Ask John: Will the Success of Advent Children Influence the Anime Industry?

Question:
With the release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children do you believe if the DVD sells well in America that anime production companies will start to create even more anime based on video games? And if so, do you think that with the success of CGI movies in general, one day they will create a full length anime series all in CGI?

Answer:
At the end of April it’s too early for observers to know how well the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children DVD is selling in America, but I suspect that it may become the best selling anime DVD of the year in America. So far this year Howl’s Moving Castle is on par to become the best selling anime DVD in America this year. Because Advent Children appeals to not just the anime market, but also the larger gaming market, and because the buzz about this movie has undoubtedly generated interest in it among mainstream American viewers, it may have the broadest consumer appeal and most consumer awareness of any anime DVD released in America this year. Advent Children will probably be a juggernaut; however, it’s also an exceptional case that may not have a broad impact on the anime industry.

Advent Children was a blockbuster sales success in Japan, but its success doesn’t seem to have caused the Japanese animation industry to rush other similar full CG anime into production. In fact, there have already been numerous full CG anime released in Japan, such as Alice, Blue Remains, Malice@Doll, and even the television series Run=Dim. I feel obligated to mention Appleseed, but its visual design style is intentionally opposite of the style of the other titles mentioned. Advent Children is the only full CG anime released in Japan to become massively successful. The popularity of Final Fantasy VII itself can’t be discounted as an influential factor in the success of Advent Children. Examples like Advent Children and the breathtaking full CG introduction of Onimusha 3 prove that Japanese studios are capable of creating stunning, theatrical quality CG. But it seems as though the Japanese market prefers full CG in small doses, considering that hand drawn 2D animation still outweighs 3D animation, and virtually all of the announced forthcoming anime productions in Japan are entirely or mostly 2D.

The market for 3D animation in America is growing while interest in 2D animation is declining. The prevalence and success of films like Ice Age, Shrek, Hoodwinked, and The Polar Express attest to that fact. But American interest in full CG animation may not influence Japanese studios to create more 3D anime. After all, even right now increasing demand for anime in America hasn’t caused Japan’s anime industry to significantly boost development of anime primarily for American release. I have no doubts that the Japanese media and animation industry will take pride in the American success of Advent Children, but I don’t expect the success of Advent Children in America, by itself, to drastically alter the priorities of the Japanese animation industry.

I also don’t expect the success of Advent Children to inspire Japan’s anime industry to develop more anime based on games, but only because Japan’s industry already produces many anime adaptations of console and computer games. Current shows including, but not limited to Gakuen Heaven, Soul Link, Utawarerumono, Disgaea, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, .hack//Roots, Fate/stay night, Rockman.exe Beast+, and upcoming shows including Demonbane, Tsuyokiss, Kanon, Tokimeki Memorial, Galaxy Angel II, and True Tears are all based on video games. In practical terms, it’s difficult to imagine Japan’s industry producing many more video game adaptations than it already does.