2014 was a year of many great events in the animation industry. Among them, the establishment of the Japan 2.5 Dimensional Music Association has sparked countless topics. And this association is also inextricably linked to the big entertainment company Horipro. Back in 2008, at the AFA (Asian Animation Festival) held in Singapore, there were singers from Horipro appearing on the show, and since then, Horipro artists have been active in every AFA. After 2012, it became clear that their overseas strategy with Asia as a major market became clearer, and in order to create an opportunity for overseas users to be exposed to Japanese entertainment, Horipro entered into a capital partnership with Singapore-based SOZOPTELTD. And finally, "Death - Notes THEMUSICAL" will be performed in the spring of 2015.

■Nowadays, it is difficult for Japanese culture to achieve profitable business operations abroad, except for animation

The animation industry itself is definitely not going in a bad direction. For example, the output of programs produced in Japan reached 13.78 billion yen in 2013, compared to 10.43 billion yen in the previous year, so we can feel the momentum of growth. Of this total, animation accounted for 62.2% of the total, reaching approximately 8,673 million yen. In 2013, the output of program broadcast rights (excluding network distribution rights) reached 6.21 billion yen, and animation accounted for 47.2%.

In terms of program output, Asia accounts for 52% of the program's output by region. From this point of view, Asia is undoubtedly a very attractive market for Japan. However, even if the numbers are good, there is no denying that the current state is not optimistic.

In an interview with Japanese media, Horipro President Yoshitaka Hori said, "Although the perception of the animation industry may not be the same as ours, we have to deal with the current situation...... It's really difficult. Almost all of Asia is covered by Hallyu...... In recent years, I have always felt that we are 10 years behind South Korea. With the exception of anime, it is almost impossible for the Japanese entertainment industry to break into the U.S. market. ”

"Recently, the Internet has become more advanced, and there are many people in Asia, especially in China, who are actively searching for Japanese anime on the Internet. Among Asians, there is a demand for Japanese anime...... For example, foreigners do not translate Japanese anime songs into Chinese and sing them, but want to hear them in their original language. In this sense, the situation is a little different. To be honest, apart from animation-related industries, Japanese culture is not making money at all and there is no business model at all. ”

Due to the popularity of the Internet, the situation of the entire industry has changed dramatically. In the past, overseas fans who wanted to learn about Japan's culture and anime were often the pleasure of knowing about works such as guò piracy, but now with the advent of the Internet, everyone can get the latest content as soon as possible. Simultaneous delivery services around the world have been mainstream since 2013. In the past, it was always said that Japanese subculture and animation were booming overseas, but President Hori said, "It wasn't a boom before."

"There hasn't been much coverage in Japan before, but the idea of overseas audiences being exposed to Japanese culture has been around for a long time. It's just that the opportunities to see Japanese works are gradually increasing. Since there is already a demand, and this demand is increasing, we are now in a situation where supply exceeds demand. After all, the Internet can make people more up-to-date with the latest information. ”

Nowadays, we can grasp the information first-time, so overseas fans are more eager to search for Japanese works. In a sense, this has triggered a potential demand, and I believe everyone can agree with it. However, although this potential demand exists, Japanese people living in Japan do not know this "current situation" or understand what it is. On the contrary, foreign fans are more aware and enthusiastic about it.

"The 'adults' have no grasp of the mystery of this kind of thing. The most important thing is that they have zài bias. There are quite a few people in Japan who think it's weird to be an anime, or a maid café. Therefore, for the musical of "**", there will be "adult" actors who question: "Why do you want to make "**"? Some people think that this is a matter of low literacy, and they think, 'Why is it that something noble is great, but there are no guests?' There must be a problem with the guest, right? And the subculture can attract everyone to pay to watch and the seats are full, so does this mean that it is very 'tasteless'? I don't think there's such a benchmark as zài. ”

■The number of young people looking at the works is decreasing, so it is necessary to expand the market across the sea

Acting often gives people the illusion that the threshold is high. If you want to make a breakthrough here, you can start with the original works of anime, manga, and games. It's called a "2.5-dimensional musical". At present, this aspect is attracting more and more attention from the audience.

In 2013, the animated musical earned 12.8 billion yen in ticket sales. However, due to the declining birthrate in the future, if Japan's population declines, there is a possibility that the number of people who can attract Japan will decline even if the proportion of people who pay attention increases. This is a problem not only for the entertainment industry, but also for Japan as a whole.

"We can see one thing purely from the numbers: the population is decreasing. And the economic problem is the relationship between supply and demand. In the future, the population will be declining, and this problem has never been experienced in a developed country like Japan. In addition, the disposable income of 65-year-olds in 20 or 30 years is also significantly different from that of today's 65-year-olds. Money doesn't seem to be very well spent. And if the number of people who spend money decreases, the number of people who watch dramas will also decrease, and there is no reason to increase at all. Therefore, we have to expand overseas markets and increase potential markets and demand, and one of our efforts is for this purpose. It's not an idea of big goals, it's just that because the population is declining, we don't have anything to eat. ”

This problem is not limited to any industry, but the drama industry must have an audience to support it. If the audience is reduced, then there is obviously no way to proceed. To that end, measures must be taken now. However, the biggest charm of live streaming is that it can only be seen here.

However, the domestic market is only in Japan, and due to the declining population, it will inevitably be deserted in the future. Therefore, the president believes that the only way to go is to open up foreign markets. And now there is no way to hesitate, it is precisely the situation of "to do it, take advantage of the present". If you want to open up the overseas market, you must use animation, games, and manga that are known to overseas audiences, so this is also the best choice, right? And this kind of "work" can also be produced by the relevant people, and if it is successful, it is ideal......

Ideally, so. However, if it is an original work that already has popularity, then the commercial income is relatively stable. But if we don't control everything,...... Then there may be some 'non-mainstream' products coming out. In order to control the risk, we have adopted the form of a committee. Ideally, we would be able to see the big picture, but that's still hard to do. ”

The musical "The Prince of Tennis," which has been staged for a long time and has won a large number of audiences, and "Makumoku Rock," which has been developing in a controlled range from games to anime and stage plays, are all successful examples. But there are not many such models.

"There are really few of them. However, the method of adapting the original ACG work into a live-action version and performing it on stage can easily cause allergies among the audience. Once it's messed up, it's a ruined ending~ And this time, although there are people related to "**" who think that "the character is very interesting", many fans of the original work commented: "This is different from the original". ”

"Actually, I also encountered this problem in the movie version. L is played by Kenichi Matsuyama...... But how did the audience react at first...... On the first day of the stage thank-you party, he said, 'I'm Kenichi Matsuyama,' but the audience only responded with a sparse applause...... They feel like they're wondering, 'Who is this?' And then the film was a huge success, and when we had a stage thank-you party, we ended it with a tsunami of applause. This is really confusing, and I hope you will understand one question when you watch the stage play: the live-action version cannot be the same as the animation. But the audience can only accept this fact. ”

Whether it is a stage play or a live-action movie, the actors who are selected to participate in the show will always be complained that "this is different from XX", "the image has collapsed" and so on. But is that really the case? No one knows.

However, as a producer, not only the actors, but also the relevant producers are very respectful of the original work, so even if everyone feels that the work is different from the impression they imagined in advance, as long as they watch it, many people will still like the work. In a good sense, viewers can expect the live-action version to subvert the original. And whether the producer is in the entertainment industry or the animation industry, he must continue to release new works.

"It's impossible for any one producer to put out a lot of works. If we don't do it well, then when you come back to your senses, you may find that you are watching all the animation works of other countries. But even if this question can resonate with the whole industry, if we don't have the money, then we won't be able to attract talent. ”

■ If "**" can spread to France, then it may become a work like "Les Miserables".

In the spring of 2015, "THEMUSICAL" will kick off.

"Why is it possible to make zuò **? That's because of the relationship between making movies before. When Tatsuya Fujiwara went to study in London and performed in New York, people would ask, 'You're a movie star, aren't you?' You starred in "BATTLEROYALE" and "**", right? Passers-by know these things...... It's still very rare for Japanese actors. In London, Japanese animation is not so popular. But it can still give people a personal experience of 'ah~everyone has seen it~', so I think "**" can also work overseas. ”

Although Japanese musicals, the so-called 2.5-dimensional musicals, have occupied a considerable market share in China, there is still a certain gap compared with overseas musicals such as "The Phantom of the Opera" and "The Lion King". In the case of works made overseas, there will be problems with royalties. And once a work becomes a world-renowned and popular work, then the income is also considerable.

"When a foreign work is staged, the Japanese side has to pay at least 10% of the royalties. And "**" doesn't seem to have much Japanese flavor in terms of both the title and the two characters, so we hope it can be performed on Broadway. Until then, though, it's just a matter of being able to succeed in the Asian market. But once you miss, the situation will be very harsh in the future~ Now that it fails, it will take 5 years to make the next work. Even this "**" has made us prepare for 5 years. ”

"It's very difficult for Japanese composers and scriptwriters to go overseas. So this time we have Mr. Wildhorn, the composer. And although he hasn't watched "**", his son is a fan of the work, and as a result, this collaboration started all of a sudden. Now that they are aware of the impact of their work, they will naturally think of business opportunities. Our first step was to play in non-Broadway areas like Japan and Asia. Of course, we're not saying we have to aim for Broadway. Budapest, Vienna, Hungary, you can perform anywhere. In this way, royalties can be collected.

And once it can be staged in France, then there is a possibility of becoming "Les Miserables". And if you go to London...... At that time, it may be significantly revised. Although the original serialization is over, the theme of the work is still very resonant, so it is a work with the possibility of longevity. ”

"**" is a story of good and evil. In the dualism of good and evil, which side wins in the end? This is indefinite and fundamental. And this work follows this principle. In literary works, many "immortal masterpieces" are of this type. So from this point of view, "**" will also have a great possibility of being passed on to future generations, right?

"Large-scale works that march into the world don't have to be comics and novels. If it is a novel and needs to be translated, it will be difficult to explain. The overseas audience is younger than Japan's, and the ratio of men to women is almost 55 percent. With that in mind, we feel that Japanese animation is the most acceptable. ”

Starting this spring, Shibuya's AiiATheater will be a dedicated theater for 2.5-dimensional musicals. Although the service life is only 1 year, its value is self-evident.

"In Broadway and West End theatres, visitors make up 90 percent of the audience." If you travel to New York, you naturally want to go to the real Broadway and experience the popular musical, right? The word "Broadway" itself has a brand effect, and it also has the attraction of making people "want to watch movies here". The president has the same expectations for AiiATheater.

"We're going to put on 'THEMUSICAL' a lot. But in terms of procedures, it is not possible for ordinary tourists to come in casually. ”

In any case, 2.5-dimensional musicals and even the Japanese entertainment industry have reached a fork point. Although 2.5 dimensional musicals are currently favored by all parties, considering the institutional problems and the state of the Japanese economy, it is urgent to estimate the outlook and planning for 10 or 20 years from now.

As one of the biggest names in the Japanese entertainment industry, Horipro has been working on its current project since 2015. And the same is true for other companies, right? HERE, THEN, I HOPE THAT **THEMUSICAL WILL SHINE ALL OVER THE WORLD.

【Tokyo Performance】April 6th, 2015 ~ April 29th, 2015 at the Nissei Theater

【Osaka Performance】May 15th~May 17th, 2015 Umeda Arts Theater

【Nagoya Performance】May 23rd~May 24th, 2015

【Korean Performance】June ~ August 2015

Organizer: CJeSCULTURE

Performer: Minya Kuriyama