Korean webtoons captivate Japan, a 'comic powerhouse'... A visit to the Tokyo 'School Entrance Mercenary' pop-up store
The exterior of the webtoon 'Entrance Soldier' pop-up store underway at Line Friends Square Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan [Photo = Naver Webtoon]
The scene of the webtoon 'Entrance Soldier' pop-up store being held in Shibuya, one of the most bustling districts in Tokyo, Japan. The student, who identified himself as 19 years old, was busy looking around the store holding two products (goods). He added, "I often visit pop-up stores (normally)" and "I chose the card product (made in imitation of the character's student ID card) because I thought it would look good on the back of my smartphone case."
Digital Comics Rapidly Grow⋯Japan's Webtoon Obsession
Korean webtoons are expanding their presence in Japan, a "comic powerhouse," where the comic market size is estimated to reach 693.7 billion yen (about 6 trillion won) by 2023. A woman in her 50s said that she visited the pop-up store because she was interested in the relationships and stories between the characters in the webtoon "Entrance to School Mercenary," and there were also people who visited the pop-up store with their children and strollers. Various visitors visited the pop-up store, such as people passing by the building, stopping to chat with employees for a while, and then going inside.
In Japan, where published (paper) comics were traditionally strong, digital (digital) comics have grown explosively since COVID-19 in 2020, surpassing the paper comics market. Digital comics are a concept that encompasses both digital comics, which are scanned paper comics and provided in digital format, and webtoons, which are scroll-format comics produced for the digital environment. As a result, awareness and interest in webtoons have also increased significantly.
In fact, in Japan, it has become a daily routine for the younger generation to enjoy webtoons (comics) on their smartphones (mobile phones). A 21-year-old college student who visited the pop-up store that day said, "Famous comics (bestsellers) are often read in book form, but when we're chatting during breaks in class, asking 'What did you see on Line Manga?' is also a daily conversation," adding, "It seems like most people have (download) Line Manga on their smartphones." Another student, B, said, "I try to read comics (webtoons) on mobile apps whenever I have time."
Visitors are looking at products at the webtoon 'Entrance to School Mercenary' pop-up store currently underway at Line Friends Square Shibuya in Tokyo, Japan. [Photo = Naver Webtoon]
First pop-up store in Japan... "Decided to be perfect for commercializing popular IP"
The webtoon "Admission to School Mercenary", which was first introduced in Korea in 2020, is a popular work that surpassed 400 million cumulative views in just two years since the start of serialization on Naver Webtoon's Japanese service "Line Manga." In 2023, it surpassed 100 million yen (approximately 1 billion won) in monthly transactions, recording the highest performance ever for a single work on Line Manga that year.
The webtoon tells the story of the protagonist Yuijin (Japanese name Tatewaki Soma), who is the only survivor of a plane crash, develops advanced combat skills, and lives as a mercenary, returning to Korea and reuniting with his family and solving various incidents.
A view of the webtoon "Admission to School Mercenary" pop-up store underway at Line Friends Square Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan [Photo = Naver Webtoon]
This pop-up store is the first to be operated by Naver Webtoon in Japan. It was a collaboration with IPX (formerly Line Friends), a digital intellectual property (IP) entertainment company. Regarding the reason for choosing 'Admission Mercenary' among many webtoons, Tanaka Taiki, IPX (Line Friends) MD and project manager, said, "'Admission Mercenary' is a popular IP that has recorded 600 million page views (PV) in Japan, so we decided to take on the challenge with a work that is well-known to many readers." He continued, "The characters are diverse, the drawings are beautiful, and the quality is high, so we thought it would be perfect for commercialization."
He added, "We are hoping that 1% of the Japanese readers of 'Admission Mercenary', or about 10,000 people, will visit the pop-up store," and "Our sales target is around 50 million yen (about 477 million won)." He explained that the sales target is similar to the results when a popular idol singer successfully runs a pop-up store.
The highest payment amount per person is around 700,000 won... "Even buying all 30 character cards"
Around 100 types of products are being sold at the pop-up store. Among them, the character cards made using materials for bromide photos are reportedly particularly popular.
Tanaka Taiki, IPX (Line Friends) MD and project manager, explained, "There are 30 types of these cards, centered around popular characters, and two visitors bought all 30," and "'Random draw' products are also popular, and some people try to buy the character they want as a way to cheer on their favorite character." The
pop-up store began operating on the 7th, and even though it's only been a week, the highest payment per person has been recorded at about 70,000 yen (about 670,000 won).
A video is being screened in the 40-pyeong media zone set up in the pop-up store for the webtoon 'Entrance to School Mercenary.' [Photo=Reporter Jeong Yu-rim]
An autograph session was also held earlier, where author YC and illustrator Rock Hyun met with readers.Fans flocked from Shizuoka, about 170km away from Tokyo, and Osaka, 500km away, to attend this autograph session.
In addition to various products, a large 40-pyeong media zone has also been set up. In this space, a special 15-minute video will be shown that will allow visitors to enjoy the plot of the webtoon, etc. The three-dimensional video and sound that covers the walls and floors are designed to allow visitors to become one of the characters and enjoy a splendid action drama. The 'Entrance Mercenary' pop-up store will be open until the 25th.
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