Q: As the founder and CEO of TokyoPop, and even before TokyoPop, you've spent a lot of time in Japan. So I'm sure you know that the word "otaku" means something a little bit different in Japan than it does in America.
Stu Levy: Well, it's interesting because the word otaku in Japan, I've noticed, in even the past five years has really evolved a lot too. When I was first doing what I do, this whole otaku concept... Well, the literal translation of the word, or rather the usual way Japanese people actually use the word otaku is as way of speaking politely. So for example, ladies speaking with each other might say, otaku wa ikaga desu ka? Literally, it's a very polite way of saying "How are you?" or "How is your family?" The kanji for "taku" means "house."
In popular culture, it has evolved to mean a shut-in; someone who stays in the house all day and really focuses on their hobby. That's how it became the term we all got to know from Japan. But at the time when people in Japan were seeing being an otaku as something negative, at the time in America, otaku was seen as a very positive thing.
When I first start this business, people in America were proud to be otaku. What I noticed is that that kind of flipped. So, a couple years ago in Japan, since Densha Otoko in particular, that drama became really huge.
Q: Right – the Train Man movie, novel and various versions of the manga.
Stu Levy: I noticed that Densha Otoko kind of kicked off a trend of people being a lot more proud to be otaku and people who were necessarily shy and introverted, and were a lot more – I don't want to say "normal" – outgoing, and more comfortable with themselves in social situations — those people would start to say, 'Yeah, I'm otaku.' A lot of Japanese were like 'Ore otaku da yo', (I am an otaku). Girls would say that they love otaku guys, and it became very cool to be otaku. This is just over the past couple years, since Densha Otoko.
At around the same time, in the U.S., the older version of otaku concepts started to get more known here. People like otakus were seen as too hardcore, as socially unacceptable. People started thinking, 'I don't want to be associated with that.' So it's interesting to me how things kind of flipped.
Our definition of otaku is much more the positive one. People like myself and the otaku six who are with me – we're all really outgoing, creative people. We just like the fact that we're otaku and we're part of this culture. That's the positive message that we want to bring out in people and really celebrate our culture on a nationwide – hopefully worldwide distributed show. So it's not "Hey, let's find embarrassing people and put them on display," it's "Let's find people who are amazing and talented and intelligent and let's show off that this is what otaku culture is all about."
ROCK STAR DREAMS FUEL A REALITY SHOW ROAD TRIP
Q: How did you come up with the idea of doing this, since this is very out of left field? I don't think any other publisher would even think of doing something like this!
Stu Levy: I always wanted to get on the road and do this kind of thing -- get a bus, meet fans, do a TokyoPop tour. I've wanted to do this for about six or seven years. I always wanted to be a rock star, be in a band, but I never pursued that. It's been a hobby, but I never got into the performance side. My inner rock star always wanted to get on the road and do that.
From a branding point of view, I've always been influenced by other types of media, whether it's music or games or film, when I'm looking and marketing and branding. So this was always in the back of my mind. Given how things have been the past couple years, the economy is so tough and our budgets are all getting killed. A lot of people are downloading stuff online and not buying books, so I just decided, "Hey, let's go for it. Let's get our bus on the road and put everything into this, and let's see who is out there.
People are still into anime and manga – are there still fans out there? Have they all given up on it and moved on? For me, trying to meet the fans in person – not the fans that show up at conventions, but to go out, seek them out, and see how people react – that's my goal.
Lately, I've been pursuing my dreams in terms of producing and directing films. At first I wasn't going to be on the trip, I was going to stop by every now and then. But I decided I'm just gonna go for it. I'll be on there, the whole trip, just get a couple camcorders and just shoot it.
It evolved into this concept of "America's Greatest Otaku." However, we're not featuring TokyoPop at all. It's totally, completely neutral. When you watch the show, it could have been produced by anybody. TokyoPop is not even there.
Q: Oh, so you're not promoting TokyoPop books or products or anything like that?
Stu Levy: It's kind of an interesting duality, because the tour itself – the bus is TokyoPop, and we're doing manga events, so we'll be at Borders and comic conventions, but the show we're making about otaku. When it's broadcast later on Hulu, other than the initial TokyoPop logo showing that the we're the production company, nothing in the show directly TokyoPop-related.
Q: Really? But this obviously takes a lot of time and a lot of expense to pull off a tour like this. When you said 'Yes, we're gonna do this,' in your mind what do you hope you will have accomplished by the end of the tour? What are you hoping will happen?
Stu Levy: That's a good question. I tend to be a lot more of an instinctual entrepreneur. I'm not an MBA type. I don't really say what are our ROIs, I don't try to quantify. I really focus on my gut.
At the end of the tour, ideally, I'll have a feeling for which way to turn the ship, the industry, this business, for my own career and life and the TokyoPop brand- are we going in the right direction? Do we need to readjust things? How are fans? What are they interested in nowadays? Hopefully we've also produced a really cool show that people love and can make its mark.
To me, already... just the bus itself... this is so cool! I can imagine next year that maybe three or four of these kinds of buses are gonna show up at AX! (laughs)
