Jashin-chan Dropkick, the hilarious comedy anime about a snake demon and her human roommate, is back with a bang! The anime, which has been entertaining fans with its absurd humor and slapstick violence since 2018, has returned for a special OVA episode.
And that’s not all. Kadokawa, the anime’s publisher, has announced that it will do something unprecedented in the anime industry: it will sell the OVA episode online before its TV broadcast in Japan, and it will allow fans to share the entire episode on YouTube and other platforms and earn revenue, as long as they join the Creator Support Program (CSP).
The OVA episode, titled Jashin-chan Dropkick: End of the Century Edition, set to release on December 27 in Japan, features a guest appearance by none other than Kenshiro, the protagonist of the classic manga and anime Fist of the North Star.
Kenshiro, the master of the deadly martial art Hokuto Shinken, is known for his iconic catchphrase “Omae Wa Mo Shindero (You are already dead”), and his ability to make his enemies explode with a single touch. How will he interact with Jashin and her friends? That will surely be a spectacle to see.
According to Kadokawa, fans who want to share the OVA episode online can do so freely as long as they follow these simple guidelines:
- The OVA episode must be bought from Amazon for 300 yen (excluding tax) and can be shared after the TV broadcast on December 26, 2023.
- The OVA episode can be used in its entirety, without any time limit, and can be monetized on YouTube, Niconico, and other platforms.
- The creator must be a member of CSP.
Moreover, as long as the above guidelines are followed, anime segments below 10 minutes from all the previous three seasons of Jashin Chan can now be shared on YouTube and other video-sharing platforms.
Also Read: Japanese City Refuses to Fund This Anime Due To ‘Socially Unacceptable’ Episode
Unlike the United States, Japan does not have a general doctrine of fair use, but rather some equivalent exemptions that allow the use of copyrighted works in certain circumstances.
However, these exemptions are often unclear and inconsistent, and many anime YouTubers have faced legal troubles for using clips or images from anime shows in their videos.
Jashin-chan Dropkick is one of the few anime franchises that has adopted a more flexible and generous policy for online sharing and monetization, setting a new precedent for other anime creators and publishers to follow.
The anime’s production committee explained that this is a way to thank the fans for their support, and to leverage the power of live streamers and online creators. We will legalize illegal uploads,’ they conveyed.
They also said that they hope that fans who enjoy the anime will buy the Blu-ray discs or other merchandise, to help fund the production of future seasons.
This is not the first time that Jashin-chan Dropkick has experimented with online sales and free license of use. In fact, the anime’s second and third seasons were funded by crowdfunding campaigns, and the anime’s creator, Yukiwo, encouraged fans to share segments of the anime on YouTube and other platforms, as long as they joined the CSP.
The CSP is a program that allows fans to use Kadokawa’s anime content for free, as long as they register their works and share a portion of their revenue with the anime’s production committee. The CSP covers the entire Jashin-chan Dropkick franchise, from the first to the third season, as well as the OVA episode.
In case you are not already aware, Jashin-chan Dropkick is a comedy anime based on the manga by Yukiwo. It tells the story of Jashin, a snake demon who was summoned to Earth by Yurine, a gothic girl. Jashin wants to kill Yurine and return to Hell, but she is too weak and incompetent to do so.
Instead, she ends up living with Yurine and her other supernatural friends, such as Medusa, Pekola, Minos, and Yusa. Together, they get into all kinds of hilarious and painful situations, such as fighting angels, zombies, aliens, and other demons.
The anime’s first season aired in 2018, and the second season aired in 2020. The third season, titled Jashin-chan Dropkick X, aired from July 6, 2022 to September 21, 2022. The anime is available for streaming on Crunchyroll, the world’s largest anime platform.
Are you excited for Jashin-chan Dropkick’s OVA episode? What do you think about the anime’s online sales and free license-of-use policy? Do you think this will set a new trend for the anime industry? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram.
Source: Oricon
