The problem of people correlating anime to have been made for kids only is one that has been raging in the anime industry, for as long as one can remember, as an undying curse. And though previous animes have tried their best to change that perspective, it hasn’t succeeded completely. But that is about to change now with Dragon Ball, which is notably one of the biggest leading forces both in the manga and the anime fields.
According to the ideology shared by none other than the executive producer of the anime, the DB franchise is seemingly all set to change the course of the $31 billion anime industry and eliminate the ‘anime is for kids’ curse through its new strategy.
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Dragon Ball‘s New Strategy Might Change The Course Of The Anime Industry
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Recently, Nikkei(.)com published an original interview article with the President of Capsule Corporation Tokyo and Executive Producer of the DB series, Akio Iyoku, the details of which were later shared by @SupaChronicles on X.
In the interview, Iyoku shared his perspective on how the $31 billion anime industry has been lagging behind, presumably because of the viewers’ perspectives on the same. Citing the ideal situation for the anime industry to be one where “the average viewer sees the content,” he said:
“We are in a cycle of consumption, and in some aspects, the cycle is becoming short-lived. I don’t think it’s good at all to have a boom that builds up and then burns down, which can be a factor in the content not lasting long.”
Another article by the site, which featured Nikkei(.)com’s report based on the executive producer’s interview, further listed the statistics and explained the reason behind the anime industry’s decline lately: lack of overseas expansion.
Explaining how this problem could be tackled and help in eliminating the long-lived curse of people mistaking anime for being created only for kids, the report stated Son Goku’s anime’s future market strategy: focusing on expanding the anime worldwide.
“Unless we leap out of Japan, where the market is limited, and fight our way across the globe, we will not be able to get the best of the world. The US has recognized the potential of Japanese anime and is spending huge sums of money to acquire it.”
Jumping back to the original interview, Iyoku further addressed the challenges this would bring forward for the anime industry going forward if this issue does not get eliminated now.
“It will be tough if we do not create a place to compete differently from anime as content. (…) In order to bring in overseas strength, a leading role is needed. For a producer to take on this role, they must transcend the boundaries of the corporate organization.”
This way, not only would this strategy lead to Dragon Ball‘s success but also help change the course of the anime industry as a whole.
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Dragon Ball DAIMA Will Have A “Completely Original Story”
Continuing in the interview, Akio Iyoku also shared details about the upcoming anime DAIMA, which would reportedly show Goku choosing the United States as “the place to announce his return to the world” instead of his “home” country of Japan.
“With Dragon Ball DAIMA, which will be released in Fall 2024, we are taking on the challenge of creating an anime series with a completely original story.”
He also conveyed how the upcoming projects from the DB franchise will focus more on different events, even more so if the anime is expanded worldwide.
“We are not looking for a “one-size-fits-all” approach, but rather, we are looking for events such as the Dragon Ball World Championships, the expansion of games, creating facilities, and anything else that we can do. We will work on them in parallel.”
You can read Akio Iyoku’s interview shared by @SupaChronicles on X here:
Nikkei(.)com published an article on January 5, 2024, interviewing Akio Iyoku, the President of Capsule Corporation Tokyo and Executive Producer of the ‘Dragon Ball’ series.
Thanks to @sailorrjupiterr for sending me the article ❤️
Article 1 starts:
“Indomitable Dragon Ball,… pic.twitter.com/YiuhG8Ja7B
— SUPER クロニクルス (@SupaChronicles) January 6, 2024
You can read the second article featuring Nikkei(.)com’s reports made from analyzing Akio Iyoku’s interview statements shared by @SupaChronicles here:
Nikkei(.)com published an article on January 5, 2024, analyzing Akio Iyoku’s statements from the last interview and making their own report on it.
Thanks to @sailorrjupiterr for sending me the article ❤️
Nothing very important, but Article 2 starts:
“Dragon Ball Pushes the… pic.twitter.com/9SOqYME5PQ
— SUPER クロニクルス (@SupaChronicles) January 6, 2024
All in all, the DB franchise is all set to bring about some new things through its upcoming projects along with helping the anime industry grow, and fans couldn’t be more thrilled about it all.
