Ask John: Where Did All The Good Action Anime Go?

Question:
Seriously is most of the stuff moé now? What happened to making good action shows like Ghost in the Shell and Cowboy Bebop? It’s been like a year and a half. When will this moé trend end?

Answer:
I find that I periodically wish to remind fans to be cautious about characterizing the anime industry in broad strokes. Stereotypes and initial impressions do have some value, but they shouldn’t be relied upon to reveal a true and accurate image. The fact that cute and happy girls seem to dominate contemporary anime doesn’t mean that they represent all anime. Furthermore, we should be cautious to avoid allowing rose-colored glasses to tint our view of the past. Exceptional, intelligent, and challenging serious and dramatic action anime has never been a common mainstay in the anime industry. There’s never been a time in the history of anime when programs like Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell were the common standard instead of the rare exception. The moeacute; trend has certainly been prolific in recent years, and it’s certainly typified contemporary anime. But the insistence that it’s entirely marginalized other types of anime is simply mistaken. Since the beginning of 2009 viewers have been faced with series including Shin Koihime Muso, Queen’s Blade, Hyakka Rouran Samurai Girls, Kurokami, Kiddy Girl-and, Kampfer, Toaru Kagaku no Railgun, and Seiken no Blacksmith that have obviously emphasized exploitive sex appeal and malignantly cute girls. However, since the beginning of 2009, just over two years ago, viewers have also been presented with action anime titles starring male characters including: Hajime no Ippo New Challenger, Koukaku no Regios, Basquash, Fullmetal Alchemist, Guin Saga, Shin Mazinger Shougeki Z-hen, Arad Senki, Fairy Tail, Cobra the Animation, Heroman, Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu, Sengoku Basara, Iron Man, and Wolverine, not to mention shows such as Needless, 07-Ghost, and High School of the Dead which could be said to pander a bit to the moé convention while still being masculine action anime. The past two years have also brought viewers serious action anime starring girls that don’t bow to stereotypical moé trends, like RideBack, Shikabane Hime, Sora wo Kakeru Shoujo, Tetsuwan Birdy Decode, Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~, Tatakau Shisho, Canaan, and Darker Than Black: Ryusei no Gemini.

Current Japanese television season shows including Freezing, Dragon Crisis!, Fractale, GOSICK, Infinite Stratos, Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?, Maho Shoujo Madoka Magica, Mitsudomoe Zouryouchuu, and Yumekui Merry do suggest that the anime industry’s insistence on incorporating moé characteristics into contemporary anime hasn’t yet exhausted itself, but careful examination of these current shows suggests that the moé trend may indeed be tapering off. Notice that there aren’t any shows like Mayoi Neko Overrun!, Shin Koihime Muso, or Shukufuku no Campanella this season. With shows like Beelzebub and Level E airing now, and shows like Ao no Exorcist, [C], Danball Senki, Deadman Wonderland, SKET DANCE, TIGER & BUNNY, Torico, and Ring ni Kakero 1: Sekai Taikai Hen right around the corner, I’m not prepared to say that the moé element in anime is expiring, but it does appear to be settling back into line with the rest of anime’s characteristic attributes rather than continuing to be a prominent, overshadowing element.