“Why Manga Doesn’t Sell Overseas”
- Categories: Manga, News
- Date: Oct 11, 2009 02:17 JST
- Tags: Business, Events, Interviews, Marketing, Naruto, Square Enix, Translation, USA
The head of Square Enix’s anime and manga publishing arm, 田口浩司 / Kouji Taguchi, responsible for producing such anime as Saki and Full Metal Alchemist, has given what he sees as the reasons why manga sales in the US are still dwarfed by Japanese sales.
Speaking in an interview given at the recent “CoFesta” (Japan International Contents Festival), he had this to say:
The best sellers in the US were Full Metal Alchemist and Naruto, but these only sold a tenth to a twentieth of what they sold in Japan.
I think the main reasons are as follows:
1. Fewer copies are printed and those that are get sold at a much higher price, from $8.99 to $12.99.
2. Children don’t get as much money, their allowances are just smaller.
3. The other reason is location. If you live in Tokyo there will be 3 bookshops nearby, which you can easily cycle to. In the US there aren’t any, they can only buy on a weekly trip to the mall. Even if anime is highly popular, they just don’t visit the stores to buy manga often.
It is interesting that he would (quite sensibly) cite pricing and distribution as the key factors holding down sales, rather than focus on the supposed tastes of Japanese audiences versus international ones.
The success of franchises such as Pokémon in the US seems to demonstrate mass market acceptance is more a question of marketing than of content issues, and presumably the same generalisations hold true of the other major markets.
He mentions digital distribution may be the way forward:
Publishers such as Shueisha, Kodansha, Shogakukan and Kadokawa are setting up a digital platform on the PSP for distributing manga.
In Japan the prices are cheap and there are many stores, so I don’t think it will catch on.
But in the US, the prices will be reasonable and there are no stores, so I think maybe customers will like it.
Similar schemes exist for the iPhone/iPod, but Apple’s notoriously restrictive content censorship and the lack of involvement from Japanese publishers probably make this platform less appealing.
He also mentions that overseas phones simply do not yet have the features to properly handle manga; in Japan this form of distribution has been growing rapidly.
| 
Top 20 Hunkiest Pokemon
Wagamama High Spec Hot Indeed
Mayoiga Full of Mystery
The Empire of Corpses Gorily Grim
One Piece: Burning Blood Total Bikini Madness
Bakuon!! Wild & Rough
Milky Mimi Ero-Figure Deliciously Creamy
Dead or Alive Ero-SFM Doubly Dirty
Flying Witch “Cute But Boring…”
Phantasy Star Online 2 Phantastic: “What About the West!?”
Shounen Maid “A Fujoshi Delight”
Terra Formars Live Action Web Drama Announced
Dragon Quest Heroes II Quite Monstrous
KumaMiko Lovingly Innocent
Aqua Onahole Parody Hopefully Moist
A-Size Classmate Profusely Petite
One Day With Maria Raunchy & Romantic
The Reject Demon: Toko Chapter 0 Raises Its Voice
Hai-Furi in Troubled Waters
Kasumigaoka Utaha Cosplay Pretty Pure
Goddess of 2ch “Another Bathing Beauty!”
Tantalizing Hestia Cosplay Busts Out
Kashiwazaki Sena Cosplay Pure & Innocent
Minami Kotori Casino Girl Cosplay Takes No Chances
Shimakaze Cosplay by Ema Sakura
Harley Quinn Cosplay by Miyuko Colorfully Crazy
Sonico Ero-Cosplay by Yuka Hoshikage Super Sexy
Kasugano Sora Bunny Girl Cosplay Absolutely Admirable
Goddess of 2ch: “Barely Legal Beauty!”
What a disgusting picture. Regardless, the points are true. If I had more spending money, and I could reach a store that sells them without having to drive for 10 minutes, or walk for 40, I'd be buying more.
What a great picture, go back to your loli with no tits.
With pleasure.
faggot
Homophobe.
Resides being a faggot you are also a WHINER....
Homophobe? Where you got that word? Go back to Castro Street to keep pee sitting and sticking a Wiimote deep into your ass.
Besides, not "resides". Excuse me FAGGOT.
^ kill yourself please
Are these anons all just the same person arguing with himself?
loli's and big breast's are heaven.
bipolar eh...
loli > tits.
disgusting
DFC beats monster tits any day
Any beautiful girl between 15 to 35 is FTW!!
C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-COOMMBOOOO BREAKKERR!!!
slash it open and let the silicon fall out
XD Loli FTW
its OVER 10000:P
DFC AND REASONABLE SIZED TITS WITH OUT THAT BLUE VEIN VISIBLE BECAUSE THAT IS SLIGHTLY DISTURBING FTW
Surgically remove the silicone implants from a woman and there... you have some DFC.
Next!
Who needs lolis when you have big boobs?
If they are willing to confine the ban to lolis ONLY, I am actually behind the ban. WAIT TILL THEY ARE 18, DAMNIT!
age doesn't matter to loli
loli > age
Icy-nee-san, why don't like the blue vein? I think it is interesting to see pale tits from time to time.
15 to 35?
too old.
do not want.
9-14 ftw!
just asking but, how did this get into an argument between weather Lolis are attractive or not?
in all honesty I'd prefer to see you guys continue fighting because it entertains me but, i REALLY need to know why your fighting
Because the pic is digusting......
Oversized tits are an eyesore and need to be reduced.
Acceptable ones which are vaguely proportional are great..
Proportional Tits = Sure why not..
Sandbag Tits = GTFO
Lolis = Mmmm..... Nom Nom.
I love flat chested women.
With Dicks!
Will you people just SHUT THE HELL UP!!! Nobody cares about your sexual preferences, and arguing about it just makes you seem like internet introverts with no life. Keep your ideas about breasts to yourself. The rest of use would like to remain sane.
Internet- the only place where you can admit to fapping to underaged girls withouth getting funny looks.
Anon fags are fags xD Everyone let's go feed the trolls xD
I agree, those breasts are huge, and disgusting... they're too big.
Everything over C is overkill. Down with bakunyuu, moar tsurupettan.
Fuck that. Go back to your little boys' chests.
No need to fight over boobs, it's all up to personal taste.
I like little boys' chests.
everything over B is cowtits.
anything between A and D is worthless.
Any beautiful girl between 15 to 35 is FTW~!!
Its all about C's
C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-COOMMBOOO BREAKKKERR!!!!
Is it okay to like both?
no, faggot
^Yes, faggot.
gigity gigity goo!!!
^ Family Guy sucks.
Watch something that's funny.
Each breast is about 1.5 the size of their heads, if not larger! While I won't say 'disgusting', I certainly wouldn't call someone who is turned off by it a flat out Loli lover (though, it's totally possible, perhaps, even probable on here) because the size of the breasts are grotesque.
I don't totally understand the obsession with breasts (I know I for one would love to have smaller breasts, the fucking things are heavy!) but to me, if they're so large your hand just kinda sinks in and gets lost, what's the point? Breasts are pretty much bags of fat that produce milk. More than a hand full strikes me as a waste.
Big breasts = paizuri, which is quite a nice experience for a guy.
Then there's an issue that for a certain segment of women, their larger breasts are also more sensitive. Greater skin surface equating to more sensory nodes that can be stimulated by a proficient partner. Thus leading to greater arousal levels.
Which subsequently make it easier to go for the big O.
its fat building up under the skin and stretching it further out.(I really didn't intend for that to sound bad.) Because only the fat increases there should still be the same number of nodes which makes for less sensitive breasts. Don't get me wrong, I think breast must be flat or huge, never inbetween.
"More than a hand full strikes me as a waste."
I dunno, I think Rachmaninoff might appreciate those massive mammaries.
Agree with Anon 07:04: don't know why but women with smaller breast seems to enjoy sex less than women with larger breast. I don't know the science behind that but it has happened with all the women I had intercourse (like 20, so far).
Not really... Since their breasts are fake they prefer faking everything else to, joy and orgasmn at sex included.
BIG O! SHOW TIME!
Oh Ayu you are so wrong. How can you "fake" vaginal contractions? Don't be such a bitch. Or are you one of those flat chested has who can't enjoy intercourse? You seem bitter, maybe is because of that...
You don't know much about the female body, don't you? Guess what you can use the muscles down there for... Besides that, there are billion guides existing that are about how to fake certain things at sex.
I like the picture too!
That picture is horrible Cleavage breast tumors horrible that's the reason that I can't stand Linda's blue Naruto art it has nothing to do with loli's.
At least for me it doesn't...
I'll tell you why it doesn't sell the reason is the price but more so Americans are use to comics with colors. The increased price over a comic would suggest this however they are the same price but comics are usually in color. So it doesn't seem to be worth the price.
I think the picture is hot. and loli's moe too.
Yeah that's rignt, I swing both ways... mwahahahaha
Meet a girl basement dweller...
Why, you faggot? Go worship your feminazis and leave me alone =D
You're gay!
And?
A sodomite!
What else?
so we anonymous are...?
i LOL'ed
* Accessibility
* Selection
* Price
In the U.S. city where I live, there is a Borders, and a major bookstore within walking distance of central downtown. I'm frequently in central downtown, so it's no big deal to walk to those stores.
But, the selection is quite small.
There's a Japanese mini-bookstore about a 15-minute drive from home which has a somewhat larger selection.
There's a small comic store downtown with virtually no manga.
There are somewhat larger comic stores spread across the metropolitan area, and a HUGE comic store somewhere I've forgotten, but these stores all carry American "graphic novels", and no manga.
Pricewise... I can get an English-language version of Yotsubato! for US$10.99 at Borders. This book was printed and bound in Canada, and shipped down to the US.
At the Japanese bookstore, I can get a Japanese-language version of Yotsubato! for US$9.60. That book was printed and bound in Japan, and shipped halfway 'round the world to the US. And, it's *still* cheaper than the relatively locally-produced version. Is the price of goods and labor cheaper in Japan than in Canada? I don't think so.
That same Japanese-language version of Yotsubato! is priced at 600 Yen in Japan.
Do remember that things like licensing must be paid to the originating company.
There's also the age old balance of "how far can we press the price while still maximizing sales?"
I bet a lot of those mangas are printed in china, which should cost like 1$ at most include shipping + distribution to japan.
Licensing isn't per unit, it's per product, the licensing of manga can't be that expensive that it adds $4 or $5 to the final price of every unit, they're just being greedy.
Also the costs of translating this kind of material is as low as it comes... Translators fall over themselves to get this kind of work, so it is cheap.
I am saying this as an American, no matter how cheap it is to go through the additional processes for the product you must increase the price of said produce.
A company charges for providing the service even if it was free to them. it only cost a couple of cents to make and distribute a bottle of soda but they multiply that price by more than 20 when they sell it.
american companies are looking at maximizing profit rather than pumping up sales figures. most likely they researched and figured that decreasing price per unit will not increase overall profit. those that are willing to pay for manga are already buying them at that price, those that aren't are downloading for free and will continue to do so regardless.
1. Licensing advance is per product. But we pay royalties for each copy sold on top of that.
2. Japanese manga enjoy economy of scale. The more units that are printed, the cheaper each unit becomes.
3. Aside from the smaller *paying* manga reader base in American, US tax laws regarding inventory is extremely unfriendly to small to medium-sized book publishers. Print runs are set at what the publisher expects to sell with a span of 6 months, not lifetime sales, reducing economy of scale further.
4. Printing in Asia, then shipping the books by freight across the Pacific Ocean, is indeed *CHEAPER* than just printing in the United States or Canada. Higher quality, too.
Oops, forgot this one...
5. Japanese publishers can expect wholesale price of 50~60% or cover price. In America, the typical wholesale price is 30~40% of cover price.
You need to consider licensing, and money paid to your publishers to hire staff to translate the works. Especially when it comes to English translation. Its quite tough.
In my country, manga can be bought in three languages. English, Mandarin and Japanese.
Usually, the Mandarin versions are the cheapest, especially the locally produced version. Japanese (import) can be twice the cost while a locally produced English version can cost about three times the cost for a locally produced Mandarin version.
Well the many benefits of living in a congested closed in country I guess. The only preventing me from getting more manga in Singapore is the bookshops are not 24hrs :/
Lol, I'm surprised it's that bad in the US. I thought I'd be much easier to get ahold of manga there than here in Europe. Here in Norway(keep in mind that Norway is a small country by your standards) there's a store called Outland in every big Norwegian City in the south half of the country, and 2 in the capital, Oslo. They have a decent selection of manga, with prices roughly from 7.99-10.99 $(I think. I might be wrong about my currency calculation).
I was way off on the prices, sorry. Shonen Jump and Shonen Jump Advanced, TokyoPop, and Del-Rey constitute the majority of published manga works here, and they usually go for 70kr, 99kr, and 110kr, respectfully, which in dollars would be 12.4$, 17.6$, and 19.5$ respectfully. Atleast we have a decent selection though,and it's not hard to get to the shops if you live in any of the bigger cities. Trondheim, Bergen, Stavanger, Kristiansand or Olso.
I would buy more manga, but it costs so bloody much. I mean for christs sake, I saw Gantz in a bookstore, saw the price and almost dropped the book. 15 dollars canadian for the godamn thing. As opposed to another one (I don't remember which) being 8.99, AND being a larger volume. My other problem is the bookstore I live by has rearranged the shelves, no less then 4 times. Each time, the manga section gets smaller. There were 3 sections to start, then 2, and now one. The kicker, is that the way the manga was sorted, had a childrens, a younger teen, and an older teen/adult section. The only problem was, stuff like Girls Bravo was being sorted into the kids section. Whoops. I would order what I want online but that is so incredibly annoying.
Mass production is one reason. Most manga in Japan are printed in numbers 100 to 1000+ times the entire US sales, leading to greatly reduced printing costs. And the publishers also have very efficient distribution systems due to the sheer mass of product they move. Unsold manga are returned to the publisher for future sales, not trashed as in the American system. The cost of producing the original material is amortized in the magazine sales, too.
And you can stand to have a much narrower profit margin when you're printing 100,000 copies than when you're printing 5,000.
As far as ease of purchase goes, maybe it has an effect, but when Amazon Prime costs $75 a year and gives you unlimited free 2-day shipping on all purchases, it seems a weak argument.
that's why publishers shouldn't calculate their projected sales volumes based on maximum roi, but by considering the development of the market.
what taguchi said applies to almost any product. if you market it right, people will buy your brand, even if the quality is inferior. look at the iphone: it has had many drawbacks compared to other phones, but people buy it no matter what. simply because it says "apple" on the package and because apple played their marketing game right. even microsoft has learned their lesson. windows vista was a disaster, because of the many shortcomings and annoyances to the average user. 7 will be a huge success, even though it's not such a big step up from vista.
the main difference to the japanese market is that it has developed well since the 60ies, while manga was virtually unknown in the western markets. which is understandable, since the western countries have their own kind of comics. as a publisher, i'd have put my focus on supporting the local production instead of depending on import, too.
american comics have made it to the european market, some european comic artists are known well on the japanese market, but the synergies are quite one-sided. to balance out, publishers must think more about marketing two-way instead of purely focusing on one type of comic. the buyers will not come by themselves, except for the hardcore fans.
Here in Japan, Amazon Prime costs less than $40 a year and gives you unlimited same-day shipping on all purchases, for most of the four islands.
the main reason should be onemanga.com
I like to buy my manga and support US sales so we actually get nice things. Then I talk to my friends and they all say they just read it online, and complain when the next chapter isn't updated. Every one wants everything for free, then bitch and complain when can't have it now. I'm in despair! This self centered world has left me in despair!
I love the picture tag. "Holy Manga Trinity"
I recognize the bitch from One Piece, the bitch from Naruto (who happens to actually have bit tities) but I don't know who is the last bitch on the right...
thats the bitch of bleach
naw that aint her the bitch from bleach got the black thing on the right side of her face not the left
Ever consider that the artist might've made a mistake?
Because facially that does appear to be Rangiku on the right, Tsunade in the middle and Nami on the left.
Hmmm.. The Maiden, the Mother and the Crone?
Considering that as a Shinigami, Rangiku is even older than Tsunade is, and she's already in her 50s.
None of them are lolies!
Agree, those tits are just, too big, like Eiken big.
As for manga, I just buy $200 dollars worth of used manga when I do my yearly trip to Japan. $2 each and a much wider selection then book stores which only sell manga from the last decade.
Your all a bunch of psychos
and you are emo... and gay.
...and furry
Thanks for disproving me
I couldn't agree more, Unellmay. Why don't you people do something with yourselves besides being pedophiles and masturbating at your PC?
If you go to either borders or barnes and noble you always see a horde of kids reading the manga because it's not plastic wrapped and the price I think really do prohibits a lot of people from buying.
If say a regular paper back novel is 6 or 7 US. the story for a arc or so is usually only one or sometime longer ones are 4 or 5 book max..
but manga sells for 9.99 and in order to see the whole story it's probably at least 100 or so for most series and their speed which it gets published is pretty slow so there isn't a lot of people buying it. When they can see it online too.
It gets published faster in the US than in Japan at first, then at exactly the same speed once the series catches up, so that argument doesn't fly.
Your key point is about reading it online. Translated: "Why pay when you can get it for free?" And that's the real problem for the US publishers.
Well, there's that, but also the looks I get from parents and the sales clerks when I wander into the "teens" section of the bookstore to pick out loli manga.
Have you tried riding a bike?
Disgusting??? I must agree, not that I don't like big breast but I at least have some standard.
A 10 minute drive is nothing really, the only small manga shop I know around the area is 40 minutes by car and doesn't stock all that much variety.
I think these issues brought forward are pretty much the key.
One thing he forgets though is the time it seems to take to translate and publish a new volume.
Are you really that lazy?
Yes