Interest

Sponsors Return for Fuji TV's Summer Anime Season

ANN's Japan-based staff confirmed the return of sponsors with the full-fledged start of Fuji TV's summer season for anime, as of Thursday. Specifically, three long-running Fuji TV anime series are airing with full sponsorship: Gegege no Kitarō: Watashi no Ai Shita Rekidai GeGeGe (a rerun of selected Gegege no Kitarō episodes from the franchise's 60-year history), Chibi Maruko-chan, and Sazae-san.

Chibi Maruko-chan saw a drought of sponsorships between mid-March and late June. However, at the start of the summer programming season, the series gained two returning sponsors: energy company Mitsuuroko and silicon wafer semiconductor manufacturer Sumco. Pharmaceutical company Ryukakusan, toy manufacturer Takara Tomy, and pet food manufacture Inaba have also sponsored Chibi Maruko-chan.

By contrast, Onmyo Kaiten Re:Birth Verse, the Chinese animation Tensei Sōshū no Hadōtan, Call of the Night Season 2, To Be Hero X, and One Piece are airing with only a partial return of some sponsors. These programs do air with commercials for related Blu-ray Disc and DVD releases, opening and ending theme songs' CD releases, and, in the case of One Piece, video games and merchandise. Many of the remaining commercials airing during these series are for Fuji TV-produced feature films, theatrical productions, and dramas series, as well as some general corporate sponsors (similar to what happened during this past spring's sponsor drought). However, as these remaining commercials are not directly sponsoring any anime aired on Fuji TV, they are likely part of the broadcaster's general sponsorship pool.

The only Fuji TV anime series airing without its own external sponsorship is the rebroadcast of Assassination Classroom. However, like the partially sponsored anime series, this rebroadcast airs commercials for its opening and ending theme song CDs; Fuji TV-produced feature films, theatrical productions, and dramas; and a small handful of general corporate sponsors.

Fuji TV's sponsorship drought came after the Weekly Bunshun magazine reported former SMAP member Masahiro Nakai engaged in nonconsensual sexual activities with a woman in June 2023, resulting in a 90 million yen (about US$580,000) out-of-court settlement. Weekly Bunshun also reported Fuji TV staff was involved with the incident, although the magazine later said the woman was not initially invited to the gathering by a Fuji TV official as it had reported in December. In the aftermath, Fuji TV president Koichi Minato and Fuji Media Holdings Inc. chairman Shuji Kano resigned their positions.

As of press time, no announcements have been made regarding future sponsorships for anime programming on Fuji TV.