“Why not?”

Furthermore, the "Idol" industry (exemplified by SMAP, AKB48, and now the globally dominant boy band BTS, which, while Korean, was heavily influenced by the Japanese idol training system) represents a unique form of content where the personality is the product. Idols graduate, hold handshake events, and star in variety shows, blurring the line between musician and reality TV star. The recent explosion of VTubers (Virtual YouTubers like Hololive’s Gawr Gura) is a uniquely Japanese evolution of idol culture, where performers use motion-capture avatars to sing and interact, generating millions of superchat dollars per month.

The desperation was palpable. Every piece of content was a trap, a lure. The manga was the bait for the anime. The anime was the ad for the game. The game was the gateway to the merchandise. The merchandise was the key to the live event. The live event was the only place you could get the code for the “true ending” of the manga.

Anime is the ambassador of Japanese culture. In the 1980s and 90s, shows like Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon introduced Western children to complex serialized storytelling. Today, streaming wars have accelerated this trend. Netflix, Crunchyroll (now owned by Sony), and Hulu are in a bidding war for exclusive rights to new seasons.