Everyone loves a comeback story, and Japan is no different, as the nation’s Association of Corporate Executives wants to give canceled manga series a new lease of life. The biggest anime of modern times, i.e., One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Demon Slayer, are all adaptations of wildly popular manga. But, occasionally, an underrated manga slips through the cracks and its anime adaptation becomes a breakout hit. That’s exactly what the J.A.C.E. aims to achieve with its new manga-saving initiative.
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The new initiative comes as part of the association’s plan to support and increase the rate of growth of Japan’s content industry. But the proposition comes with a major spin. Canceled manga won’t just be chosen at random. In fact, fans can have their say about which shows should be given their own redemption arcs in a truly meta sense.
Anime Fans Can Save Failed Manga
The full plans were revealed in an official proposal from the Japan Association of Corporate Executives. The plan is broken down into distinct phases. First, fans will gather on social media to vote for which shelved pre-productions and canceled manga they want to see turned into anime. The votes are then tallied, and the favorites are greenlit for a short anime film.
The short films that are the most successful will then be toured around the film festival circuit. The shorts that prove successful at film festivals and garner enough accolades, praise, and awards will be greenlit for full-length anime adaptations.
This doesn’t guarantee the project will make it through to release, as a project proposal would still need to be created, funding secured, and a production team established to make the anime. As for the funding, this would come from a mixture of business partners, government support, and fan donations. The plans haven’t formally been accepted and implemented yet, as there are still several stages of procedure they have to go through before being formally approved.
As well as saving failed manga, the plans also discussed other key issues with the anime industry, including working conditions and wages, the use of AI, better training for animators, and increased efforts to counteract overseas piracy.
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Why This Is a Good Thing (Kind Of)
So, what does this actually mean for anime fans? Firstly, in an industry that is still very self-contained within Japan, it gives international fans more agency to decide what kind of shows they want to see. It also gives fans of said canceled manga series a chance to make their voices heard in a bid to save the series. Every long-time manga reader can think of at least one series that was canceled prematurely, or where the author was forced to wrap up the story way too early.
However, just because a manga receives an anime adaptation, it doesn’t mean it will be successful. How many new anime do you watch each season? Most people pick three or four new/returning shows to get lost in. But some seasons come with over 40 new shows, not to mention new movies and OVAs. It takes a lot for an anime to stand out amongst the crowd, and that usually stems from a successful manga or a beloved creator.
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