Demon Slayer Changed the Way Pierrot Approaches Anime, Says CEO
The creators of Boruto: Naruto Next Generation and Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War changed their method thanks to the Demon Slayer Corps.
Studio Pierrot threw a curveball at anime fans when it announced that it would no longer be creating endless series releasing on a weekly schedule. This tactic was most infamously used for the Naruto franchise, as Pierrot would routinely create "filler" to help pad out the source material. In working on franchises such as Boruto, Bleach, and Black Clover, a new interview has surfaced from Pierrot's president describing how Demon Slayer and Ufotable changed the game for both the studio and the anime world.
Pierrot President, Michiyuki Honma, described in a new interview how the Demon Slayer Corps helped to influence Studio Pierrot's future, "I think Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba was a major turning point for the anime industry. It was a high-quality work that took a lot of time and a generous budget to make and it was a big hit when it aired, attracting people from a wide range of age groups. I watched it. Before and after Demon Slayer was announced, I really felt that we had to change the way we create things. Furthermore, other studios were releasing high-quality works on a similar scale and in Japan there was an environment where these could be watched on commercial television."
Pierrot's Massive Demon Slayer Inspired Change
Honma then confirmed that they are aiming to create more anime projects that aren't "a long-running work", "I think it's definitely great to make one long-running work like Pierrot has done in the past. At the same time, the large budget and running costs entail a big risk. But can we compete with works made in this new way using the same production methods as before? It would probably damage the brand. We don't want to lose. Both Pierrot and I want to be number one. With that in mind, when we made Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War, the entire company took on the task of making a new anime."
With regards to Studio Pierrot's future, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War's third batch of episodes is slated to arrive this year. When it comes to the world of Black Clover and Boruto, Pierrot has been tight-lipped as to when we will see the son of the Seventh Hokage and Asa make their returns to the small screen.
Do you think Pierrot's new strategy is the way to go for all anime studios? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Pierrot.
