Viz interview about anime

[Yukino Miyazawa]

In Part 3 of ICv2's interview with Viz's Liza Coppola, they discuss anime and shoujo.

Switching over to anime, how do you evaluate its status in the U.S. this year?

This year we had some really great properties. We worked with Pokemon USA for the Pokemon movies, and that did very well for us. Then we also had the first Naruto movie that came out. So the anime market for Viz is very strong. The movies are doing a little better than the episodics, but the episodics still have a pretty strong audience. It's exciting to us that we have another distribution channel through DTO (download to own). There's excitement behind Deathnote and behind the Naruto movie. I think at one point for the Pokemon movie we had six or seven different SKUs out there, because every retailer wanted something exclusive for their customers.

Naruto Uncut has been #1 for two weeks in a row on VideoScan. We've got 22 titles in the top 100 for the week, so we're definitely hitting our stride with the anime titles.

The last time we talked about anime, we talked about shojo anime and the struggles to get it on television in the States. Has anything changed in that regard in the last year and a half?

Shojo is a topic that everybody kind of dances around. We know there's an audience out there, but we just don't know how to tap into it. We have a task force for shojo internally. We're doing a big evaluation in terms of what exactly is the definition of shojo--is it tweens, is it older girl volumes (which is what Shojo Beat targets)? Shojo is so broad that I think that's part of the problem, that people say shojo, but you don't know exactly what that target audience is. But it's definitely a priority for us.

We've got Shojo Beat magazine that's doing really well -- we just celebrated the second anniversary. It's definitely something we're focusing on, I think it's something that we really have to sit down and look at and really define what audience are we going after. Is it the tweens or is it the older teen girls?

I guess they're still confused about what to do with shoujo anime.

[The Pirate Queen]

I am amused by the idea of a shoujo task force. But at least they admit that they don't know how to find the shoujo audience...although it disturbs me that they don't even know who that audience is - I mean, wouldn't that depend on the show? I wouldn't try to market Nana to the same crowd I would market Full Moon to.

[Lego]

Something tells me they're going to push for Honey & Clover to be on TV from that last question.

[ADC]

Originally Posted by Dani

I am amused by the idea of a shoujo task force.

I wonder if they all wear incredibly short skirts that, in defiance of all the laws of physics, don't flare up at all regardless of physical activity on the part of the occupant.

[nakimushi]

Originally Posted by Lego

Something tells me they're going to push for Honey & Clover to be on TV from that last question.

Well, they can try, but I think they will be as successful as they were with Fullmoon.

As much as absolutely love both shows (I'm buying the painstakingly slow Fullmoon releases and own the R2s of H&C), IMO there just isn't a TV market for either of them in the US.

I cannot think of single station (other than ADV's or Funimation's channels) that would show either of them.

Actually Imaginasian might broadcast them, but unfortunately I doubt that would give Viz the audience size it probably wants.

H&C obviously isn't an AS show, and I can't imagine they would be able to convince one of the cable women's networks to show it.

Can you think of a channel that would consider showing H&C?

[monkeebiz]

Originally Posted by Lego

Something tells me they're going to push for Honey & Clover to be on TV from that last question.

Forgive my confusion, but why would Honey & Clover be considered shoujo? I saw the first few episodes a long time ago, but it didn't appeal to me (hello, shoujo target audience right here) and I categorized it as a guys' show in the same way that Rumbling Hearts or Haruhi are guys' shows (i.e. guy viewers identifying strongly with the male protagonist). Maybe I need to see more episodes?

NANA could be SO big for Viz, but I don't think they know what to do with it. It needs to be on TV for sure, but the constant smoking will probably count against it there.

[something]

Naruto Uncut has been #1 for two weeks in a row on VideoScan. We've got 22 titles in the top 100 for the week, so we're definitely hitting our stride with the anime titles.

Well, Viz knows how to move the Shounen Jump stuff, I give them that much credit (though it kinda moves itself really). Glad to see Naruto doing well, even if it's far from my favorite show, though I am buying it.

Shojo is a topic that everybody kind of dances around. We know there's an audience out there, but we just don't know how to tap into it.

But clearly they still fail at shoujo. Yeah, releasing Full Moon fricking quarterly is not the way, I can tell you that much. Wake up, Viz. Blaaaaaaaah.

[something]

Originally Posted by monkeebiz

Forgive my confusion, but why would Honey & Clover be considered shoujo? I saw the first few episodes a long time ago, but it didn't appeal to me (hello, shoujo target audience right here) and I categorized it as a guys' show in the same way that Rumbling Hearts or Haruhi are guys' shows (i.e. guy viewers identifying strongly with the male protagonist). Maybe I need to see more episodes?

This may be the first time I heard someone say H&C didn't seem like shoujo

I've seen both seasons in their entirety, and I feel that it's shoujo by any definition, loose or strict.

And also, from Wiki: "In 2003, the series won the 27th Kodansha Manga Award for best sh�jo manga.[1]"

Definitely shoujo.

[The Pirate Queen]

Originally Posted by monkeebiz

Forgive my confusion, but why would Honey & Clover be considered shoujo? I saw the first few episodes a long time ago, but it didn't appeal to me (hello, shoujo target audience right here) and I categorized it as a guys' show in the same way that Rumbling Hearts or Haruhi are guys' shows (i.e. guy viewers identifying strongly with the male protagonist). Maybe I need to see more episodes?

H&C is definitely shoujo. It's also something I liked from the beginning, but LOVED by about halfway through the first season. That being said - just because you're a shoujo fan doesn't mean that every shoujo title is going to appeal to you, so while you might like it better if you saw more, don't beat yourself up if you don't love it. It's OK, you're entitled to your own opinion, horribly misguided though it may be. :neko:

[monkeebiz]

Heh heh. Okay, I think I need to see more episodes.