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Japacon TV is a show that introduces Japanese subcultures such as anime and Vocaloid and broadcasts at 12 p.m. every Friday on the Japanese satellite broadcast channel BS Fuji. This episode is titled “Dream Collaborations Between Anime and Commercials?! The Frontlines of the Anime Advertisement Business.” It is themed after collaborations between anime production companies, creators, and the commercial industry. In this first part, we will introduce the history and trends of commercials that utilize animation.
In Japan, animation and anime characters are frequently utilized in TV commercials by a variety of businesses. This goes back more than 50 years. Even in recent years, commercials for the live-action versions of Doraemon and Attack on Titan have obtained high favorability rankings. Whether today or 50 years ago, animation and commercials go hand in hand in Japan.
Such animated commercials can be divided into four genres: “original company mascot character types,” “tie-in types” that advertise products and movies that tie in with anime works, “parody types” in which anime characters are appointed as TV personalities, and “collaboration types” that collaborate businesses and creators.
During the ‘50s–‘70s, “company mascot types” in which companies created commercials using original anime reigned supreme. After that, those who saw anime as children during the “Anime Genesis Period” grew up, and in the ‘80s–’90s there was a sudden explosion of “parody types.” Then, in and after the ‘00s, “collaboration types” became quite large in addition to “parody types.” So what in the world caused this change?
Check out the program for the answer!
This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.
