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JMA Reveals Details on Animate Bangkok Store

Japanese Manga Alliance — the company that Shueisha, Animate, Kodansha, Kadokawa, and Shogakukan established as a joint venture — announced the details on its planned Animate Bangkok store on Tuesday.

The Animate store will be located in Unit No. 444 on the seventh floor of the MBK (Mahboonkrong) Center, and will be roughly 560 square meters in area. Animate JMA, a newly created JMA subsidiary, will run the day-to-day operations of the store. JMA is also fully funding the store.

The store will carry manga, anime, character goods, software, and figures. The store will also include space for live concerts, and a concept shop space. Additionally, the store plans to offer limited-edition goods at fixed intervals, and will also invite guests.

The store will open in spring 2016.

JMA stated it hopes that by offering manga and anime that were not previously available legally in the market, it can curtail piracy. The shop will also stock Japan travel guides to build interest in Japan. JMA will use data gathered from the operation of the store to plan possible future outlets in other countries.

In the announcement of its foundation in September, JMA stated that its goal is to protect the copyrights of its founding companies, to establish a location where fans can procure its founding companies' work legally, and to build more fans.

JMA's position also allows it to market its own products, rather than relying on local companies.

The joint venture chose to establish a presence in Thailand first due to there already being a significant publishing and translation presence in the country. The previous market research of Kadokawa, Shogakukan, Shueisha, and Kadokawa found that the anime and manga market's worth in the country amounted to some 5-6.5 billion yen. Knowing that the market for pirated goods is twice the size of the market for official goods, JMA anticipates that the market for official goods can grow to a worth of 15 billion yen in Thailand. In addition, Animate director Shingo Kunieda offered the opinion that Thailand's liberal regulations and nature as a "tolerant country" will lend boys-love media a high degree of acceptance.

When asked to comment on the high price difference between official goods and pirated goods, Kunieda replied, "The average income in Asian countries is rising, and I'm confident that as middle-income earners grow in number, the preference for legitimate goods will also grow."

Source: Anime! Anime!