After signing a new distribution agreement with Penguin as well as working on an animation series focused on human rights in North Korea, independent manga publisher and production studio Emotional Content has carved out a reputation for creating commercially viable projects focused on humanitarian values and political activism. Founded by documentary filmmaker and publisher, Eiji Han Shimizu, the company specializes in using manga and the graphic novel format to profile the lives of such international heroic public figures as Che Guevara, Mother Teresa, and the Dalai Lama.
Emotional Content first emerged in American publishing back in summer of 2008 with a graphic novel on the Dalai Lama, a “biographic manga,” documenting the life of Tibet’s leader and Buddhist icon, from a young boy growing up in the temples of Dharmasala to a young man seeking political asylum from Tibet. Penguin showed interest in the project when Shimizu first began publicizing the project, and both parties discussed a joint test launch of the book. But Shimizu’s timeline for the launching the graphic novel coincided directly with the Beijing Olympics in August, 2008. “I wanted people to know what was happening in Tibet before the start of this monumental event,” Shimizu told PWCW, referring to the Chinese occupation of Tibet and Beijing’s hosting of the summer games. As a result, Shimizu took on the project himself, recruited a manga creator in Japan to research and create The 14th Dalai Lama, an illustrated biography of the Dalai Lama’s life and story. The 14thDalai Lama biographic novel was published by Emotional Content in early July, before the games began.
Shimizu acknowledged that launching the book without Penguin’s backing left him open to the possibility of losing the giant publisher’s support, however, his overall objective for Emotional Content is broader than any single business partnership. “My motive wasn’t to hit it big and make money, but instead to inform the world about the situation [between Tibet and China]. Launching it before the Beijing Olympics was crucial. Penguin is a large company but they cannot move as quickly as Emotional Content.”
Since the launch of Emotional Content’s list with the 14th Dalai Lama, Shimizu assembled a team of writers and creators to produce graphic novel biographies of Che Guevara and Mother Teresa. Both the 14th Dalai Lama and the Che Guevara graphic novels have been picked up for publication and distribution by Penguin. As of this past November, Penguin has begun publishing and distributing both books in 20 different countries. The books have also been translated into over 10 different languages. Shimizu is especially proud of the Dalai Lama biographic manga, which has been adopted by the government of Tibet, translated into Tibetan, and absorbed into the curriculum of 62 Tibetan schools—including refugee schools in Nepal and India—where it is used as a text book.
The Tibetan Ministry of Education has also released an abridged version of the graphic novel for young readers which has proven popular with children in schools, and young monks in monasteries. “Young monks are like kids. They have short attention spans—and they love manga,” Shimizu said, adding that school educators and monastery headmasters all appreciate the graphic novel approach to learning.
Shimizu has more projects forthcoming with Penguin, including a biographic manga on Burmese democratic leader, Aung Sang Suu Kyi. Working with Penguin, Shimizu refers to Emotional Content as a “production company” and the model is very similar to film. Emotional Content creates and funds the graphic novel, which is then sent to a publisher to package and distribute. Shimizu doesn’t claim that his company is the new model for small publishers, but he does question “conventional publishing” which he says is collapsing under the weight of digital books, and an uncertain economy. Shimizu is receptive to digital formats and likes having the option of publishing straight to Amazon or iTunes, but he also points to the flexible nature of Emotional Content as a media producer.
“Because we don’t have the publishing house structure, we can move around and play with our options,” Shimizu said, “Something like this is needed.” And because Emotional Content is largely driven by the mission to educate readers about real life “super heros,” Shimizu is open to exploring nontraditional methods of distribution in order to reach as many readers in as many countries as possible.
In addition to his publishing projects, Shimizu is the producer of a new documentary on human happiness called, Happy, which is currently in its pre-release. The film interviews people around the world—from Okinawan villagers to American works to world-class scientists— to get personal stories about what makes them happy. Emotional Content’s next film project is an animation series on human rights violations in North Korean prison camps. Shimizu told PWCW that while a manga focused on the issue was considered, he and his partners decided that animation would have a farther popular reach and could potentially do more good in raising awareness of this issue. “Soft power is good at putting a human face on a political story. That’s what we’re doing with this anime. We’re creating characters to put a face on this struggle.”
The project has been started up with seed money from Shimizu and his partners, as well as profits from the sales of Emotional Content graphic novels. He’s also started a Kickstarter page to raise revenue for production of the series. “We’re still looking for partners.” Shimizu says. “We have great animators, a great story, lots of supporters - all we need is money.”
To that, Shimizu added, “It’s a struggle, but I enjoy every minute of it.”
