Behind-the-scenes disclosures, a staple of film and television production, have extended to the visible documentation of manga (comics) and anime (animation) production in Japanese media. This article examines manga “industrial reflexivity, using as a case study publisher Shueisha’s most popular periodical, the best-selling shônen (boys) manga magazine, Shûkan Shônen Jump ( Weekly Shônen Jump). Jump’s documentary-like portrayals of the manga production process have bled out from the magazine in “exclusive” footage that takes viewers on behind-the-scenes tours exploring Shueisha offices or mangaka ateliers to spill insider knowledge and industry secrets. This article argues that such disclosures are borne out of industrial survival as much as education and promotion. Jump’s professional self-reflexivity is an example of an old media brand attempting to fight for relevance in a shifting media environment through appeals to the legacy and ecosystem of the manga magazine format itself.
Bryan Hikari Hartzheim examines how a growing number of top-grossing and popular mobile game titles are extensions of larger media franchises that also stem from other media properties. He posits the licensed mobile game as a flexible, promotional paratext within Japanese video game and anime transmedia franchises such as Dragon Ball and Final Fantasy. As such, his chapter considers the increasingly important role of ancillary, low-budget texts and how they can quickly adapt to changing market conditions to effectively monetize audience interests.
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