Naruto Studio President: "Demon Slayer Was a Major Turning Point of the Anime Industry"
The president of Naruto's Studio Pierrot, Michiyuki Honma, credits the massively popular Demon Slayer as a major turning point in the anime industry.
Honma spoke to Comic Natalie, where he revealed that Demon Slayer not only motivated Bleach and Kingdom's switch to shorter seasonal adaptations, but whose effect was also felt across the entire industry. "I think Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba was a major turning point for the anime industry," he said. "It was a high-quality work that took a lot of time and a generous budget to make, and it was a big hit when it aired, attracting people from a wide range of age groups. I watched it. Before and after Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba was announced, I really felt that we had to change the way we create things. Furthermore, other studios were releasing high-quality works on a similar scale, and Japan has an environment where it can be watched on commercial television."
Anime Studio Pierrot's Legacy Is "Wonderful" But "Entails Great Risks"
Pierrot has become known for its long-running weekly series adaptations, with Naruto, Bleach, Black Clover and Boruto as obvious names, but also 75 episodes of Hikaru no Go and over 100 episodes of Urusei Yatsura. Honma says the studio's legacy is "definitely wonderful" but "entails great risks in terms of large budgets and time-running costs." He aspires for Pierrot to be #1, thus adapting to the times with the release of Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War, which benefits from Tite Kubo's increased involvement in its third cour. Honma said he's impressed with the current method and asks that fans check out Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master, airing as part of Crunchyroll's Spring 2024 anime lineup. He adds, "Please look forward to the future of Pierrot, which is taking on the challenge of creating new animations."
While Honma highlights Demon Slayer's undeniable impact, My Hero Academia has also been making the headlines, with Toho's CEO Hiroyasu Matsuoka crediting the series for paving the way for Toho Animation's now-blockbuster line of anime, including Jujutsu Kaisen, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, The Apothecary Diaries, Spy x Family, Haikyu!! and more. Matsuoka also previously said My Hero Academia directly lowered piracy and influenced anime film success overseas, including Demon Slayer's Mugen Train and Jujutsu Kaisen 0.