Mar 22, 2013 23:43:00

Haruhi, Lucky Star, Kannagi, etc. “The Potential of Social Media Created by Anime”

On the second business day of the Tokyo International Anime Fair 2013, the 'Anime Next Generation Business Symposium' was held, moderated by animation producer

Hiroaki Takeuchi . By exploring various ways to use anime and its direction, 'Direction of diversifying anime and character utilization', 'Possibility of overseas anime business seen in Tokyo Otaku Mode', and 'Possibility of social media created by anime'. The symposium was divided into 4 frames, 'The Latest Cases of Collaboration with Players Outside the Industry in the Development of Original Robot Animations', so I covered one of them, ' Possibilities of Social Media Created by Anime '. rice field.

Hiroshi Yamamoto, an animation director, took the stage as a guest at this symposium and talked about animation and social media based on his own experiences.

Anime Next Generation Business Symposium 'Possibilities of Social Media Created by Anime' | Tokyo International Anime Fair 2013
https://www.tokyoanime.jp/office/public/symposium_detail_en/13

Moderator Hiroaki Takeuchi and guest director Hiroshi Yamamoto.

Mr. Takeuchi is the founder of Comics Wave (currently Comics Wave Film), which manages director

Makoto Shinkai , and the video production company Sync. increase.

On the other hand, Yamamoto directed animation works such as '

Lucky Star ', ' Kannagi ', ' Fractal ', and also directed the live-action movie ' My gentle senior ', and won the 2nd TAMA Film Award for Best Emerging Director. Award winning. ``I haven't received any awards for animation, so which one is the main one and which one is the subordinate?'' had.

That is the ending of '

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya '. Director Yamamoto is in charge of the storyboards, direction, and choreography. It was the first time he worked on the direction and storyboards for the opening and ending, and Yamamoto, who originally loved idols, had a longing to make works like idol PVs, and asked if he could make a video based on dance. I was planning to do it, and I was able to make it happen. Fans who were inspired by this video imitated the choreography and uploaded the video to Nico Nico Douga and YouTube.

Haruhi Suzumiya ED-YouTube


``Dancing itself was not something new, like ``Doraemon Ondo'' and ``Arale-chan Ondo,'' said Yamamoto. Among them, 'Hare Hare Yukai' became a hit because it coincided with the time when video sites such as YouTube were growing, and the ED dance video was broadcast not only in Japan but also around the world. Analyze that it was decided to upload and share.

An example of this is Kore, a video that 'Hare Hare Yukai' is being danced in prisons in the Philippines.

Prison Dance Hare Hare Yukai-Nico Nico Douga

Director Yamamoto seems to have felt that 'there was a response when the first episode was broadcast.' In 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya', the number of broadcast episodes is dared to be shuffled differently from the time series that should be broadcast, and the first episode is not the main story, but an independent movie made by Haruhi and others. it was done. Naturally, many anime fans ate it, and it became a reputation that 'an outrageous anime came out'. From the creator's side, it seems that it was 'I made it so that the person who received it would receive it, so I will do it', but when the ending flowed, it became a big topic because 'this is addictive'. It has become such a movement.

Mr. Takeuchi called this type of work ' participatory animation ', in which the viewer is influenced by the work and spreads further from there.

At the same time, another type of animation directed by Yamamoto is ' Sacred Land Pilgrimage Animation '. Seichijunrei, in other words, is a “butai tanbou,” a work in which fans come to relive the places that appear in the work. That is 'Lucky Star'.

This is Yamamoto's first directorial work, and he seems to have made it by incorporating various tricks to make a noise on the net. Although there was a pilgrimage to the sacred place at the time of Haruhi, the stage was a school in Nishinomiya, so the only places to visit were the house and the school. There are also complaints.

In the case of Lucky Star

, Washinomiya Shrine in Saitama Prefecture is one of the models. When Director Yamamoto visited, the shopping street in front of the shrine was in a state similar to a shuttered street, but since the pilgrimage to the sacred place occurred in `` Lucky Star '', the people of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry began to focus on it, and they started their own Make a poster and appeal as 'Washinomiya Town of Lucky Star'. As a result of making a 'Lucky Star Mikoshi' for shrine events and having fans carry it, the number of New Year's visitors has increased by about four times. Washinomiya Shrine's Ema is full of Lucky Stars.

However, this was not what he was aiming for, and it seems that it was 'a desire for quality' that he used a place in reality. Rather than fabricating an imaginary town, it would be easier to write down a real town, and since it would be easier to create a reality, I just incorporated the location as a work request, but I was not conscious of the effect of pilgrimage to sacred places. Rather, like the example of Haruhi earlier, there was a negative reaction. In fact, in Lucky Star, Kasukabe Kyoei High School gave permission to use the exterior of the school.

Fans' pilgrimage to sacred places didn't start with Lucky Star. The reason why such pilgrimages have spread is that Yamamoto believes that it is a kind of pleasure to be able to enter into a place where fictitious characters are playing in a fictitious world. . In addition, I pointed out that the animation does not copy the reality as it is, but changes the logo mark here and there, so it is not the reality itself, so it may have a sense of a game where you can guess where it is.

Next, Director Yamamoto made 'Kannagi'. During Haruhi and Lucky Star, he asked the original author, ``Is there something you used as a model?'' However, it is said that each of them was modeled after their hometown, and in the case of this 'Kannagi',

Hanabushi Shrine in Miyagi Prefecture is also a model. After the broadcast of Kannagi, a pilgrimage to sacred places occurred, and although Washinomiya Shrine in Lucky Star was a large shrine from ancient times and had a shopping street nearby, Hanabushi Shrine's history dates back to the Heian period. Although it is an old shrine, there is no shopping street nearby, and it is geographically far from the station and quite inconvenient, so it seems that it did not become as big as Lucky Star.

When I made Kannagi, I was aiming for (a pilgrimage to a sacred place). However, while there are works that are aimed at pilgrimage to sacred places, it is also true that there are works that fail without hitting, but Director Yamamoto explains that ``There is no room for growth if you only aim for tourist spots.'' Did. This is because the pilgrimage to sacred places has the enjoyment of orienteering, such as looking for places that appear in anime. The big point is the fun of finding and discovering places that are nothing, such as schools, residential areas, and under bridges.

In the case of ordinary works, it is only shown and delivered in a one-way manner, but information is shared and accelerated by including 'participation', elements that make people want to spread it to others, a sense of games, and the joy of finding and discovering by themselves. , Takeuchi says that it will lead to a new trend.

The emergence of media in which users from all over the world, in other words critics and propagandists, can freely participate and contribute, has created a place where a wide variety of content can be gathered and created.

Regarding this 'place', Director Yamamoto, who is using Twitter etc., stabbed the nail, 'Fire marketing does not work,' because there is nothing negative. However, he said that the best thing is to be praised, the next worst thing is to be criticized, and the scariest thing is to be indifferent.

In addition, Director Yamamoto is concerned that there are places where creators are making noise in the ``place'' because of the work. Just like how I used to watch ``8 o'clock! Creators care about 'reputation' and 'trends', so the ones who make works that contain gimmicks to make a fuss win. I wonder if there is. For that reason, Director Yamamoto sometimes wants to ask, ``Do you really think this work is interesting?'' ``Do you really think it's boring?'' I think that the work is 100% that kind of work.'

'

Black Rock Shooter ' animated by Ordet led by Director Yamamoto was mentioned as an animation that fuses with social media.

This work is based on an illustration posted on pixiv by a professional named huke as a user. Until then, there was anime content and social media was reacting, but now it's time for social media to create content.

What makes Black*Rock Shooter different is not only its birth, but also the fact that it distributed DVDs attached to magazines in the anime business, which usually makes money by selling BDs and DVDs after broadcasting them on TV. Director Yamamoto described this as a 'throwback', because once the figures were sold, the anime didn't have to do anything. There was a time when anime was described as a 30-minute commercial by a toy company, and we're back to that.

Regarding this business, he said, 'I think we're entering an era where DVDs can't sell because video content is easy to copy, and video itself can't be packaged and sold. That's why we have to create other schemes. I think we're in a predicament where we can't go,' Yamamoto said clearly. In fact, the number of people who end up renting is increasing, and in overseas, simulcast subtitles are being delivered, and in China, etc., illegal delivery is being done.

However, since figures cannot be copied yet, even if you see anime for free, you have no choice but to buy it. In the case of music, this movement appears as a trend to focus on live performances and concerts. There is also a case that tens of thousands of yen are consumed while doing it.

Director Yamamoto's latest work '

Senyu. ' is also content born on social media.

This is a manga that was originally serialized in Nico Nico Seiga, but it is a type of manga that is shown in a slide show format, and it is almost animated with some sound effects and BGM. Although he was called out, he seems to have thought, 'What should I do?'

Bravery. Episode 1 'The brave departs.'-Nico Nico Douga

In the anime, the voice actors and minor cuts are added to the original work, but the basics remain the same. Director Yamamoto seems to feel that the time is coming when social media is the main one and they are subordinates.

In the anime industry, the market will continue to shrink due to the declining birthrate and aging population, and production budgets will also shrink. The market is in trouble because monetization is not going well overseas. As everything becomes free, the point is how to monetize it.

By the way, Yamamoto's latest work is '

The Miyakawa Family's Hunger '. It is an animation centered on social media that will be broadcast on Ustream.

The anime industry is undergoing drastic changes from year to year, and a few years ago, the latest episodes of TV animation could be viewed on the Internet without delay, and anime broadcasted on Ustream, which anyone can see as long as they have an Internet environment. I couldn't believe that it was coming out. It is quite difficult to predict the next few years, but the content itself may be provided free of charge, and people who are willing to pay for it may pay directly to the creator.