Spreading the Studio Ghibli bug in Indonesia

Japanese animation house in year-long campaign to promote its films locally

20170607_Kevin Nikolas leads Ghiblinesia

Kevin Nikolas leads Ghiblinesia, an Indonesian fan community that sometimes perform songs from Ghibli film soundtracks. (Photo by Marcel Thee)

MARCEL THEE, Contributing writer

June 11, 2017 16:00 JST

JAKARTA -- Indonesia's appetite for Japanese pop culture has grown steadily since the 1980s, with one notable exception -- the works of animation house Studio Ghibli have not been hits. Now, a year-long promotional campaign is seeking to change that.