In light of the growing demand for anime in the West, Japanese companies have set themselves a simple goal: to make the experience as close to the Japanese one as possible. Rapid licensing and distribution of anime, movies and more from the biggest names like Jujutsu Kaisen, My Hero Academiaand Spy vs Family – produced by Toho International's parent company, Toho – followed. The quality of service in this regard arguably surpassed that of anime merchandise offerings, which were often riddled with shoddy packaging and opaque delivery and return schedules. Meanwhile, getting hold of rare Japanese merchandise meant fans had to navigate proxy shipping services or sometimes fall for scams and counterfeit items.

In an interview, Stacy Burt, Marketing Director at Toho International, explained how her anime store iiZO plans to fill the large merchandising gap. Avoiding the “catalog-style storefront” of items that don’t connect with fans, iiZO “highlights items that we know fans will love.” Founded in 2023, iiZO hosts talent from some of the most experienced companies in the industry, including Aniplex, Bandai Namco, Viz, Hot Topic, and Crunchyroll. Able to source rare products with the backing of Japan’s Toho, it believes that Toho International’s 71-year-old North American establishment gives anime fans the best of both worlds, making the experience as close to the Japanese as possible. Managing IPs big and small, and even those outside the Toho umbrella, Burt tells fans to expect familiar names as well as the unexpected.

CBR: What are your most successful items and franchises? Which franchise has surprised you the most in terms of sales?

Stacy Burt:
One of our main goals at iiZO is to highlight officially licensed and hard-to-find anime products through what we call our “Rare Finds” collection. This includes a number of products that are sold out elsewhere (e.g. the
Toji Fushiguro Jujutsu Kaisen Research Figure
) or that are simply not being carried by other retailers (e.g.
Azami Kurotani Junji Ito Soft Vinyl Bust
).

The products in this collection are perhaps unsurprisingly the most popular and tend to sell out the quickest. This is especially true for the Jujutsu Kaisen products!

In terms of products and user experience, what are the things Toho is most excited about bringing and why?

Stacy Burt:
Our goal is not only to have iiZO be complete in our offerings, but also to surprise and delight. It’s exciting to find jewelry from Japan to feature in our store, but it’s also exciting to bring in products from lesser-known brands from North America, like the clothing we carry from Little River Co.

We want to make it easier for you to find cool anime products and curate the products we offer on iiZO to avoid the experience of hunting through countless pages to try to find the products that appeal to you the most.

iiZO offers a wide selection of figures, games, manga, and more. Is there a specific genre that you’re really looking to hone in on? Or do you see yourself in the future as a one-stop shop for anime fans?

Stacy Burt:
We take a curated approach to our product offerings, but as you said, the product categories we include in our store are quite extensive. That’s because we believe in the idea that anime isn’t just about consuming shows – it’s a lifestyle.

What we really focus on is the selection within each of these categories. iiZO is run by true anime enthusiasts. We, like many fans, demonstrate our love for anime through products, and we combine our experience in the retail space with our insights as consumers to curate our products with other fans in mind. This approach allows us to avoid the catalog-style window dressing and instead highlight items that we know fans will particularly love.

To what extent is iiZO involved in creating merchandise, for example, does iiZO have creative planning teams? Or does it hope to expand into this area in the future?

Stacy Burt:
iiZO is a retailer first and foremost, so we are primarily carrying existing and officially licensed products. However, since iiZO is managed by Toho International, there are certain anime titles or even brand collaborations where we can produce original products through our in-house creative design and product development teams.

Our team members have experience creating original clothing collections and have worked on designs for Jujutsu Kaisen, Godzilla, and even Megan Thee Stallion. While we don’t have any original clothing collections on iiZO yet, fans can expect more from us in the future. So stay tuned!

iiZO is under the large Toho umbrella, which has huge potential to provide quality anime fans. How can this give it an edge over its competitors?

Stacy Burt:
iiZO is part of Toho International, a U.S.-based subsidiary of Toho Company, Limited or “Toho” in Japan. We manage Toho-owned IP (e.g. Godzilla) in North America, which means we operate the
Godzilla Store
and support anime titles produced by TOHO Animation. In fact, Toho International is supporting TOHO Animation in the release of its new
X Account in English
.

All of this is to say that we work closely with our colleagues in Japan to help international fans gain more access to the anime series they love, whether through news updates on social media or through merchandise on iiZO.

However, it is important to clarify that iiZO is not exclusively a TOHO Animation store. We recognize the general gap in accessibility of anime products and, through iiZO, we aim to help serve the anime community at large.

iiZO also offers things outside of Toho-produced anime. Do you foresee that expanding in the future?

Stacy Burt:
We do. Our goal is to not only bring you products that you’ll expect, but also products that you won’t expect. Anime fans are often not fans of just one title, nor are they just fans of anime. iiZO is here to serve the broader community and its many interests.

What are your plans for trade shows and conventions? Are there any upcoming appearances you can share at this time?

Stacy Burt:
Yes! You’ll be able to find our iiZO pop-up store inside the TOHO Animation booth at Anime Expo this summer.

How is iiZO addressing common issues that anime fans face, such as packaging issues, long wait times/delivery issues, buyer protection, and quality assurance?

Stacy Burt:
Several members of Toho International behind iiZO are industry vets. For example, I previously oversaw marketing for the Crunchyroll Store. Together, we have members with experience at Crunchyroll, Aniplex, Bandai Namco, Viz, Hot Topic, and more.

With our experience and as anime fans, one of our top priorities is to ensure iiZO’s customer-first approach. From ensuring products are packaged with care, to shipping quickly, to allowing returns within 60 days of delivery, we want to make sure fans receive their orders quickly and are completely satisfied with the condition they received them in.

What is your mission statement or message to potential customers about: “Why iiZO?”

Stacy Burt:
iiZO is here to bring fans what they expect and make it easy to buy cool products. We understand the personal connection people have with their favorite shows because we’ve experienced it too. That’s why we put care into everything we do at iiZO, from our curated product selection to our shipping process (and careful packaging) to our generous return policy.

Plus, fans have the peace of mind knowing that everything we carry is official 100%. Merch makes us happy, and we want everyone who shops with us to feel that spark of joy too.

Readers can check out Toho International's anime offerings at iiZO or their separate store for Godzilla merchandise: Godzilla Store.