Ask John: Why Aren’t There More Mature, Dramatic Anime?

Question:
I’m curious as to why there aren’t more anime series much like Cowboy Bebop, Perfect Blue, Evangelion, Ghost in the Shell or Ninja Scroll, to name a few. In the world of anime, there seems to be more comical series than dramas. Although these series did have their comic moments, the fact that they were very dramatic, I say, was the big factor that made them so huge. So why aren’t more dramatic anime series or even movies being produced? Is there a small market for them? Why the flood of cutesy character, panty flashing, eye bulging comedy?

Answer:
In simple terms, dramatic, mature anime is adored by hard-core anime fans but doesn’t consistently draw viewers and sales in Japan the way shoujo and comedy and other light-hearted anime does. While adult oriented anime may be very popular in the West, anime is not created for Western audiences; darker, more dramatic shows are not consistently as successful in Japan as more lighthearted shows, therefore fewer dramatic type series are created.

Analysis of viewer ratings in Japan published each month by Newtype Magazine supports this. While light, comedy, shoujo and/or family oriented anime TV series including Inuyasha, Detective Conan, Ojamajo Doremi Dokan, Galaxy Angel, Shiawase no Okojo-san, Shichinin no Nana, Shaman King, Tenchi Muyo GXP, Rave, Hikaru no Go, and Prince of Tennis draw ratings shares ranging from 3% up to over 20%, darker, more dramatic and mature anime series like RahXephon, Aquarian Age, .Hack//Sign, Juuni Kokki, and Geisters earn ratings ranging from 0.5% up to a high of around 2.9%. The fact that die-hard anime fans love the darker, more serious anime means that these type of shows will always exist and will always be made, but in the current market it’s simply not profitable enough to create very many of these type of programs.

In effect, it’s necessary for Western fans to understand that what we watch is a reflection of what’s popular in Japan. Certainly we can continue to cherish series like Evangelion and Jin-Roh, but we must always remember to be grateful for any anime we have to opportunity to see. Anime isn’t made for Americans; we only import and “borrow” what’s intended for Japanese viewers, so rather than be too upset at the lack of certain types of anime, we should always remember to be thankful for the amount and diversity of anime that is available to us.