Manga is a form of Japanese comics that has a long history dating back to the 18th century. The word “manga” itself means “whimsical pictures” in Japanese. During the Edo period (1603–1867), artists began to create illustrated books and comics that featured a wide range of subjects, from historical stories to romantic tales and humour.

In the early 20th century, manga began to take on a more modern form, with influences from Western comics and animation. The post-World War II period saw a significant increase in the popularity of manga, with new genres and styles emerging. Many of these manga were aimed at children, and featured stories about superheroes, robots, and other popular characters.

In the 1960s and 1970s, a new generation of manga artists began to push the boundaries of the medium, experimenting with more adult themes and complex storytelling. The success of these artists helped to establish manga as a serious art form, and it continues to be a major part of Japanese culture.

Manga is now widely read and enjoyed not only in Japan but also internationally. With the emergence of digital technology, it is now possible to read manga online, making it more accessible to people all over the world.

Manga and Web3

Manga in Web3 refers to the use of data and blockchain technology to create, distribute, and monetize manga content. Blockchain technology allows for the creation of digital assets such as manga chapters and series, which can be bought, sold, and traded in a decentralised marketplace.

One of the main advantages of using blockchain technology for manga is that it allows creators to retain control over their work and receive a fair share of the profits generated by their creations. This is in contrast to traditional publishing models, where creators often have to give up control of their work and receive a smaller percentage of the profits.

Creating NFTs of the characters allows for new forms of monetization for manga creators, such as selling limited-edition digital versions of their work, or creating exclusive experiences for fans.

Additionally, Web3 allows for smart contract functionality, which can be used to automate the payment process, and to make sure that the authors, artists and other contributors get the royalties they are entitled to. Overall, the use of blockchain technology and Web3 in manga has the potential to revolutionise the way that manga is created, distributed, and monetized, and to provide new opportunities for creators and fans alike.

Impact on culture

The manga industry is a significant part of the Japanese economy and is also a major export for Japan. The industry includes not only the publication and sale of manga comics and books, but also merchandise such as anime DVDs and Blu-rays, video games, and other products. In Japan, the manga market is primarily driven by sales of physical books and magazines. These publications are often serialised in weekly or monthly magazines, and then collected into tankōbon (trade paperbacks) for sale.

Digital distribution of manga has also been on the rise and is expected to continue growing in the future. The anime and video game industries, which are closely tied to the manga industry, also contribute significantly to the economy. These industries generate revenue through merchandise sales, licensing and distribution deals, and live-action adaptations. In terms of exports, Japan’s manga and anime industries are particularly popular in East and Southeast Asia, as well as in North America and Europe. There are also many dedicated manga and anime fans all over the world, and as such the industry has a global reach. Overall, the manga industry is a significant contributor to the Japanese economy and its cultural exports, and it continues to evolve and adapt to new technologies and changing market conditions.

The Otaku culture

Manga is considered to be the foundation of otaku culture in Japan, as it is the medium that has given birth to many of the characters, stories, and concepts that are central to this subculture. Otaku culture is defined by a deep and passionate interest in a particular subject, often related to anime, manga, and video games.

Manga comics and graphic novels are the origin of many popular anime and video games, and the culture surrounding these works have been adopted by Otaku. This is because the stories, characters and artwork in manga have a special appeal to otaku, who often become deeply invested in the worlds and characters depicted in these works. Otaku culture is also heavily influenced by the fan culture that surrounds manga and anime. Otaku are known for their enthusiasm and dedication to their favourite series, often creating fan fiction, cosplay, and other forms of fan expression. The fan culture around manga and anime in Japan is incredibly vibrant and active, with conventions, fan clubs, and other events that bring otaku together to share their passions.

The use of digital platforms and the internet also allowed otaku culture to spread globally, with fans from all over the world being able to access and share information about their favourite manga and anime series. In summary, manga is the backbone of otaku culture, as it is the medium that has given birth to many of the characters, stories, and concepts that are central to this subculture, and it continues to shape the ways in which otaku consume, interact and express their interests.

Folklore storytelling

Folklore, also known as “minkan densho” in Japanese, refers to the traditional stories, customs, and beliefs of a particular culture or group. In manga, folklore is often depicted in the form of retelling of traditional stories, myths and legends, or in the form of fantasy stories that incorporate elements of traditional folklore. One example of manga that uses folklore as its main theme is Miyuki-chan in Wonderland by Clamp, a fantasy manga that retells the classic story of “Alice in Wonderland” with a Japanese twist, incorporating elements of traditional Japanese folklore, such as yokai (ghosts, monsters and supernatural beings) and kami (gods and spirits). Another example is Uzumaki by Junji Ito, a horror manga that tells the story of a small town that is cursed by a powerful spiral shape, which incorporates elements of traditional Japanese folklore and superstitions, such as the belief in cursed objects.

Manga can also be used as a medium to introduce and educate readers about traditional folklore, as it is an accessible and popular medium that can reach a wide audience. This is especially important in preserving and keeping alive the traditional stories and customs of a culture. It can be used as a tool to retell traditional stories, myths and legends, or to incorporate elements of traditional folklore into fantasy stories. It can also be used to educate readers about traditional folklore, and to help preserve and keep it alive.

Manga Market

The size of the worldwide manga market was estimated at USD 10.9 billion in 2021, anticipated to increase at a CAGR of 16.9% from 2022 to 2030. The development can be attributed to the growing acceptance of graphic reading materials that combine captivating narratives with appealing images. It has a tremendous cultural impact and has a strong influence on young people. While some manga novels are released every week, others are published in major newspapers as serials.

Tanuki in Manga

In manga, tanuki are often featured as characters in fantasy and folklore-inspired stories. For example, “GeGeGe no Kitaro” by Shigeru Mizuki is a classic manga series that features a tanuki character named Nezumi-Otoko who is a friend and ally of the protagonist, Kitaro. The series is based on traditional Japanese folklore and yokai (ghosts, monsters and supernatural beings) stories, and features a variety of other yokai characters as well. Another example is “Pom Poko” by Isao Takahata, a Studio Ghibli film that tells the story of a group of tanuki who are trying to save their forest home from being destroyed by urban development. The film is based on traditional folklore about tanuki and their shapeshifting abilities and is a commentary on the relationship between humans and nature.

With Tanukis not finding many routes in the manga culture, we plan to build the world of Tanukiverse choosing manga as a medium of documentation and storytelling, building our own world of Yokai, for the generations to come.

Outreach - At the beginning of the journey, it is critical to identify the consumer base and the best way to reach out to them. Essentially, we conducted in-depth market research and identified an opportunity to tap the Asian market, especially Japan which was foraying into the new era of web3 space. Capitalizing on these target segments was an uphill challenge; only through trying and learning were we able to define a platform that best suited our needs. Pivoting from clubhouse to twitter space, tweaking our social media presence, etc. is a continuous and ongoing process.

Experience - The ability to gather insights about user behavior on our product platform enabled us to redesign and adapt to the needs of our community. We launched multiple mini-projects along the way, launching Indie-games, sarubobo NFT airdrop, and so on, after numerous iterations and careful monitoring. Each mini-project assisted us in better-distinguishing observers from consumers.

Engagement - Engagement was a difficult nut to crack; with such a large number of people arriving, it becomes difficult to monitor and meet the needs of all. Using data to distinguish between passive observers and community members aided us in streamlining the community-building process. Community members are now actively working to further develop the Tanukiverse IP and it becomes imperative that we are heading in a direction that compliments these initiatives.

Overall, we were successful in identifying a funnel for our project, with the goal of establishing a community whose values aligned with tanukiverse evolve with the stories, not years. The goal is now much clearer: monitor each foundation stone and effectively optimise each of them.

Stay tuned to know more in-depth about it.

It could be about the history of the product, the founders, the use cases, or even fiction. But storytelling techniques have always been used to market products. It’s about telling prospective users a story that they relate to and compels them to buy the product. With more and more competitor products in the market and growing technology, storytelling became an important tool to stand out from the rest. We’ve seen this happening in multiple industries. Some of our favorite examples:

1. FMCG - Old Spice

2. Electronics - iPhone

3. Automobiles - Land Rover

4. Apps - Spotify

5. SAAS - Salesforce

With the new era of NFTs and Web 3.0, stories and storytelling have become more critical than ever. A perfect example of this can be seen if you attend any of the Shill your project twitter spaces that have become extremely popular over the last year. Every independent artist, every project founder, and every host - all of them can be heard talking about their stories - and that is what gets the artwork a collector, the project potential users, and the host more audience.

The gap between the product and its story has started to reduce. This realization got us thinking:

Do we create a story around the product that we want to build or do we build products around the story that we want the world to know?

In Tanukiverse, “storytelling” is and always has been an integral part of what we want to achieve as a project. Our semi-fictional tale of Tanukis which is represented through a has become the driving force of what we are building and what we will build next. Last year, we started with a glimpse or a sneak peek of what we could achieve by integrating story into our product, which is when we came up with the concept of an explorable land with multiple story-driven experiences - Manga, Mini Games, and community events

https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xbc3737fbfa8ddd1457c326516e71f5ff09890a2f/438

This year, we intend to take this to a whole new level:

• Weekly release of Densetsu. The beloved electrifying Tanuki manga chapters put you on the edge of your seat.

• Interesting events in the storyline conjure major releases and drops in the project

• Formation of the Tanukiland nation-state

It's worth mentioning that Web 3.0 is still a relatively new and emerging field, and many of the ways in which product and storytelling can be integrated into this context are still being explored and developed. There are a lot of opportunities to explore and innovate in this space, and we are at the forefront of pushing the boundary every day to produce an enthralling experience for our community members.

We would like to just end with some food for thought:

In Web 3.0, YOUR STORY IS YOUR PRODUCT! So, what’s your story?

However, from our experience of marketing Tanukiverse as a web3 IP, there are a few general tactics that worked well -

• Consider the advantages: Understanding the value your project brings to the ecosystem & how it shall benefit the community is the most important aspect to highlight.

  Tanukiverse - being a creator space, has always kept the doors open for the community to create with the team and has proven a great engaging factor for the community.

• Educate & Evolve: Since some chunk of your audience might not be familiar with web3 tidbits, it's crucial to share as much information as possible with them. Tanukiverse hosted a good amount of spaces/content that discussed web3 fundamentals and how our product works.

• Collabs: Collaborating with other web3 projects can assist to make your product more visible. Think about working together on collaborative marketing initiatives or attending conferences and events. But having a plan with the quality & intentions of the collab is an important thing to consider.

To conclude, while nurturing Tanukiverse as a web3 IP, we focussed on creating and sharing valuable & consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. Thus showcasing the value of our web3 IP and positioning it as a thought leader in the space.

In-depth mechanics to follow in 2nd edition.