A suffocating life in Japan
Anime Expo is a large-scale anime festival held every year at the downtown convention center. It is the largest in North America, and the expo held in July 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic attracted more than 350,000 anime fans over four days. Anime Expo seems to have expanded and become more well-known every year, and I had the opportunity to get to know Azusa Matsuda, the organization's vice president of business development. I was very interested in why she became involved with Anime Expo, so I interviewed Matsuda about her past, present, and future.
Matsuda came to America at the age of 15, immediately after graduating from junior high school in Japan.
"I studied abroad in high school. At the time, there were few people studying abroad on their own, and it was not yet the era of the Internet, so my parents bought me a fax machine so that I could send applications to high schools. Why did I decide to study abroad in the United States in high school? In my junior high school days, I felt like an outsider and that life in Japan was suffocating, so I began to want to work in the medical field as a counselor, which was said to be common in the United States, in other words, to become a psychiatrist.
When I thought about when would be the best time to study in America, I thought that graduating from high school would be too late in terms of learning English, so I talked to my parents about studying abroad in high school. I first went on a short-term study abroad program in San Diego when I was in my second year of junior high school. My parents thought I would come back crying, but I came back to Japan with ease (laughs), and I was determined that I had to study abroad. My determination was so strong that my parents agreed and bought me a fax machine."
Matsuda, who attended a Christian junior high school, also enrolled in a high school affiliated with the same church in the suburbs of San Francisco in the United States.
"I started living in a dormitory at a school in a wonderful environment in the Russian River Valley. I quickly got used to American life. What was different from what I expected? For example, when I went to visit my friends' houses, their grandparents would talk about the war, such as Pearl Harbor, and they would say, 'It's because your country was bad.' But they never said it in an aggressive way."
The excitement of fans and the joy of creators make Anime Expo worthwhile
After graduating from high school, she went on to study at a university in the United States instead of returning to Japan in order to pursue her original goal of becoming a psychiatrist, but at the age of 20 she was able to obtain permanent residency through marriage.
"I ended up missing the opportunity to return to Japan. Then, when it came time for my younger sister to go to university, I was able to study abroad from high school to support her tuition fees, and I was also able to obtain permanent residency, so I took a break from university and started working."
Then, after working for a Japanese travel agency in Los Angeles, a turning point came when she quit her job to focus on raising her child after giving birth.
"My daughter was attending an elementary school that offered immersion education in Japanese and English, and one day a father of one of her classmates approached her and said, 'They were looking for a bilingual person at their sound studio.' I was thinking at the time that I wanted to start working, so I took the opportunity to accept the offer."
His job at the sound studio involved post-production of anime dubbed versions, which led to him interacting with staff at Anime Expo, which then led to him being asked to transfer to Anime Expo, and at one point he worked at both the studio and the Expo.
"I started working full-time at Anime Expo in 2015, and it's been very rewarding. What makes me especially happy is when Japanese anime creators see American fans enjoying their works and feel that all the hard work has been worth it. Without a place like Anime Expo, it's difficult to get a real sense of how well anime is accepted overseas.
"The producers say that holding screenings at the venue and seeing the reactions of fans, crying and laughing, is an encouragement for them in anime production. The fact that it gives producers a sense of fulfillment is what makes my involvement with Anime Expo rewarding," Matsuda said. After the successful experience at Anime Expo, Japanese productions have started to look more overseas and become more conscious of overseas fans. In this way, Anime Expo is actively supporting the expansion of the Japanese anime market.
A long-lasting event
Matsuda now serves as a bridge between the Japanese anime industry and the American market, but where does he feel more comfortable: Japan or America?
"Before I came to study abroad, I thought Japan was cramped. But after living in the United States for 33 years, I now recognize Japan's good points. I think people cannot see their own country objectively unless they see it from the outside. My 18-year-old daughter is very interested in Japan. Is the conversation in Japanese? No, no, I've been talking a lot lately, so it's a mix of Japanese and Japanese (laughs)."
Finally, when asked about his vision for the future, he replied, "Our goal is to build a solid foundation for Anime Expo and make it an event that will continue for 60 or 70 years. Furthermore, rather than just having an expo once a year, we are looking into creating various opportunities to introduce Japanese content."
As a teenager, Matsuda felt uncomfortable in Japan and wanted to study abroad in the U.S. in search of a place to belong. Now, as time has passed, Matsuda is involved in the promotion of Japanese anime in the U.S., and it seems he has found a place where he can be himself and contribute to both Japan and the U.S.
Anime Expo official website: https://www.anime-expo.org
© 2023 Keiko Fukuda
