The secret sauce concept is all the rage right now among business consultants. They love to talk about a company’s secret sauce and how it has led to unparalleled success. Can we apply the same principle to anime and manga? Absolutely.
Some anime and manga series are wildly successful while others crash and burn in short order. It cannot be a coincidence. There has to be something behind such drastically different outcomes. There is. That something is the secret sauce of successful anime and manga. It is a sauce made up of four key ingredients:
1. Compelling Illustrations
Both anime and manga are illustrative forms of art. The biggest difference is that anime illustrations are animated while manga illustrations are still. In terms of the secret sauce, illustrations have to be compelling. Before anything else is added, illustrations have to be interesting enough to get people to pay attention. Good anime and manga certainly does that.
Compelling illustrations can lead to other things, too. For example, Umai is a clothing brand founded by an anime and manga artist. The artist’s original artwork provides the foundation for Umai’s anime sweatshirts, hoodies, t-shirts, phone cases, and more. It is compelling stuff.
2. Relatable Characters
One of the selling points of anime and manga, as compared to Western animation and comics, is the more realistic nature of the characters. They are drawn with more realistic features. They are designed to exist in familiar environments. All of this is to make the characters more relatable.
The most successful anime and manga products also tend to be the most relatable. Even when fantasy plays a big role in the story, fans can still relate to the characters. That is important. Relatable characters create a bond between fan and creator, a bond that is hard to break.
3. Compelling Stories
Today’s content creators are not afraid to market themselves as storytellers. There is wisdom in doing so. Why? Because everyone appreciates a good story. Create a story compelling enough to keep fans engaged over a length of time and you have something truly marketable.
It’s interesting that some anime and manga series enjoy plenty of success despite being rather short. Regardless, even a series limited to fewer than a dozen episodes can succeed if its story is compelling enough. If it is good enough to generate story arcs, all the better.
4. Relatable Messages
Another interesting aspect of anime and manga is that it is rarely about entertainment alone. Content creators are not afraid to mix in messages they want to communicate to the audience. There is only one caveat here: messages have to be relatable. If fans cannot relate to what a content creator is trying to express, the message is lost.
A relatable message is one that speaks to fans where they are. It might be something relevant to the current culture. It might be a life lesson worth learning at a young age. Whatever the case might be, passing on relatable messages helps to strengthen that bond between creator and fan.
Ingredients in Correct Proportions
The four things mentioned in this post constitute the secret sauce of successful anime and manga. But like any other recipe, the ingredients have to be combined in correct proportions. Get the mix right and you are likely to produce a hit. Get it wrong and your content could become the ultimate failure.
Now you know the secret sauce of successful anime and manga. Look for it next time you watch your favorite series or read the next manga installment. See if you can recognize the four things discussed in this post.