STONY BROOK, NEW YORK ¨C The other day I asked an executive at Kodansha, Japan¡¯s largest comics publisher, what happened to Hideaki Anno. In the 1990s, Anno created ¡°Neon Genesis Evangelion,¡± a cartoon series that introduced generations of young people all over the world to Japanese pop culture. ¡°Evangelion¡± is now a household name all over the world, like ¡°Star Wars¡± or ¡°Batman,¡± but in the last decade, Anno hasn¡¯t released any major follow-ups.
The Kodansha executive replied that since Anno is rich, he no longer has to work, and is probably just enjoying life.
That answer could have served as a metaphor for the entire Japanese entertainment industry ¡ª including Kodansha itself. Basking in the comfort of a captive domestic market, Japan¡¯s comics and animation producers have passed up huge opportunities to expand into global businesses. As a result, the country is losing out on a key potential export market.
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