This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first TV broadcast of anime in Japan, which kicked off with "Astro Boy" created by the "god of manga" Osamu Tezuka.
With anime gaining popularity around the world over the past half century, it has become one of the symbols of Japanese culture. But whether Japanese anime is really bringing enough profits to its creators is a different matter.
"It is really great that Japanese anime is being watched all over the world, but the sales are not really growing," said Hiromichi Masuda, director of Video Market Corp., which provides video services to mobile phones, at a seminar on March 21, during the Tokyo International Anime Fair 2013.