章節 158: Chapter 158: Abandoning the Idea of Acquisition
"Should I go and acquire Shangguan Xiaobao's Shenghuo Publishing House or Huang Yulang's company?"
A thought crossed Xia Yu's mind. If he successfully acquired one, he would gain access to talent. With Xia Yu's guidance and the release of influential comics, he could definitely sweep the market.
"However... with the current style of Hong Kong comics being completely different from Japanese comics, and having already solidified their styles, it's uncertain if they can even produce the desired effect. No matter how good the material is, if the art style doesn't match, it could fail."
Xia Yu furrowed his brow, worried that the reality might indeed turn out as he feared.
Although Hong Kong is closer to Japan compared to Europe, Hong Kong is still under British jurisdiction, and its culture is heavily influenced by Britain and Europe, including the art style of comics.
Hong Kong comics differ from Japanese ones, mainly adopting a European style with some ink painting elements. They are influenced by Chinese martial arts traditions, with intricate and twisty plots, broad themes, and a heavy commercial flavor. Current themes mostly include gangsters, hot-blooded heroes, inspirational stories, society, and science fiction.
The difference is significant compared to Japanese comics, and it's highly likely that the desired effect might not be achieved.
Xia Yu hadn't forgotten that his initial goal in entering the comic industry was to impact the Japanese market, earning Japanese money with Japanese-style comics.
If comics like *Dragon Ball* and *One Piece* produced in the current Hong Kong style are unknown whether they would succeed in Hong Kong, they would be at a higher risk of failure in Japan. Xia Yu had no confidence in this.
After all, it involves the audience's acceptance of style. Japanese people might not accept it.
The difference between European and Japanese art styles is too significant!
Xia Yu frowned, tapping his fingers unconsciously on the table, a natural habit when he's deep in thought.
"Seems like acquiring Shenghuo Publishing House or Yulang Publishing Company might not be very effective, and they might not even be willing to sell. Even if they do, the price would be high."
"I only need the talent. The value of their companies certainly includes channels, but my channels are far superior!"
"And most importantly, there's the issue of the comic company's positioning. Even if I acquire their companies, I would have to take over *Bruce Lee* and *Dragon Tiger Gate*, which is tricky..."
Xia Yu frowned, thinking with a bit of a headache.
In truth, the influence of *Bruce Lee* and *Dragon Tiger Gate* is substantial, but Xia Yu has some reservations about such comics, believing they could be harmful to youth development. He is not keen on making money in such a manner.
This belief is why he confiscated his younger brother Xia Ming's comics.
He believes that cultural transmission should spread positive and uplifting messages, which is the baseline for cultural creators.
Although various markets exist, if it's possible to make money more decently and gain a good reputation, why bear the stigma?
Just like movies, while the *Young and Dangerous* series is classic, how many young people were led astray by it?
In Xia Yu's previous village, many people dropped out of school to become delinquents, impacting many families, including his cousin, who caused great trouble for his uncle's family.
So after seeing this data, Xia Yu is reluctant to acquire Shenghuo Publishing House and Yulang Publishing Company, not only because the success rate is low and the effect is limited but also because handling *Bruce Lee* and *Dragon Tiger Gate* would be problematic.
If he had to handle them, the original teams would definitely oppose, creating a deadlock and significant losses for Xia Yu.
And if not handled, it would affect the company's future cultural positioning, which Xia Yu does not want.
"In that case, it's better to face the trouble and seek talent. I don't believe I can't recruit people. If I can't find them in Hong Kong, I can recruit in Japan. There should be plenty of talent there, and they can produce the effects I want."
"Recruiting Japanese talent to work for me, drawing comics originally belonging to Japan, and then earning money from Japanese people. They wouldn't even know, and they might end up admiring my company. Just thinking about that scene is amusing!"
Xia Yu's lips curled into a slight smile as he imagined this scenario, feeling a bit of satisfaction.
"Moreover, Japan's comic industry is indeed at the world's top level now, with many things worth learning. Bringing the good aspects of Japanese comics to make Hong Kong's comic industry industrialized is also a good deed."
"Learning from Japan is not shameful. As Wei Yuan said in *The Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Nations*, 'Learn from the strengths of others to overcome them.' In the face of being behind, one must be humble when necessary. As long as there is ambition and a desire to surpass, what's the harm in temporarily lowering one's head?"
"As for Shenghuo Publishing House and Yulang Publishing Company, they can be left as they are. Without some rivals, it would be quite boring."
"And having them as a comparison, as a negative example, might even be more beneficial for the promotion and sales of my comics!"
As Xia Yu thought, the current situation in Hong Kong showed a poor perception of comics. Almost no parents would buy comics for their children. Many high sales of *Bruce Lee* and *Dragon Tiger Gate* came from young delinquents and unscrupulous students.
In the minds of Hong Kong citizens, comics are seen as a mix of violence, bloodshed, and inappropriate content, completely unsuitable for children.
Due to this perception, the comic market in Hong Kong is not large. Despite a market of at least 500 million to 600 million people including Taiwan and Southeast Asia, there are only two comics with sales exceeding 100,000 copies.
In contrast, Japan, with just over 100 million people, has at least ten comic magazines with sales of over 1 million copies, including some with sales reaching 7 to 8 million copies per issue.
The difference is significant!
Despite economic disparities, it's undeniable that Hong Kong and Southeast Asia's comic industry is underdeveloped, with enormous potential.
If Xia Yu can develop it, he will definitely make a substantial profit.
As long as he can change people's biased perception of comics, the comic industry will experience explosive growth.
"I want parents and children to know that comics are not just about leading people astray but can also provide positive energy, helping children develop good values through entertainment, with themes like passion, friendship, dreams, struggle, and perseverance..."
"Let parents go from fearing comics to actively buying them for their children. At that time, what's to worry about the market? What's to worry about not making money?"
Xia Yu's eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of determination flashing as he spoke to himself.
With this plan in mind, Xia Yu was clear about his path: start by recruiting talent in Hong Kong, bring in those with ability, and also take in apprentices. Then, recruit from Japan and bring in training teachers, focusing initially on Japanese talent and later cultivating his own talent to replace the Japanese staff, ultimately achieving the rise of Hong Kong's comic industry.
As for comic magazines, Xia Yu had an idea. In his previous life, the best example was *Zhiyin Man Ke*. The reputation of the four major magazines—Menghuan, Rui Ran, and others—was such that even someone like Xia Yu, who didn't read comics, had heard of them.
So, the name and positioning of *Zhiyin Man Ke* could be borrowed, solving many of Xia Yu's problems.
As for the future Zhiyin Media Group, Xia Yu could only say sorry, hoping that they would succeed again in the future.
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