The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

■The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

An unprecedented worldwide hit. We interviewed him before the film's release in Japan.

◯Why is it a hit?

1. Characters ranked 8th in world IP revenue (1st is Pokemon)

2. A fan base spanning 40 years and three generations. (That's why Abe Mario appeared at the closing ceremony of the Rio Olympics.)

3. Visual and musical footage featuring legends Shigeru Miyamoto and Koji Kondo.

4. The evolution of CG technology that can express the world of games. (It's different from the live-action version of Mario in 1993.)

◯What ecosystem will games create?

・Pokemon also comes from the game. The game itself is just under 2 trillion yen, but character merchandise and other products make up a total of 10 trillion yen.

・Nintendo alone has Zelda, Pikmin, Animal Crossing, Kirby, and Splatoon. For PlayStation , there's Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Resident Evil, and many more.

-There are many uses for smartphones, streaming, metaverse, web3, and stage.

◯How widespread is Japanese content?

・Half of the top 25 IPs in the world in terms of revenue are from Japan. Pokemon, Hello Kitty, Anpanman, Gundam, Dragon Ball.

- Popular culture that can be enjoyed by both adults and children, and expression that is not bound by religion or class, in other words, freedom. - Good art and music classes so that anyone can draw, in other words, education. These two are the infrastructure.

◯What are the challenges?

- Securing human resources capable of doing business in the global market and how to deal with international platforms (GAFA and Netflix).

・Demonstrate IP power by making full use of explosive new technologies such as AI, metaverse, and web3.

Will Mario be a hit in Japan?

・Yes I will.

(I said it decisively, but I was nervous until it landed. I'm glad it hit.)