Ask John: How Can the Anime Industry Avoid Stagnation?

Question:
Kazuki Akane was interviewed at the Japan Expo in France this year. There were many interesting questions. Especially when he was asked about about evolution in the industry. Akane said, “My impression is that the world of Japanese animation will take a decisive turn. There will be a radical change, that will leave in another direction. Because if not, according to me, the world of Japanese animation will run to its loss. It is necessary that a change takes place and it would seem that he will take place. If there is not a revolution, industry will have serious problems.” When pressed further, he noted that for a while there has been no variety. For example, somebody makes a show like Haruhi, which becomes popular, then K-On comes out and everybody wants to target the same style, same market. So in the end, nobody tries anything creative or imaginative.

How does John think a revolution would begin? I thought Karas was a start in terms of art?

Answer:
I don’t want to pose myself as a more knowledgeable or insightful expert on the Japanese anime community than someone like Kazuki Akane, a veteran animator and anime director; however, I do think that dire predictions from Japanese industry figures sometimes overlook certain important points, or come from a perspective that only considers the most obvious and stereotypical trends. For example, in February 2008 Tokyo Anime Center manager Masakazu Kubo predicted that the spring 2008 Japanese TV season would show a significant decrease in number of new shows. In fact, the opposite occurred. April 2008 saw an increase in TV anime premieres compared to the prior year. Numerous industry observers, over the past few years, have commented on a perceived stagnancy in anime development – a reliance on bandwagon trends instead of artistic integrity Akane and others have predicted that the anime industry will suffer creative bankruptcy and collapse without an injection of creativity and originality. This prediction wouldn’t exist if it didn’t have some foundation in accurate observation. However, I think the prediction fails to recognize a few important points. The output of the anime industry isn’t solely determined by the industry alone. The industry isn’t actually quite as skewed as criticism would have people believe. And the industry already is evolving and moving to address this concern.

The moé phenomena has certainly swept over anime during the past decade. The surprise popularity of the self-referential Suzumiya Haruhi has certainly spawned descendants and imitators including Lucky Star, K-On, and Seitokai no Ichizon. But while critics focus on the anime industry following hits with similar productions, these descendant productions exist because viewers watch them. Contemporary anime may seem dominated by moé, tsundere, and other bishoujo anime because studios are creating lots of shows like Kannagi, Minami-ke, Shigofumi, True Tears, Koihime Muso, Sekirei, Seto no Hanayome, Akikan, Sora no Otoshimono, and Asu no Yoichi. But these shows exist because viewers continue watching and supporting them. The fear that the creativity of the anime industry will decline because of a tendency to get stuck in a rut of creating the same type of anime over and over fails to consider that viewers are likely to eventually tire of dominant trends. The anime viewing community isn’t going to continue eagerly watching bishoujo anime forever. While there are a number of bishoujo titles coming up in the spring 2010 season, there are an equal number of shows that reject contemporary bishoujo anime formula.

Spring 2010 TV season titles including Senko no Night Raid, Yojohan Shinwa Taikei, Rainbow ~ Nisha Rokubo no Shichinin, Giant Killing, Arakawa Under the Bridge, Hakuoki, and Sarai Goyou demonstrate the fact that there is a lot of variety and creativity in current and forthcoming anime. K-On and Bakemonogatari have certainly heavily dominated the recognizable profile of anime lately, but high profile bishoujo shows don’t mean that the anime industry is ignoring other genres. The headline dominating impact of the Suzumiya Haruhi, Fate/stay night, and Lyrical Nanoha movies, and the popularity of TV anime like K-On and Bakemonogatari cause observers to overlook and forget the existence of contemporary productions like Guin Saga, Higashi no Eden, Ristorante Paradiso, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, Kuchu Buranko, and Durarara!! that prove that not all current anime is trying to cash in on Suzumiya Haruhi. Fewer viewers may be watching Japan’s more esoteric and creative anime these days, but that doesn’t mean creative anime isnt’ being produced and released. Anime creators and production studios do have some responsibility to keep their industry innovative, but they can’t be entirely held responsible for the tastes and preferences of viewers. It’s unjust to overlook the work the anime industry does to create and release shows that are unique, creative, and divergent from predominant trends.

It’s also vital for critics to recognize and acknowledge the fact that the Japanese anime production industry is taking steps to encourage creativity and originality. Anime Innovation Tokyo, ComixWave, Fuji TV’s Noitamina initiative, and the Anime Chikara collaboration between Aniplex and TV Tokyo all sponsor anime production with an emphasis on creativity, uniqueness, and individual artistic expression. The point may be made that the Anime Chikara iniitative’s first project, Sora no Woto, may not especially challenge conventions, but dismissing the effort after just one show is premature. Upcoming productions including BONES’ and Stan Lee’s Heroman; Madhouse’s upcoming anime adaptations of Marvel Comics characters; the Winter Sonata based on the popular Korean movie; and Studio Ghibli’s Karigurashi no Arrietty, based on British novelist Mary Norton’s The Borrowers demonstrate the Japanese production industry’s continued willingness to look toward foreign sources for inspiration.

The smash success of the Suzumiya Haruhi anime in 2006 certainly spawned imitators, but we should remember that Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu wasn’t the beginning of the contemporary trend of moé, fan service, and bishoujo anime. Don’t forget about earlier shows including Girls Bravo, DearS, Ultimate Girls, Kore ga Watashi no Goshujin-sama, and Rozen Maiden. Even Paniponi Dash did the bizarre bishoujo school comedy a year before Suzumiya Haruhi premiered. I don’t think that a single show will be a catalyst for a revolution in the present day anime industry. History has proven that the possibility exists, but I think that a response to perceived stagnation in anime production has already started. The popularity of Bakemonogatari – a show which simultaneously concedes to the present day moé trend while being something else entirely – may be one example of the undercurrent of change and evolution that’s occurring within Japan’s anime community. I don’t think we’re going to see bishoujo anime suddenly vanish, but I do think that there’s plenty of evidence available that repetitive style and a redundant concentration on fan service bishoujo anime like the upcoming Angel Beats, Mayoi Neko Overrun, and B-geta H-kei are not going to dominate anime indefinitely and instigate an irrevocable loss of anime creativity and originality. I don’t want to imply that the dire predictions about the anime industry are without basis or merit. But I do see pillars still keeping the sky from falling, and I do see new pillars being constructed.