Vice President
Aniplex Inc.
Sony Music Group (Japan)
I majored in art theory at university. Having an interest in working with video and animation, I applied for a job with Sony Music Group (Japan) as a new graduate and joined Aniplex, where I had hoped to work for. I once dreamed of becoming a film director, but while in school, I took a class that inspired me to pursue a career as a producer. The professor of the class said, "Artists don't know what is great or excellent about their work. It's the job of critics and producers to articulate and convey it to the artists themselves." Even now, as a producer, I hold those words close to my heart and work hard to put them into practice. I believe that my job as a producer at Aniplex is to break down and analyze the primitive human emotion of "passion" and articulate the "attractiveness" of the work to creators and users. We may not possess the proficiency or measures to create from zero to one, but we can aim to take one to ten or beyond through articulation. There was a time when I felt inferior for not being able to create something from scratch, but now I take pride and confidence in my work of taking the "attractiveness" we articulate and connecting it to business and developing projects.
The feeling of "passion" is significant in various aspects of my current work. For example, I became involved in the planning and development of the mega-hit mobile game "Fate/Grand Order" around 2013, even though mobile games were totally new field to me. I played a part in the game's success by communicating my love and passion for the game IP to the creators and expanding the media mix centered around the game. Theaters were packed, events were filled with smiling fans, and numerous reviews were buzzing around the Internet. The work of talented creators shows us a new world we have never seen before, and it strongly motivates me to continue in this line of work. Aniplex is an exciting company where everyone has their own passion towards any projects, and employees respect each other's feelings of "favourites" even outside work. When someone speaks passionately about something they are crazy about in their private life, no one denies their feelings, and they really lean in and listen to each other. I believe this is because we share a common understanding within the company that the best entertainment is created in an environment where people are very open and respectful of their and other feelings of "passion."
As Japanese entertainment, such as anime and games, has become increasingly popular in the overseas, we have naturally started looking beyond the Japanese market. We have had more opportunities to work with members of Crunchyroll, who joined the Sony Group from 2021, widely supported by many anime fans in North America. Working with them has been a continuous source of discoveries. It is a very stimulating experience to see Japanese anime from a different perspective, and it is also full of surprises. I thought foreign companies would be more frank and free, but they are very theoretical. For example, they always present clear reasons for necessary activities and budgets, along with figures and other facts. As mentioned earlier, our company culture places a high value on being passionate about something, which is why we also focus on intuition, so we realize that we have a different style. It is very beneficial for us that our overseas partners logically analyze the anime and games we create with data and numbers. It is a great learning experience for us.
In addition to existing group synergies, the Sony Music Group is growing increasingly through mergers and collaborations with overseas companies. It is an advantage of this company to have many options for challenges. It’s very fortunate for me that I have never had to give up on a challenge due to a factor of the company's organization or system, such as, "It's difficult because it's not part of my job," or "It's impossible because we don't have that function within the group." While Japan used to be the center of the anime market, the evolution of streaming environments has allowed for simultaneous worldwide distribution and broadcasting. Now that the market has expanded globally, our next challenge is to pursue global projects such as seeking out original works that are popular overseas and producing them with Japanese production and our team.
Additionally, the base of people supporting anime has expanded widely, with lighter works such as romantic comedies and slice-of-life stories gaining support. We once tried to localize Chinese works for the Japanese market and received favourable reviews. We discovered that the feelings of "interest" and "passion" are universal. As we have more opportunities to work with overseas partners, we are gaining many new insights and learning experiences.
My current goal as a producer is to develop exciting business schemes on a global scale. This includes the development of original IP, the discovery of overseas creators, and the localization of foreign works to the Japanese market while also working with Crunchyroll on anime production. As our projects have diversified, our involvement with overseas production studios and creators has become more active. We are looking to collaborate not only in North America but also in China, Korea, and other Asian countries. As the global expansion of anime is in a growth phase, I would like to take on various new challenges and accumulate knowledge and experience. It will be a treasure for our younger colleagues and our entire group one day.
The title, organization, and duty are the ones at the time of interview.
