Market Overview

Of the 16 major genres of Otaku market, 14 genres (anime, doujinshi, indie games, plastic models, figurines, dolls, model railroads [including dioramas and other peripheral products], survival games, popular idols, professional wrestling, cosplay clothing, services by girls in maid costumes or in costume-play clothing, voice synthesis, and 2.5D musical) showed growth. On the other hand, the market sizes of toy guns and boys' love diminished.

Out of the 14 major genres that have expanded, the market of doujinshi indicated the highest year-on-year growth at 37.9%. In this report, the doujinshi market encompasses the sales of printed doujinshi at fan conventions, sales of printed doujinshi by distributors (physical stores), and digital sales. Increase in the attendance of people at fan conventions (exhibitors and visitors) since the end of COVID-19 crisis, coupled with distributors selling at these conventions, the sales of printed doujinshi are expanding. Propelled by the convenience of not requiring printing process and cheaper cost of production, sales of doujinshi as digital data have penetrated after the COVID-19 crisis and expanding. Additionally, strong sales of translated doujinshi (sold to customers overseas) are also contributing to the growth of the doujinshi market. 

Noteworthy Topics

2.5D Musical Market On Uptrend

The 2.5 D musical market for FY2023, based on the user consumption amount, is estimated at 50 billion yen, up by 4.2% from the preceding fiscal year.

The term 2.5D musicals indicate theatrical presentations (three dimensional presentation) of 2D contents like manga, anime and video games. The 2.5D musical market covered in this survey includes total musical box office earnings and related merchandise sales.

The market for 2.5D musicals is expanding, driven by an increase in stage performances and audience attendance. A part of the growth attributes to the rising demand from inbound tourists. Although these performances are in Japanese, they can enjoy the show if they are familiar with the storyline of the original manga or anime. For this reason, foreign visitors to Japan are increasingly drawn to 2.5D musicals as a part of their entertainment during their stay.  

In addition to the admission ticket sales, sales of merchandise associated with 2.5D musicals are also seeing significant growth. Merchandise sales have become a key revenue stream for production companies. In general, merchandise sales are generally strong at 2.5D musicals compared to standard music concerts, plays, or sporting events. Online sales are on the rise as fans purchase souvenirs. While the growth rate has slightly slowed, demand for 2.5D musical-related products remained steady throughout FY2023. 

Future Outlook

For FY2024, we project expansion for the market of 12 genres (anime, doujinshi, indie games, plastic models, dolls, model railroads [including dioramas and other peripheral products], survival games, popular idols, professional wrestling, cosplay clothing, services by girls in maid costumes or in costume-play clothing, and voice synthesis) , and decline in the market of figurines, boys' love, and toy guns fall.

Among the 12 genres we forecasted growth, the voice synthesis market is expected to see the highest growth, with an anticipated increase of 21.3%. This market includes sales of singing voice synthesizer software, text-to-speech software, voice changer software, and merchandise related to vocal synthesizer characters.

In the singing voice synthesizer software field, vocal synthesizer characters have been developed and distributed, not only virtual singers like Hatsune Miku but also other characters. Still, Hatsune Miku is the most famous of all Vocaloid.

In the text-to-speech software field, "play-by-play" and "commentary" videos on streaming platforms are gaining popularity. These videos feature characters offering concise, easy-to-understand narration or information. As video creation becomes more accessible, no longer requiring specialized skills like music composition, the number of creators is rapidly increasing, driving demand in this space.

In addition, with the release of the movie COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can't Sing in January 2025, a spinoff of a popular mobile game "Project SEKAI COLORFUL STAGE! Featuring Hatsune Miku", merchandise sales in connection with characters are expected to grow going forward.

Research Outline