Creator Shirimoto's manga "Nmeneko" has been made into a TV anime and has been airing on TBS since April 3rd at 1:58am every Thursday. The short anime is about a minute and a half long, and TBS says it will focus on short anime starting with this work. With commercial broadcasters focusing on anime, such as by creating new anime slots, what is TBS's aim in developing short anime? We spoke to TBS producer Yuki Katayama, who is in charge of "Nmeneko".
◇Taking on the challenge of creating anime for a wider audience
TBS will be broadcasting a new nationwide anime slot every Sunday at 4:30 pm in October 2023 and every Thursday at 11:56 pm in January 2024. In recent years, the company has been focusing on anime, broadcasting popular works such as "Bang Brave Bang Bravern", "Blue Box", and "Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun 2". Producer Katayama has worked on "If My Favorite Idol Comes to Budokan, I Will Die", "Platinum End", "Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun", "Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun 2", and "Under Ninja".
"TBS has a long history of anime, but as TBS puts more effort into anime, they are now actively working on short anime in addition to 30-minute anime and theatrical anime. With short anime, they are actively trying to appeal to a different target audience than with 30-minute anime."
Japanese anime has grown into a content that is popular not only in Japan but also globally. Anime is no longer only for children and core fans, and the audience is expanding greatly. We are trying to deliver short anime that will appeal to a wider audience.
"TBS has been working on anime, from core to light genres, regardless of genre. In the future, we wanted to develop anime that can be watched more casually, regardless of genre or generation. In recent years, there has been an increase in short comedy-style anime that can be completed on YouTube alone, and a wide range of people are enjoying anime in various forms. Taking this environment into consideration, we are trying to challenge ourselves to create anime that is aimed at a wider range of people."
Starting in April, every Thursday, "Rock wa Lady no Tashinamideshite" will be broadcast at 11:56pm, followed by "WIND BREAKER Season 2" produced by MBS at 12:26am. At 1:28am there will be a re-broadcast of "Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun 2", followed by "Nmeneko" at 1:58am. A total of four anime shows are broadcast late at night on Thursdays. "We wanted to create an environment where people who watch anime late at night on Thursdays can enjoy the flow of the shows," said TBS, trying to make the Thursday nights "anime hour".
After the broadcast, the programs will be distributed on YouTube and TVer immediately, and other measures are being implemented to accommodate the diversification of modern viewing habits. They are also focusing on merchandising and expanding overseas.
"Goods and character business will become important for this work. Together with the original author, we are planning to expand this both domestically and overseas. I hope that as the anime continues for a long time, it will become more widely known."
◇ Trends in short content
"Nmeneko" depicts the funny daily life of Nmeneko, a cheerful girl who loves to eat, and her reliable friend Usukuro. Megumi Han Han plays Nmeneko and Hiro Shimono plays Usukuro.
"I feel that the original work is packed with a miraculous balance of soothing and humorous elements. The characters are full of charm, so I hope to make an anime that can be enjoyed by a wide range of people. I hope that people in their 20s and 30s will find it soothing, and I also hope that families will enjoy it. The relationship between Nmeneko and Usukuro is not explained in detail in the original work, so I think it's fine for different viewers to have different impressions, and I'm keeping that in mind when making the anime."
Some short anime are 10 minutes long, while others are 3 to 5 minutes long. "Nmeneko" is about 1.5 minutes long, which is short even for short anime. In these days when time is becoming more and more critical, many viewers have become accustomed to short content on social media. It is said that the expansion of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts is shifting viewing habits to shorter content.
"In live-action short dramas, something happens within the first few seconds, and they capture the hearts of viewers. I feel that anime also needs to take on that kind of challenge depending on the scene. There are short anime that are 10 minutes long, but they've been getting shorter and shorter recently, with lengths of around one and a half minutes becoming the trend. One and a half minutes may seem simple, but it's not easy to incorporate a good balance of elements into such a short length. I want it to be something that can be enjoyed casually, but also with passion."
In response to the changing circumstances and trends surrounding anime, TBS seems to be focusing on short anime. Producer Katayama said, "We want to continue to actively challenge ourselves with short anime in the future," so further developments are sure to be of interest.
