Japan is a content and IP powerhouse. In the manga and anime industry, which is a prime example of this, there are many businesses and services that utilize NFTs. Let's take another look at the possibilities and challenges of "manga/anime x Web 3.0."
Kamikawa: In recent years, there have been an increasing number of cases in which the manga and anime industry is using Web 3.0 technologies, including NFT. So, this time, let's talk about the possibilities of manga and animation x Web 3.0.
Takano: Sorry to jump right in, but what exactly do NFT and Web 3.0 mean? I've heard them a few times, but I still don't understand their exact definition.
Kamikawa: I think there are many people who feel the same way. They are terms that have only recently come into use, and their definitions can change depending on who uses them.
Let's start by explaining each term. NFT is called "non-fungible token" in Japanese, and is a technology that proves that digital data is unique.
To put it more simply, it is something that links something like a certificate of authenticity to specific digital data.
Takano: What is the use of that?
Kamikawa: First of all, digital data can be copied infinitely, right? Let's consider the case where I copy image data I have and send it to Takano's computer. If a third party were to appear later, they would be unable to distinguish whether the image I have or Takano's is the original, that is, the original image data.
I also have no way of proving that I was the original owner of the image. In the same way, the Internet is flooded with a huge amount of copied data.
In that case, it is no longer possible to know who is the owner or creator of the digital data.
In other words, it can be said that the concepts of "original", "owner" and "original" do not exist in the digital world.
NFT brings technology that can prove "uniqueness" to such a digital world, making it possible to treat it as if it were a physical object.
So, when asked what NFT is useful for, the answer is "it will enable many things that were not possible in the digital world until now." I will explain this with a concrete example later.
Takano: So, what is Web 3.0?
Kamikawa: To put it more simply, Web 3.0 refers to a new form of the Internet that is more decentralized and decentralized than the current Internet, using distributed technology based on blockchain technology.
But this is hard to understand, so to put it more simply, it is a term that refers to all technologies, services, and applications created using blockchain technology.
NFT is one of them, and cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are also a type of Web 3.0. However, NFT is the only one that is mainly used in the manga and anime industry.
