Might delete this rant later but goddamit am I pissed at this licensee

Japanese publishers get a lot of flak for being difficult to please and for being obtuse. I agree! That’s why I try so hard to get them to pay attention to anything that goes outside the US/China markets. But PLEASE, help me help you: don’t keep this kind info to yourself.

Alternative 4 is that they have no one who speaks Japanese and English speakers are also limited from what I heard, so they might not have shared because communication is difficult overall. I sincerely hope that the reason is #2.

Possible reasons: (1) the data I found is unreliable (unlikely since it’s from a pub industry trade magazine with 20y track record), (2) the publisher did not want to share anything without having official figures ready or (3) they are planning to underreport royalty statements (also unlikely).

Update: entered the lottery after all.

Can’t help but to remember WB acquiring the rights for a Funko movie that got nowhere. And look at that company now, on the verge of bankruptcy and with $30M worth of Funko Pops being discarded on landfills.

variety.com/2022/tv/news...

It also feels crazy that the spot for the old Evangelion (and later Prince of Tennis) store remains unclaimed. I guess tourists really just want to stroll through Takeshita Street and leave immediately afterwards without bothering to check out the side streets and alleys.

I’m always so bummed out when I come this neighborhood though - it feels like 90% of the spots now are either mass brands or tourist traps (gacha machines and exotic animal cafes).

Bad mood dispelled after grabbing breakfast at Berg. All’s well in the world (at least for now ^^;)