Speaking of the difficulties of making a profit, how does he know whether or not a manga series under TOKYOPOP would become successful in the U.S.? Does the success from the country of origin, reflect the same situation as in the States? TOYKOPOP never knows if a series will be a hit or miss and sometimes, it can end with surprising results. “I think this is one of the facts of the entertainment business that many people I talk to agree upon – no one ever knows what will hit and what won’t. Of course, we try our hardest to find out in advance, partially by instinct, partially by polling the audience, partially by looking at the series’ original results (if it’s a license), but at the end of the day, we have to make a decision that isn’t always the correct one.”
For example, one manga series in particular is Parasyte. If any of you have read Mixxzine, the early name for the TOKYOPOP magazine, it was a very gruesome horror story! This series happens to be Levy’s first manga baby, which started his interest in the medium. Unfortunately, for Parasyte it was not doing well in the States, and Levy had to put aside his love for the series and not renew the license. This continues to be an “emotional sore spot,” and Levy is “still resentful” when he sees a competitor’s name on Parasyte. “It was truly my first manga love and I personally can’t stand to see another publisher’s name on the cover besides TOKYOPOP.” However, this is the business world. “The art isn’t right for the American market, and it is aimed more at a male demographic which is a tougher sell in manga. We had always hoped that the long-rumored film would eventually come out but it hasn’t yet. Perhaps one day it will and finally hordes of Americans will eventually appreciate how wonderful that manga series truly is.”
When it comes to business dealings or related activities, there are things one cannot say, but some members of the public may not understand why. This all depends on the information. “We try our hardest to be transparent but of course there are topics we cannot announce publicly until the time is right.” One possible reason could be the contractual status, such as the company is still during negotiations phase or there are legal issues being worked out. Another is the complexity of a strategy, while “working towards a longer term goal, and we don’t want our competitors to find out (or else they would imitate us, which has happened quite often!).” Lastly, sometimes more information is being collected to assist in making an “informed decision.” Because the company is in the “information-collection process” stage, the decision has not been made. As a result, the company is not ready to publicly discuss their position. However, TOYKOPOP generally tires to be transparent and “open as possible with the public.”
Some people might not be able to admit that certain business aspects are not doing well or one is afraid to reveal certain information. I have read Levy’s previous interviews, and he seems pretty honest by not just giving people only success stories. Reader, if you read his list of experiences from the previous section, “it’s clear that I firmly believe in the old adage that success steps from failure.” He is committed to learning from his mistakes and “continuing that pattern until the day I die.” According to Levy, “the more mistakes I make, the more I can learn and the more I can grow. This is the same for our company – we can learn tons from our mistakes. I don’t think there is an ultimate “successful” to achieve but simply a path that includes many failures and every now and then a success.”
Continuing with this line of thinking, another is feedback from the public. Everyone wants positive responses, but that does not always happen. Negative responses can be of any form, such as hacking; fan mail; bad reviews; content appropriateness, etc. How does one handle such responses? How should a company use it to benefit themselves? “It’s always disappointing to see negative responses but the best reaction we can have is to take them seriously as feedback.” Often, TOYKOPOP is able to improve their products or business approach due to fan’s critiques. “Simple flame wars” are not helpful to anyone. However, the more constructive criticisms there are, the easier it is for the company to improve. “Our goal is for our fans to be as passionate about TOKYOPOP’s products as we are, so if that passion is revealed through either praise or criticism we are honored to receive it. I hope that we will get better at communicating with our fans and critics since we wouldn’t exist without them.”
© 2010 Linda Thai
Artwork by Linda Thai
Note: The artwork is just for entertainment, cause there is A LOT of text to read.
Stay tune for Part 9 of the Stuart Levy interview!
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