Oscarpromotion , Burning Production , and Horipro control the female talent. These agencies act as feudal lords. They decide which actor gets the morning drama ( Asadora ), which singer performs the Olympics, and which celebrity gets "burned" (canceled) by the media.
For years, Japan resisted streaming. Record labels—specifically and Being Inc. —clung to physical CD sales. The "tower records" culture remains strong; buying a CD with a bonus "handshake ticket" still drives the Oricon charts. The COVID Acceleration & The "Sakamichi" Shift When COVID-19 banned concerts and handshake events, the industry panicked. Suddenly, agencies were forced to embrace YouTube and TikTok. Virtual idols (V-Tubers like Hololive ), which had been a cult niche, exploded globally because they could "perform" without a live audience. Oscarpromotion , Burning Production , and Horipro control
A committee for an anime like Demon Slayer includes: A toy company (Bandai), a publisher (Shueisha), a streaming service (Crunchyroll/ABEMA), and a record label (Sony Music). They pool risk. The animation studio is just a hired gun. For years, Japan resisted streaming
Yet, the old guard is shifting. Genshin Impact (Chinese) challenged the status quo, forcing Japanese giants like Square Enix to rethink their "console exclusive" strategies. Meanwhile, the "Doujin" (indie) scene, born from Comiket (the world's largest comic convention), is producing global hits like Touhou Project and Hololive . Japan is a contradiction: the home of futuristic robotics, yet offices still use fax machines. The entertainment industry reflects this. The "tower records" culture remains strong; buying a
For the consumer, this means an endless buffet of the sublime and the ridiculous. You can watch a heartbreakingly beautiful Makoto Shinkai film about distance and longing, then switch the channel to a show where a comedian tries to fit his head through a moving rotating board for a $50 voucher.
The Result: This protects investors but crushes artists. It leads to the infamous "anime wage crisis." However, the committee system also allows for insane experimentation. Because budgets are shared, niche shows about yuri-baiting in Antarctica ( A Place Further Than the Universe ) or reverse isekai dragon maids ( Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid ) can get funded because a toy company wants to sell a plushie. While Western gaming moved toward realism and live-service monetization (GaaS), Japan doubled down on artistry and portable comfort. Nintendo protects its IP with the ferocity of a dragon, treating Mario and Zelda as cultural heritage sites. Meanwhile, Sony (PlayStation) moved its HQ to California, causing a split where Japanese developers now find more freedom on Nintendo Switch and PC.