Spring break

Anime Battle

Concerns about “fragmentation of fans”

Speaking of spring break, the movie world is now dominated by children. Many animated films are released every year, but this year in particular brings an anime rush, with major Studios, like Toho/towa and Shochiku/Fuji joining the fray. Even Kadokawa pictures, which is making its first foray into animation, and movie theaters are booming with anime. In fact, more than 1/3 of all movie theaters in Japan will be taken over by children. This leaves no room for adults. But on the other hand, some are saying that, “this phenomenon is also the last straw for animated films,” and attention is focused on how the anime battle will unfold.

by Mitsuru Ohba

Adding character to the illustrations with original drawings

ADVANCE SALES ARE STRONG

Crusher Joe, Harmagedon, Final Yamato, etc.

It starts on the 12th

The lineup for the spring break anime battle, which kicks off on the 12th, is as shown on the table below. Among them, Crusher Joe is leading the way in terms of pre-sales buzz, meaning advanced ticket sales. As of the 9th, the figure at 14 theaters in major cities across the country was approximately 132,000 tickets. This strong pace is similar to Gundam III, which was released last year by a Shochiku and Fuji films, and earned ¥1.29 billion in box office revenue. This is expected to be a similar hit.

Set in the 2200s, Crusher Joe depicts the exploits of crushers, space-based “troubleshooters.“ Its selling point is that it is an original theatrical anime. While most anime that have gained popularity on TV are usually shown in cinemas, this work was written specifically for film.

Strong, supportive, Yasuhiko tone

Another thing: the artwork of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, who is in charge of directing, script, writing, and animation, is distinctive. Shochiku‘s publicity producer, Tetsuya Ota, said, “the characters that Yasuhiko draws have a rounded, warm quality, which is perfect for the content of a simple and straightforward action story that avoids complex themes.“ In fact, Yasuhiko was ranked first in a popularity poll of artists in an anime magazine, and he enjoys tremendous support from fans.

Kadokawa-style mass publicity

Harmagedon, the first film that sees producer Haruki Kadokawa enter the anime battle, is an adaptation of Kazumasa Hirai’s best selling novel. Advanced sales for this film are slightly lower than for Crusher Joe, but Kadokawa‘s now familiar strategy of massive TV and radio promotion just before the film’s release has been a success, resulting in a remarkable increase in sales recently. With Beat Takeshi and Senda Mitsuo using the phrase “Armageddon” in their jokes, the film is certainly becoming more widely known among the general public.

“To be honest, advanced sales, didn’t get off to a good start, but things picked up in February and it feels like we’ve broken through a wall. On the other hand, Crusher Joe has been struggling lately,“ said a confident Koji Takeuchi of Toho/Towa’s publicity department.

Selling with psychic powers

“Producer Kadokawa has felt psychic powers since he was 18, and changed the ocean tides as a child.”

“Voice actress Mami Koyama saw an aura (energy emanating from the body due to psychic powers) appear behind her while she was recording.”

“Singer Rosemary Butler began to sense spirits after she began singing the theme song.”

“A major earthquake occurred on the 17th of last month, the day an event for the film was held.“

And so on. It’s a very lively list, and in short, they’re saying that Harmagedon is a film with psychic powers.

Cold reality

This is also an original work for film, but in contrast to Crusher Joe, the illustrations by character designer Katsuhiro Otomo and other others are cold and realistic.

This is really the end

The film that will be taking on the challenge of these newcomers is Space Battleship Yamato, The Final Chapter. 10 years have passed since this series first aired on television, and this will be the fourth film to be released in theaters. The second film, Farewell to Yamato, was previously released under the tagline “this is the last time,“ and became the biggest hit in anime history, earning ¥2.1 billion in box office revenue. The Final Chapter will be the true finale.

Producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki said, “I don’t feel any rivalry with the other two works. I don’t think we’ll lose. There’s been a lot of anime being produced over the past two years, so I’d like them to raise the standard of their theatrical anime,” the pioneer said with confidence.

However, he also said, “I’m actually happy that after 10 years I’m able to move on from Yamato,” and it appears his mind is already set on his next goal, a live-action film.

Two people finally united

Of course, The Final Chapter has a twist worthy of a finale. At the end of the film, there is a love scene in which the main characters, Susumu Kodai and Yuki Mori, confirm their love for each other in the nude. Since the start of the series, the two have been in love and connected in spirit, but this is the first time they will be connected physically. And even young fans will be surprised by the sensual love scene, even though it is an anime.

In addition, Toho films such as Doraemon, Toei films such as Aesop’s fables, and Disney films such as Bambi are also included, but these are a measurable films with a stable, loyal fan based among children. The focus remains on the three-way battle between Crusher Joe, Harmagedon, and Final Yamato.

Where are the adults going?

As you can see from the separate table, there are 801 theaters showing anime during spring break. With the total number of movie theaters in Japan being around 2300, one in three theaters is showing anime, making it a huge success. Furthermore, there are only about 1,000 theaters showing first-run movies, leaving just under 200 theaters that are not showing anime. This means adult movie lovers have no choice but to go to art house theaters.

However, some believe that this year will be a critical moment for the anime boom. Nippon Sunrise, the company that produced Crusher Joe and the Gundam series, has decided to focus on television, and this will be the last time we see Space Battleship Yamato, which created an era of anime.

You can’t beat a western blockbuster

This summer’s anime releases have been dominated by major western films, such as Return of the Jedi, and the only ones confirmed for screening are Disney films, Pinocchio and Dumbo.

The “over-production“ of anime works naturally leads to a fragmentation of fans, and now it seems unlikely that a major hit like Space Battleship Yamato will be made again. Although the box office risk is less than that of live-action films, depending on the results of the spring break battle, the anime film industry may be forced to undergo a major transformation.

For established fans

The industry is keeping a close eye on the results of this mobilization

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