Art Platform Pixiv Struts Its Stuff In America With New Books And Higher Profile

In Asia, the online community pixiv needs no introduction: it has powered its way to 84 million active users posting over 118 million original pieces of artwork, manga, short animations and novels, generating more than 3 billion monthly page views, and establishing itself as a major presence at events such as Tokyo’s massive Comiket festival. Here in the US, artists and fans may be more familiar with comparable sites like DeviantArt and Artstation. But pixiv is hoping to draw some new attention with two deluxe English-language art books showcasing its most popular creators, some new licensing deals with globally-popular properties, and a new effort to attract English-speaking users.

“We have various measures underway to actively involve creators all over the world,” said Takahiro Kato, pixiv senior VP of Creator’s Platform Development. “We are expanding to English-language editions of our Artists In… artbook collection to deliver the works of creators around the world, transcending language and regional barriers.”

The first titles to launch in the US are Artists in Taiwan and Artists in Korea, produced in collaboration with San Diego-based Clover Press and the San Diego branch of Tokyo’s massive ebook distributor, Media Do International. A crowdfunding campaign to raise the initial capital for the launch kicks off today on Kickstarter.

The company is also collaborating with popular IPs in the US and internationally, such as Evangelion, Cyberpunk, hololive EN, Genshin Impact and more to attract new users and fans.

Pixiv, a privately-held company of about 300 employees, got started in 2007 as a place for professional and aspiring artists to display their work, tapping into the vibrant culture of fan-created art and manga popular in Japan and elsewhere in Asia. As the demand for visual content has exploded in the comics/manga, videogame, anime/animation and commercial art industries, pixiv has grown into a massive platform offering education, tools, communication, merchandise, professional networking, business services and more, featuring art in a variety of styles, plus a growing assortment of prose novels, graphic novels and serialized webcomics.

“Our mission is to create a fun environment for anyone who enjoys creative activities,” said Kato. “Pixiv provides a safe and comfortable place to upload one’s own creations, and the ability to archive work. The community offers a way for creators to gain support from fans but also for interaction with other creators. Artists often connect with other artists who have similar content or interests.”

One way pixiv has been able to scale up its user-generated content community is by investing heavily in programs for users, both online and in person.

“We focus on building bridges between companies and their brands/IPs, creators and fans by collaboratively exhibiting at Comiket [a semiannual doujinshi festival/artists alley-style event in Japan that draws about 110,000 attendees] and other conventions [including Anime Expo in the US] as well as hosting online illustration contests,” said Kato. “We also participate in art shows around the world. At pixiv WEAN Gallery, a gallery in Omotesando, Tokyo, which we jointly operate with Twin Planet, we hold and support many ‘first solo exhibitions’ of upcoming creators who we believe are future superstars. Overseas, we have also held travelling solo exhibitions at the Taiwanese gallery d/art and Animate Korea and Shanghai exhibition spaces. Plans are in place to expand to other regions as well.”

An English-language pixiv site and app exists, but only about 15% of the company’s target market of artists and fans is currently aware of it, according to the company’s research. Kato says the company has to combat the perception that it is only for “Japanese-style content” and broaden its reach to all kinds of US-based creators.

Part of the issue is that the site’s current construction is a bit forbidding for most North American users, as much of the content, commentary and tags are in Japanese or other Asian languages, and some of the niche adult-oriented content reflects the tastes of overseas audiences. Kato said they are working with a crowdsourced translation platform to localize all site content, and the company offers full English-language support.

Pixiv also recently clarified its policies around AI-generated art, which has become extremely controversial within the creator community, allowing AI work on the site but making sure that it is tagged and judged separately. According to the pixiv website, “We are committed to long-term efforts to address the concerns of creators [around AI], general sentiment, and legal limits so that everybody can enjoy the world of creation with peace of mind.”

North American creators and fans are likely to benefit from pixiv’s new market push. In addition to the reach of the global platform for artwork and artists seeking professional opportunities, pixiv provides another place for storytellers to build an audience for their novels and comics, using the same UGC playbook that has helped build Webtoon/Wattpad into a major publishing force.

While all those plans come to fruition, fans can get their first taste of what the company has to offer from the two art books launching today.

“The art of manga and manhwa creation continues to become mainstream on a worldwide basis,” said Clover Press Publisher Hank Kanalz. “Both these books feature absolutely gorgeous artwork. We hope they introduce readers to more international artists and a new online community dedicated to art and illustration.”