The manga industry has been on a well documented decline as of late but no one could have guessed things had gotten this desperate. Last week, Viz media released a total of 60 people in an effort to “restructure”, around 40% of the company’s workforce. This is the second time in as many years that the manga giant has undergone major layoffs in the face of the worsening economy.
A week later and CMX manga, a subsidiary of DC comics has announced its immediate folding. The Co-publishers of DC, Jim Lee and Dan Didio released this statement:
“Over the course of the last six years, CMX has brought a diverse list of titles to America and we value the books and creators that we helped introduce to a new audience. Given the challenges that manga in the American marketplace, we have decided that CMX will cease publishing new titles as of July 1, 2010.”
While things certainly aren’t looking good, there is a silver lining; this has happened once before and the industry managed to come out of it relatively in one piece. Viz has also confirmed that it has no immediate plans to cease publication of any of its titles.
So how did this happen? Well let’s take a look:
Price increases: In the last two years, every company raised the price of its manga by $1-2 dollars. Considering the state of the economy, the price raise couldn’t have come at a worse time. All of Viz’s Shonen Jump releases featured a price jump from $7.95-$9.95. Something like this was poorly planned and obviously took a toll on the consumers who probably retreated online to read their favorite series for free. This brings us to the next point…
Online scanning: Those scanning and uploading manga and making it available for free are hurting the business. For one thing, it’s illegal and no different than doing the same for music. If a product is available for viewing for free, there is little incentive for consumers to purchase the product. Viz Media has been rather passive about the issue, making matters worse considering their place as North America’s largest publisher.
Over Saturation of the Market: Over the last few years, there has been a noticeable spike in license’s, from more well known and popular series such as Soul Eater to the obscure Saturn Apartments. The increase in licensed titles by publishers has over saturated the market and in the long run, hurt the publisher. Viz is a prime example, grabbing up nearly every title in Shueisha’s library. The fact is, the demand is not nearly great enough to support the decision to bring over many of these series. Already proven titles like Bleach and Naruto are understandable but a series like Dorohedoro only appeals to a niche market.
Marketing: Manga has a series for everyone and should be marketed as such. From action, to romance, even slice of life, the list goes on and on. The industry needs to try and reach a new audience. Advertising in their own magazines won’t gain new readership. There should be ads in well known magazines such as Time or even Empire. It’s obvious that the current readership isn’t enough to sustain the industry, so try to increase it.
If the manga industry is to survive, those in charge need to step back and take a closer look at what is hurting their companies. There are several other reasons for the drastic downturn, far too many to list, however those detailed above could possibly provide future insight as to what measures need to be taken. Laying off employees won’t increase sales. If something isn’t done now, fans may just witness the downfall of manga in the US.
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