💸 The Harsh Truth: Why Being an Otaku Abroad Costs So Much More

The Best Anime Here

Why is being an otaku outside of Japan so expensive? In this video, we explore the real reasons behind the high cost of anime, manga, figures, Blu-rays, and merchandise around the world. From licensing fees to import taxes, distribution problems, piracy concerns, and the global demand for Japanese pop culture—we break down the full economic picture behind the rising prices fans face today.  Whether you're an anime collector, a manga reader, or simply a curious fan, this video explains how the international market works and why living the otaku lifestyle is so different (and often pricier) outside Japan.     SOCIAL MEDIA:  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebestanimehere0 Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThesAnime FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBestAnimeHere/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_best_anime_here_xd/ Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/thebestanimehere

Transcript

00:00Many anime and manga fans have noticed that products are significantly more expensive outside Japan.

00:06For example, a manga volume that costs around 390 yen to 500 yen, 3 euros to 4 euros,

00:14in Japan can cost 8 euros to 10 euros in Spain or the United States.

00:19Let's take a look at why this happens and what implications it has.

00:23In Japan, it is common to find manga at incredible prices.

00:27For example, at the secondhand chain book-off, there are giant volumes, as seen in the image,

00:33for only 105 yen each, about 70 cents.

00:36In addition, 24-hour convenience stores, Konbini, often offer manga to read for free, write image.

00:44These habits illustrate that manga is distributed in Japan at low cost.

00:49According to the blog Ungeek in Japan, a new volume usually sells for 390 yen.

00:55One user even calculates that buying the 65 volumes of Naruto would cost only about 180 euros in Japan,

01:03compared to almost 500 euros in Spain.

01:06Outside Japan, however, the same volumes cost much more.

01:10Why?

01:11There are several key factors.

01:13Foreign publishers must purchase the rights from a Japanese author and publisher,

01:18which raises the base cost.

01:20Adapting manga into another language makes the product more expensive.

01:24Translating and laying out a volume is no trivial task,

01:28which is why an English or Spanish version usually has a similar price to that in Spain,

01:34well above the original Japanese.

01:36In Japan, huge print runs are produced, for example.

01:40One Piece sells millions of copies, which lowers the unit cost.

01:44In small markets, Spain, USA, print runs are limited,

01:49which increases the price of each copy.

01:51As one comment points out,

01:53publishing a small number of copies for a market of 40 million people

01:56is much more expensive per unit.

01:59Cultural VAT, 10% in Spain, for example,

02:03and distributor and publisher margins also add to the final price.

02:07Each intermediary wants to make a profit,

02:10and a consumer, us, is made aware of this through higher prices.

02:15Comments from fans confirm that

02:16translating manga is no easy task,

02:20which is why it makes the product so expensive,

02:22and that factors such as copyright,

02:24limited print runs,

02:25and VAT mean that outside Japan,

02:28we are ripped off with much higher prices.

02:31In other words,

02:32you pay more and get less

02:34an expensive volume,

02:36late releases,

02:37fewer editions available.

02:38In Japan,

02:39the local success of a manga

02:41or anime largely determines its fate.

02:44For example,

02:45in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine,

02:47readers send in weekly surveys

02:49by mail,

02:51indicating their three favorite series.

02:53The results of these surveys

02:55determine the order of the series in the magazine.

02:58The most voted go at the beginning

02:59and the least voted go at the end.

03:01As one fan guide explains,

03:04manga are arranged according to their popularity.

03:07Thanks to these surveys,

03:08the most popular ones appear at the front

03:10and the least popular ones at the back.

03:12If a series spends a long time

03:14in the lower positions,

03:15the dreaded bottom five,

03:17it runs the risk

03:18of being cancelled prematurely.

03:20It is even said

03:21that publishers consider this popularity

03:23when deciding whether a manga

03:25will be adapted into an anime.

03:27In fact,

03:28one editor comments that

03:29in addition to ordering the magazine,

03:31they also take the votes into account

03:33when deciding

03:34whether to keep or cancel a series

03:36and even for the possibility

03:38of making an anime.

03:40In other words,

03:40in Japan,

03:41Japanese readers themselves

03:43vote indirectly

03:44with their purchases and polls

03:46and that guides

03:47the creative decisions

03:48of the industry.

03:50Outside Japan,

03:51however,

03:52there is no equivalent

03:53official mechanism.

03:55It is true

03:55that there are international polls,

03:57for example,

03:58Crunchyrolls anime awards

03:59or social media voting,

04:01but these do not influence

04:02Japanese committees.

04:04As another fan comments,

04:05English-speaking readers

04:06can participate in Twitter polls.

04:08The Shonen Jump News

04:10unofficial account

04:11or the Josunurseka poll

04:12on Reddit.

04:13But there is no official system

04:15that studios take into account.

04:17In short,

04:18the Japanese industry

04:19focuses on popularity data

04:21from within its own country

04:22and the voices of foreign fans

04:24tend to be merely anecdotal.

04:26By not relying on global preferences,

04:29creators maintain the integrity

04:30of their work

04:31according to the local market.

04:33They don't have to give in

04:34to external fads

04:36or sensibilities

04:37that could dilute

04:38the original content.

04:40This can prevent

04:40cultural censorship

04:41intended for other countries

04:43from being imposed.

04:45For global fans,

04:46this can feel unfair.

04:48We pay for more expensive licenses,

04:50complain about local changes

04:52or censorship,

04:53and in the end,

04:54we see that our voice

04:55does not move

04:57the creative needle.

04:58Furthermore,

04:59series that are successful

05:00outside of Japan

05:01are not always exploited

05:03or a license late

05:05because they do not count

05:06in the initial decisions.

05:08There is even discussion

05:09in the community

05:10about a specific case.

05:12It is rumored

05:12that the manga

05:13Ayuno Musum

05:14to shite

05:15Amrekwada Ayua

05:16Fututabi,

05:17the hero's daughter,

05:19was canceled in part

05:20due to its poor performance

05:21in the U.S.

05:22English-speaking readers

05:23did not support the polls.

05:25Although there is

05:26no official confirmation,

05:28it would be an example

05:28of how international influence

05:31can be perceived

05:32in the fate of a work.

05:34The summer Hikaru died,

05:35Netflix,

05:362024,

05:37the official Spanish dubbing

05:39was heavily criticized

05:40for diluting

05:41the implied homosexual romance.

05:44Original phrases

05:44such as,

05:45I can't stop loving you

05:47were translated

05:48as I like you.

05:49This change,

05:50which did not occur

05:51in the English

05:52or Catalan versions,

05:54sparked a debate

05:54about how localization

05:56can change the meaning

05:57of the story.

05:58Gakiakura,

05:59Crunchyroll,

06:002025,

06:01this successful

06:02shounen anime

06:03directed by Crunchyroll

06:05underwent a controversial edit.

06:07In the original manga,

06:08the protagonist

06:09raises his middle finger

06:10at the villains,

06:11but in the anime,

06:12it was changed

06:13to a thumbs down

06:14to avoid family broadcast issues.

06:17It airs during

06:17children's viewing hours.

06:19Many fans feel

06:20that this censored

06:21the character's rebelliousness

06:22and reduced

06:23the power of the scene.

06:24Texas Law SB20,

06:262025,

06:28this is not a series,

06:29but it is a legal example

06:30of censorship

06:31that concerns otakus.

06:34This U.S. law criminalizes

06:36obscene visual material

06:38involving minors,

06:39including cartoons

06:40or AI-generated images.

06:43In theory,

06:44many anime illustrations

06:45depicting youthful-looking characters

06:47could be interpreted

06:48as illegal in Texas.

06:50The emergence of such laws

06:51outside Japan

06:52underscores

06:53how foreign sensibilities

06:54can indirectly affect anime

06:56if works have to adapt

06:58to these regulations,

07:00although today,

07:00the Japanese industry

07:01does not even

07:02take them into account.

07:04Ultimately,

07:05the experience of being

07:06an otaku outside Japan

07:08has contradictory aspects.

07:10On the one hand,

07:11the logic of the Japanese market,

07:13large-scale,

07:14local voting,

07:16fewer intermediaries,

07:17keeps prices low

07:18and preserves

07:19the authentic touch

07:20of the works.

07:21On the other hand,

07:23international fans

07:23sometimes feel excluded.

07:26We pay more

07:26for the same products,

07:28suffer delays

07:28and local censorship,

07:30and our surveys

07:31change nothing.

07:32This is frustrating,

07:34but is also the reality

07:35of the global manga

07:36and anime market.

07:38Is it bad that foreign voices

07:39don't decide

07:40what gets licensed

07:41or adapted?

07:43It's an open question.

07:44In an ideal world,

07:45there would be a balance

07:46between the two.

07:47Global success

07:48would count

07:49to avoid surprises

07:50such as the cancellation

07:52of titles popular

07:53with international fans,

07:54and at the same time,

07:56the author's original vision

07:57would be respected.

07:58For now,

07:59the balance is tipped

08:00towards Japan.

08:02Japanese studios

08:03and publishers

08:03continue to be guided

08:04by their own audience

08:06and their own criteria.

08:07This may prevent

08:08unwanted external interference,

08:11but it also means

08:12that otaku outside Japan

08:13continue to pay more

08:15and get less in return.

08:16The final answer

08:17is up to each fan

08:18to decide.

08:19Weighing whether

08:20this model protects

08:21the original art

08:22or simply leaves

08:23global fans behind.

08:24This model protects

08:26the original art

08:26or simply leaves

08:27global fans behind.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended