Today, it's a fact that Naruto and Bleach are two of the most important anime in the industry, especially the former. However, history could have been very different, as both productions could have been unexpectedly canceled.
Yes, you read that right. Despite these two anime being key players in the entertainment industry in the 2000s and having a growing demand overseas to the point of being a resounding success, the studio responsible for their animation, Studio Pierrot, considered canceling the production of these projects.
Why Was Studio Pierrot Going to Cancel Naruto and Bleach?
This was confessed by the current president of Studio Pierrot, Michiyuki Honma, who in an interview with Natalie recalled how not only these two anime were going to halt their development, but the entire company was going to cease operations.
The reason? The earthquake that shook Japan in March 2011. The executive, who at that time was not yet president, remembered that the company was responsible for 4 or more productions per week, including Naruto Shippuden and Bleach.
However, the disaster caused chaos; TV stations stopped broadcasting the anime, and the company's income became unstable. The situation for Studio Pierrot was so dire and prolonged (almost 2 months without being able to pay their employees' salaries) that they even contemplated the only way out would be for the company to cease to exist.
It's important to mention that Naruto is a Shueisha franchise, so in the absence of Studio Pierrot, the company would have had to find another animation studio, which means that while the anime would have continued in some way or another, the production would have experienced inevitable changes and significant delays.
The good news is that the situation managed to improve for Studio Pierrot, and with the help of allied production companies and the bank, they were able to overcome it. Fortunately, this precedent served as experience for Homma, who became much more careful in terms of crisis management.
Thus, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and already at the helm of the company, the executive remembers how they recorded record sales during this period. And today, Naruto remains one of the most important productions in their catalog.
What do you think of the great crisis that Studio Pierrot went through? Tell us in the comments or on Discord.
You can find more news related to Naruto by visiting this page.
Stay informed with us, at LEVEL UP.
Comments
Best
New