Ask John: Is Anime Really Progressing in the US?

Question:
Has anime made any real progress towards general acceptance in the U.S.? In reading previous columns, it sounds to me like there’s been no real advances in the domestic anime market and that those few companies that dedicate themselves to anime are merely hanging on by a thread. Am I right to assume that the domestic market for anime is on the verge of ruin and that any hope of anime becoming generally accepted in the U.S. is nothing more than an impossible fantasy?

Answer:
There will undoubtedly be as many different answers to this question as there are readers, so I can’t claim that my answer is any more correct or valid than anyone else’s response, but I will try to address the question objectively. The impression that may be implied through numerous previous “Ask John” columns is one colored by typical fan enthusiasm, impatience and indignity. While it’s easy to disparage the state of anime in America, it’s all too easy for especially fans to loose sight of the positive.

There is nothing else in the world quite like anime. It’s not directly comparable to live action because almost worldwide live-action cinema is intrinsically taken more seriously as an “adult” art form than animation, both in terms of critical appreciation of artistic expression, and as commercial cinema. Anime is also not exactly comparable to any other type of animation because Japan is the only country in the world that produces the quantity and variety of animation that anime represents. Therefore, the acceptance of anime within the US can’t be directly compared to the success of other media or criticized using the same standards applied to other media. However, such standards can be applied as analogies.

Depending on where you begin your analysis, anime has always increased its presence in America, more rapidly within the past decade, of course. But anime has not yet taken hold of the American conscious to the extent that old-school fans have always hoped for. The traditional mantra of veteran American anime fans has been “promote anime.” The goal has always been to increase awareness of anime as imported Japanese culture in order to have more and more Americans open up to this genre of foreign film, and make imported Japanese animated cinema more easily available in America, and more appreciated and recognized as a distinctly Japanese form of modern art.

There’s no question that anime has tremendously expanded its foothold in America recently compared to its presence in America in the past. And anime is also now recognized in America as “Japanese cartoons” rather than just “cartoons.” 15 years ago, Robotech and Voltron were virtually the only contemporary anime available to the American mainstream. Now Cowboy Bebop is pushing the envelope of what can be aired on American television, specifically what can be broadcast on a “family network.” 15 years ago there virtually was no American anime home video industry. Now there are a dozen companies releasing anime to the American market including four companies that have entered the industry within the past year- Synch-Point, TOKYOPOP, Image and NuTech.

It would seem from these statistics that anime is more healthy in America than it has ever been before. And it is. But there’s still a long way to go before anime achieves the status of genuine cultural import rather than mere marketable product. However, again, even that may be changing. The success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Iron Monkey has shown Hollywood that America has matured enough and developed enough culture to appreciate Asian cinema as imported foreign film. Ironically, while Hollywood has noticed this trend, much of the American anime industry seems to still be stuck in the 1980s and early 90s. After 15 years of anime (recognized as anime) in America, America is finally getting its first major subtitled anime theatrical release in the form of Metropolis. Ironically it is Columbia Pictures, and not one of the traditional domestic anime companies, that is making this historic leap of faith. But by their nature, the domestic anime companies are progressive, and likely to quickly adapt and respond to demand. So expect to see more anime presented subtitled and promoted as literate cultural import if Metropolis proves successful.

If I may make an analogy, Jackie Chan tried to break into the American film industry in the early 1980s. The result? Cannonball Run, The Protector, and Battle Creek Brawl. Who would have expected that 20 years later we would have critically acclaimed Cantonese language “wu-xia pian” at or near the top of the American box office charts and charging the Academy Awards? I think, and hope, that anime is in the process of a similar evolution. Naturally this acceptance of Chinese live-action occurred earlier than it did for anime because of the innate wider appeal of live-action, but it does seem to be occurring with anime as well. There may be many American anime fans that bemoan the state of the American industry and complain about edited and censored anime released in America. Many of these fans, though, make such complaints because they are recent initiates into anime fandom with little experience or appreciation for the history of the fan community that they’ve joined. Over the past 15 years anime has gone from (according to an early poll by Animag magazine) having under 1,000 die-hard fans in all of America to having TriStar Pictures release a major theatrical anime film in its original Japanese language. We’re not yet at the point where we can simply assume that anime released in America will be respectful of its artistic credibility and integrity, nor are we yet to the point at which we can assume that anime released in America will default to release in its original Japanese language. However, we are closer to these goals now than any time in the past. The successful television broadcast of programs like Gundam and Cowboy Bebop offer encouragement that an ever increasing number of Americans will develop an interest in watching anime the way it was meant to be seen- the way its creators created it- uncut and in Japanese language.

The television broadcasts of anime, and especially the creation of the Cartoon Network Adult Swim timeslot, the success of Chinese language film in America, the impending subtitled theatrical release of Metropolis, and the massive success of the bilingual DVD video format all suggest that the American anime industry, and American appreciation of anime, is slowly evolving, recognizing and accepting anime as a legitimate imported art form that’s not limited to child audiences or bastardized commercial sell-outs.

What do you think? Rebut this response or share your own at the AnimeNation Forum.