own iron mine to export steel. All you need is a trading port and a blast furnace. Steel used to be the leading exports from Japan.
http://reference.allrefer.com/country-guide-study/japan/japan200.html
- kGo
Monday, September 6, 2004
To Loran: **So go on down to your local bookstore. Sidle to some little 13 year girl in the manga section and say, "Hi! You're cute. Can I buy you some art supplies?"** (Gulp) I'm willing! But will you give me a "Sidle Out of Jail Free" card first?!
To Z: It's called "processing trade." You import the raw materials, build state-of-the-art processing and manufacturing facilities, then sell the finished products as exports. Steel was 19% of Japanese exports in 1974 (that was the peak), and resulted in US trade sanctions that were renegotiated in the 1980s. But that's all old news, since Korea and China learned by example and soon will be the next market leaders.
Personally, I think manga is worth much more than steel. Not much to learn from steel.
Another idea about the high retail cost of DVDs in Japan: unless they're OVAs (which can be rented easily enough), everything is broadcast on TV, and subject to a lot of home recording. If it's going to be free, most people can put up with a network logo in the corner of the screen. And I wonder how common DVD duplication is in colleges, at the local Lawson's, maybe right at the rental store... This kind of "liberation" in the marketplace would convince distributors to charge more to achieve their high profits.
- seaweb
Monday, September 6, 2004
"That might be because in Japan manga isn't insanely overpriced like it is in the US, while anime is around normal DVD price here. (Not sure how much the DVDs go for over there)." - Zelmel
Having gone shopping a few times in Tokyo now (admittedly the most expensive place to shop in Japan) I can help answer that question...
America: DVDs run $25-$30 each, averaging 3 to 5 episodes per DVD.
Japan: DVDs run $50-$60 each (USD), averaging 2 episodes per DVD.
...and now you know why the Y.K.K. O.A.V.s are the only region 2 imports I own. *sweat*
- Tabyk
Tuesday, September 7, 2004
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