When I watch anime I think to myself, “Wow, they could never, and would never do that with LA! Damn I love anime.” Really; I really do think that. I also think, “What’s next?” Since I’m still a relative newbie compared to some of the seasoned veterans out there (that have seen everything, past and present) anime seems so fresh and full of promise to me. Then I go onto forums and read how people are fed up with anime recycling old themes, about how tired they are that anime hasn’t come up with anything new in the past year, and how that, to them, anime is about to take a nose dive into obscurity. How bitter they sound! And how depressing.
I think, and feel, that anime is still going strong and will always be a factor in the entertainment industry. Anime is NOT a genre, but a medium, so how can a medium just shrivel up and blow away after decades of prominence? Anime will be around for a while, but will the ideas for anime be as fresh and enjoyable 20 years from now? My answer to that is F* yeah!
Since anime is a medium, just like film, it will never become some dilapidated vehicle of ideas. And, just like film, there will be good years for anime and there’ll be bad years. Idea recycling is absolutely nothing new, but if you’ve seen every anime ever made, I can see why you’d get jaded. Me, I pick and choose what I watch. I refuse to run to the store (or the internet) after every release to watch something just because it’s anime and just because a certain group of fans sing its praises. So, to me, the series and movies I choose to watch are original and intriguing.
Watching anime is like reading books by your fave authors; after you’ve read everything they’ve written, it’s time to find something new. To everyone out there who thinks anime is in a rut: find a new genre, watch a different studio’s production and for chrissake, have hope!
What do you think about the current state of anime? Am I an optimistic dreamer outta touch with reality or do you think anime will revel in greatness through the ages?
My view is that anime series could have been better if they paid little more attention and money to the scripts and music. Slight polishing of plots and dialogue, which can be done just by sitting on a desk and writing/talking about it, may make many anime series much better. That said, there still are many entertaining series running, currently, so I don’t see a reason to be gloomy about the current state of anime.
There’s been too much pandering to the otaku crowd (both males and females) in the recent years… which is understandable, as they bring the money, but all the shameless fanservice is kind of a turn-off for me. That and the lolis. Lolis, lolis everywhere!
With that said, every year has a handful of shows that I find genuinely enjoyable and entertaining, so I’m not complaining…much.
>>There’s been too much pandering to the otaku crowd
Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu? It’s pretty insufferable.
Hrm.
Seeing as i’ve rediscovered the joys of watching quality series, I guess it’s currently going well.
Gloomy? Maybe with the rise of haughty bastards who proclaim themselves to be otaku.
If you want to call yourself a social reject, fine with me. Proclaiming it in front of everybody? I’m gonna personally hunt those bastards down and beat them to death with multiple tire irons.
I also believe that anime has taken a bit of a nosedive. Although i still enjoy it very much so, most anime series these days recycle the same formula’s from other anime’s. Yes they put a(in most cases) unique spin on it, but it still something you can point out. Nothing really original except for a few standouts and those got minimal attention(such as Noein…) Even the anime in the picture up at the top of the page recycles at least 6 different plots designs AND character personalities from different anime’s each that you can point out quite easily. :/ I say we need more then just the standard plot devices that have been used for years used TERRIBLY. That’s my 2 cents.
@kuromitsu: the loli factor I agree. But don’t also forget those annoying tsundere leading characters that this new generation is so fond of.
Okay, this sounds like I’m just being a prick: Technically animation is a medium, not anime.
But I have a non-prick purpose behind it. While anime isn’t something you would normally look at as a “genre,” Japanese animation does have its own subculture, which leads to a lot of similarity among a lot of anime. Obviously this isn’t pervasive, but it ties into why people can think a domain of entertainment as broad as anime can feel “stale”.
While I don’t really know the state a anime in Japan, I wonder if some of the reason that many feel that anime is in a rut is the amount of shows that make it to the US has greatly increased in the past few years which would mean more of the lower quality shows are available making it seem that there is a growing proportion of bad shows to good shows coming out.
Anime is a business just like any other and studio will always continue to produce many shows that follow the same old formula plot lines or feature whatever is trendy at the moment, just like Hollywood does. That doesn’t mean that their isn’t anything good out that their is a dearth of new ideas. I agree that if you feel that anime is in a rut try a different genre or branch out from what you usually watch. Personally, I think there were some great series out last year like Paradise Kiss, Honey and Clover II, The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi, Death Note…
i think anime might be in a state of decay because of the new methods of making anime. with the digital animation out there i feel that there is something lost in the whole message. when gundam seed first came out everyone was very excited however after a while it just became another anime for the scrap pile to me.
also i would like to believe that manga based anime is one of the greatest downfalls for anime because of how anime has to either create an entirely new ending to the series or add some stories in that no one would realy care about because its quality is that of a fanfiction. original anime based on nothing tends to stick out more because of less complications for timing and it makes the story a much smoother ride for some people. Gaogaigar final, Soultaker, Betterman, Boggiepop, Gantz, Berserk, these are anime to look at with aw of the quality in story and art.
i would like to also state my belief that anime form times before 2000 were of a higher quality then the anime today yet the publishers of anime only look for the latest anime to license and that is probably one of the biggest problems. in short i believe anime may die or it may not but manga will live forever.
Wow! We have quite the gamut of opinions here today! I leave the house for a coupla hours and you guys start dialog ^^b.
-I agree with you -wontaek about pouring more time and $$$ into a series and producing a polished product. Yet, we know that there are fans out there who’ll watch anything, regardless of quality. I bet that’s who the studios are targeting with their puppy mill-type series.
-Too much fan service in anime is an utter turn off, literally, as the anime gets shut down and shipped back whence it came. As to whether or not there’s too much pandering, -kuromitsu , I couldn’t tell you since I personally steer clear of anything that has any taint of gratuitous fan service. Fan service inserted into the anime in a sly and unobtrusive way is always appreciated but anything with more than 4 panty shots is pushing it IMO. And while I love lolis, I think that it’s cheap to keep using them over and over again. The studios should think of something new, for chrissakes, and let the lolis do their thang in the real world.
-lolikitsune, I’ve heard people absolutely rave about the series you mentioned…why is it insufferable? Too much fan service, too stale?
Please lemme know why it blows before I get it in my head to watch it ^^
-Personally,-DrmChsr0, I prefer not to use violence against those I disagree with, or anyone for that matter. I imagine the world be a bit more empty if I did. If you can, let otakus be otakus and try subscribing to my way of thinking: “Give ‘em enough anime and they shame themselves”
-Hmmm, I’m 100% for new ideas, -Inuhanyou, but what if the ideas that we consider stale are what sell? It’s hard to turn down the allure of money in the hand if you’re a studio and all you have to do to get it is steal the ideas from 3 other shows and reinvent an older and beloved character. If I was in the $$$ making business, I’d probably stick with what I know makes money. I imagine that there are some fantastic ideas out there that aren’t being made into anime because studios don’t think they’ll sell. Sad but true, but that goes for ALL art…
-For those out there who are unfamiliar with the term tsundere -Anonymous mentions, check out the link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsundere
-Similarities in culture aside, I think that a comedy anime is about as different from a classic horror anime as the Texas Chainsaw Massacre is to Me, Myself and Irene. Both those American films have the flavor of our culture in them but there’s no way I would put them in the same genre, -Seth. And you’re not being a prick for having an opinion ^-^
_Here, here -chibi, good points, all!
-Heavy and troubling thoughts, -xypher. I had a friend who read Gantz in its original form in Japan. He says it was great (and apparently is still being published in Japan) and was sooo excited to watch the anime with us. I thought Gantz fell apart at the end for personal reasons and he was thoroughly disappointed with the whole damn thing. He blamed the studio for the crappy translation from manga to anime. Too true, I bet, but since I didn’t read it, I can’t say.
Manga to anime is always a touchy subject, for the reasons you mentioned. Sometimes it works, sometimes it blows. It depends on whether you read the manga and are a fan of it as well.
For example; the studios better get Hellsing Ultimate right of there WILL be hell to pay! See, I’m a fan of Hellsing and hold it near and dear. If I didn’t read the manga, would I still consider the original Hellsing to be a piece of crap in the later episodes? Depends. The original series is what got me to pick up the manga in the first place and my two friends as well. Now, in retrospect, we don’t think nearly as highly of the original series as we did. Basically, I think people’s opinions on the subject are influenced by whether or not they read the manga.
-Rachel, i see your point from the side that watched the anime first then read the manga as that is what i’ve done aswell. but it’s the manga that came first it is the original that is what people like the most and when it gets tranlated into anime it becomes deluded either because the story wasn’t finished or whatever reason there is.
hellsing Ultimate will be great because they are keeping true to the original and have Kouta Hirano working with them to make even greter improvements on the series. i think manga will always have a place in my heart because it dosen’t get deluded through a series of inconsistencies we might see from the many people who worked on it.
also thanks for posting my ROD review looks great keep up the good work
While I usually only find one or two great shows a year that I can say I’d truly want to buy on DVD and rewatch, the b-list stuff that falls outside of it is generally still worth a single view for some factor or other (given time constraints).
Now with standard TV, it seems to go from a couple of shows I love, to maybe a couple that are okay, and then suddenly it drops to several thousand that I loathe which make me want to put my boot through the screen.
Anime has a much better hit:miss ratio when it comes to the offerings outside of the top tier series.. and that’s probably due to the fan pandering heh
Ha, I totally agree with you on this -Crayotic Rockwell “…I usually only find one or two great shows a year that I can say I’d truly want to buy on DVD and rewatch…”
I’m really picky and I have a relatively hard time finding stuff that will even get me curious. I don’t think my pickiness, however, is a sign of anime’s downward spiral. There are many titles waiting for me to watch and I gather more every day. They still don’t even make up the tiniest fraction of what’s out there, hence why I consider myself picky.
I too have only been watching anime for a relatively short time (actually, returning to it after a long absence) but I have a couple of opinions:
1) Originality is there if people are willing to give it a chance and support it. I was amazed and disappointed that Simoun did not generate more interest. No, it was not perfect, but it was definitely original and it was positively AWESOME overall. Mushishi, also original and awesome. As long as even just a couple of such series are produced each year, I won’t despair.
2) Digital animation: I don’t have a problem with the quality of animation today, quite the contrary. A lot of KyoAni’s magic, for example, depends on such technology. But I do suspect that the move to digital animation, by making it possible to create programs more quickly and with fewer people, is partly responsible for the glut of content. With more anime programming being developed, there is unfortunately going to also be more imitation and more shortcuts in story development, characterization, music, and so on.
And heck, even lolis and tsunderes can be fun sometimes. For example, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Zero no Tsukaima despite its shortcomings.
We had a terrific discussion concerning the state of anime in Japan last night. Chikashi feels that there is far too much pandering to the otaku in Japan and a lot less quality stories being produced. He thinks the studios are now primarily targeting this specific audience by producing an over abundance of moe-rich anime.
That would be why Western audiences are being so affected. Fans of moe are rejoicing while others are glum. Understandable.
My op is that after a while moe will lose it’s appeal for studios since targeting a specific audience will only get you so far. But it does bespeak well of anime’s popularity IMO. I think there will be a Renaissance in anime, so to speak, but only after the days get darker.
In the meantime, those who are feeling the effects of this, you might have to scramble and search like Dave and I do to find quality anime. And like a really good gemstones, you’ll have to toss out many flawed ones before you get one you treasure ^^.