There’s a myth floating around online. Many anime fans believe that many, if not all, anime are created only to advertise the manga and boost it’s sales. And although this myth may have some weight to it,it is far from the only truth.Furthermore, it seemingly diminishes the hard work of animations, voice actors, directors, and the like bringing art to life in the medium of anime. The question is, how much of this theory actually holds weight?
This article explores both the points that support this theory, and the points that knock it down a peg as well. Could it really be a one-size-fits-all-anime situation, or is there more to the industry’s relationship between anime and manga? And if this theory is true,is it really worth watching the animein the first place?
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What Points Towards The Theory
Well, to put it simply, manga sales are boosted whenever an anime is successful. Shows likeMy Hero Academiaturned what was a popular shōnen manga into a worldwide phenomenon. Time and time again,we can see manga sales double and triple immediatelyafter a successful anime. In 2021, it was reported that 2.88 billion people, nearly one-third of the world, watch anime. So if the theory is true, this method could be an incredibly effective method of advertising.
Some anime, likeShadows House,have even had creators admit that the anime was never meant to pass the first season and was originally intended to advertise the manga. The popularity ofSpy X Familyis reportedly what saved the manga author’s career as well.The writer of the original manga wrote an anime-only endingto tie up the loose ends, since it was assumed there wouldn’t be a complete adaption of the show. That doesn’t mean that every anime is meant to advertise the manga, however. That being said, here is definitely evidence of this being true in some cases.
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What’s The Verdict?
Truthfully, although some anime may be an exception, anime are made for a wide variety of reasons. One reason that many forget about is merchandising. On average, it’s been reported that manga authors actually make10-15% royalties on merchandising sales. While manga authors make no royalties on Blu-rays, character goods sell 8.5 times more than DVDs and manga combined, according to a report from 2009. And of course, that is from before the recent launch of anime into being accepted in mainstream media.
Furthermore, not everyone who watches anime reads manga. Some people watch anime because they can’t afford manga and don’t want to pirate it, andsome people just don’t enjoy reading. Likewise, some people don’t watch anime and would rather be reading manga because they can finish the story faster and bring it with them wherever they go. Some people even watch anime for certain genres, and prefer manga for others. The theory couldn’t be plausible unless literally everyone who watched anime also watched manga.
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