Ask John: Has the Success of Anime in America Influenced Japan’s Industry?

Question:
Has the Japanese manga/anime industry had any changes sine the rise in popularity among anime in America? Has American support influenced anything in the art, style, or content of anime? Do manga artists themselves have anything to say regarding our fanbase? I understand that some manga artists have been upset with translations or editing of their work in the past. Are they taking precautions to keep that from happening for foreign audiences?

Answer:
As I’m an outside observer rather than an integral part of Japan’s anime industry, I can only speculate about the obvious, superficial influences on Japanese animation. I know for certain that American investment may contribute to which anime projects are and aren’t brought to fruition, and I know of particular examples of anime specifically tailored toward American release. But it’s possible that subtle changes to the representative majority of Japanese animation aren’t noticeable to foreigners like me. Or it’s more likely that there haven’t been significant changes to typical Japanese animation. Considering various circumstances, I suspect that the later is actually the case. I don’t think that the increasing popularity of anime in America has had any influence on the majority of Japanese animation.

Although Japan is only a small fraction of the size of America, annual anime sales in Japan triple American sales. The Japan External Trade Organization’s June 2005 report estimates the Japanese anime market for 2003 at 191 billion yen, the equivalent of about 1.5 billion dollars. ICv2 estimates today’s American anime market value at roughly $500 million. Since the Japanese market is so much larger and more profitable than the American market, it makes sense for Japan’s anime industry to concentrate on producing anime specifically for the Japanese market instead of making concessions for the significantly smaller and less profitable American market.

Productions like Afro Samurai, D.I.C.E., Spider Riders, and IGPX, which were either premiered in North America, or were created with American release in mind, illustrate Japan’s awareness of the American market, but these shows represent only a minority of current anime productions. Grim and violent anime like Berserk and Hellsing tend to be very popular in America while romantic dramas based on dating simulation PC games aren’t popular in America, yet there are still far more romantic dramas produced in Japan than dark and gritty anime. Even the depiction of animated characters who smoke is taboo in America, yet still common in current Japanese productions. There seem to be far more signs that Japan’s anime industry is continuing to make anime with its traditional values and principles than signs that Japan’s industry is altering its traditions to accommodate American fans.

Alterations made to American publications of manga, such as recent edits to the Full Metal Alchemist and Air Gear manga by Viz and Del Rey respectively are reportedly made with the knowledge and consent of the original Japanese artists. That particular claim is an entirely separate debate unto itself. The claim that American edits are made with the involvement of the Japanese creators doesn’t specify if the Japanese creators personally provided or specified the way changes should be made, if they were involved in the changes, or if they simply gave the American distributor free reign to make changes as deemed necessary. I know that Hiroaki Samura has made specific requests regarding the way his work is published in America, and Ken Akamatsu has expressed surprise over the extent that censoring Japanese manga is considered necessary for American release. But the very fact that imported manga sometimes need to be censored or altered for their American release suggests that their original Japanese versions are composed specifically for Japanese readers. If these manga were constructed with American release in mind, they wouldn’t need to be edited for American release.

American investment in anime is important and valuable to the Japanese industry, but Japan remains the biggest market for anime, so I don’t expect Japanese animators to alter the content or style of their work very far from the tastes and expectations of Japanese audiences. I also think that Japanese animators continue to view their work as Japanese, and not global, animation. Excluding occasional examples, Japanese animators seem to presume that their work is for Japanese audiences, and concentrate on making anime that will appeal to Japanese viewers rather than concentrate on producing Japanese animation that will be popular among both Japanese and foreign viewers. The business side of Japan’s anime industry has certainly evolved since the popularization of anime in America. But I don’t see very much evidence that the artistic and creative side of anime production has evolved or compromised in order to accommodate international viewers.