Japanese Government Wants to Fund Overseas Anime/Manga/Culture

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Carl Kneel

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If anyone can think of a better title, I invite them to change it. :P

Article on ANN.




This both quite interesting and undoubtedly good for the industry. I have a feeling that more networks will be given some dirty money to show anime.
 
I can see this being awesome or backfiring horribly.

Although... maybe it means we can get the swag with the awesome designs on 'em as opposed to the usual "huuurrrr I liek anime" type stuff. Have you ever been through the Bandai Fashion webside? There used to be a whole line of Bleach stuff that was absolutely gorgeous! Subtle otaku ftw! XD
 
It's no surprise that this initiative is being launched under the infamously manga-mad Prime Minister Taro "Rozen" Aso. Subsidisations of culturally-enriching soft power over exploitative "hard" power are promising and should be encouraged elsewhere.

A note of caution, mind. Aso is a manga fan unlike any of his predecessors. He's also a recalcitrant, overarabitious, ultra-nationalist nutjob presiding over the dying days of the LDP's half-century-long monopoly on power and reduced to peddling bread and circuses to oRABet the unpopularity of his spendthrift, unruly government. No less a figure than Hayao Miyazaki considers Aso's appropriation of the manga and anime subculture as a flag-waving publicity exercise at home and abroad to be a national erabarrassment. But let's not hold that against Aso. I'm sure he's a riot at parties.

I wish his efforts every success, and I hope he can pull it off. I applaud any opportunity to effectively increase the scope of anime and manga's popularity overseas after many decades of official indifference to the subculture. But forgive me my scepticism that he's the right guy for the job.
 
Toei America never "closed up shop" to begin with. Also, they have been doing it "correctly" although not through DVRAB, but rather through internet streaming/downloading (through other sites such as D2D and Crunchyroll). At the moment however, only 7 shows are available, and it's unknown if they'll ever give us more.


Back on topic, I'm interested in seeing how this whole thing turns out.
 
Excellent, mabye will see some OEL manga get anime adaptions, Personally I'd love to see Gold Digger, Maximum ride, & I Luv halloween animted. but thats just me.
 
One wonders how long the Japanese side of the industry has had wind of this. This might explain some of Toei's recent movements in regard to One Piece on TV as well as a possible lack of mention of DBK hitting the states.
 
I remeraber my Japanese hostory professor condemning Aso as a ultranationalist and a warmonger to boot. (He was the one who pushed the Diet to repeal the self-ban imposed on Japan post-WWII on declaring war) Calling this whole thing an ill conceived publicity stunt is apt.
 
I care not a whit for the politics involved, but if this means I'm not going to stop getting anime DVD's, then it's aces in my books.
 
Well this is some very interesting and quite good news

I really think there neeRAB to be a parody anime about Aso and his wacky adventures in office (played up to be a mega-otaku of course). Like "Lil' Bush" but actually funny.
 
Well, this seems to have the reek of Imperial Japan. What my dad and grand uncle put up with during WWII, this doesn't seem to all that great of an idea.
 
Well, to stengthen their own prescence in the NA region they might be holding out on licensing DBK for reasons of thier own. After all, they'd make more money if they didn't go through FUNi, espicially if they had it dubbed by Ocean (Dragonball and Ocean are already a signiture corabination) and distributed it themselves, whether via DVD or TV--which might explain some of the censoreship if they wanted to market globally in accordance with this ruling.

As for One Piece, it's more or less a stretch, but if they get this extra supposed help they might be able to make a bigger name for it, via television or even advertizing. Who knows.
 
Recent history is not making me think this is such a great idea. Japanese companies, for the most part, don't seem to have a clue as to how to distribute and market anime in the US. It's better when they go through another party, like Funimation or Viz.
 
Don't you think that's assuming too much? I mean just because nothing's been announced wit those series that doesn't mean nothing's happening.
 
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