ABSTRACT
In both economic and cultural terms, manga and anime have become Japan’s most significant artistic exports. Popular manga are translated into dozens of languages, and are available in bookshops throughout the developed world. Feature-length anime by well-known directors are commonly released worldwide, with Miyazaki Hayao’s Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), for example, grossing 27.5 billion yen (US$24 million) in 36 countries. Lesser-known anime films and television serials are downloaded and translated into local languages by a global network of fans, many being later commercially distributed on video or DVD with professional dubbing or subtitling. In 2005, the global market for anime reached 233.9 billion yen (US$2.1 billion). More significant, however, is the cultural impact of exported Japanese popular culture.
