Ask John: What is the Future of Anime and Where is it Going?

Question:
With the arrival of the 21st century and some pretty controversial or at least very impressively unusual anime series like Berserk, Kareshi Kanojyo and Evangelion, what is the future of anime and where is it going? There seems to be a need for anime that breaks new ground for a new generation of anime fans while catering to long time anime viewers. And since so much new anime is just plain crappy, I think either a new unexpected twist to the genre or a reverberation on old styles and storytelling is also needed.

Answer:
This is quite a complex question, and possibly one that I won’t be able to effectively answer, but allow me to attempt to address your points in order. Keep in mind that none of the anime you’ve mentioned are actually from the 21st century. Evangelion dates back to 1995, Berserk is from 1997 and Kare Kano is from 1998. If you’re referring to television anime, since the 1980s at least, the quality of television anime has always had its noticeable ups and downs. The highlights of what may be considered the true maturation of TV anime began in 1990 with Nadia, the first television anime to truly achieve what was at that time OAV quality in a weekly series. From there we may jump up to 1995 and Evangelion, which broke no new ground in animation quality, but expanded the conventional limitations of television animation convention. Those Who Hunt Elves signified a new leap in television animation in 1996 by being the first late-night anime TV series, opening up another potential for adult-oriented anime on television. Also in 1996, Escaflowne again raised the bar for production design in television animation. Since Escaflowne, numerous anime TV series have experimented with digital animation and the use of CG including Yu-Gi-Oh, Saber Marionette J to X, Kacho Ohjii, Sci-Fi Harry, and Steel Angel Kurumi, with varying degrees of success. The current Earth Girl Arjuna TV series may signify the direction television animation is heading, utilizing motion picture quality digital animation and CG in a TV series, but at the same time that digital animation is becoming virtually indistinguishable from traditional cel animation (for example Steel Angel Kurumi) and becoming virtually photo realistic (Arjuna), there are still a vast number of anime TV series coming out that utilize extensive or exclusively traditional cel animation, including Inu-Yasha, Earth Defense Family, Hakaima Sadamitsu and Tales of Eternia.

To some degree, the trends you’ve suggested necessary are actually already occuring in the Japanese industry. New and original series such as Arms, Angelic Layer, Soul Taker, Argent Soma, and Hiou Senki are either available in Japan now or coming soon. At the same time, many classic shows and characters are reappearing, including the recent Ah! My Goddess movie, Metropolis, based on a 50 year old manga, the upcoming third You’re Under Arrest TV series, the Hakkaider anime TV series, and the current Matael Legend OAV series, based on characters from Galaxy Express 999. This diversity illustrates offerings for both nostalgic fans and new viewers alike. Furthermore, new series like Hakaima Sadamitsu (a melding of sentai convention with teen delinquent action-drama), Earth Defense Family (a parody of sentai series), Trizenon and Gear Fighter Dendou (both 80s style giant robot action series), and Earth Girl Arjuna (an extremely revisionist magical girl adventure) show a “twist” on old styles.

Anime has existed for over 40 years, and while technical prowess has vastly improved with time, the essence and character of Astroboy and Speed Racer are little different from the style of contemporary anime. The emphasis on dynamic storytelling through action and characterization rather than dialogue, the tendency to not underestimate the intelligence of viewers, and the emphasis on believable fantasy informed anime in the 1960s and remain the foundations of anime today. Given that big eyes, wild hair, bright colors and a two dimensional look have stuck with anime for as long as they have, I think that these essential characteristics will remain with anime into the foreseeable future. It may be that Japanese fans tend not to develop long lasting attachments to specific anime series the way Western fans do, but that’s not to say that Japanese fans aren’t affectively attached to the traditional hand painted look of anime.

By nature, anime is a fluid and dynamic medium. While it is a commercial product, it is, and I believe, always will be, a product of Japanese culture. And as long as anime remains Japanese, it will continue to develop, but not evolve. Fears of American demand overwhelming or forcing change on the Japanese industry are, I think, unfounded. It’s undeniably true that Western demand does and will have some influence on the Japanese industry, but Japan has always maintained a degree of isolated consciousness, and I don’t foresee this being altered by Western influence. Manga accounts for nearly 40% of all annual book sales in Japan. That’s a ratio of almost 1 out of every 2 books sold being a comic book. If we consider even a small portion of that percentage applicable to animation, I fail to see the American market ever approaching that degree of demand for Japanese cartoons. In effect, no matter how big the market for anime becomes in America, it will never be as big as the market in Japan; thus studios will always prioritize the Japanese market first and foremost when creating anime.

In other words, I think we are seeing the future of anime right now. At the same time that anime TV series such as Vandread and Earth Girl Arjuna, and movies like Blood and Metropolis are being produced entirely digitally, anime films including Ah! My Goddess and Sen to Chihiro no Kamimakushi, and new TV series and OAVs are still being made in the traditional manner to retain the classic look of hand drawn anime. And films like Blood: The Last Vampire and Metropolis and Vampire Hunter D are created with the knowledge that they may be distributed worldwide, but their target market is still Japanese fans.

Essentially, I think that because anime is such an ingrained character of Japanese culture, produced by amateur fans and multi-million dollar corporations alike, anime will likely never undergo such a vast overhaul that it will be unrecognizeable relative to what we’re used to. I think that the anime we know and love has been here in the past and will be there in the future.

That’s my opinion. If you’d like to respond or share your own thoughts or predictions, the AnimeNation forum welcomes your submissions.