Intro
duction

Ayaka Katsuki

2026 New Graduate
Bushiroad, Trading Card Game (TCG) Headquarters Marketing Department

Finding Appeal And Communicating It

Please let us know what your work is like.

I belong to the Marketing Department of the Trading Card Game (TCG) Headquarters and am in charge of a wide range of marketing-related work.

Specifically, my main duties are creating storyboards for television commercials and managing the production progress of posters and transit advertisements that enliven the streets.

For graphic media such as posters and transit advertisements displayed on public transport, I basically drive the entire process from planning to scheduling and deadline management on my own initiative.

On the other hand, video production such as commercials requires specialized knowledge, so I advance the production process in collaboration with the in-house video production department. We have a shared goal of conveying the product's appeal while leveraging each other's strengths every day.

What is the working environment like in the team that you are working in?

I feel it is an environment with a good balance: serious about work, yet casual enough to consult anyone and chat.

My senior colleagues are all articulate, knowledgeable, and deeply inspiring. They are also very friendly, with work being peppered with casual conversations, and it is an open atmosphere where it is easy to consult others and ask questions readily when I encounter difficulties. When I consult them, they always give me accurate advice, so I am able to work with peace of mind.

Also, there are opportunities to have regular meetings with HR, participate in company-planned lunches, and have meals with people from my department, so there are opportunities to deepen interactions outside of work as well.

Since entering the company, how have you been able to apply what you have learnt?

After joining the company, I acquired the knowledge and experience necessary for my work through training, and now I am gradually entrusted with more practical work to advance independently.

I was provisionally assigned to the Marketing Department of the TCG Headquarters and received training for my role in the first two months. During the job training, I created slides based on themes, gave presentations, and conducted fieldwork by visiting actual card shops. At card shops, I observed characteristics of customers making purchases and how products are displayed, and I asked the shop staff directly about various things. Being able to learn through a very hands-on approach during my job training left a particularly strong impression on me.

Currently, I am still provisionally assigned, but I can now apply more practical knowledge to my work compared to when I was in my job training. Basically, I advance my own projects, and I have had more opportunities to manage the progress of my advertising projects alone. Of course, when there is something I don't understand or need to confirm, I consult nearby senior colleagues and learn from their advice while gradually accumulating experience.

What made you decide to join Bushiroad?

Not only did I love Bushiroad's IP to begin with, but also my main deciding factor was the sincere, attentive way employees treated me as an individual during the recruitment process.

What particularly left an impression was the opportunity for an individual consultation after the final interview. Not only did they kindly listen to my questions and concerns, but when I asked about departments I was interested in, they even took me to the actual department on the spot and created an opportunity for me to talk with staff working on the front line.

I greatly appreciated the way they carefully addressed each and every individual's questions and interests, so I decided to join Bushiroad.

Was there any gap between your expectations before and your actual experience after you joined Bushiroad?

There was no major gap. During the company information session, I had heard that "All employees seriously enjoy their work, and working there had a passionate atmosphere like a school festival," and that impression did not change after joining.

In reality, many people enjoy their work in the process of it, and I am inspired every day. There is also a clear distinction between having fun and locking in when it's time to focus on work, and I feel it is an environment where you can enjoy working while growing.

From "Someone Who Enjoys The Work" to "Someone Who Communicates The Appeal"

What do you find difficult, or profound, about your current work?

What I find both challenging and rewarding is honoring the passion and commitment that stakeholders bring to their work while protecting the brand identity.

Before joining, I looked at products from the customer's perspective as a fan, but after becoming in charge of communicating the appeal, I realized that different positions come with very different viewpoints and intentions. Public relations (PR), development, and design each have perspectives of their own.

For example, when producing a poster, PR focuses on elevating the company’s image and showcasing the product in its best light, while the development team has specific requirements regarding what features or characters to emphasize and how large they should appear. Designers also value the beauty of the overall visual.

In this way, while each person values different things and has different perspectives, by harmonizing everyone’s ideas and bringing them together into a satisfying final product— I feel that this process of harmonization reflects the difficulty and fun unique to this job.

Do you feel like you were able to apply what you learnt as a student in your current job?

I feel that the habit of proactive communication that I developed in the acoustic band I joined at my university is useful in my current work.

The band I belonged to had many members, relatively few hierarchical barriers, and an environment where individuals acted autonomously. Rather than waiting for someone to speak to me, I knew nothing would happen unless I took the initiative, so I made an effort to actively reach out and build relationships with those around me.

Through such experiences, I learnt the importance of building relationships with others and of proactive communication.

Currently, there are many opportunities to advance my work while interacting with people from various departments, so I feel that the proactive approach to communication that I developed as a student was useful.

Do you have career goals you hope to achieve through working at Bushiroad?

In the future, I want to give shape to my own ideas and take on the challenge of creating appealing original IPs from scratch.

Currently, as a marketing professional, I work on thinking about how to communicate a work's appeal so that it reaches more people. First, as someone communicating the appeal, I want to be involved with various works and learn the various ways of conveying a work's appeal by learning from fans' reactions or through other means.

What I learn from these experiences can also be used in future creative works. As I connect my experiences in delivering a work’s appeal to the driving force behind my ideas, ultimately I hope to be involved in planning and production myself, creating new works.

Please give a message to those who are job hunting or considering applying to Bushiroad.

Bushiroad is deeply rooted in entertainment, and is a company where you can enjoy working and create more things that make people say "This is fun!"

I would love for people who like fun things or are interested in entertainment to apply.

And of course, job hunting is important, but I hope you will enjoy your student life to the fullest and discover what you want to do and what interests you.

A Day's Schedule