Ask John: Could a Foreign Investor Sponsor an Anime Sequel?

Question:
Would it be possible for an American investor to invest money into the production of an already existing anime? Would a company like Toei or Sunrise be interested in producing an entirely new spin-off of a now concluded series if a foreign investor were to invest around $5 million into the production of the new spin-off, say, for example, a new Dragon Ball movie/series or Inuyasha series/movie? In addition, would Toei be willing to produce new Dragon Ball anime based on my story ideas, considering I’d be the one investing in its production?

Answer:
My answer to this question will be highly hypothetical by necessity. Since nothing like this has ever happened before, there’s no precedent to base a theory upon. I also, personally, don’t know enough about the psychology or practices of major Japanese entertainment companies and film studios to be able to predict their responses to a totally original proposal.

There have been instances of foreign investors instigating the production of original anime. American comic book publisher Verotik employed Madhouse to create a short Satanika anime pilot. French fashion house Louis Vuitton commissioned Toei to produce the short Superflat Monogram anime film. Foreign investors have also been influential in the creation of anime sequels. For example, the American Cartoon Network was heavily involved in the creation of The Big O II. But I don’t recall ever hearing of an anime franchise being entirely revived exclusively as a result of foreign investment. I suspect that foreign investors have never been previously interested in solely sponsoring an anime revival because there are other, more profitable investments available. Anime, after all, is not a highly lucrative business. Anime is, and can be profitable. But anime doesn’t generate remotely the profits or return on investment offered by other ventures like the stock exchange, technology start-up businesses, natural resources, or even investing in the creation of video games or live action movies. In the past, investors with money to contribute have looked to other, more lucrative investments than anime. It may be only beginning now, after anime has been established in America for twenty years, that America now has veteran fans wealthy enough and devoted enough to anime to consider investing in anime production for personal, sentimental reasons.

Most investors with five million to spare would probably choose to place their money into a venture with a better financial return than anime production. But if an investor was inclined to put five million into an anime, that amount would probably be enough to largely or fully fund the production of an average single season anime television series, short OVA series, or theatrical motion picture. Furthermore, while I’m not certain that any and every Japanese anime studio would eagerly jump through hoops for such an investment, I’m sure that an American with that amount to spend could find a competent professional Japanese studio willing to accept a commission. The revival of a lapsed franchise, though, may be more difficult to arrange.

Anime that have run their course and died a natural death are usually not revived because there’s no longer enough consumer interest to make these titles commercially viable. If such a show was revived as a personal commission, profit wouldn’t necessarily be significant. However, in the case of an older franchise, there would still be a myriad of owners and investors that still have a stake in the title. So all of those prior owners and investors would have to agree to allow a franchise revival. Furthermore, the franchise creators would presumably still have influence over the decision. Japanese creators seem to retain more control over their creations than is common in America. In America, a franchise may be revived or redesigned without the consent or approval of the original creator. I’m not as certain that the same is possible in Japan. Manga creators usually allow animators some creative freedom, but original Japanese creators may not always be prepared to completely turn over the development of their characters and stories to an unknown or untested foreigner.