Ask John: What are the Trends in Anime Over the Last 10-15 Years?

Question:
If you can remember all the trends found in anime in the last 10-15 years, what trends do you find good or bad in your opinion? For example, is the trend towards “streamlined” or computer-assisted animation a good trend? What about something about “harem,” “yaoi,” “bishoujo” or “maid” anime?

Answer:
In order to identify and critique the trends and evolutions in Japanese animation that have appeared since roughly 1990 it’s necessary to both analyze trends in anime since 1990 and compare contemporary anime to preceeding anime, particularly that from the 1980s. I think that there’s both good and bad elements in the way anime has evolved, but perceptions vary from person to person. I’m sure that there are movements that I’ve overlooked, but I’ll try to be as comprehensive as I can with my own perceptions of the recent changes in anime.

Probably the most significant evolution in Japanese animation since at least the early 1970s must be the introduction of digital animation. The replacement of manual cel painting with computer paint programs, the replacement of analog film photography with digital animation, and the evolution of CG in anime has created a revolution in the way anime looks on screen, as well as changed the way anime is made. Digital animation and production have resulted in anime that has unprecedented visual clarity and resolution. While anime now looks crisper, many fans miss the rough hewn look of traditional, hand painted anime. The availability of millions of different colors offered by computer paint programs has ironically both made anime more and less colorful. The wider palate allows for the use of more subtle colors, so while contemporary anime technically uses more colors and shades, it’s eliminated some of the excessive reliance on bright, primary colors typical of anime from the 1980s. The use of CG, especially for mecha, seems to be very popular among Japanese viewers, but many American fans seem to prefer the look of traditional, hand drawn and painted robots. For better or worse, the Japanese animation industry has evolved to use computers and digital animation as standard procedure.

The introduction of the “harem anime” genre is probably the trend in anime that fans are most cognizant of. Arguably beginning with Tenchi Muyo in 1992 we’ve seen Happy Lesson, Hanaukyo Maid Tai, Love Hina, Sister Princess, Gravion, Eiken, Tenshi no Shippo, Vandread and many other shows all present a variation on the theme of a male protagonist being surrounded by attractive young girls. Although Western fans seem to be tiring of the cliché, I think it still appeals to male Japanese viewers becasue it fulfills a sublimated psychological desire for sexuality and companionship. Especially American fans that are naturally outspoken and social can appreciate the humor of such shows, but don’t really appreciate them as fullfilment fantasies the way Japanese viewers do. So the value of the harem anime subgenre depends heavily on the individual viewer.

The harem anime genre is contained within the larger contemporary trend of “moe” and “bishoujo” anime, or light and funny and romantic anime that focuses on cute and pretty girls. Especially the anime of the 1970s and 80s was heavily characterized by masculine shows and male heroes such as Yamato, Captain Harlock, Fist of the North Star, Otoko Juku, St. Seiya, Samurai Troopers, City Hunter, Golgo 13, Lupin the 3rd, and robot anime like Gundam, Dancougar, Votoms, Layzner, Dougram, Dragonar, and so forth. The 1980s especially were characterized by violent, aggressive and grim anime while anime from the past 15 years or so may be characterized by its obsession with pretty characters and fun, lighthearted stories. There are, of course, exceptions like Berserk, Hellsing, Grappler Baki, Evangelion, Gantz and Elfen Lied, but these more recent shows are exceptions to the contemporary norm. Once again, the determination of whether or not this is a good or bad trend depends upon your taste. But it seems clear that the tastes of the majority of Japanese viewers has shifted from macho, violent and hard boiled anime stories to fun, romantic, humorous stories starring attractive, sexy characters.

This leads to a chicken and egg situation – the increasing value of anime characters. Especially the 1980s were famous for killing major characters. Gundam, Gall Force, Hokuto no Ken, St. Seiya, Macross and many other shows rarely hesitated to depict the deaths of central characters. It could be argued that such frequent deaths only reflect the superficial sensationalism of vintage anime. On the other hand, it may be argued that the transiency of major characters illustrated anime’s willingness to defy expectation and deal with mature themes head on. In either case, over the past 15 years that has been a marked decrease in the frequency of major characters dying or being killed in anime. Even programs from the 90s like Dragonball and Sailormoon, which do kill major characters, just revive them later in the show. It may be that Japanese culture and Japanese fiction writers have undergone a phiolosophical shift toward kinder and gentler stories, but I suspect that what’s more influential is the evolution of anime characters themselves as a commercial commodity within the past 10 to 15 years. Characters are now too valuable to kill. Character images and personalities sell character merchandise and keep viewers tuning in. Killing a character means intentionally sacrificing a significant revenue source. It’s not unheard of for a contemporary anime to kill off one of its main characters, but it happens far more infrequently these days than in the past.

I think that the increasing emphasis on anime as commercial art over the past decade or more has also resulted in an increase in literal “bishoujo” anime and a simultaneous increase in quantity of anime inversely proportionate to the length and format of anime. I would say that since 1999 and the premier of the To Heart anime television series, the anime industry has had an explosion of adaptaions of “bishoujo” computer games. Just a few examples include Comic Party, Green Green, Da Capo, Popotan, Air, Welcome to Pia Carrot, Interlude, Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, Wind ~ A Breath of Heart, Tsukihime, and Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito. These shows are popular in part because they largely fit the profile of light, romantic anime full of attractive characters. These shows are also common because they’re profitable and not very risky to produce. Since they’re based on existing hit computer games, they already have a guaranteed affluent audience prepared to not only watch the shows, but also buy merchandise related to these shows. It may be said that this flood of adaptations lacks originality, but if you’re a fan of this type of anime, you’re probably quite pleased by the contemporary trend.

In another move motivated by the commercial potential of anime, there are far more anime titles being produced annually now than there were 20 years ago. But in order to fit so many different series into a single year, many shows are getting shorter. From the birth of modern anime through the 1980s, anime series of 13 or fewer episodes existed, but were never remotely as common as they have become since the early 1990s. Since anime characters themselves have proven to be as popular and profitable as the shows they come from, if not occasionally even more so, the anime industry has seemingly realized that four 13 episode series create twice as many marketable characters as two 26 episode series in the same amount of time. On the positive side, more titles offer viewers a wider selection. On the negative side, shorter shows don’t always have enough time to flesh out their stories or characterizations, and the demand to produce so many shows often results in animators making compromises in production quality in order to meet deadlines and budgets.

The constraints of deadlines and budgets are also a major influence on the format in which anime is made. The 1980s are considered the heyday of the OAV format. Especially within the past five to ten years, the number of direct to home video anime productions created seems to have drastically declined. OAVs were once respected and anticipated because they frequently exhibited better production values and more risque content than television animation allowed. Especially over the past five years, the focus of the anime production industry seems to have centered heavily on the production of television anime, which gets far wider exposure than direct to video animation. The OAV format hasn’t died altogether, and I doubt that it ever will, but for better or worse there have been significantly fewer mainstream anime OAVs produced in recent years compared to the 1980s and early 1990s.

Finally, speaking of OAVs, I wouldn’t have brought up the concept of yaoi anime myself, but since you’ve mentioned it, I’ll address it. As I’ve stated that the anime of the 70s and 80s was typified by the masculine, anime since 1990 has been characterized by a more effiminate tone conveyed through the tone of contemporary anime, and the frequency of attractive, beautiful characters- both female and male. There were anime in the 1980s that included gay characters, namely Dailey Wong of Bubblegum Crisis, and gay anime such as Song of Wind and Trees and Be-Boy Kidnappin’ Idol, but the majority of the most well known yaoi anime titles- Bronze, Legend of the Blue Wolves, Lesson XX, Fake, My Sexual Harrassment, Ryokunohara Labyrinth, and After School in the Teacher’s Lounge all date from the 1990s on. The 1990s onward also gave rise to a dramatic increase in bishonen anime such as Gravitation, Yami no Matsuei, Angelique, Harukanaru Toki no Naka de, Kaikan Phrase, and many others. As attractive anime characters are becomming increasingly profitable and anime itself more established, there are more and more female viewers entering the hobby, thus there are an increasing number of anime produced to meet the tastes of female anime fans.

There are probably other trends in contemporary anime that I’ve overlooked. And there are topics like the seeming decrease in nudity evident in contemporary anime, the decrease in giant robot anime, and the increase in psychological complexity in contemporary anime that I hesitate to discuss in this article because I’m not certain that I consider them legitimate trends. But hopefully, if nothing else, this document will provide some source for discussion.