Kodansha ran a feature on the licensing success of its Kosaku Shima manga in a new interview with licensing manager Kaito Yoneno. Yoneno was asked about the future prospects of the Kosaku Shima IP, where he said:
“Also, in this era where globalization is advancing more and more, we think it would be interesting if ideas such as a storyteller who teaches Japanese business etiquette, or an AI assistant ‘Kosaku Shima’, could be realized—based on the slogan ‘Think Global’ that Kōsaku Shima established when he became company president [in the manga].“
Published as a one-shot in 1982 before a full serialization, the long-running Kosaku Shima series has over 47 million copies in circulation. According to Yoneno, the domestic recognition of the titular main character, Kosaku, is incredibly high. He cites a 2024 survey by Knowns Biz, which revealed that 87.9% of respondents aged 50-54 recognized the character.
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Yoneno adds, “This figure was also found to be equal to or higher than the recognition rates of leading actors in popular TV dramas and movies. I don’t think there are many manga and their protagonists with such high recognition, especially for works set in the real world, such as the corporate world.“
Alongside the popular manga, Kosaku’s recognition is boosted through numerous marketing campaigns with clients including sports and semiconductor companies, as well as local governments, public institutions, and semigovernmental corporations. “I’ve never seen a character’s IP utilized so flexibly and diversely across a wide range of companies and local governments,” Yoneno adds. Yoneno proposed further marketing promotions like collaborating with companies active during the Showa era, and conversations with protagonists of other series across different eras, given that Kosaku ages in his manga through adulthood.
Crunchyroll Is Working on Anime-Themed AI Chatbots
Crunchyroll is also considering rolling out character-themed chatbots…for customer service support. Nevertheless, it speaks to how the streamer is also considering forms of marketing — of the anime medium itself, but potentially with specific characters and titles depending on its implementation. Senior Director of Global SVOD Customer Experience, Luciane Carrillo, said earlier this year, “One thing that we keep working on and would love to get to a point where when you communicate with us through a chatbot. for example, when you’re trying to self-serve, we want to create that persona on the bot so then we can also provide the same type of experience you live in your day-to-day when you are cosplaying or something.“
Source: Kodansha Manga IP Search by C-Station (Interview)
© Kenshi Hirokane, Kodansha
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