What I imagine Shoji Kawamori's marketing strategy to be?

Actually, regarding the commentary and analysis of "Bookmark of the Labyrinth," because the script is so intricate, I think it would be better to watch it again while taking notes, and also to read the quite thick novel version by Taichi Hashimoto, who wrote the script, so that I can produce a concise and well-structured discussion.

…Having said that, I went ahead and wrote the "Eiga.com" version of the review anyway (lol).

So, in response to my grumbling on a certain SNS media platform about the current reality in Japan where this work is being poorly received (clearly the same pattern as "Endless Scarlet"), I received the following comment:

"Selling things is difficult, isn't it?"

I will post my full response to that sentiment here.

It is from an angle I don't usually take, which is what I personally assume to be Kawamori-san's "marketing strategy."

But this is also a "critique of the work." Because there is no professional creator who makes a work without assuming a target audience. That is always reflected in the work itself.

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Certainly, the pre-promotion for "Bookmark of the Labyrinth" was too low-key, and I feel that there are quite a few people, even among Macross series fans, who haven't even noticed its release.

In this regard, unlike "Macross Delta," where the voice actor/singer unit Walküre was a huge media mix success, repeatedly filling arenas, there was no such decisive hit here.

It could be said that just having Atarashii Gakko! sing and having the members play the heroine voice roles was weak.

(Even so, it's not great to immediately show discomfort if it's not done by professional voice actors. The heroine in "Bookmark of the Labyrinth" is not bad at all. If you weren't told, you wouldn't notice she isn't a voice actor. In the first place, does anyone point out discomfort with Sheryl from Macross F being the "singer" May'n?)

Also, I feel it is not really understood that the viewer age group that Kawamori-san actually sets as his main target is surprisingly low.

In other words, in this work, the protagonist Shiori, and in Macross F, Ranka's age—I think few people realize that women of that age are the main target.

Most anime fans don't realize that Kawamori-san has a stance of providing products that would be served at a high-class dinner restaurant (for example, Yoko Kanno's music in Macross F) as a family restaurant menu, even to such young viewers.

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That is exactly right, isn't it?

I understand that.

In fact, there is a sense that he is "consciously" avoiding the character designs that (male) anime fans prefer.

The target audience he is aiming for is, quite simply, the 'female demographic' the same age as the heroine, Shiori.

That is why the character design is the way it is.

I think it should be noted that if you draw just one such 'auxiliary line,' the way the entire work is perceived could change significantly.

I would like you to recall that Kawamori's own 'The Vision of Escaflowne' had overwhelming uniqueness precisely because it was a shojo manga robot series completely targeted at women.

Similarly, if you look at 'Macross F' and 'Macross Delta' with the perspective that they are actually targeted at female viewers, the works should look completely different.

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Furthermore, although it is not a work by Kawamori, if I assume that the great success of 'Gundam SEED' was because it was thoroughly targeted at female viewers, the way it is perceived, including its wonderful music, would change entirely.

Isn't it an example of how making it for a female target made it enjoyable for male viewers as well?

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Many anime directors must have realized this.

That if you assume only 'male otaku' as the target audience, the work will not sell.

That is.

For example, Lycoris Recoil is a work that was brilliantly conscious of the female otaku demographic, and isn't that precisely why it is so highly acclaimed?