JAPANESE ANIMATION AND COMIC

BOOKS HAVE SEEN AN EXPLOSION OF

POPULARITY IN THE UNITED STATES.

FROM NETFLIX ADAPTATIONS TO

MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY FLOATS

TO A WIN AT THIS YEAR'S OSCARS,

THE GENRE HAS SEEN AN INCREASING

AMOUNT OF VISIBILITY IN AMERICAN

CULTURE.

ALI ROGIN IS BACK WITH A LOOK

INSIDE THE WORLD OF ANIME AND

MANGA.

>> MY SPIRIT TREMBLES!

MY HEART IS ABLAZE!

ALI: IT IS AN ART FORM THAT'S

HAVING A MOMENT.

ANIME, JAPANESE ANIMATION, AND

MANGA, JAPANESE COMICS.

HOLLY IS ONE OF MANY WHO

DISCOVERED THE GENRE DURING THE

PANDEMIC.

>> I COULDN'T GO TO COLLEGE,

COULDN'T FIND A JOB, SO I WAS IN

A PRETTY DARK TIME.

.

ALI: STUCK AT HOME WITH LITTLE

TO DO, HER COUSINS RECOMMEND

THEY WATCH ONE PIECE, AN

ANIMATED PIRATE ADVENTURE SHOW

BASED ON A MANGA OF THE SAME

NAME.

>> SINCE WE WERE UNCERTAIN HOW

LONG WE WERE GOING TO STAY HOME,

THEY WERE LIKE, ONE PIECE IS

LONG, IT'S SO ENTERTAINING.

THEY NEVER TOLD ME IT WAS LIKE

1000 EPISODES.

ONE PIECE FANS KIND OF TRICK YOU

INTO WATCHING IT.

ALI: THE VOLUME AND VARIETY OF

CONTENT, FROM FANTASY AND HORROR

TO ROMANCE AND DRAMA, IS PART OF

THE APPEAL.

>> ANIME TAKES YOU TO A WHOLE

OTHER LEVEL.

IT SHOWS YOU HOW ARTISTIC PEOPLE

CAN BE, HOW DIFFERENT PEOPLE

GROW UP OR HOW DIFFERENT THE

WORLD LOOKS THROUGH ANIMATION.

>> WE COULD NOT FILL THE STORES

FAST ENOUGH.

ALI: THE BARNES & NOBLE SENIOR

DIRECTOR OF BOOKS.

>> THE READERS ARE SO VORACIOUS,

IT IS A GOOD THING THE SERIES

ARE SO LONG AND SO BEAUTIFULLY

DRAWN BECAUSE NOT ONLY DO THEY

LOOK FOR 10 OTHER SERIES, THEY

GO BACK AND REREAD.

LAURA: MANGA SALES IN THE U.S.

QUADRUPLED FROM 2019 TO 2022,

WITH THE PEAK OF 28.4 MILLION

COPIES SOLD.

IT IS NOW THE FOURTH-LARGEST

FICTION CATEGORY IN THE UNITED

STATES BEHIND ROMANCE,

THRILLERS, AND FANTASY.

>> IT IS ONE OF OUR TOP 10

SUBJECTS.

DURING THE PANDEMIC IT WAS IN

OUR TOP FIVE CONSISTENTLY.

ALI: THIS HAS BEEN HELPED BY LOW

-- BY OTHER FACTORS, APPS WITH

LOW SUBSCRIPTION FEES THAT ALLOW

AMERICAN READERS TO ACCESS

CONTENT WITHOUT LONG WEEKS WAIT

FOR TRANSLATED COMPANIES --

TRANSITED COPIES.

STREAMING COMPANIES LIKE NETFLIX

INTRODUCE VIEWERS TO MORE

FOREIGN MOVIES AND TV.

IN 20 22, DRAGON BALL SUE BIRD:

SUPERHERO DEBUTED NUMBER ONE AT

THE BOX OFFICE IN THE U.S. AND

GROSSED NEARLY $87 MILLION

WORLDWIDE.

IN 2023, EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE

ALL AT ONCE, AN ACTION COMEDY

INSPIRED BY ANIME, WON BEST

PICTURE AT THE OSCARS.

IT IS NOT A NEW PHENOMENON.

WE WENT TO AN ANIME CONVENTION

IN VIRGINIA TO SEE WHAT'S BEHIND

THE FANDOM.

THERE ARE MORE THAN 100

GATHERINGS LIKE THIS ONE ACROSS

THE COUNTRY EVERY YEAR, A CHANCE

FOR ANIME AND MANGA FANS TO

CELEBRATE THIS ART FORM.

THIS CONVENTION HAS BEEN GOING

ON SINCE 1999.

FOR MANY IT'S ABOUT MORE THAN

ENTERTAINMENT.

>> HAVE SOMEONE ON THE SPECTRUM,

THIS IS WHERE I DEVELOPED AND

LEARN HOW TO TALK TO PEOPLE AND

DEVELOPED MORE SOCIAL SKILLS.

>> HAVING US HERE AS A FAMILY

RINGS US CLOSER TOGETHER.

ALI: NOLNI AND HER BROTHER

STARTED WATCHING ANIME IN THEIR

TEENS, THEN HER MOTHER BECAME

INTERESTED.

>> MY KIDS WERE LIKE, MOMMY,

COME SEE THIS SHOW.

I SAT DOWN AND WATCHED WITH

THEM.

I GOT HOOKED.

ALI: LIKE MANY, THEY CAME IN

COSPLAY, THE TERM OF DRESSING UP

AS CHARACTERS FROM A FAVORITE

SERIES.

>> I STARTED OUT AS CLOSET

COSPLAYING AND I HAVE STARTED

JUST EMBRACING IT AND TELLING

PEOPLE THIS IS WHAT I DO.

ALI: FROM INTRICATE COSTUMES TO

EVERYDAY CLOTHES, IT'S A GENRE

THAT ATTRACTS A RANGE OF PEOPLE

AND PERSONALITIES.

>> IF YOU ASK THE AVERAGE PERSON

WHAT AN ANIME FAN LOOKS LIKE,

THEY WOULD PROBABLY SAY SOMEONE

CRINGE, WHO DIDN'T TAKE CARE OF

THEMSELVES, WHO SITS IN THEIR

ROOM ALL DAY.

PEOPLE WHO LOVE ANIME CAN BE

ANYONE AS LONG AS THEY HAVE AN

ACTIVE IMAGINATION.

ALI: THAT SENSE OF IMAGINATION

IS PARTLY WHY TODAY'S POP

CULTURE IS FULL OF REFERENCES TO

ANIME, FROM GRAMMY AWARD WINNER

MEGAN THEE STALLION --

>> ♪

ALI: TWO SNEAKER COLLABORATIONS.

>> THIS SHOE IS A RESPONSE TO

ADVERSITY.

ALI: EVEN ACTOR AND DIRECTOR

JORDAN PEEL'S BLOCKBUSTER FILM

NOPE REFERENCES AND ANIME FILM,

AKIRA.

>> THE MAINSTREAMING HAS

HAPPENED SLOWLY BUT SURELY.

ESPECIALLY IN THE BLACK AND

HIP-HOP COMMUNITY.

ALI: THIS JOURNALIST IS ANIME

AND MANGA APPEALS TO A

GENERATION THAT LOVES AN

ANTIHERO.

>> THEY DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT

THE GOOD GUYS ARE GOOD AND THE

BAD GUYS ARE BAD.

THEY WANT TO HEAR IT'S HARD TO

BE AN ADULT BUT EVERYONE HAS TO

DEAL WITH THESE DIFFICULT

EMOTIONS.

THAT KIND OF HEIGHTENED REALITY

IN GENERAL APPEALS TO YOUNG

PEOPLE.

>> I WILL BECOME THE GOD OF THIS

YOUNG WORLD.

>> ANIME DOESN'T JUST SHOW YOU

THINGS A KID INNOCENTLY WATCHES.

ANIME SHOWS YOU DARK OR SAD

THINGS.

IT MAKES YOU FEEL THINGS MORE

DEEPLY.

ALI: ANOTHER PART OF THE APPEAL

IS THE ART.

>> I JUST REALLY LOVE SEEING

ARTISTS' RENDITIONS OF DIFFERENT

THINGS AND SEEING THE WORLDS

THEY CREATE.

IT LETS ME GET LOST IN THEIR

CREATION.

ALI: UNLIKE WESTERN COMICS WHERE

ARTISTS AND WRITERS WORK IN

COLLABORATION, MANGA, EVEN ONES

THAT RUN FOR DECADES, IS OFTEN

THE WORK OF A SINGLE CREATOR'S

UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE.

>> SOME THINGS I HAVE READ, LIKE

THE DELUXE EDITION'S OF BERSERK,

YOU CAN SEE HOW HE TAKES EVERY

SINGLE ITEM AND ILLUSTRATES

EVERY SINGLE LEAF AND EVERY

SINGLE DROPLET OF BLOOD AS

DIFFERENT CHARACTERS GET THEIR

HEADS EXPLODED.

THERE IS A LOT OF IMAGINATION

AND THAT WILL ALWAYS IMPRESS ME.

ALI: IT INSPIRES MANY FANS TO

PRODUCE THEIR OWN ART.

>> ME AND MY SISTER WATCH A LOT

OF SHOWS, SO I GOT THE ARTISTIC

START FLOWING AND IT INSPIRES MY

WORK.

ALI: DAVID LOMAN IS AN

ILLUSTRATOR, ONE OF DOZENS

SELLING THEIR WORK AT THE

CONVENTION.

>> EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN

INSPIRATION FROM THE CHARACTERS.

WHEN THEY SEE THEIR FAVORITE

CHARACTERS ON THE WALL, IT HAS

THAT MOMENT OF SPARKING JOY,

ENTHUSIASM THAT THEY SEE

THEMSELVES IN THE ARTWORK.

ALI: ENTHUSIASM HAS DIPPED --

SALES HAVE DIPPED FROM THE

PANDEMICS RECORD HIGH, BUT THE

GENRE IS HERE TO STAY.

>> IT IS NOT AN OUTSIDER

SUBJECT.

READERS HAVE DEFINITELY STAYED

AND CONTINUED TO BUY CONTENT IN

A WAY THAT SHOWS THERE IS

STAYING POWER.

>> BEFORE I USED TO MAKE FUN OF

PEOPLE WHO LIKE ANIME.

NOW IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW ANIME,

YOU ARE COOL, YOU ARE MY BEST

FRIEND NOW.

ALI: GAINING VIEWERS AND READERS

ONE CHARACTER AT A TIME.

FOR PBS NEWS WEEKEND, I AM ALLIE

ROGAN.

-- ALI