Who is killing the hit? An entertainment startup CEO uncovers the structure of the 5.8 trillion yen market where data and marketing don't work, with the new release of "The Inconvenient Truth of the Entertainment Business"!

Forest Publishing Co., Ltd. (Location: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Hiroshi Ota) will sequentially release "The Inconvenient Truth of the Entertainment Business" (authored by Masato Kondo) starting Saturday, May 9, 2026. This book delves into the fundamental industry question of why "products that should sell" do not hit, with an entertainment startup CEO who spans the anime, light novel, and game industries offering three breakthroughs to create hits. See details. ■"Entertainment makes money"—Is that common sense just an illusion? Games, anime, manga, music. Japan's proud entertainment industry is now bearing unprecedented expectations as a core of national strategy. But what is happening behind the scenes? Why do people skilled in business often fail in entertainment? Why are data analysis and marketing ineffective? Why do "products that should sell" not hit? This book uncovers the true nature of that "discrepancy." ■Who is killing the hit? The entertainment business is essentially an "unreproducible investment." Hits cannot be designed. Success cannot be copied. The more rationality is pursued, the more passion is lost. Nevertheless, many companies and investors bring in "business logic" and repeatedly fail. What exists there is a decisive disconnect between "creators" and "funders." Furthermore, exhaustion of original content, IP dependency, and stagnation of creativity due to risk aversion—the entertainment industry is now facing structural limits. ■Before "living by what you love," there are things you should know. So, what should be done? This book presents three realistic breakthroughs for that question: ・Creator Economy ・Brand as an asset ・Low-cost, small-team production And it arrives at the most important conclusion. Hits are not born from efficiency. Passion resides in "inefficiency." To all business people challenging entertainment. And to all creators struggling between creation and commerce. ■Book Structure Part I: The True Nature of Entertainment Business Distortions Why "Creators" and "Funders" Disconnect Chapter 1: Why the Anime Industry Fell into "Original Content Exhaustion" Chapter 2: How Big Company Disease Kills Hits – The Cost of "Safety" in the Light Novel Industry Part II: Hits Are Born "Outside of Efficiency" – The True Nature of "Soul-Infused Inefficiency" and Experiential Density Chapter 3: Hits Are Born from "Soul-Infused Inefficiency" – Passion Beyond Efficiency Chapter 4: The "Battle for Disposable Time" is Wrong – Experiential Density Creates Passion Part III: Hits Are Born from "Culture" – The Philosophy of Story, Trust, and Evangelism Chapter 5: "Making Good Things" Alone Isn't Enough – Reconstruct the Hit Story Chapter 6: Political Correctness/Compliance Kills Creation – The Illusion of "Market Voice" Part IV: Still Believing in Hits and Continuing to Create – The Philosophy of Creators and Editors in an Answer-less Era Chapter 7: There Are No "Answers" to Hits – The Meaning of Still Asking Chapter 8: In the AI Era, Re-examining the Meaning of Human Creation – The Future of Creators ■Author Profile Masato Kondo President and CEO of BookBase Inc. / Editor-in-chief of Dangan Bunko Active as an entrepreneur since age 20. Currently manages BookBase, a next-generation publishing company with the mission of "reconstructing Japan's content industry through publishing." He is an editor who loves light novels and established Dangan Bunko. He is also knowledgeable about anime, video streaming, and game businesses, and on X (formerly Twitter), he shares various industry insights under the name "Otaku Penguin (CEO)." ■Editor's Comment "Why does that hit, and this one miss?" This is a question everyone involved in entertainment asks at some point. However, the answer has always been vaguely discussed. The greatness of this book lies in its daring to step into that ambiguous realm and verbalize the very structure of the entertainment business. This book is a must-read not only for all creators, editors, and producers but also for business people interested in the entertainment industry. ■Book Overview Book Title: The Inconvenient Truth of the Entertainment Business Author: Masato Kondo Pages: 240 pages Price: 2,035 yen (tax included) Publisher: Forest Publishing Co., Ltd. Release Date: May 9, 2026 (sequentially thereafter) ISBN: 978-4-86680-377-7 [Book Details] https://www.forestpub.co.jp/author/kondo_hiroto/book/866803777 [Amazon] https://www.amazon.co.jp