Media mix

A **Media mix** is a type of plan put into motion for a new work to get multiple forms, in order to create successful promotion for the work and a strong merchandising initiative. These are cases that occured with Fujio Akatsuka's series, particularly when they were revived or had more material produced as a way to promote new animated adaptations.

However, when it comes to media mix initiatives for more loosely-inspired, post-Akatsuka works such as *Osomatsu-san* or *Late Night! Genius Bakabon,* the amount of merchandising would either be much too continuous and vast (as in the case of -san) or minuscule (in the case of *Late Night!*) to receive sufficient credit in this article.

## Osomatsu-kun

### Media mix with the first anime

Though Osomatsu-kun was already successful on its own, the 1966 anime's launch lead to several more parallel runs to come about in other Shogakukan magazines:

* The serializations in Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, and 4th Grade mostly ran through 1966, with the exception of the first two ending in early 1967.
* Shogakukan Book had its own version running from July 1966 to March 1967
* Boys' Life had its own -kun serialization from April to December 1966

Unlike the Boys' Life stories, however, those that ran in the grade magazines and Shogakukan Book are incompletely represented in reprints if at all. The 2nd Grade serialization also featured "Fun Quiz Manga" booklets that contained more -kun material, and both the Boys' Life and grade magazines sometimes contained other supplementary columns and material that went along with the stories.

### Media mix with the second anime

The initiative to revive Osomatsu-kun as the first part of the "Akatsuka strategy" in the 1980s was given a strong push by Kodansha and the other stakeholders at the time (Pierrot, Fuji TV, and Yomiko). This resulted in not only new manga, but other books and merchandising to be put out with the characters in either relation to the anime itself or Akatsuka's new serializations.

* Comic BomBom ran an *Osomatsu-kun* feature from November 1987 to March 1990, starting the series around the time the pilot film had been commissioned.
* Later, Kodansha's other monthly childrens' magazine TV Magazine put out its own parallel serialization from February 1988 to January 1990, starting when the anime series itself took off. TV Magazine also had miniature appendix booklets produced through May to October 1988, featuring the -kun cast as well as that of *The Genius Bakabon* in various gags and activities.
* TV Magazine would also run short stories drawn by Pierrot animation staff, with some being rough and prototypical looks at some anime episode plots (and in turn based from manga stories) or others being entirely original.
* "The Osomatsu-kun Quiz and Riddle Encyclopedia of 1000 Questions" was released in June 1988 by Kodansha, as part of the mass merchandising output but featuring the manga designs of the characters.
* The "Burst of Laughter World-zansu" book by Comic BomBom in October 1988 honored not only the new anime, but the manga that was running at that point, and contained several character profiles and merchandising information. It also contained its own new story, "Osomatsu-kun's Big Adventure".
* The Osomatsu-kun *Honjamaka World* picture and activity books were another wave of merchandise by Kodansha and Pierrot, at times featuring original short stories or an early adaptation of "Burglars Startled by Sextuplets!" that featured two robbers (although the designs were still somewhat different from the actual pilot materials).
* Fun Kindergarten ran a feature from March 1988 to January 1990, as did the magazine Otomodachi.

## Akko-chan's Got a Secret!

### Media mix with the first anime

The launch of Toei's Akko anime in 1969 was first honored with a new run of the manga in Ribon, which started off in November 1968 as a way to lead viewers into the upcoming series.

However, many new Akko-chan manga and media resulted from the anime's existence:

* The aforementioned second run in Ribon (November 1968-December 1969), which had a mixture of new stories as well as redraws and revisions of first-run Ribon tales. It wrapped shortly before the anime did.
* The Mushi Pro tankobon releases starting in 1969, which contained their own various edits to first-run stories; mainly replacing Kankichi's face and swapping Akko's mirror out with the compact (or at the very least in some cases, changing its spell to the "Tekumakumayakon" one).
* Two picture books by Shogakukan, released in March and November 1969. Like the above, these are a mix of new adventures for Akko along with re-tellings of old ones.
* An alternate version of the manga without Akatsuka's involvement (but that of Fujio Pro), which ran in Fun Kindergarten magazine from December 1970 to September 1972. It has never been reprinted, and like the above examples, is a mix of all-new plots and redrawn stories.
* Shogakukan grade school magazine versions of an Akko-chan manga which ran through 1970, in their Kindergarten, 1st Grade, and 2nd Grade imprints. They were either picture stories drawn in the style of the anime itself and by Toei Animation artists, or other new stories by Akatsuka's assistants that attempted to emulate the anime designs for the characters.
* Picture books by Hikari no Kuni ("Akko's Hiking" and "Akko-chan Compact SOS") in 1971 long after the anime completed, along with a Kodansha "Color TV Masterpieces" picture book in the same year. These likely came about due to the compilation film versions of the '69 anime that Toei had run for their Manga Movie Festivals.

### Media mix with the second anime

The second Akko adaptation in 1988 had its own media mix to go along with it, with the second mirror compact even being made as merchandise to tie in to the show's renewal after episode 52 (only for it to be rushed to an end at 61).

* A new run in Nakayoshi, running from October 1988 to September 1989.
* A feature in Fun Kindergarten, based from the Toei Animation artists' work, from November 1988 to January 1990. Otomodachi also had this length of serialization.

### Media mix with the third anime

Though there was nothing from the Fujio Pro side for the 1998 anime, Fun Kindergarten and Otomodachi would run tie-in features from May 1998 to March 1999.

## Extraordinary Ataro

### Media mix with the first anime

As with Akko, there were plans in place for tie-in material even before the anime officially premiered; The Flower of Dekoppachi serialization was done to commemorate such a release happening.

* *The Flower of Dekoppachi* itself introduced a few factors that would become popular with Ataro in both the manga and anime, such as Nyarome being depicted walking and talking for the first time. A few of its stories were also adapted to the anime, although rather loosely in some cases.
* Shogakukan's grade year magazines (Kindergarten, 4th Grade) ran parallel serializations after the anime commenced airing, with other magazines (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade) following even after the anime wrapped up.

### Media mix with the second anime

The second Ataro anime caused a new manga serialization to be done through Kodansha's Comic BomBom and TV Magazine; although a different anime studio (Toei) and network (TV Asahi) were in charge of the project, other stakeholders like Kodansha were interested in continuing the "media mix" phenomena with new Akatsuka adaptations.

In both serializations, Batsugoro is notably not used much in stories past the start of the BomBom run, or said to be busy in Heaven. The anime-original character of Momoko only carried over briefly in two BomBom stories, and once in a TV Magazine chapter, indicating there wasn't much interest or need in using her as well.

* Comic BomBom's serialization started off with the March 27, 1990 spring break extra issue, and ran from the April 1990 to January 1991 issues. It adapts from the first anime episode, before diverging into its own plots and gags.
* TV Magazine started its own serialization in May 1990, also wrapping things up in January 1991.
* Fun Kindergarten and Otomodachi ran features from May 1990 to January 1991.

## The Genius Bakabon

### Media mix with the first anime

While Bakabon had already been an established manga for years, the green-light of the 1971 anime caused a brief revival to take place in Weekly Bokura Magazine, before the series would settle back at its usual home in Weekly Shonen Magazine.

The more obvious media mix efforts, however, came months after the anime's debut, and due to Akatsuka's busy schedule had none of his input:

* Kunio Nagatani and Jin Kawaguchi helmed a TV Magazine serialization, which ran from December 1971 to October 1975, lasting much longer than the anime had due to the overall popularity of Bakabon. This work contained its own parallel stories and gags for the characters, though not all of it has been reprinted.
* A Fun Kindergarten version of the series by Nagatani and Kawaguchi ran from July 1971 to September 1973. It has never been reprinted.
* Nagatani was behind the story and art for a "TV Manga Songs and Storytelling" book by Asahi Sonorama, released in December 1971.

### Media mix with the second anime

The Original Genius Bakabon also kicked off another wave of tie-ins, being more successful in itself than the previous adaptation.

* Nagatani and Kawaguchi's TV Magazine run of Bakabon switched its title to become "The Original Genius Bakabon", but otherwise continued on until August 1977.
* Akatsuka's 100-Page Special, done to commemorate the debut of the second anime, had stories that would later be adapted as part of the series itself: The revised version of "A Fool Should Be Made in Japan", along with Rerere's backstory.
* A manga in Fun Kindergarten ran from November 1975 to October 1977, as it had in Otomodachi as well.

### Media mix with the third anime

While Bakabon already had several serializations going in Kodansha magazines before the official debut of the Heisei anime, the Comic BomBom version changed its title in January 1990 to reflect the new series.

* The new "Heisei Genius Bakabon" serialization ran from January 1990 to October 1991. A one-shot special also appeared in Deluxe BomBom for its special June 30, 1990 issue.
* With the end of the aforementioned feature, "Heisei Genius Bakabon" transferred over to Deluxe BomBom from November 1991 to December 1992.
* A TV-style tie-in manga ran in Fun Kindergarten from February 1990 to January 1991, and Otomodachi had also serialized such a title in this span.

### Media mix with the fourth anime

Although there was no official Fujio Pro output around the time of Rerere's Genius Bakabon, Fun Kindergarten and Otomodachi did have their own features running from November 1999 to April 2000.