Since the mid 2000's print publications have seen dramatic circulation and
advertising revenue loss. Niche publications were not unaffected by this
and the mid and late 00's saw the discontinuation of many magazines and
specialty print publications. Magazines devoted to the anime and manga subculture
in America have never been a very large niche, unlike Japan, and they have felt that
drop pretty dramatically. That's not to say that Japan hasn't suffered
its own print media decline, which it has. A variety of factors have
contributed to this decline, the main one being the rise of the internet and
its use. Another is a generational shift away from publication
subscription. After buying almost every single issue of the 4 year long
publication Shojo Beat, for a ridiculous price, I wanted to take a look at some of
the magazines devoted to anime and manga that have come and gone in North
America. Some of these I had personally read over the years, others I was
only peripherally aware of.
Anime Insider by Wizard: Wizard Inc.'s foray into the increasingly popular world or anime and manga was published monthly between 2001 and 2009. Wizard had built up an empire producing industry magazines for other aspects of nerd culture in America, most notably comic books, and decided to enter the already crowded market of the anime industry magazine world. It featured interviews with people in the industry, reviews and release information on products. It also tapped into its convention network for reporting in the field.
Animerica by Viz: Animerica was Viz's original otaku magazine and followed in the footsteps of the Japanese Newtype magazine. It was in publication from 1992 until 2005 and came out on a quarterly basis. The magazine featured interviews, reviews, otaku culture and some manga imprints. Eventually a manga anthology was spun off of the magazine titled Animerica Extra which was canceled in 2004.
Newtype USA by A. D. Vision: This was the attempt to Americanize the long running and immensely popular Newtype magazine. The monthly publication was produced between 2002 and 2008. Newtype was an anime/manga/otaku culture magazine, featuring articles, interviews and other tidbits of information about anything otaku related including some content directly translated from the Japanese counterpart.
Protoculture Addicts: This was the first professional anime industry magazine to be released in North America. In began publication in 1987 based out of Canada as a Robotech fanzine and eventually grew to become a legitimate anime industry magazine, featuring articles, reviews, previews (sometimes well ahead of any North American release). In 2005 it was purchased by Anime News Network, with the final issue being released in 2008. Technically not dead it will probably never exist in a printed format ever again.
Pulp by Viz: The first manga magazine I really spent some time with, this was Viz's attempt to tap into the adult/ecchi market by publishing manga series' aimed at the seinen audience. This manga anthology was published between 1997 and 2002 and featured such titles as Uzumaki, Black & White (Tekkon Kinkreet) and Dance Till Tomorrow.
Shojo Beat by Viz: Shojo Beat was the first/only North American publication to solely target the female otaku. The publication ran monthly between 2005 and 2009. The magazine published manga aimed at teenage girls and young women such as NANA and Honey & Clover and featured lifestyle articles and interviews with industry people.
Shonen Jump by Viz: The American rendition of the immensely popular Shonen Jump, featuring all of the top shonen titles that were licensed at the time in America, such as Naruto and Dragon Ball Z. The monthly magazine ran from 2002 until 2012 and had some incredibly high subscription numbers. With all its popularity it’s somewhat surprising that this one isn't still around. Viz decided to focus on a weekly digital subscription manga service instead. It allows them more flexibility in getting the most up to date manga to the market as quickly as possible and can follow suit with the Japanese release schedule for Weekly Shonen Jump.
More than just the nationwide decline in print publication subscription/revenue affected the anime/manga niche market. The collapse of the anime licensing industry in general in America at the end of the 00's was a major contributor as well. With companies such as Geneon/Pioneer and AD Vision going under large advertising vacuums showed up further crippling any revenue the magazines generated. Where can the industry go from here? Many of them are remaining viable through internet publication and subscription services. The internet is what helped kill print media in the first place and small companies like those that exist are better suited for the limiting revenue streams from internet content. These companies are much more capable of dealing with those cash flows than a larger organization that’s bound by a physical product and office(s).
Another contributing factor would be America's comic release schedule with is monthly as opposed to weekly schedule like in Japan. Instead of buying a large, low quality, anthologies American's are used to getting monthly high quality single issue editions of their favorite comics. In the earlier days of manga distribution in North America comic book companies such as DC shifted the manga titles they decided to release to fit their schedules and styles. When other companies started to license and distribute manga they went directly with doing so in the tankoubon format. This habit has become the dominating way America's purchase manga and has been for quite some time, helping to shift the mentality away from single issues or frequent anthologies. Even in Japan, while manga anthology sales are slipping, tankoubon sales appear to be holding steady or not loosing much ground. Many Japanese publishers are doing simultaneous digital publication if not downright digital only. The internet is the key to the survival of the manga industry; world wide. People seem to be willing to support it as well. It helps to greatly reduce overhead costs and eliminates any publication waste that you would have with a print product. Releasing tankoubons for series that are long enough and sufficiently popular enough still remains a vital component and an industry must. Internet publications also can help to get more unknown authors/artists into the public sphere of awareness. But they can also lead to quicker turn around as well. It will be interesting to see what the marketplace for manga will look like in 2020.
Anime Insider by Wizard: Wizard Inc.'s foray into the increasingly popular world or anime and manga was published monthly between 2001 and 2009. Wizard had built up an empire producing industry magazines for other aspects of nerd culture in America, most notably comic books, and decided to enter the already crowded market of the anime industry magazine world. It featured interviews with people in the industry, reviews and release information on products. It also tapped into its convention network for reporting in the field.
Animerica by Viz: Animerica was Viz's original otaku magazine and followed in the footsteps of the Japanese Newtype magazine. It was in publication from 1992 until 2005 and came out on a quarterly basis. The magazine featured interviews, reviews, otaku culture and some manga imprints. Eventually a manga anthology was spun off of the magazine titled Animerica Extra which was canceled in 2004.
Newtype USA by A. D. Vision: This was the attempt to Americanize the long running and immensely popular Newtype magazine. The monthly publication was produced between 2002 and 2008. Newtype was an anime/manga/otaku culture magazine, featuring articles, interviews and other tidbits of information about anything otaku related including some content directly translated from the Japanese counterpart.
Protoculture Addicts: This was the first professional anime industry magazine to be released in North America. In began publication in 1987 based out of Canada as a Robotech fanzine and eventually grew to become a legitimate anime industry magazine, featuring articles, reviews, previews (sometimes well ahead of any North American release). In 2005 it was purchased by Anime News Network, with the final issue being released in 2008. Technically not dead it will probably never exist in a printed format ever again.
Pulp by Viz: The first manga magazine I really spent some time with, this was Viz's attempt to tap into the adult/ecchi market by publishing manga series' aimed at the seinen audience. This manga anthology was published between 1997 and 2002 and featured such titles as Uzumaki, Black & White (Tekkon Kinkreet) and Dance Till Tomorrow.
Shojo Beat by Viz: Shojo Beat was the first/only North American publication to solely target the female otaku. The publication ran monthly between 2005 and 2009. The magazine published manga aimed at teenage girls and young women such as NANA and Honey & Clover and featured lifestyle articles and interviews with industry people.
Shonen Jump by Viz: The American rendition of the immensely popular Shonen Jump, featuring all of the top shonen titles that were licensed at the time in America, such as Naruto and Dragon Ball Z. The monthly magazine ran from 2002 until 2012 and had some incredibly high subscription numbers. With all its popularity it’s somewhat surprising that this one isn't still around. Viz decided to focus on a weekly digital subscription manga service instead. It allows them more flexibility in getting the most up to date manga to the market as quickly as possible and can follow suit with the Japanese release schedule for Weekly Shonen Jump.
More than just the nationwide decline in print publication subscription/revenue affected the anime/manga niche market. The collapse of the anime licensing industry in general in America at the end of the 00's was a major contributor as well. With companies such as Geneon/Pioneer and AD Vision going under large advertising vacuums showed up further crippling any revenue the magazines generated. Where can the industry go from here? Many of them are remaining viable through internet publication and subscription services. The internet is what helped kill print media in the first place and small companies like those that exist are better suited for the limiting revenue streams from internet content. These companies are much more capable of dealing with those cash flows than a larger organization that’s bound by a physical product and office(s).
Another contributing factor would be America's comic release schedule with is monthly as opposed to weekly schedule like in Japan. Instead of buying a large, low quality, anthologies American's are used to getting monthly high quality single issue editions of their favorite comics. In the earlier days of manga distribution in North America comic book companies such as DC shifted the manga titles they decided to release to fit their schedules and styles. When other companies started to license and distribute manga they went directly with doing so in the tankoubon format. This habit has become the dominating way America's purchase manga and has been for quite some time, helping to shift the mentality away from single issues or frequent anthologies. Even in Japan, while manga anthology sales are slipping, tankoubon sales appear to be holding steady or not loosing much ground. Many Japanese publishers are doing simultaneous digital publication if not downright digital only. The internet is the key to the survival of the manga industry; world wide. People seem to be willing to support it as well. It helps to greatly reduce overhead costs and eliminates any publication waste that you would have with a print product. Releasing tankoubons for series that are long enough and sufficiently popular enough still remains a vital component and an industry must. Internet publications also can help to get more unknown authors/artists into the public sphere of awareness. But they can also lead to quicker turn around as well. It will be interesting to see what the marketplace for manga will look like in 2020.
(my Shojo Beat haul)
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