Thread by @OnTakahashi

Regarding Kadokawa's CEO's comments, I have a feeling it's more talking the talk than walking the walk.

The main discussion was about teenage Gravure idols and how some of them are often "pressured" into photo shoots, or are body shamed as being "lewd". (Some are minors)

1/18

https://twitter.com/nmisaki/status/1419196162880335872

The way I read it, Takeshi Natsuno inserted himself in that "feminist space" (the topic at hand), by referring to sexual content in manga and broached the idea of "redefining what content is acceptable", using the example of Google and Apple's policies.

2/18

The reality though, is that Kadokawa doesn't need Google or Apple to sell their manga. They are a behemoth in the industry and Bookwalker dominates both domestic and overseas.

Kadokawa is a "Media Mix" company that also has a stake in anime and games for their IP.

3/18

What most tweets aren't covering is the fact that the CEO is currently in a media shitstorm because of remarks he made 2 days ago justifying events other than the Olympics being cancelled due to Covid because "they're boring as shit like a kid's piano performance".

4/18

I personally think that his "We should maybe redefine sexual content" was some sort of last-ditch pro-feminism statement to try and dig his way out of the current media criticism and curry favor with the press (Backfired, obviously, from the response of manga fans).

5/18

Kadokawa makes too much money from sexually-themed LNs (pretty much most LNs) and media to ditch it. It's their golden egg-laying goose. Shareholders will most likely be seething from this latest gaffe too. It'll probably just blow over and nothing will happen.
6/18

JP manga pubs have seen what "constant censuring" has done to the Western comics scene. In order to remain a bastion of "creative freedom", men in suits will be smart to back off and just let things continue to be. More and more "teen" manga are embracing sexual themes.

7/18

JP manga publishers have been more experimental than ever. Take something like "My Dress-Up Darling" for example. That's a manga about cosplay and traditional Japanese dress-making. But you'd be blind to miss the "sexual undertones" that simmer just below the surface.

8/18

And a lot of recent manga have this, because that's what sells. That's the content people like and what people are buying. And that's further proven to publishers via digital sales of manga.

In the past, people had to buy whole ass magazines or tankoubons.

9/18

As publishers, it was kinda hard to gauge which work in a particular magazine did better etc. For example, with Weekly Shounen Jump, series like Naruto, One Piece etc did a lot of the carrying for magazine sales, but we weren't able to tell *exactly how much*.

10/18

Now, with digital consumption, publishers can see *exactly* which genres, which tropes, which series perform well and to which paying demographic.

This recent trend in a lot of works embracing lewdness isn't an accident. It comes from all the data of preferences.

11/18

Big publishers are raking it with the data they have and the semi-sexual works they pump out. It'll be corporate suicide to pull out of that market. Even if Kadokawa did, and that's a big as IF, other publishers will simply fill in the space.

12/18

And if there's anything a big Japanese publisher hates, it's other Japanese publishers making money in an area they could have thrived in 😂 (One of the reasons JManga failed all those years ago was because no one wanted to bring their Sunday Best for the whole group).

13/18

What foreign fans also have to remember is that Japanese companies tend to have an extremely conservative business culture compared to Western companies. That is, one CEO can't and won't call the shots for big changes. Maybe a founder might, but an appointed CEO? Nah.

14/18

An appointed CEO's job is to report to stakeholders. Doing things that damage their bottom-line is the last thing on their mind. It's why "progress and change" for Japanese companies are always so slow. No one wants to rattle the system for change. Baby steps preferred.

15/18

Kadokawa will continue to grow their presence in the Anime, live action, and gaming space via their existing IP. And those forms of media don't rely on Google or Apple at all. Kadokawa already has platforms they can sell those at.

16/18

While his comments might sound scary at first, I don't think it's a reason to panic like some are. With 2 big gaffes back to back, the stakeholders will keep the CEO in check, and he'll be quiet until everyone forgets about it.

17/18

I honestly think it was a poor attempt at getting some brownie points to help him out of his first media "scandal".

Anyway, we'll see what happens, but I have a feeling things won't be changing much.

After all, sex sells.

18/18