Don't dilute it, deepen it. —— The real reason why Japanese content moves the world

“Confidential Know-How Collection for 35 Years in the Advertising Industry” | ▶ This Article
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■ Introduction...

A poster for "The Mandalorian & Grogu" is displayed at the Kabukiza Theatre.

And it is a collaboration with "Lone Wolf and Cub."

The moment I saw this visual, I felt like something clicked.

“The loop is incredibly hot” — I wrote that and posted it on X, but after thinking about it for a while, I felt that the true nature of this “heat” leads to a much bigger story.

As a marketer, I would like to take a bird's-eye view of this phenomenon.What exactly was true globalization?

■ 1 | Not “influenced,” but “taken over structure and all”

Akira Kurosawa’s "The Hidden Fortress" became George Lucas’s "Star Wars."

Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima’s "Lone Wolf and Cub" became Jon Favreau’s "The Mandalorian & Grogu."

People often say it “influenced” them, but I don’t think that’s quite accurate. Influence is when the essence seeps into something else. This is not that.The skeleton of the story, the grammar of emotion, the aesthetic style—it has all been transplanted entirely.

The structure of a peasant duo + a samurai becomes C-3PO & R2-D2 + a Jedi. The Jedi is the samurai, and the lightsaber is the sword fighting. The road movie scheme of a ronin + a child was transplanted to the frontier of the galaxy, and by replacing the baby carriage with a hover pram, it became "The Mandalorian."

This is not a matter of the “reference” level.The “story structure” that Japan had unconsciously invented was passed through the massive apparatus of Hollywood and returned as world-scale content—that is what I believe is the true nature of this phenomenon.

■ 2 | Why it strikes “aesthetic style and all”

Here lies the key to deciphering true globalization. It might be a biased view, but my own theory is this.

Dismissing the reason why SHOGUN was received with such enthusiasm across the US as “because it’s a Japanese boom” is a superficial reading. The reason that work struck a chord is because it delved into the power structures, views on life and death, and concepts of loyalty of the Edo period,without diluting them at all, and without compromise.

Why do Hayao Miyazaki’s works move children all over the world, despite different languages and cultures? It is not because they were “designed for everyone.” It is because Miyazaki’s own irrepressible tenacity and obsession were turned directly into film.

The reason Godzilla won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects 70 years after its birth in 1954 is not because it aimed for “international appeal.” It is because it packed the post-war Japanese fear of nuclear power and questions about civilization into the unique format of a monster.

Universality is not born from abstraction. It is born from the extreme of specificity.

■3 | "Don't dilute it, deepen it" is the true global strategy

In the world of marketing, the idea that "global expansion equals removing local color" has been mainstream for a long time. To make it work in any country, you shave off the sharp edges and refine it into an average message.

But wasn't this way of thinking fundamentally backwards?

When you shave off the sharpness, it becomes "something you can find anywhere." "Something you can find anywhere" is chosen nowhere.

Conversely, something that has dug into its own specificity to the extreme becomes "something you can only find here." "Something you can only find here" moves people, even from the other side of the globe.

The more local, the more global

——This is not a slogan, but a principle of content.

Because Kurosawa stuck to period dramas, Lucas took them to space. Because Miyazaki insisted on the humidity and view of nature in Japan, Pixar continues to be influenced by him. Because SHOGUN did not compromise even one step, it won 18 Emmy Awards.

Diluting is not a safety measure. It is the most certain path to rapid consumption.

■4 | Why the loop is exciting

Let's return to the story of the first poster.

The Mandalorian poster being displayed at the Kabuki-za theater as "Lone Wolf and Cub"—this phenomenon of reverse importation is not just a business story.

Japanese content that has dug into its specificity to the extreme passes through the universalizing apparatus of Hollywood, reaches the world, and then returns to Japan. This is not a story about "influence being recognized," but rather that the proof that specificity reached universality has returned.

That is why the loop is exciting.

The structure that we invented returns on a cosmic scale. And the inventor's context (Kabuki-za, Lone Wolf and Cub) receives it. Within this reciprocating motion lies the essence of content.

■5 | Is your content diluted?

Finally, I would like to leave you with one question.

The content you are creating, the message you are sending out—are you trimming parts of it just to make it 'easier to deliver'?

The moment you think, 'I want this to reach everyone,' its uniqueness begins to fade. The anxiety of 'not knowing who it will resonate with' rounds off its sharp edges.

But history proves that every piece of content that has truly resonated is one that was never 'diluted' anywhere.

Digging deep into the local is the ultimate global strategy. I believe this is what Japanese content has spent half a century teaching the world.

Finally.

I am writing all of this as a reminder to myself as well.

The X post that served as the basis for this article is below.

https://x.com/joe_i/status/2063828059187536283

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Thank you for reading until the end.

Here is my X (formerly Twitter) account, where I tweet daily memos and insights as naturally as breathing from a corner of the advertising, media, and content industry. I would be happy if you felt free to follow or comment.

Producer Joe Ishiyama(@joe_i)

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