Tokyo International Anime Fair Faces Marked Decline in Visitor Number

by dtshyk
Mar 24, 2012 6:22 AM | 22 Comments

According to the official website, the number of visitors to the Tokyo International Anime Fair (TAF) 2012 on the first public day was 31,391, a 38% drop from the previous TAF 2010. (TAF 2011 was canceled due to the earthquake.) The number of domestic exhibitors also decreased 32% while the foreign exhibitors increased 50%. Chinese companies made up one-fourth of the exhibitors this year.

Major Japanese publishers have been boycotting TAF to express their objections to the Tokyo government's anime & manga regulation ordinance. Anime Contents Expo (ACE) 2012, the effective counter convention to TAF 2012, will be held from March 31st. The anime producers will advertise most of their new titles at ACE 2012 rather than at TAF 2012.

List of the anime titles to be displayed at ACE 2012

Sources: TAF press release, Nikkei Newspaper

20 of 22 Comments Recent Comments

Well, they brought it upon themselves. At least the boycott's having some effect.

Mar 25, 2012 2:00 PM by Forest-kun

I may not be one of most anime and manga lovers out there who do not have the luxury of attending to a TAF event even just once in my lifetime, but seeing the situation, I'd definitely say that Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara is really trying to kill the anime and manga industries, with all the censorship crap he has imposed. That, and his string of recent controversies will surely be his demise, once the Japanese otaku community decides to unleash hell upon him...

It's not too late for him to do the right thing, or he'll be remembered as the industry's greatest nemesis, long after his sorry corpse has been cremated (read: mutilated by haters). As we all know, censorship is the greatest enemy of creative imagination.

Mar 25, 2012 1:37 AM by DarkTempest

antibiotictab said:
I went to TAF yesterday. Actually there was not so congested. Anyway, I enjoyed. Not only Japanese and the other Asian Anime distributors, but Swiss, American, French and other countries' Anime booths were there. And so were many foreign visitors.
Now I will upload the videos I shot in TAF on my youtube channnel. Please watch them.

I will also go to ACE. Makuhari is a little far from my home but look forward to it.
By the way, Aqualion and AKB0048 appear both conventions. Satellite paid much money, huh?

see you there
this is the first taf i missed in 5 years

Mar 24, 2012 7:57 PM by DateYutaka

I went to TAF yesterday. Actually there was not so congested. Anyway, I enjoyed. Not only Japanese and the other Asian Anime distributors, but Swiss, American, French and other countries' Anime booths were there. And so were many foreign visitors.
Now I will upload the videos I shot in TAF on my youtube channnel. Please watch them.

I will also go to ACE. Makuhari is a little far from my home but look forward to it.
By the way, Aqualion and AKB0048 appear both conventions. Satellite paid much money, huh?

Mar 24, 2012 7:55 PM by antibiotictab

Ishihara need stopping before he kneecaps the industry any more

Mar 24, 2012 7:51 PM by DateYutaka

GodlyKyon said:
Censorship is bullshit, why the hell would you be looking for it if you weren't "perverted" anyways?

This, Queen's blade would suck without all that ecchi.

Mar 24, 2012 7:19 PM by Hoppy

Censorship is bullshit, why the hell would you be looking for it if you weren't "perverted" anyways?

Mar 24, 2012 7:16 PM by GodlyKyon

If the TAF is run by people who believe in censorship and all that garbage, I only see this as a good thing.

Mar 24, 2012 6:01 PM by removed-user

if only could go

Mar 24, 2012 5:16 PM by Mr_Gutts

ACE for me
aka ishihara need stopping before he kneecaps the industry any more

Mar 24, 2012 4:07 PM by DateYutaka

ACE is a cooler acronym anyways :P

Mar 24, 2012 3:31 PM by Just_Augos

good i hope it keeps dropping

Mar 24, 2012 2:38 PM by Corpse69

*List of the anime titles to be displayed at ACE
2012*
Sweet. There are plenty of big hits in that list!

Mar 24, 2012 11:23 AM by Gatchum_Bye-Bye

The companies that are boycotting are most likely the cause. If I recall correctly, the boycotting companies are some of the huge ones that own the big time anime titles so no one is gonna go to a con that doesn't have their favorite animes.

Mar 24, 2012 11:02 AM by skullking123

"dont mess with our anime" is the message i guess??

Mar 24, 2012 10:39 AM by supermegasonic

Not sure I can really say I feel sorry for them.

Mar 24, 2012 10:36 AM by DraconisMarch

Good for the people hitting em where it hurts. In the pocketbook.

Mar 24, 2012 9:33 AM by StreetFighter

Big Tyrant heads this event, I wouldn't even go myself until they chose a new chair anyone would do unless they are from the BPO.

Mar 24, 2012 7:47 AM by Hoppy

Astra118 said:
I think it is most likely due to the bad economy or lingering effects of the 2011 tsunami

Definitely not, the anime industry is on the rise again after years of decrease, the main cause is, as j0x pointed out, a company and customer boycott.

Mar 24, 2012 7:34 AM by Jacut

I think it is most likely due to the bad economy or lingering effects of the 2011 tsunami

Mar 24, 2012 6:49 AM by CoryInTheHouse1

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