Ask John: Are Short Anime Series the Trend of the Future?

Question:
Lately there seem to be a lot of 13 episode series like Serial Experiments Lain, Yami no Matsuei, and Gravitation, to name a few. I was wondering if this is a reaction to the idea that “the OVA is dead.” Or do the series simply not hold enough interest to last for a longer period of time like Legend of Basara, for example.

Answer:
Shorter anime series have actually always been around, for example, the 13 episode City Hunter 3 from 1989, the 23 episode first Lupin III TV series from 1971, and the 22 episode Endless Road SSX from 1982. The 12-13 episode series, though, essentially originated in 1997 with Eat-Man and Elf o Karu Monotachi (Those Who Hunt Elves), the first “late night” anime programs. These series were originally short because they were produced on a shoe-string budget, intended to be easily replaced and appeal to only the small percentage of viewers that would watch broadcast anime at 1 in the morning on a weeknight. This sudden trend in creating short series was followed up the next year with Anime Complex introducing the 10-15 minute long anime series that would sometimes run for as many as 48 episodes, in the case of Neoranga and Ah! Megami-sama; and then evolved again with the introduction of the variety program Wonderful, which broadcast anime ranging from full series of 5 minute long anime episodes to Petshop of Horrors, which had only 4 full length, 25 minute long episodes. Many of the series with short episodes, including Neoranga, A!MG, Kotetsu Tenshi Kurumi, Ippatsu Kikimusume, Momoiro Sisters, Taihou Shichaouzo Special, DiGi Charat, Iketeru Futari, Hanaukyo Maid Tai, and Maico 2010 were all part of longer programs- either Wonderful or one of the variations of Anime Complex. In the case of anime series that have a relatively small number of episodes, ranging from the 10 episode Hand Maid May to the 13 episode Legend of Basara, shorter shows allow for greater variety of programming within a single TV season. Studios can keep series fresh and maintain higher novelty appeal when the production lasts half as long, and in the case of series like Chikyu Shoujo Arjuna, Chikyu Bouei Kazoku, and Kotetsu Tenshi Kurumi, the shorter series length allows for higher production values per episode.

Anime fandom in Japan especially is well known for being dominated by trends and fads, so shorter shows allow studios and commercial sponsors greater chance to capture and hold the interest of viewers and consumers. That’s not to say, though, that the OAV market is on the way out, or there’s any lack of long anime TV series. Current OAV releases including Alien 9, R.O.D., Happy Lesson, Shin Getter Robot VS Neo Getter, eX-Driver, Mezzo Forte, the new La Blue Girl and Nekojiro-So suggest that the OAV industry isn’t dying, but merely weeding out the inferior, cheaply made productions. If anything, the release of the psychedelic Nekojiro-So OAV suggests that the OAV/anime industry is doing well enough to support the release of “artsy” OAVs with limited commercial potential. Current anime TV series such as Inuyasha, Daa! Daa! Daa!, Hajime no Ippo, and Devichil provide evidence that recent shows can still run for more than the typical 26 episodes, and programs including Noir, Super GALS Kotobuki Ran, Angelic Layer, Grappler Baki, Sister Princess, Star Ocean EX, Mahou Senshi Riui, and Project Arms appear well on their way to living out full 25-26 episode seasons, if not more.

Many of the more “high profile” and more, shall I say, “high concept” series of the past few years, including Lain, Boogiepop Phantom, Yami no Matsuei, Soul Taker, Vandread, and Sekai no Monsho have been short, but for each of them to come and go, there’s also been a full length Love Hina, Trizenon, Argent Soma, One Piece or Hunter X Hunter that’s lasted 26 or more episodes. I think that the Japanese industry has simply entered into a new evolution of more experimentation and diversity with technical anime production to coincide with the increasing use of digital animation and new animation techniques in anime. The increase in number of short anime series has actually come without a significant decrease in the number of more “traditional” styled anime series. It’s only now that these short series are becoming more recognized in America that Western fans are beginning to notice the trend. I don’t anticipate that the trend of short anime series is anything to worry about. Japanese fans love anime even more than American fans do. That explains why there’s so much anime in Japan. As long as that remains constant, we won’t see the OAV genre or the traditional 26 episode series disappear.