“Jajin-chan Drop Kick” is very good at building a fan community.
Fans are involved in various projects, and stories are created together with fans. We asked Mr. Yanase, the advertising producer, about the secret to “Jashin-chan” continuing to be loved by fans.
-- “Jashin-chan Club” is a fan community for “Jagin-chan Drop Kick” (hereafter, “Jashin-chan”). While there are many artist and idol communities at Fanicon, anime IPs can be said to be a rare case. Please tell me why “Jashin-chan” chose Fanicon.
First, let me explain the concept of the work “Jashin-chan.” We launched this film as an “anime that lasts a lifetime,” and we continue to run towards that goal even now.
As a background for creating such a concept, current Japanese anime, especially late-night anime, 50 to 70 new movies are broadcast every cool. Most of the films are forgotten after the broadcast is over.
――Even among anime fans, it's also said that “the bride (favorite character in the anime) changes with 1 cool.”
Personally, I'm sad that it's being consumed like that. The staff of “Jashin-chan” are involved in creating the work, saying “I want to keep going” so that doesn't happen.
What “Jashin-chan” aims for is to be like a famous character who can be recognized even by the characters alone. Even though the people who made it, like that famous red ribbon cat, have changed generations many times, the characters continue to live on, don't they?
What we want to do is not an “anime business,” but an “IP business.”
――In fact, I have the impression that “Jashin-chan” is actively engaged in a new form of fan communication, such as successfully crowdfunding and collecting 180 million yen from Chitose City's hometown tax even after the first season of the anime has ended.
At the time of hometown tax, NHK and Tospo also picked it up, and the local newspaper “Chitose Minpo” generally published articles about the event! ... this is how to be loved!
This is the reason why people love them so much, but I think the main thing is that Jashin-chan values “stories.”
In recent years, it is often referred to as “from consumption of things to consumption of things,” but I believe that the content business is already further shifting from “matter” consumption to “story” consumption.
-- and, what do you mean?
In today's world, where there is a sense of blockage in various places, isn't it a world where it's hard to set up dreams? “We want to make this happen!” It takes a tremendous amount of courage to make a declaration.
Meanwhile, “Jashin-chan” clearly communicates what they want to do. “If 2000 DVDs are sold, I'll do the 2nd season,” or “if I collect 15 million yen, I'll take Aina Suzuki back to my hometown.”
By doing so, it seems like all the fans sympathize with the “Jagin-chan” dream and enjoy the challenge itself, which they don't know if it can be realized. I think this is a new form of content business, which is different from the style of simply consuming what the creator has created.
――Also, the anime “Jajin-chan” will be broadcast for 1 season in the summer of 2018, and the 2nd season will clear up and start this spring.
For IP “going all the way,” the period that the anime broadcast period of only 3 months occupies is very small compared to decades of time.
Also, “Jajin-chan” has more than a year and a half between seasons 1 and a half. I had to think about something to fill that gap.
Information is also disseminated on Twitter, but the communication from “official” to “fans” tends to be one-way only.
-- Certainly.
What we wanted to achieve is not only to officially send out information, but also to have fans interact with each other. At the time of the first season, information was only unilaterally transmitted to fans on Twitter like this. [While drawing diagrams on a whiteboard]
For “Jajin-chan,” which has the concept of “continuing all the way” (draw a picture), this shape where fans connect horizontally rather than me speaking unilaterally is desirable in order to increase opportunities to talk about Jashin-chan. To that end, I thought it would be a good idea to create a community-type fan club. Now we can see the ideal shape, but how will it be realized? There were 2 choices: build your own system or outsource it.
At first, I was thinking about making my own system if it was 30% taken by the Apple/Google platform and a system usage fee was charged. However, I received a presentation on Fanicon's functions and ideas, and as a result of actually touching it a little bit, I decided to work with Fanicon because I thought “I can't make this myself” (laughs).
――How do you use Fanicon?
I am mainly in charge of posting for the “Jukyo Club.”
As a producer, I've been working all the time for screenings and events. The information that came up there was quickly conveyed to all the fans on Fanicon.
Also, in order to liven up “Jajin-chan,” they directly listen to the opinions of fans, etc., and in a sense, they interact like “work partners,” so I think the feeling of “making a work together” is great.
――Exactly, “I'm participating in the story.” It seems that there is also a merchandise project born from a user meeting within Fanicon.
It's there. Make a variety of patterns and ask everyone, “Which one do you want?” I asked and made it. There is no end to the list of other examples that were born from Fanicon.
――After all, it's exciting.
Yes, of course, “whether you get excited or not” is also important.
However, what is more important is that the people who participated in the meeting have their products “made by themselves,” so when they are sold, they are not “made by someone else,” but “made by themselves.”
They are not just goods, they are important to the person themselves. Isn't that the best thing about making it together? I think this can be achieved not only with “Jashin-chan,” but also with other IPs.
――Can you recommend Fanicon for other anime IPs?
Of course I recommend it!
I think it's particularly suitable for IPs that “go on forever.” For example, I think it's suitable for a long-term series for children, where staff and voice actors take their place.
Alternatively, Fanicon, which is an anime production studio unit, can also show the activity of a new work created every time.
――I think the fans will be happy too.
Anime fans are eagerly trying to understand the creators, so if you get excited by putting out one new storyboard a day, I think it will work.
Other than that, publishers that are content mothers, which have many manga based on anime, are also destined to continue making cool works every time, so I think a system will be established to set up a person in charge and provide the daily manufacturing process as content.
-- “Jashin-chan” has launched various projects with Fanicon, but how are they collaborating with Fanicon staff?
When I came up with an idea and sent an email saying “I want to do this” to the person in charge, they said, “Isn't that great, let's do it!” and it came back instantly (laughs).
Until now, such a project has never been realized. Fanicon can often be realized with just one smartphone, so trial and error can be easily repeated.
In the service I used before, what I could do was often limited without reasonably solid equipment and a studio, so Fanicon is perfect for “Jashin-chan,” which is trial-and-error content.
-- I think “Jashin-chan” has created a good relationship with fans. What should we do to build that kind of communication?
My dream is to grow old with all the fans of “Jashin-chan” (laughs). I want “Jashin-chan” to continue like that. So much so that we can all watch Shinjajin-chan, who was replaced someday!
However, no matter how good they say they get along, if you put too much effort on some people, they will “turn into an octopus pressure point,” right?
――It's easy for only certain old fans to get excited, and content that has an atmosphere where it's hard for new players to enter will end up tapering off.
In order to avoid this, we are always conscious of widening the frontage.
Old fans also said, “New ones are essential for 'Jashin-chan' and we to keep doing it all the time! It's not good to turn into octopus pressure points!” I'm saying, everyone is also “new important!” They are doing their best to “proselytize.”
When new people join Fanicon, they say “Welcome!” in the group chat I'm entertaining all the new fans (laughs).
――By the way, what issues were conspicuous within Fanicon?
There isn't a single thing that stands out. Everyone thinks this is their place, so I don't think anyone would go out of their way to pollute their own place.
――This is my last question. What would you like to do with Fanicon in the future?
We want to make it a “playground” for all fans. What I want to do recently is I want to make a “werewolf game” happen with Fanicon!
-- Speaking of werewolves, it's a game where people (villagers) and wolves split up and search for the opponent's true identity. Is that in “Jashin-chan”?
Currently, I'm making a card game called “Jajin-chan: Werewolf,” and this is a game based on the episode where Jimbocho is buried by zombies in episode 9 of the anime.
Jashin-chan can return to the Demon Realm when Yurine dies, so she has a cute face and forms the Sunbi faction, and a card game about how to kill members so that other characters don't get caught by them will come out in March!
――If you play that game using Fanicon's group chat function.
Yes, that's right. First, the fans got excited with each other, and the winners were able to participate in games with the cast, or live stream matches between the cast members, etc., and “This goes great with Fanicon!” and.
The game package also includes “Let's play with Fanicon!” I want to put it in (laughs). First, I think I'll be the game master, but not limited to werewolves, and eventually I want to aim for a self-propelled community where everyone can play freely without permission, not limited to werewolves.
-- This is the ideal shape for us at Fanicon. There is still no community that has been realized within Fanicon. I would like to ask for another interview when it is realized.
Eventually, let's compete against werewolves across the Fanicon community (laughs). If there are patterns other than werewolves that can be incorporated in a generic way, it would be great if other communities could implement it as a Fanicon feature from “Jashin-chan.”
If you want to deepen interaction with fans and want to make running a fan club easier than it is now, then Fanicon is useful.