Ask John: Should Anime Be Underground?

Question:
Should anime be underground, or is that elitist thinking? There are those fans who insist that bringing anime into the mainstream has a positive effect on the fandom, perception, etc. Others, who are either pessimistic, cynical, or even elitist, say otherwise and insist that anime should never be brought into the mainstream; it should remain an underground hobby shared by a few. I ask: should anime be underground? Also, are there positive or negative effects of anime remaining underground and never becoming mainstream?

Answer:
This question is difficult to approach because answering it is like trying to hit a moving target. Exactly what constitutes “mainstream” is uncertain, and exactly how mainstream anime is in America is arguable. However, I do have a personal perspective on this subject, which I’ll attempt to provide objectively and thoroughly. I would feel pleased and gratified if authentic Japanese animation became mainstream in America, but I don’t think that will ever happen.

Anime has been accessible to the public in America for nearly as long as modern anime itself has existed. Programs like Astro Boy and Gigantor, and later Battle of the Planets and Starblazers were dubbed and broadcast on American television. But if we define “mainsteam” as unaltered Japanese animation being widely accessible and familiar to a large percentage of American citizens, anime has arguably never been “mainstream,” despite even Spirited Away winning an Oscar and Pokemon becoming a commercial phenonenom. Anime is certainly more accessible to average Americans now that ever before. More anime is broadcast on American network television now than ever before. Anime films occassionally reach American theaters. And many Americans now have some idea of what anime is. But anime is still not widely understood, appreciated, or respected in America. If America’s anime industry earns less than $600 million dollars annually, the fact that Disney’s two biggest summer films, Cars and Pirates of the Caribbean 2, have earned more this summer than the entire American anime industry will earn all year puts the popularity of anime in America into perspective.

So whether anime is or isn’t mainstream in America is subject to debate, and depends on exactly how one determines “mainstream.” Anime hasn’t reached blockbuster status in America, but it is commonly available. I think the debate over whether or not anime should be mainstream is less complicated. The traditional goal of American anime fandom has always been to encourage the proliferation of anime into America. If anime is an underground, cultish hobby, those who are part of the cult may feel priveledged or exclusive. But they’ll also be often mistunderstood, and marginal distribution of anime does little to benefit the artists that create and distribute anime. If anime becomes mainstream it becomes easier to acquire; it recieves the recognition and appreciation it deserves; creators benefit from wider distribution and more compensation; and fans have more people to share their hobby with.

My ideal of anime becoming mainstream in America is American citizens developing an appreciation for Japanese artwork. Regrettably that’s not exactly what has happened. The American mainstream, and a portion of America’s hardcore fan community, have become enamoured with the visual design of anime, but have discarded many of its other characteristics, resulting in censored and altered anime, and original American works that try to immitate the appearance of anime without respecting the originality of the art form or its fans. In fact, the bastardization of anime has become so prevelant, and so accepted in America that a strict preference for unaltered, imported, Japanese anime is now often deemed “elitist” and scorned instead of being acknowledged as respectful and considerate.

Regardless of exactly how anime has been treated in America during its effort to reach a wider audience, the fact is that anime has established a foothold in America. The “Americanization” of anime may have diluted some of its potency as a striking, unique cultural art form, and may have further compromised America’s respect for foreign ideas, but the American invasion has also brought with it a greater amount of anime, and created more appreciation for Japanese art and culture in America. If anime was still the underground hobby in America that it was in the 1970s and 80s, a handful of American fans would feel special, and that’s about it. The effort to bring anime to mainstream awareness in America has had its negative aspects, but it has also brought a great deal of spotlight on anime and its creators, and contributed to the production of more anime.