Exclusive Interview] The Golden Twenties are coming for the Japanese economy and the entertainment industry!　Bushiroad Chairman Takaaki Kitani gives a summary of 2020 and talks about the future.

We continued our long interview with Bushiroad's founder and current chairman, Takaaki Kitani, from the end of last year!

Bushiroad is a leading company in the trading game card (TCG) industry and has released many titles such as "Cardfight! Vanguard," "Weiss Schwarz," and "Rebirth for you. In recent years, the company has released "BanG Dream! and "D4DJ," "Assault Lily," and "Girls' Revue: Revue Starlight." The company has also added professional wrestling organizations such as New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Stardom to its group.

The entertainment industry in 2020 was severely restricted in holding real events and live performances due to the impact of the new coronavirus. Bushiroad announced the cancellation of its participation and hosting of real events at a very early stage, but since the ban on holding events was lifted with conditions, the "BanG Dream! 8th☆LIVE" outdoor 3-day summer event (Fujikyu Highland Conifer Forest, August 21-23, 2020) and the "BanG Dream! Bushiroad Music Live Week (Tokyo Garden Theater, October 7-11, 2020) were held with strict measures in place, creating an image of being at the forefront of the entertainment industry's response to Corona.

In this issue, we asked the company's Chairman Takaaki Kitani to talk a lot about Bushiroad in the entertainment industry in 2020, which was a unique situation in many ways, and about its future prospects. He talked not only about the more formal topics, but also about the more serious ones, such as "Is Bushiroad a one-man company? What do you think of VTubers? I hope you will take the time to read the entire article.

Differentiating ourselves with unique content in the form of professional wrestling, live band performances, and voice actors who also perform on stage

───What kind of year was 2020 for Bushiroad?

Kitani: It's difficult to say (smiles). What I feel as a manufacturer that creates content is that this year, due to the change in lifestyle caused by the outbreak of the new coronavirus, the things that users look for in content have changed. People are not going outside anymore, and there are fewer live performances and events of all kinds. They're reverting back to the pleasure of watching anime and playing games at home. I think the quality and standards demanded of content are higher because people can enjoy it repeatedly and carefully at home.

─ ─ So the focus has shifted from the live experience to the consumption of content at home. D4DJ" and "Merm4id," in particular, seem to be based on the concept of a live stage performance at a short distance. Was there a big influence in this area as well?

KITANI: Yes, we select our cast members based on their ability to attract a live audience, so it was difficult for us to hold events and for the audience to speak up during the live performances. As for "D4DJ," we were scheduled to perform at "Animelo Summer Live 2020 -COLORS-" in the summer, and we were hoping that our performance would grab the audience's attention and lead to the development of the anime and game. I feel sorry for the new voice actors, but the restrictions on voice recording sites have become so great that we can't even observe the postrecording process. I believe that voice actors should "get used to it rather than learn it," and new voice actors can learn a lot by staying at the postrecording studio and experiencing their seniors' performances up close, even if they only have a few words to say. That's why voice actors who have a lot of experience in the studio become better and better. However, nowadays, studio tours are not available, and newcomers who do not have a name for their roles are sometimes recorded separately from the regulars, so it is difficult for them to gain this kind of experience.

─ You mentioned earlier that the quality level required for content is rising.

KITANI: I think that "Demon Slayer" was a big hit this year. I think there were factors unique to this year, such as the lack of foreign films coming in and the difficulty of making live-action films in Japan, but I think the credit goes to ufotable, which produced the animation. I believe that the largest content holders that can deliver moving, high-quality works are becoming stronger under these circumstances.

─ What kind of strategic tactics will Bushiroad use in this situation?

KITANI: I think we should focus our efforts on areas where we do not overlap with these "strong" companies.

─ ─ What kind of areas, for example?

Kitani Within Bushiroad as a whole, I would say pro-wrestling first. Professional wrestling can be thoroughly differentiated, and sports are basically difficult for newcomers to enter. Even if you look at it broadly as a genre, there are few sports other than baseball and soccer that can be put on smartphone apps. I think that next to baseball and soccer, pro wrestling is the sport with the most potential in the smartphone app world. Therefore, I think that having both New Japan Pro-Wrestling for men and Stardom for women within the group is a strength. I have particularly high expectations for Stardom in terms of its future growth rate.

Then there are the card games. Trading card games are also a genre with a limited number of titles (number of manufacturers), and Bushiroad is generally in third or fourth place in terms of industry share. With regard to music content, we would like to bring out the color of the cast members who perform on stage or sing live on instruments in bands, and the voice actors who perform the voices in anime and games are the same people. We would like to differentiate ourselves with an element that only Bushiroad can provide: voice actors actually playing instruments in a band.

─ Recently Bushiroad has been using voice actors who appeared in one game in another game, and bands from "Bandoli-! bands are also singing the theme songs of other works. I get the impression that Bushiroad is developing the cast as voice actors while creating synergy between the works.

KITANI As I mentioned earlier, I want the voice actors to get better as they work on more productions, and if they work on Bushiroad's productions, I want them to sell well. However, there is an aspect that we have to look at severely, because when the casts overlap, the colors of the works may look similar in some aspects. One big advantage is that fans of Bushiroad's works will like other works through the cast members. I think there is a kind of family feeling that includes various works.

─ ─ Despite the headwind of the Corona disaster, I have the impression that Bushiroad is leading the way in organizing live performances and events, such as the outdoor 3-day "BanG Dream! 8th☆Live" summer event in August, Bushiroad Music Live Week in October ("Bandoli-! ARGONAVIS" and "D4DJ") were held without incident, and no clusters or infections were confirmed.

KITANI: There was a lot of pressure and stress to hold the event under these circumstances. So I was really relieved that the event was held without incident. Of course, it was frustrating that the audience was not able to enjoy the event 100% because they could not cheer for the band and their seats were fixed, but I think the audience was especially pleased with the 3-day event at Fujikyu (Highland Conifer Forest) in the summer.

─ ─ The new band "Morfonica (Morfonica)" of "Bandolier! Morfonica," a new band from "Bandolier!

Kitani: The tension on the first day of the 3-DAYS was amazing. There were times when the cast members cried on stage, but I think they overcame a great deal of pressure. Morfonica, who performed on the last day, really wanted to debut during Golden Week and go poof as the opening act for the MetLife Dome (the "BanG Dream! Special☆LIVE Girls Band Party! 2020" that was to be held on May 3). But we were finally able to show off our performance at Fujikyu. I think there are many things that can be felt by actually seeing Morfonica's performance, so I hope more people will see it.

───The fact that the rules were well observed at the series of live performances may have had an effect on the awareness of manners that you have been putting a lot of effort into recently.

Kitani I think that the manners of the people attending the live concerts are definitely improving.

───While economic activities in the world tend to shrink, I have the impression that Bushiroad is putting a lot of effort into publicity and promotion of its contents. In particular, I think I see Rinku Aimoto of "D4DJ" at every possible station.

Kitani: Because we are in a period of reduced advertising, we are able to advertise at a lower cost in some areas. We wanted to raise the profile of the characters and the game while we had the chance, so that people would think they had seen it somewhere before.

──Another approach to conventional advertising was the "D4DJ presents CDTV Special Edition: Everyone Can Sing! A Divine Playlist" was aired on TBS in October. Many people must have been surprised to see all six "D4DJ" units appearing in a special program on a popular TV program.

Kitani: That program was a challenge, but it was very effective. After the broadcast, there were quite a few inquiries to the TV station and the agency from inside and outside of the industry, as well as from fans. I am amazed that they were able to do something like this. I think they were able to do something that would have been impossible under the special circumstances (of the Corona disaster). It seems that we were able to get viewership from younger viewers, and TBS was very pleased with the results.

─ Around the time of the special broadcast, the "D4DJ Groovy Mix" rhythm game for smartphones went into service on October 25, and the "D4DJ First Mix" TV anime started broadcasting on October 30. How is the current situation?

KITANI: Thanks to your support, the game has been well received. What do you think of the anime?

KITANI: I thought it was well done, not only in terms of the appeal of the characters, but also in terms of conveying the appeal of DJs.

KITANI: In my opinion, I think it's very interesting. As the number of episodes progresses, access to "D4DJ_DJTIME," a DJ play show featuring the D4DJ cast and characters that is broadcast live before the broadcast, is increasing, so I feel that the show is gradually reaching a wider audience. The "D4DJ Groovy Mix" application is also doing well, and we hope to increase DAU (daily active users) a little more in the future. The differentiating point of "D4DJ Groovy Mix" is that we have added not only original songs and cover songs, but also original recordings. We would like to make it a three-pronged project, including the original recordings, and in December, we will be adding Nana Mizuki's music as an original recording.

─ ─ "D4DJ Groovy Mix" is also fun to play "Komeko-kun," "Tetsuko's Room," and other variant songs.

Kitani: We hope to prepare a wide range of songs and make it like a music platform. We are planning to add more and more songs to the collection.

─ Recently, we have seen projects such as the TCG "Rebirth for you" collaborating with hololive productions and "Bushiroad Game Information Bureau" having a VTuber from hololive productions as a play-by-play host for 12 days in a row. How do you view VTuber content?

Kitani Can I be honest?　I honestly don't understand the appeal of VTuber content (sorry!). I'm not sure if it's a generational thing or what. (Sorry!) I feel like I'm even more out of touch with VTubers than YouTubers, partly because of my generational background.

─ ─ Can I really say that!　Can you tell us why and how you seem to be getting closer to this content now?

Kitani I understand that it is extremely popular and well-loved. So when I start something new, I don't want to base it on whether or not I personally can understand it. If it is popular in the world and loved by many people, then that sensibility is correct. Sensitivity and tastes change with the times and generations, so there is no point in asserting oneself there. （Cover Inc. (which operates Hololive Productions) came to see us and said they wanted to make Hololive Productions into a card game, and because of the timing, we decided to release the game as "Rebirth for you". Thanks to them, the game sold very well and attracted a lot of attention, and now I am really grateful to them. We have decided to move quickly when a trend like this comes along, so we are still in close contact with them.

─ ─ Within the Bushiroad Group, (subsidiary Bushiroad Creative) launched the virtual talent agency "Irodori Entertainment Post Company" and started the VTuber audition.

Kitani I was not in touch with this project, so I told them it was okay if they wanted to do it at Creative. At first, one of the younger members came up with a plan on his own, but the plan was not good enough, so I told him to discuss it with the president of Creative and have the team rework it. The specifics have yet to be worked out, but he seems to be having a lot of fun with it. It is not enough if a project like this does not come from someone other than me. Not only this project, but there are other projects that are being worked on by subsidiaries next year.

─ ─ I think there are many people who have the impression that Bushiroad is a top-down company, with everything being done by Mr. Kitani. In reality, however, there are quite a few projects that are carried out by the subsidiaries and projects that come from the frontline.

Kitani People think you are more of a one-man operation than you really are. I don't think I am that much of a one-man operation (laughs). (laughs) I've wanted to increase the number of projects that come from the field for some time. When I went to Singapore (*Mr. Kitani was based in Singapore from 2014 to 2018), I was hoping for a trend like that. So I would ask employees who I thought might have an idea for something to come out of the project to see if they have anything in mind. As for the company as a whole, for example, right now, there is a meeting first thing in the morning to finalize the contents of the "Bandolier! I tell the board members who are meeting at the same time, "I'm sorry, I'll go later. So I think Bushiroad is now a company that runs without me. And you know, I don't think that an owner-operated company where the top management runs things by themselves is all bad.

─ ─ I think this is a great advantage in situations like this fall, where risky decisions need to be made, such as when trying to find the right timing to hold a live concert while taking measures against infection.

Kiya I think that many companies made the decision to hold live concerts and events by watching what other companies were doing. That's why I am grateful that some of our fans have said that Bushiroad has made a breakthrough and changed the atmosphere. However, my current dream is to make a big hit and retire soon. It's hard to get a big hit, though (laughs).

─ Finally, please tell us about your outlook for the content industry and Bushiroad in 2021.

KITANI: As for immediate major titles, we will be releasing the smartphone apps "Assault Lily Last Bullet" and "Argonavis from BanG Dream! AAside" in January 2021, so we will focus on these. There are also various works in the works in progress for the spring and summer, so please wait for further updates on those.

The world is in a very difficult situation right now due to the coronavirus, but personally, I am focusing on the time after that when this situation settles down. During this period, remote working systems have been established, stamps have been eliminated from government offices, and I think the foundation has been laid for increased productivity by eliminating various kinds of waste. I feel that there is a possibility that productivity in this country will finally increase as a result of the metabolism of companies that can cope with these changes and those that cannot.

I also believe that consumption and the economy will improve greatly if people in the world are able to move freely because of the patience they are currently enduring. So, just as the U.S. experienced an unprecedented economic boom 100 years ago (after the end of the Spanish flu and World War I), I have a feeling that the golden 2020s will come to post-Corona Japan. When that time comes, Bushiroad will have no choice but to go on the offensive, and I feel that we finally have the IP (content) that will serve as the core of the battle. I would like to move forward in 2021 with a greater awareness of the need to launch several new contents while firmly developing existing contents. And when the restrictions on live performances and events are removed, I would like to make a fool of myself with everyone (laughs).

(Interview and text by Kiri Nakazato)