Licensing Japanese Publishing IP

The Licensing of Japanese Publishing IP

In 2021, the total sales for print and electronic publications reached US$13.1 billion, an increase by 3.6% compared to 2020.In particular, sales of children’s books and literary fiction stood out due to the stay-at-home circumstances brought on by the pandemic.

The e-book market recorded a continuous achievement, rising by 18.6% compared to 2020. 88% of the market share is manga, which is mainly read by the younger generation.

In particular, Demon Slayer (Shueisha) was a huge success and became a social phenomenon in Japan. Further hits for JUJUTSU KAISEN (Shueisha) and Tokyo Revengers (Kodansha) followed, boosting the sales of manga.

During the pandemic, manga sales have done really well outside Japan. For example, in France, a “culture pass” was distributed during the lockdown in which 80% of it was used to buy books, mainly manga. It quickly became known as the “manga pass”.

The popularity of Japanese content is not limited to manga. Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 THRICE UPON A TIME which recorded box-office revenues of over US$78.1 million in Japan, was released exclusively on Amazon Prime video in August 2021 in 240 countries thrilling fans everywhere.

We can clearly see the popularity of Japanese publishing IP is expanding around the globe.

Launch of the Japan Book Bank online licensing platform

During the pandemic, an online licensing platform for publishing IP, Japan Book Bank, was launched in March 2021. It is jointly managed by the Visual Industry Promotion Organisation (VIPO) (https://www.vipo.or.jp/en/), a non-profit entity that supports the Japanese content industry, and the Japan Book Publisher Association (https://www.jbpa.or.jp/en/index.html). The Japan Book Bank is also supported by the company I work for - Tohan

By Yukari Inoue Assistant manager, Overseas Business Dept, Tohan Corporation

Literary Agency of Japanese publishing IP and a supporter of the largest licensing platform “Japan Book Bank” https://japanbookbank.com/en

yukari.inoue@tohan.co.jp

How COVID-19 has changed the licensing business

While Japanese IPs have spread worldwide, COVID-19 has forced a change in the licensing business. Major international book fairs, which were the most significant opportunities to expand the licensing business, were canceled, and licensors and licensees lost opportunities to meet in person.

Strict border control measures have been taken, making business visit to Japan impossible. Although video meetings are now mainstream, it has become difficult for licensees to obtain information on the latest trends in Japanese content.

Book fairs are usually the venues where people exchange information, and where one can find new titles that have future potential. During COVID-19, while the big IPs from the top Japanese players are reaching their targets, everyone else is still eager to find the next big hit IP, especially as it might not always come from the same big company. The key issue is how we can grasp the latest fast-moving trends which point us towards the next internationally successful IP.

Corporation (https://www.tohan.jp/ english/), who is a publishing distributor and a literary agency.

Since its launch a year ago, the platform now contains more than 2,500 titles from over 110 Japanese publishers including the top players such as Shueisha, Shogakukan, and Kadokawa, covering various genres such as manga, children’s books, and literary fiction. Every month, more than 100 new titles are added to the database.

Overseas users register free of charge. Once they create an account, they can check the availability of rights in their territory with relevant information concerning the inquiry. Japanese publishers can promote their titles via this platform. Overseas users can check the latest Japanese book and related rights information from their desks while sipping their coffee.

Since the platform was launched, licensing contracts for more than thirty titles have been concluded, and about twenty to thirty inquiries monthly are received from overseas publishers. Manga is the most popular genre, followed by children’s books, non-fiction books, and literary works. Overseas users can also search for works for adaptations. Film and TV production companies have also registered to seek to find Japanese publishing IP for screen adaptation.

Japanese publishing IP has been spreading worldwide, not only in its core publishing format but in other diverse ways too. The Japan Book Bank is the fastest and most convenient way to gather Japanese publishing IP information.

Challenge as an agent

To sum up, as Japanese publishing IPs are building a strong foothold in the world, various new possibilities arise, such as collaborations with apparel brands, food brands, and cosmetic brands.

While the use of Japanese IP overseas is expected to increase further, there are still many literary works and related IP in Japan that are unknown to the rest of the world. So, our mission as an agency is to promote Japanese publishing IP globally. At Tohan, as an agent, we would like to strengthen further the development of Japanese publishing IP throughout the world. We would love to hear from anyone wishing to collaborate with us. We look forward to continuing to connect the Japanese latest titles and classic masterpieces to people worldwide.

GLOOMY BEAR APB, MIMI AND NEKO: REEMOSBORKO SIGNS ON FOR EVERYTHING OCTAS

Mori Chack’s beloved character Gloomy Bear was created in 2000. By day a professional manga writer & illustrator, on the weekend Mori Chack sold Gloomy Bear art & merch on the bustling streets of Osaka. Cute-yetedgy, cuddly-but-violent, the character soon took hold when counter-culture enthusiasts embraced Gloomy Bear as the perfect antithesis to the typically cute but harmless characters loved by the mainstream. The license to love “kawaii” no matter who you are sets Gloomy Bear apart from the pack and drives the brand’s massive appeal. Who wouldn’t love a 7 foot tall, pink grizzly bear that beats his owner to death ? In 2022, Gloomy Bear will go global! Funko, Bioworld, Isaac Morris, ID Supply, GE Animation and Fossil are already on board Fueled by 30 short humorous animé episodes that will stream everywhere, Gloomy Bear is being licensed around the globe & we saw a plethora of products hit the Japanese market in 2021, and now expect that to go global throughout 2022. From there, a long form Gloomy Bear anime series is planned, which will stream globally. Next up is All Purpose Bunny. Mori Chack’s politics are relevant - he’s an animal rights activist that explores his themes through his work. A common trend is cute animals getting revenge on humans for exploitation and abuse. All Purpose Bunny’s story begins with it being an experimental rabbit in a test lab. Genetic modification led to its strange properties and unnaturally long ears, and it eventually retaliated against humans for the years of abuse. All Purpose Bunny and Gloomy Bear often team up to attack humans and get their revenge!. Finally we have Mimi and Neko. A friendly duo of a cat and a bunny with cute bum cheeks as their charm point. Their origin story begins with Mimi & Neko as regular pets who aspired to become human. Suddenly, a magic star came along and granted their wish. But the wish was only 50% effective! Mimi & Neko now have hands and feet; and distinctly cute behinds! Vince Shortino of Octas commented, “Octas bring Japanese artists and their IP to the World. We are delighted to have Reemsborko as the agent for all our cherished properties and look forward to the hussle they will bring.”