Manga and anime fans have a new mecca in the capital.
The only Taiwanese outpost of the world’s largest anime chain store, Animate (安利美特) recently moved to a 120-ping (1 ping = 3.3m2) location steps away from Ximen MRT Station (西門捷運站) exit No. 6. Twice the size of Animate’s previous location on Wuchang Street (武昌街), the new store has an entire floor dedicated to collectibles, in addition to another floor stocked with manga series, graphic novels, anime DVDs and magazines.
Animate was founded in 1983 by Movic, a Japanese manufacturer of anime-themed figurines and other items. In Japan, Animate operates more than 90 stores, but the chain has found it more difficult to gain a foothold overseas. The Taipei location, which opened in 2000, is currently its only one abroad; a branch that opened in Los Angeles at the same time closed after less than three years.
Stores dedicated exclusively to selling manga, including many small mom-and-pop operations, were once ubiquitous in Taiwan’s cities, but the number has dwindled over the past decade as the lackluster economy forced students and young professionals, manga’s main customer base, to tighten their wallets.
“In the last few years, we’ve seen an impact on our customers because manga is a luxury, not something you need to survive,” says Huang Yuan-chia (黃苑嘉), the manager of Animate’s Taipei store. “At the same time, a lot of manga readers consider it a very important part of their lives. The market is smaller, but there will always be passionate fans.”
Animate customers range from elementary school students to office professionals in their mid-forties. Huang estimates that the gender ratio is split 60-to-40 in favor of females.
Manga sold in Animate is divided evenly between Japanese and Chinese-language editions, though the bulk of the titles are written and illustrated in Japan. The best-selling genres in the store are shonen (少男) and shojo (少女) manga, which are marketed to adolescent boys and girls, respectively.
Another popular genre is BL, or “boy love,” manga, which is targeted toward young women and feature homoerotic themes. Many BL books contain implied sexual encounters and are only sold to customers aged 18 and older. An entire corner is stocked with hundreds of titles like Hitsujitachi no Bannin, about a priest struggling between his earthly and spiritual needs. BL manga is a favorite topic of social scientists and has received considerable notoriety in the press, but at Animate it’s just another section.
“About 10 years ago, all BL readers were women, but in the last few years we’ve also had more men enter that fan group,” says Huang.
Huang, who has worked for Animate since it opened in Taiwan, started reading manga when she was a third grader.
“I like manga that has to do with history, but I’ve been in the manga business for 15 years and have been reading it for so long that it’s really hard to pick a favorite genre,” she says.
One of Animate’s current best-sellers is Hetalia: Axis Powers (義呆利), a satirical comedy based on World War II. Other popular series feature characters from video games, including the romantic Starry Sky and Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan (薄櫻鬼), which revolves around the Shinsengumi, or special police force, of the late
Edo period.
The new location gives Animate room to dedicate its entire lower level to collectibles based on popular anime and manga series, art supplies and DVDs. One corner displays brightly colored wigs, make-up, costume sets and other accoutrements of cosplay, in which participants dress up as their favorite characters.
Collectibles sold at Animate run the gamut from figurines and stationary to washcloths, cushions, alarm clocks, magnets, even rosaries. Items tied to the Starry Sky and Hakuouki series are especially popular — no matter what they are.
“As long as something has one of those two series attached to it, it sells well. What’s interesting is that it has nothing to do with what the item actually is. The popularity is all about the characters,” says Huang.
Yet another section in the new Animate location is filled with secondhand doujinshi (同人誌), or independently published manga, some of which, like fan fiction, is based on existing characters. Each slim volume is priced at NT$100.
While all the doujinshi sold in Animate are written in Japanese, Taiwanese fans also write and illustrate their own comic books. Many of them sell their creations at doujinshi conventions that take place every few months (for schedules, check www.comic.com.tw) and often include cosplay events.
“There is a manga series for everyone, no matter what subject matter you like or what kind of art you like,” says Huang. “A lot of series are very long and the more time you devote to reading them, the more you fully appreciate the beauty of the characters and the story.”
Animate (安利美特)
Address: 104, Zhonghua Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市中華路一段104號)
Open: 10am to 10pm
Phone: (02) 2389-3420
On the Net: www.animate.co.jp/taipei
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