The manga market in Italy

Manga, which in popular culture is the Japanese comic strip par excellence, today also refers to comics with very similar characteristics from other countries in the world.

Japanese manga has very precise characteristics: it is read from the end to the beginning (in the Western conception of end and beginning), it is in black and white and, in Japan, it is serialized in chapters that come out in specialized magazines. The publication format that we Westerners are used to buying is the Tankobon, that is the mini-book containing a variable number of chapters of the same manga.

Born in Japan during the Meiji era, they are now a pillar of Japanese culture both in Japan and around the world. They represent one of the most profitable and traditional markets in Japan and continue to grow; between 2019 and 2020 alone, the manga market grew by 23% in Japan alone. There are several figures working within the manga market, from the Mangaka, the creator and designer of the manga, to the production company, distribution company, and retailers.

In 2020 the world manga market was estimated at $23.56 billion and is expected to reach $48.03 billion by 2028, with a CAGR of 9.5%.

In Italy, this is no longer a niche market. After the quarantine due to Covid-19 and thanks to the investment that video streaming platforms like Netflix and Prime Video are making in the "Japanese Anime" sector (nothing more than the cartoon transposition of Manga), demand has increased incredibly, creating a gap in demand satisfaction. In 2021 the revenues of the Italian manga market increased by 42%. The target audience in Italy is very variable, just as the manga genres are very variable; the boom in recent months has been mainly among teenagers. Consider that, in the week of release of Tankobon 98 of "One Piece", one of the most famous manga in history, the single volume (and therefore certainly not the final volume of the series) was the best-selling paper book of the week of release. Jpop, Planet Manga (Panini Comics) and Star Comics are the three most important Manga distribution houses in Italy. Manga are sold in specialty stores and newsstands, and also at trade shows such as Lucca Comics and the Comicon in Naples. There are about 250 active comic book stores in Italy, and about 400 activities classified as such.

The anime and manga fanbase is growing all over the world. Distribution companies in Italy are investing in both content (Anime and manga) by hiring more staff and trying to meet demand.