Editorial: Growing Long-Form News on MyAnimeList

Earlier this month, MyAnimeList published an in-depth story on the work of animation studio Fukushima Gainax (now known as Studio Gaina) as they aid reconstruction efforts in regions of northeastern Japan affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Reception to the story on this website and on social media alike exceeded initial expectations, with users praising its original content.

Despite anime becoming a global media content, audiences around the world continue to know very little about Japan's animation industry. Behind-the-scenes stories like Fukushima Gainax's origins are difficult to come by given that many such stories are published by Japanese-language sources. On top of this landscape, audiences may not know which sources to trust given the unpredictable nature of social media, occasionally resulting in conflicting rumors about the state of an anime production or trends in the anime business.

It is against this background that last year MyAnimeList decided to embark on a new experiment in news reporting: long-form journalism.

To be clear, long-form content is not new to the anime and manga community. Following acquisition by DeNA in 2015, MyAnimeList launched a Featured Articles section for the website. Elsewhere around the world, an anime community website in Indonesia dove into long-form journalism that same year with the opening of The Indonesian Anime Times, an English-language news website separate from its original Indonesian-language platform. When anime news websites could not fill the void in in-depth reporting, private blogs often rose to the occasion.

Two years ago, Anime News Network began partnering with Anime Now!, a website operated by Anime Consortium Japan (ACJ), for long-form content to "share the beauty of anime with all." That partnership ended in the beginning of 2018 after ACJ's operations were folded into Bandai Namco Holdings. Throughout its existence, Anime Now! was sometimes criticized by readers for writing what they considered to be "fluff" pieces. When the website finally announced its demise, some observers questioned the sustainability of the long-form content business in anime and manga reporting.

But the demise of one website should not bring into doubt the potential of long-form journalism in bringing knowledge to anime and manga fans around the world. This is why last year MyAnimeList made the decision to recruit long-form news writers into the News Team. A few setbacks delayed the formal launch of long-form news articles, but the publication of the Fukushima Gainax story two weeks ago was the start of a new experience for MyAnimeList News readers.

Long-form news articles on MyAnimeList shall focus on unbiased expository writing which detail various aspects of the anime and manga business in Japan. They differ from this website's existing featured articles, which provide a platform for opinion columns, advertorial pieces, and evergreen content such as interviews with creators. With this new endeavor, the objective is to provide valuable content which deepen the knowledge of the website's users and readers.

These articles will also seek to explore how anime and manga are building a following around the world through unique local experiences. One title which is popular in Europe may not be popular in North America, or vice versa. This has been evident in past stories such as Mazinger Z Movie's premiere in Italy and manga publisher Shogakukan's expansion in Southeast Asia. To that extent, the News Team welcomes suggestions from its readers on topics that should be explored.