[ Sender:JCS ]
Gift from Thailand; she is probably the most "Otaku" person in this series of interviews! The term "Otaku" means people who are crazy about Japanese anime and comics. We first talk about Japanese comics and it turns into reaching a very interesting observation of the publishing industry and tips for digital distribution in Thailand.
― First of all, could you introduce yourself?
Gift: "I'm Gift from Thailand. I'm a PhD student at Tokyo University, currently living in Japan for 8 years. My research is about 'Niconico Douga' (ニコニコ動画: an online video sharing platform), focusing on 'Utai-te' (歌い手) which literally means 'singer', but here, the ones who emerged from the Internet. During my masters degree, I did my research on comic events, especially 'Comitia'. I have been a staff at Comitia since 2009 until now for my research. My hobby is 'Otaku' culture, especially reading Japanese 'Boys' Love' comics, so I consider myself a 'Fujoshi' (腐女子), girls who are into reading Boy's Love comics, and 'Nico-chu' (ニコ厨), people who are addicted to watching Niconico Douga. I usually buy at least three comics a week."
― In the first place, how did you get to know all this Otaku and Fujoshi culture?
Gift: "I used to read some Japanese comic magazines, like 'Princess' or 'Bonita' which were translated into Thai. Some of the stories were about Boys' Love. Actually in Thailand, this kind of theme is a taboo. If I told my mother about this, she would be shocked! In the first place, people think comics and anime are for children, so it is not acceptable to see comics and anime with adult content. But in these 5 years, a new rating system with R18 was introduced, so this kind of new genre is coming into our lives."
― Do you also watch Japanese live action films?
Gift: "Yes, but I think there are only a few theaters that show Japanese films. The mainstream is of course Hollywood movies and Japan is known only for their Otaku content. But now I think Japanese dramas are more popular than the movies. Before it was Korean dramas, but recently Japanese dramas are regaining their position. "
― Is it easy to find Thai translations of Japanese media content? Do you think there is enough information in Thai?
Gift: "Not enough at all!! Also, it sometimes takes too much time to localize the content so I end up reading how the story ends in Japan. So I think there is a huge time lag. For the most famous ones like Jump comics, it takes only 3 to 4 months, but from middle-famous to not-so-famous ones, companies are doing them really slowly.
Besides the translation quality, the printing quality is very bad so when I read comics in Thailand my fingers get totally black!"
― That could be a very good incentive for companies to try online distribution, right?"
Gift: "I think people around me are used to consuming digital content if it's not very expensive. We have many online magazines as well. In addition, Android mobile phones are very cheap and widely spread. So I think digital distribution could be very advantageous for marketing in Thailand."
― Could you tell us how you usually get information on Japanese media content?
Gift: "We have got a very interesting web board called 'Pantip'. It is like 2ch in Japan. If you can make a topic on the 'Recommend' feed, most of the media will pick it up and broadcast it. For example, a Japanese noodle restaurant was featured on Pantip and that caused a huge Ramen boom in Thailand. Eventually everyone gets to know through that. But the key is how you make it featured. To do so you have to understand how sharing information through social media goes very fast.
Basically, we use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for different occasions. Twitter is more for Otaku people and Cosplayers use Instagram a lot. Also, Thailand is the second largest market for LINE users. A lot of people use LINE because they want stickers. There are even stickers with the Thai language! "
― It could be a very useful tool for marketing and promotion of Japanese content in Thailand.
Gift: "Because the requirements for tourist visas for Thai people were eased recently, there are many topics on travelling in Japan. But don't worry if you make a recommended topic on Pantip it will become a hit!"
― By the way, you have a custom to have a nickname besides real name. ('Gift' is also a nickname.)
Gift: "Before, English names were popular but recently some people choose names after Japanese words. There are even nicknames like 'Gundam' (a really popular giant robot anime character) or 'Shinbun' (newspaper). It just sounds cute to Thai people! "
Wow, that was very interesting! Thank you very much Gift!
Stay tuned for the next interview, a case on <<Philippines>>!
Vol.1 : Interviews with "CoFesta Ambassadors": Vol.1 << USA >>
Vol.2 : Interviews with "CoFesta Ambassadors": Vol.2 << Indonesia (1) >>
Vol.3 : Interviews with "CoFesta Ambassadors": Vol.3 << Indonesia (2) >>
Vol.4 : Interviews with "CoFesta Ambassadors": Vol.4 << Mexico (1) >>
Vol.5 : Interviews with "CoFesta Ambassadors": Vol.5 << Mexico (2) >>
Vol.6 : Interviews with "CoFesta Ambassadors": Vol.6 << Thailand >>
More about "CoFesta"
http://www.cofesta.jp/
What is "CoFesta Ambassadors" program?
Through the voices and observations done by overseas consumers of
Japanese media content, CoFesta administration team aim to provide
beneficial information from 1) marketing and 2) promotional points of
view for the CoFesta events and the exhibitors.
Every year, 150 international students studying abroad in Japan are
certified as "CoFesta Ambassadors" for this program.
