The alchemy of anime

Titles like Dragon Ball Z, Inuyasha or Full Metal Alchemist may be household names—or not. Whatever one's knowledge of anime, any retailer knows that anime series translate into sales of play sets, figures, video games and, well, anything kids can get their hands on!

This year, Viz Media has high expectations for Naruto, currently airing on the Cartoon Network and YTV in Canada. Zatch Bell is another. That series enters its second season complemented by collectible card games and a toy line from Mattel. Namco Bandai will develop video games for release later this year.

For older manga readers, San Francisco-based Viz has also been named the master licensor for Shonen Jump's Bleach. Card games, video games and toys are in development to be released throughout the year. An animated series is also launching this fall as part of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block.

“Anime and manga are definitely making a statement in American pop culture,” says John Easum, executive vice president, Viz Media. “From music to fashion, we're seeing quite an impact.”

Easum says that manga readership in the teen demographic is growing. Volume 9 of the Naruto graphic novel series reached No. 29 on USA Today's Top 150 list, a first for a graphic novel. And Viz has launched a new line of merchandise, including apparel, accessories and collectible figures at urban teen-and-older outlet Hot Topic, Naruto.com and other retailers. New action figures and play sets from Mattel, plus a new video game and trading cards are scheduled for release this fall. A Naruto Uncut box DVD set is also in development for release this year.

“Much of [manga and anime's growth] is also being fueled by access to content on the Internet,” Easum says. “I've been impressed with the number of online fan communities that have embraced anime and manga music soundtracks (often creating their own play lists and pod casts), and the growing number of anime and manga clubs in schools and communities around the U.S. Many fans are now learning how to draw their own manga though a variety of books and courses. I have also been struck by the number of Americans saying that they have started studying Japanese, inspired by their love of manga and Japanese animation.”

To tap into that deepening interest, Viz this year is bringing another popular Japanese series stateside—M.Ä.R. The TV Tokyo series will launch on Toonami Jetstream, a broadband joint venture with Cartoon Network, this summer. M.Ä.R.'s creator was inspired by hip jewelry trends, a huge part of current Tokyo pop culture. Thus, the M.Ä.R. heroes are on a quest to collect very cool accessories and jewelry, which transform into weapons and powers.

“We are always looking for categories that work for our brands,” says Cynthia Money, Viz's vice president of consumer products. “We also try to find new licensees that have never done entertainment licenses before as they may add new and innovative product and design and help keep our selection fresh and cutting edge. That allows us to continue to grow the license category and be brand enhancers.” Case in point, a new category will include floor mats, steering wheel covers and seat covers for Inuyasha.

Online presence and online retail is only going to get bigger for Viz-directed properties, she adds. “We work with our licensees to support the brands online as much as possible. If we want to test something to see if it works we will put it on one of our dedicated Web sites to gauge the response.”

For 4Kids Entertainment's anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! Mattel will release trading cards with the fall line of toys, a first for the toy company. Upper Deck will offer Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card games scheduled through the end of the year, and Konami will release a Nintendo DS game for the holiday season.

For 2007, Bandai America is planning a promotional campaign in celebration of the 15th season of Power Rangers on TV aided by a Power Rangers Mystic Force toy line to complement the current series that debuted this February. The toy line includes four assortments of 5-inch action figures and 11-inch Mystic Force Mega Talking figures as well as Mystic Force vehicles, role-play accessories and a Dragon Tower play set, all of which will join the line this fall.

Bandai America is also the master toy licensee for Cartoon Network Enterprises' Ben 10, the new anime-inspired action series that launched this January. The series follows a 10-year-old boy, Ben Tennyson, who discovers an alien device resembling a wristwatch and finds he can transform into 10 different aliens with powers for 10 minutes at a time. Bandai's toy line, due in July, includes collectible 4-inch figures of 10 aliens, 6-inch figures for play, vehicles, role-play items like an Omnitrix wristwatch and a play set that transforms into an alien laboratory.