Ask John Editorial: Is Anime Getting More Sophisticated?

Question:
I may be giving too much credit, but my perception is that roughly every ten years Japan’s anime industry takes a subtle but significant step forward in the sophistication of its creativity. 1979’s Mobile Suit Gundam introduced revolutionary change to the anime world and arrived on the forefront of anime’s golden age, which was dramatically different from the decade before (and every decade since). 1990’s Fushigi no Umi no Nadia was, at the time, another striking advance in television anime design quality that marked a distinctly recognizable deliniation between the television anime of the 1980s and 1990s. In 2000, the FLCL OVA series stunned anime fans with its unique and distinctive visual creativity. That same year the Vandread television series brought a new level of polish and skill to the integration of CG animation merged with traditional 2D animation. Now I wonder if anime fans are seeing another new dawn arise as the first decade of the 2000s gives way to the second.

Answer:
While 2010’s Angel Beats! wasn’t quite the transgressively deconstructive revolution of established convention that Evangelion was, last year’s Angel Beats! could be said to have done to galge anime what Evangelion did to robot anime. Angel Beats! delivered every expected note, but at the same time undermined the established acceptance of convention by satirizing the traditions and staples of its genre. While last year’s Bakemonogatari became a tremendous hit, it’s the show’s sister title, Katanagatari, that slyly excelled at post-modern deconstructionism, consciously rejecting every established convention and challenging viewers to recognize their own complacency. This year’s Madoka Magica is certainly the Evangelion of magical girl anime. It utilizes all of the tropes of the magical girl genre but brings a new sophistication to the presentation by daring to go to lengths never before considered. Madoka Magica extends the magical girl tropes to their natural, pragmatic ultimate. While both anime and anime fans have previously been satisfied with magical girl anime that universally agrees to respect certain limits and conventions, Madoka Magica rejects those barriers, forcing viewers to recognize that what comes next – what we’ve all unconsciously agreed to avoid looking at – isn’t pretty.

Now I’m fascinated by the recently aired first episode of Dog Days. Judging by the series’ first episode, the show doesn’t appear to promise anything obviously groundbreaking or exceptional. But a closer examination reveals a number of intriguing advances. The concept of a human transported to an alternate world to serve as a summoned hero is certainly not a new story to anime. But the ease and eagerness with which summoned human Izumi accepts his new surroundings and role, and his seeming suitability for his newly appointed duty are far more advanced than prior anime of this sort. Furthermore, the true nature of the “war” between the cats and the dogs, taking inspiration from live-action Japanese television, also suggests a new degree of creative sophistication unlike earlier anime.

I’m curious to see what the remainder of 2011 holds in store for anime fans. I wonder if 2010 and 2011 will indeed demonstrate an appreciable step forward in the narrative and artistic creativity of anime that may not seem especially evident now but will seem more significant in retrospect, when we’re able to reflect on a broad spectrum of anime and clearly distinguish a difference in tone and style between anime from different decades.