Astro Boy blasts off for the stores
More than four decades after debuting on US television, Astro Boy, the Japanese children's animation about a boy-like robot with jet-powered feet, is set for another lift-off.
The first commercial "anime" show to air on Japanese television, and the first to be successfully sold to the US, Astro Boy is still a draw for young boys. A new series will air on Toonami, the anime programming block within Cartoon Network, the Time Warner-owned subscription channel, after a try-out on sister service, Kids' WB!.
But since its original outing in the 1960s, Astro Boy has amassed another group of followers - the toy, merchandising and branded goods companies. A flood of tie-ins is about to hit the US, with Astro Boy's image splashed on everything from bandanas and bedding.
For that trend, Astro Boy has another anime character to thank: Pokemon. That property, which began as a Japanese comic, grew into a huge franchise encompassing television, toys and games with an estimated $18bn in worldwide sales, according to 4Kids Entertainment, the New York-based licensing company that introduced Pokemon to America in 1998.
If Astro Boy first introduced US television viewers to anime, it was Pokemon that made it ubiquitous. Current anime shows including Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dragon Ball Z, Digimon and Beyblade dominate US children's television, and licensing is an essential part of the anime business model. In 2003 US sales of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, videos and other merchandise was expected to exceed more than $2bn.
According to Christina Charasse, senior toy industry analyst at The NPD Group, a market researcher, Yu-Gi-Oh! was the top-selling licensed toy brand in 2003. In 2003 Beyblade generated $335m in worldwide sales and Hasbro, the lead toy licensee for Pokemon and Beyblade, sold more than 15m Beyblade tops in the US.
"As long as there are great stories told in anime, then anime will continue to be a powerful force," said Brian Goldner, president of the US toy segment of Hasbro.
an anime property, selling multiple licences is a way to generate revenue and help offset the cost of developing the television series.
The latest Astro Boy is produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan and Tezuka Productions and distributed in the US by Sony Pictures Television. Al Ovadia, executive vice-president of Sony Pictures Consumer Products, the master licensor for Astro Boy outside Asia, says there are 45 licensees in the US, including Bandai America, whose Astro Boy toy line will be in stores this summer.
The variety and size of the businesses built around the anime character prompt concerns that anime shows are developed around their potential to create lucrative spin-offs, rather than for their on-screen qualities.
Lori Moreno, senior marketing manager at Bandai America, says that for toymakers having a show on air is a big plus, "but the entertainment value for the kids is the first priority of any show".
Others are more upfront about seeing the television programme as a "platform" for marketing toys. Al Kahn, chairman and chief executive of 4Kids Entertainment, which owns the US rights to Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, says: "It is critical that the show is on air and stays on air when toy companies start to promote the property. If you don't have kids watching it, how do they have a clue about the characters?"
In 2002, Kahn's company did a deal with Fox Broadcasting to lease the television network's Saturday morning block. The Fox Box now uses the time slot to air properties it owns, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Shaman King. "It is very hard to get on US television, [but] now we have our own platform. Fox Box is a key part of our strategy. Television may not be a moneymaker but it creates a much bigger opportunity."
阿童木的下一站：美国商店
在美国电视上亮相四十多年后，铁臂阿童木(Astro Boy)准备再次出击。铁臂阿童木是日本儿童动画片，讲述一个双脚可喷气飞行的男孩模样机器人的故事。
铁臂阿童木是日本电视播放的第一部商业"动画"节目，也是首部成功销往美国的节目。阿童木至今仍吸引着男孩们，其最新系列在时代华纳儿童频道(Kids' WB)试播后，即将在卡通网络(Cartoon Network)的动画节目板块Toonami中播放。卡通网络是华纳旗下拥有的付费频道，也是儿童频道的姐妹台。
然而，自20世纪60年代首次亮相以来，铁臂阿童木的周围已聚集了另外一群追随者：玩具、推销和品牌商品公司。美国市场很快将充斥与这部动画片有关的商品，铁臂阿童木的形象将遍及各处，从扎染印花头巾到床上用品。
出现这种趋势，铁臂阿童木还得感谢另一个动画人物：宠物小精灵(Pokemon)。它起初只是一个日本连环漫画，但逐渐发展成为巨大的特许经营公司，业务涵盖电视、玩具及游戏。据美国纽约4Kids Entertainment公司预测，宠物小精灵产品的全球销量达180亿美元。正是这家授权代理公司在1998年将宠物小精灵引进美国。
如果说是铁臂阿童木是带给美国电视观众的第一部动画作品，而宠物小精灵则令动画铺天盖地。目前，目前垄断美国儿童电视节目的动画片包括，游戏王(Yu-Gi-Oh)、龙珠Z(Dragon Ball Z)、数码暴龙(Digimon)和爆旋陀螺(Beyblade)，而授权则是动画片商业模式的一个基本部分。2003年，游戏王卡片、录像和其它商品在美国的销售量预计将超过20亿美元。
据市场调查公司NPD集团的玩具行业资深分析师克里斯蒂娜o沙拉斯(Christina Charasse)分析，游戏王是2003年最畅销的授权玩具品牌。爆旋陀螺的2003年全球销售量达到3.35亿美元，宠物小精灵和爆旋陀螺的主要玩具授权经销商孩之宝(Hasbro)在美国就售出1500万个爆旋陀螺。
孩之宝公司美国玩具分部的总裁布赖恩o戈德纳(Brian Goldner)说："只要动画片里讲的故事情节生动有趣，那么它的影响力就将继续存在。"
如果某公司拥有一部动画片的版权，出售多重许可证是一种增加收入的方法，也可抵消拍摄电视系列片的成本费用。
铁臂阿童木的最新系列由日本索尼影像娱乐公司(Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan)和手冢制作公司(Tezuka Productions)联合制作，由索尼影视公司(Sony Pictures Television)在美国发行。索尼影视消费性产品公司(Sony Pictures Consumer Products)是铁臂阿童木在亚洲以外地区的主要特许商，其执行副总裁阿尔o奥瓦迪亚(Al Ovadia)表示，美国有45家授权经销商，包括美国万代公司(Bandai America)，该公司的铁臂阿童木玩具将于今年夏天上柜台。
围绕动画人物的业务不仅品种繁多，而且规模可观，这使人们担心：制作动画节目是因为有可能生成有利可图的派生品，而不顾其节目质量。
美国万代公司的资深营销经理洛里o莫雷诺(Lori Moreno)说，对玩具制造商而言，有正在播放的节目是一大优势，"但让孩子们所获得娱乐价值是任何节目的首要任务。"
另一些人则更坦率，他们将电视节目视为玩具销售的"平台"。4Kids Entertainment公司拥有宠物小精灵和游戏王在美国的版权，其董事长兼首席执行官阿尔o卡恩(Al Kahn)说："在公司开始进行推广时，有节目播放并持续播放至关重要。如果没有孩子看电视，他们怎么会知道这些人物呢？"
2002年，卡恩所在公司与福克斯广播公司(Fox Broadcasting)达成一项交易，租用该电视网络的周六早间时段。Fox Box现在利用该时段播放自己拥有的节目，包括忍者龟(Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)和通灵王(Shaman King)。"想上美国电视很难，（但）我们现在有自己的平台。Fox Box是我公司战略的主要部分。电视可能不是造钱机器，却可创造更大的机会。"
