During the International Manga Anime Festival Reiwa Toshima (IMART), representatives from publisher Kodansha spoke about the initial concerns about the anime adaptation of “Attack on Titan.” We summarize the most important details.
Bad prognosis
Today, “Attack on Titan” – both as a manga and as an anime – is undoubtedly considered a worldwide phenomenon. As it turned out, however, the path to the anime adaptation was anything but smooth.
According to producer Yohei Ito, it was assumed within the publishing house that the project would fail. The reason: The series deals with extremely dark topics and completely avoids so-called “Moe” elements, i.e. deliberately cute characters.
At the start of the first season in 2013, the anime industry was heavily influenced by exactly this “Moe” trend. Cute and lovable characters were considered a reliable guarantee of commercial success, especially through merchandise sales. However, “Attack on Titan” didn’t fit into this mold at all.
Confidence paid off
In addition, streaming services did not play a major role at the time and the international market was largely untapped.
The production team could therefore not rely on additional income from abroad or digital platforms. Without the “Moe” factor, the series was classified as a significant financial risk.
Nevertheless, the project was ultimately realized – largely thanks to the support of Masatoshi Tsunoda, head of the legal department at Kodansha. He described the decision as a professional and moral obligation, regardless of the forecasts. After all, Hajime Isayama had entrusted his work to the publisher.
This confidence paid off: “Attack on Titan” set new standards in anime and manga. In 2021, the series was the most watched TV production worldwide, making it the first non-English language series to achieve this title. She has also received several awards at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, most recently with the “Global Impact Award”.
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©Hajime Isayama, KODANSHA/“ATTACK ON TITAN” The Final Season Production Committee.