Just before AnimeJapan 2022! General producer talks about his thoughts on the real event and the highlights of this year's event. Interview with Shunsuke Nakajima (Tatsunoko Productions) and Mizuho Saeki (KADOKAWA)

AnimeJapan" is coming back to the real world. AnimeJapan 2022 will be held at Tokyo Big Sight on March 26 (Sat.) and 27 (Sun.), 2022.

The long-awaited "AnimeJapan 2022" will be held at Tokyo Big Sight for two days on March 26 (Sat.) and 27 (Sun.), 2022, as "AnimeJapan 2022.

In this interview, Shunsuke Nakajima (Tatsunoko Productions) and Mizuho Saeki (KADOKAWA), the general producers of "AnimeJapan 2022," talk about the difficulties they had to go through before holding the event this time, what they saw after holding the event online last year, and the highlights of this year's AnimeJapan. We also asked him about the highlights of this year's event and various other topics related to AnimeJapan.

⇒ Report on the media presentation of "AnimeJapan 2022," which will be held on March 26 (Sat.) and 27 (Sun.)! Takanori Nishikawa was appointed as the official ambassador & announced the theme, stage program and other details!

AnimeJapan 2022" has "taken the best of both worlds" after the experience of holding the event online!

--Last year, Mr. Nakajima was the general producer of AnimeJapan 2022, which was held online. How did you feel looking back on AnimeJapan 2021, which was held online?

Nakajima: Actually, we had been preparing for the real event in 2021, but in January of 2021, a state of emergency was declared and the situation changed drastically. Therefore, this time last year (early March) was the toughest mentally not only for me but also for all the members of the organizing committee.

There were actually points to reflect on and tough times. But after going through this experience, I realized that AnimeJapan must be held at Big Sight and be a "festival-like event" that people can come and enjoy.

--You were a member of the executive committee for AnimeJapan 2021.

Saeki: As Mr. Nakajima said, it was the year I realized that "AnimeJapan" is a festival and a real event where everyone should gather. I think it was a great harvest for us just to realize that, and it was also good that we were able to recognize anew what our customers were looking for. Although we were disappointed that we wanted to do it in real life, I think we were able to take on a good challenge.

Shunsuke Nakajima (Tatsunoko Productions Co., Ltd.)

--We are very happy that we were able to make the most of our online experience at AnimeJapan 2022, even though it was our long-held wish to hold the event in real life. What exactly did you gain from the experience of holding the event online?

Nakajima: I have learned to think in terms of "taking the best of both worlds. To be honest, last year I was skeptical about whether we would be able to hold a real event. If we couldn't hold a real event, we were working behind the scenes to make it possible to hold it online. While preparing the real stage, we also set up a camera crew for online broadcasting, so that if something went wrong, we could switch to that. Then the "eventuality" happened, and we ended up holding the event completely online.

After seeing the results, I realized that the real event was very important, so this time I decided to be proactive, saying, "We will definitely do the real event," and "What do we have to do to do it? That is not to say that online is a bad thing; it is only beneficial to do both at the same time, so we began to think about how to increase customer choices online while absolutely doing the real thing. That's the kind of opinion that came up.

Saeki: I think AnimeJapan has evolved through many experiences. The industry is becoming more and more familiar with the idea of doing things online, and if customers are no longer resistant to watching online, then I think it would be a good idea to add value as an option. So this time, we added the value-added feature of "those who purchase an admission ticket can see the entire day's stage online. While increasing the number of options for our customers, we also wanted to hedge the risk of losing the opportunity to advertise our productions, and I think we succeeded in "combining the best of both worlds" in a good way.

--As for the tickets, it is a bargain to be able to see all the stages on that day for that price (2,300 yen including tax for pre-sale tickets, 2,600 yen including tax for day-of-performance tickets), isn't it?

Nakajima: It's super cheap! AnimeJapan" is a general incorporated association of 23 companies, and that's why it's such a great event. Rather than profit, we are doing this event with the hope that it will be a starting point for many anime fans to become aware of anime and to build anime fans in the future.

--I heard that you were working behind the scenes to make it possible to hold the event online if you were unable to hold it in real life last time, but after April 2021, the situation has repeatedly improved and then returned again. Did you honestly think you could do it in real life this time?

Nakajima: There was a time when we were troubled until around summer. But by fall, things were recovering, and thanks to the ideas of various event organizers, the world was becoming a place where events could be held even under such circumstances, so from fall onward, I was confident. I had no evidence to support this, but I had positive confidence that we would be able to hold a real event no matter what.

--Nakajima: You were also concerned about the situation of other events, weren't you?

Nakajima Of course.

Saeki: Each event has a different purpose and structure, so it's hard to make a blanket statement, but we kept a close eye on how other events were doing in terms of providing exhibitors with something to offer in the presence of so many visitors. We referred to what we could, and when we couldn't refer to something because it was different from the original format, we would say, "Well, AnimeJapan is like this.

--I think the participants gained a lot of experience, and they were very careful about what they needed to watch out for.

Saeki: Anime fans are very protective of such things, and I am very grateful for that. I feel that the industry is supported by wonderful fans.

Nakajima: We are doing our utmost to ensure that the audience can enjoy the event safely, as long as they observe the now widely practiced rules of "wearing a mask," "taking your temperature," and "disinfecting with alcohol before entering. So, we hope that you will come as you normally do in your new lifestyle.

Mizuho Saeki (KADOKAWA Co., Ltd.)

We want visitors to come and find their own highlights

--What are your thoughts on the theme of this year's exhibition, "Cue! Please tell us about your thoughts on this theme, "Cue!

Nakajima First of all, we are bound by numbers (laughs), and since the 6th (AnimeJapan 2019) "ROCK", we have somehow come to an unspoken understanding. I thought it would be better to add a sub-theme.

Saeki: It was easy to decide on the fifth anniversary (5th), but it was hard to decide on the sixth anniversary, so I came up with the idea with the kind of spontaneity and vigor that is common among publicity people (laughs). The next year, I started thinking, "What would 7 be? If it were 8, would it be ......? And so the next year, I started to think in terms of numbers.

Nakajima: Last year's theme (the 8th) was "Connect" with the word "infinity" (from the shape of a horizontal 8). This year, based on last year's experience, we have reaffirmed that "AnimeJapan" is a real event that everyone enjoys, so let's go back to the basics and return to the anime event we have always done at Big Sight! Let's make a new start! With this in mind, we decided on the theme "Cue! to reflect this feeling.

--We are going to return to the same anime event at Big Sight for the first time, so let's make a new start!

Nakajima: We are not 100% back yet. We haven't been able to hold the Family Anime Festa yet, and the business area will be done online. However, we have restored most of the things we did when we held the event in real life.

First of all, we have a booth. We have arranged the booths in such a way that you can enjoy them while maintaining a social distance in a fairly large space, so we hope you will be able to relax and take a look at them. We also have a booth that says, "Everything about anime is here. We also hope that people will enjoy cosplaying and other real-life activities. We sold a limited number of tickets by lottery this time, but we hope that people will come to the event and enjoy seeing the cosplayers.

Saeki: As I mentioned earlier, if you purchase an admission ticket, you will be able to watch the host stage (AJ Stage) online. You can enjoy it more if you come in person, but it is not in a way that you cannot enjoy it because it is online, so I hope that you will not have to worry about whether or not to come and see the event, but rather that you will have the option of watching it online. Besides, not only the AnimeJapan-sponsored stage (AJ Stage), but also the stages of each company's booths will be streamed for free, so that is one of the highlights of this year's event.

--By the way, if you were to attend AnimeJapan 2022 not as the organizer, but as a user, what would you enjoy the most?

Nakajima: In the previous AnimeJapan exhibition, there was an object that recreated "Walpurgis Night" in Aniplex's "Magia Records: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Gaiden" booth. I remember being very moved by this work, as it is one of my personal favorites. I'm sure that each company is spending a lot of time and money to build a large scale booth this time as well, so I'm looking forward to experiencing the same kind of excitement again.

--It was great, wasn't it? The booth itself is great, and I get excited when I see the weapons on display, for example.

Nakajima Yes, yes, yes. You can only see them at this very moment and place.

Saeki: If I were to participate as a user, I would simply enjoy the real atmosphere of the event. There are many visitors, many exhibitors, various works, various exhibits, various stages, ...... and I want to enjoy myself wondering which one to go see.

I want to enjoy the happiness of being able to think "What should I do? This is true as a user, but it is also true as an organizer. I am a user, so I would have a hard time deciding which ones to watch. I have always said, "Everything about anime is here. I would like to enjoy the very thing that I have always said.

--I hope that while enjoying the things you like, you will also make new discoveries, such as finding something of interest in the booth next to the one you went to see.

Saeki: That's right. I think one of the most enjoyable parts of the event is that visitors have a lot of trouble finding what they want, being surprised by what they find, and then going back to enjoy it.

Nakajima It's a festival (laughs).

Saeki There are many things to see. But I think it would be good for AnimeJapan, the productions, and the industry if the visitors themselves find the highlights and share them with others. Just because we say something is a highlight does not necessarily mean that it will become a highlight for you. I think that's what we want our customers to do.

(Reporting, writing, and photography by Kenichi Chiba)

Event Information

AnimeJapan 2022

Venue: Tokyo Big Sight, East Exhibition Halls 1-8 (Only the AJ Stage will be streamed online)

Dates: March 26 (Sat) and 27 (Sun), 2022 9:00-17:00

Ticket prices

　Pre-sale admission ticket: 2,300 yen (tax included) Available until March 25 (Fri.)

Same-day tickets: 2,600 yen (tax included) Sold from March 26 (Sat.) to 27 (Sun.)
　Fast Ticket 3,900 yen (tax included) Sold from March 9 (Wed.) to 14 (Mon.)
Customers who have purchased an "Admission Ticket" and "Fast Ticket (Priority Admission)" will be given priority entry to the main area from 9:00 a.m. (*In the order of the numbered tickets)

Contents: Exhibit booths, AJ Stage (online streaming will be available), sponsored events, official goods, etc.

Organizer: Anime Japan, Inc.

Supported by: Association of Japanese Animations / Association of Comic Publishers

Official Website: https://www.anime-japan.jp

Official Twitter: @animejapan_aj (hashtag: #animejapan)

Secretariat: AnimeJapan Management Office (Sony Music Solutions Inc.)

*Conducted with sufficient measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

*There are no plans to hold Family Anime Festa in 2022 for both real and online events.

*The content of the event may be changed or cancelled depending on circumstances.