Ask John: Are Some Anime Series Too Long?

Question:
The other day I was thinking about how long the series Dragonball Z has gone. Yes, I am a DBZ fan, though I have not seen a lot of it lately. But the latest of the series has good old Goku a kid again. Again, like I said, I have missed a lot of it. But how in the world did that happen? What I am asking is should there be a limit when it comes to how long a series for anime can be? Yes, I like the idea of something going on forever that is enjoyable to watch. Just the idea has been done over and over again don’t ya think? I’m just wondering how long should an anime series go?

Answer:
Actually, the Dragonball anime ended in Japan 8 years ago. Dragonball Z ended in 1996 and was followed by Dragonball GT. In the first episode of Dragonball GT, Son Goku accidentally gets shrunk into a child’s body. The Dragonball GT anime is still relatively current here in America, but it ended in Japan back in 1997.

I think it’s relatively common for American fans to believe that particular anime series should be longer or shorter than they often are. And it seems common for American anime fans to believe that certain anime series are too long, or should conclude before they become stale and repetitive. These opinions may have some merit, but they overlook one of the fundamental characteristics of anime. Anime is made for Japanese viewers, so any given show will continue for as long as it remains popular among Japanese viewers. I’ve encountered amazement from American fans that Detective Conan is approaching 400 episodes in Japan and is still going strong. The sentiment seems to be that the show wasn’t successful on American television, and it’s basically just one murder mystery after another episode after episode, so why is it still in production after so many years? The fact that it’s still in production in Japan signifies that it’s still popular among Japanese viewers. In America, The Simpsons has been airing new animation for 15 years even though the show’s main family has never changed or aged a bit. Familiarity breeds comfort. The same principle explains the longevity of anime series like Sazae-san and Doraemon in Japan that have been airing new episodes for over 20 years.

I know that anime fans tend to be possessive of the anime series they love. And I know that anime fans don’t want to see the shows they love degrade into repetitive, recycled treadmills that continue on without the originality and effectiveness of their prime years. But I think that it’s presumptuous for foreign fans to dictate how Japanese animation should develop and propagate. It’s perfectly fine to think of a show as over-long or unappealing, but it’s egocentric to argue that the tastes of Japanese viewers are wrong because they still support a show that American viewers have lost interest in. Regardless of whether or not they consciously realize it, I believe that many American fans watch anime because it’s Japanese- because it’s different from their expectations and the American animation they’re used to. I don’t think that there should be arbitrary limitations placed upon anime, and don’t think that a long series like Dragonball or Detective Conan or One Piece should end just because it’s long. If I lose interest in a long show, I can simply stop watching it. But I want anime to be as long or as short as its creators make it, and want anime to be affected by Japanese market considerations because when an anime becomes heavily influenced by what American viewers think, it loses some of the uniqueness and foreign-ness that made it interesting to me in the first place.