Author of Hidarikiki no Eren Invested in the Anime and Could Go Bankrupt if It Fails
You probably haven’t heard, but on April 8 a new anime called Hidarikiki no Eren will premiere, based on a webmanga published by Kappy that later received a print edition.
You should also know that animes are usually produced through a production committee system, where a group of companies pool resources to invest in the project. In the case of Hidarikiki no Eren, the author himself is part of the committee!
Author of Hidarikiki no Eren Invested in the Anime and Could Go Bankrupt if It Fails
The Hidarikiki no Eren manga began publication in 2016 and was reissued between 2017 and 2022, totaling 24 volumes. To celebrate the anime adaptation, the series was republished. What sets this project apart is the author’s decision to actively participate in funding, which is extremely rare in the industry.
Normally, authors do not invest their own money and only receive royalties, licensing fees, and merchandise revenue. By investing directly, Kappy increases his influence over production and profit share, but also assumes the risk if the anime fails.
Kappy explained in a video on YouTube that he wants to do everything possible to ensure the adaptation’s quality, participating in promotional events, autograph sessions, and other marketing activities. He also stated that, although his investment is relatively small within the production committee, he believes his contribution will significantly help the team, and few authors would do the same.
Furthermore, the author revealed that if the anime fails, he could face significant financial losses—something almost unheard of among manga creators. This isn’t the first time an author has been involved in adapting their manga; some years ago I wrote about another author who invested money in a live-action adaptation to ensure the film stayed faithful—spoiler: no one listened, and many changes were made.
Has Hidarikiki no Eren caught your attention now? For an author to take such a risk, he must really want to promote his work. Check out the anime’s PV below:
Synopsis:
The story follows Koichi Asakura, a designer at an advertising agency who works hard but receives little recognition. After being removed from a project, he visits a place from his past, where he met Eren Yamagishi. Eren, in turn, is recognized as a brilliant left-handed graffiti artist in New York while facing the challenges of her own path in life.