Japan’s Social Manga Networks | Pop Culture | Trends in Japan | Web Japan

The pixiv top page.

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One of the things that make Japan such a uniquely rich source of high-quality manga and anime is the popularity of drawing as a hobby among young people. In schools around the country, students spend their free time drawing their own manga and swapping them with friends. This leads to a cultural climate in which the best artists gain the respect of their peers, leading to healthy competition and raising standards all around. The latest manifestation of this culture are social networking services that allow people to post their own manga on the Internet.

A Forum for Budding Young ArtistsA prime example of these sites is “pixiv.” Launched just three years ago, pixiv already has 2.6 million members and attracts 1.4 billion page views a month. Some 13 million works have been posted to the site so far, making pixiv Japan’s second-largest social networking service. The concept is simple. Professional and amateur artists upload their pictures. Other users then rate these pictures out of 10, post comments, and bookmark their favorites. The site thus encourages communication and interaction among users through drawing.

A work posted to pixiv by “vania600.”

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The Piapro top page.

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Manga-style drawings are the commonest genre on pixiv, but fan art based on anime and video games is also popular. Ink and wash paintings and children’s pictures can also be found on the site. Overall, the quality of the works is just as impressive as the quantity. When the site launched, its founders were hoping to attract 1,000 users—within five months of going live in September 2007, pixiv already had more than 100,000 members. Two years later, this number passed a million.

One reason for the site’s popularity is the ease with which artists can get feedback from other users. The quality of the top-ranked drawings is exceptional, and the best artists are treated like celebrities. One of the most popular artists on pixiv at the moment goes by the username of “huke.” His big breakthrough came when he posted illustrations of his original creation “Black Rock Shooter,” a female character with blue fire radiating from one eye, depicted against a background of black chains. “Black Rock Shooter” is currently being made into an anime.

A Close-Knit CommunityThe pixiv phenomenon has caught the attention of publishers and game companies on the lookout for new talent. For example, one of Japan’s biggest publishing companies has teamed up with pixiv to invite users to contribute illustrations to Itan, one of its manga magazines. The site has become a showcase for the talents of aspiring artists and has already served as the springboard to a professional career in manga for numerous young creators.

Joint projects, in which several users club together to pool their ideas, are another noteworthy feature of the pixiv community. One example is pixiv Fantasia, in which users join together to create and manipulate a fantasy world by submitting illustrations. The central theme of pixiv Fantasia is a war between competing armies: artists representing each side post drawings depicting characters, battle scenes, and plot developments. The side that posts the most popular drawings is the winner. This project, which blends art with elements of game-play, attracted 30,000 submissions in just two months. Lavish photo books featuring some of the best drawings have been published.

“We’ve been receiving a lot of submissions from outside Japan recently,” says Katagiri Takanori, the 28-year-old CEO of pixiv, Inc. “In fact, works submitted from Taiwan, China, and the United States now make up almost ten percent of all submissions. We’re hoping to join forces with social networking services like Facebook overseas and are currently preparing an English website to encourage more people to submit their creations from outside Japan.”

Art from ArtAnother social network with a strong pop culture focus is Piapro, which allows users to post illustrations and music. Launched in December 2007, Piapro is run by Crypton Future Media, Inc., the company that created Hatsune Miku, a virtual pop singer, using the Vocaloid synthesizing engine. The site has already attracted 430,000 members. One interesting aspect of the site is that members are free to use each other’s art and music to “recreate” new works—so long as it is for non-profit use only.

A work by “k2pudding,” “recreating” an image of Hatsune Miku posted to Piapro.

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A work by “Akino,” “recreating” an image of Kagamine Rin/Len posted to Piapro.

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For example, members can create videos combining drawings of Hatsune Miku posted to Piapro with music they have composed themselves, and then upload these new works to online video websites. Many of these works are joint efforts by teams of artists who have met via Piapro. Some have even been produced by site members in collaboration with TV networks, confectionery makers, and other companies and nonprofit groups. In one project, Piapro teamed up with the Japanese government to solicit drawings encouraging people to recycle old mobile phones. (December 2010)