KnightessKana's Blog

I had a discussion with one of my friends who recently became a huge anime viewer. Being someone who has watched anime since the turn of the century, I provided some feedback into what I perceived to be a lowering decline in anime quality these days.

The conversation along the lines of, 'This quarter's anime blows. Been dying to see something good.' This friend of mine was someone who started watching anime primarily because he was drawn into some of the best series since the turn of the century like Clannad and Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu.

So while talking with him I found myself ranting on something I've ranted on for a long time with multiple people already: The quality of anime is declining. More specifically, at least in my eyes, more modern anime series tend to take the easy way out and lack originality. Most anime series today recycle storylines, characters, scenery, and animation from its predecessors instead of trying to put out something more daring and innovative. Some contest this idea by saying that before (and slightly after) the turn of the century, anime was still rather new to most of the world and wasn't very trendy. This allowed the initial anime series to build the groundwork and foundation for the next generations of anime. Those people say that now that anime is a more popular source of entertainment, more series must be produced to accommodate the viewer and the producers and creators of the series are only giving what the modern viewer wants to see. But is this really the case?

While I agree it is harder for modern anime series to draw any form of originality because all the series that came before it has done almost done everything. However, it wouldn't require that much effort to disguise the fact that the storyline and/or characters were stolen from a few select series that came before them. (For example, DearS from Chobits.) I realize that anime is an industry run by businesses and there is a financial element to all of this. Sometimes it is easier to do a half-assed job and steal and/or recycle ideas and animation design that clearly have been effective in the past. Better to make a reliable profit by marketing what the modern viewer obviously wants than to try to craft a masterpiece (which has a high chance of failure). Its almost like going for a base hit rather than swinging hard for a home run because striking out is a major no-no. In this modern world, almost all producers and creators have erred towards originality and more towards trendiness.

Is making trendy anime that most modern day viewers like to see really that bad? It is true if people didn't like what they were watching they wouldn't watch it, so they have to be doing something right. However, the conclusion I've come to is that there's nothing wrong about the storyline, but when you think about it a little, most modern anime storylines are recycled from somewhere else and make no real effort to disguise it. Sure for someone who have just gotten into anime they might not notice, but for someone who has watched over 100 series, they will note at least a few things. After all, you get tired of watching the same series over and over again, especially if it was not as good as the original. (For you Haruhi fans, I know you liked Endless Eight.) For those that are otakus, and love the Japanese animation culture, they crave for something new and innovative, which was why Madoka got so much publicity because at this point it only comes once in a blue moon.

Part of me understands that it is always hard to make something breathtakingly good - a masterpiece. However, I wish the creators and producers would embrace the idea more and give the real fans something new to look forward to. It is true that getting a home run is not necessary in the industry as it is, but I'd be pretty happy if producing companies would occasionally show us something flashy once in a while or strike out with class.

Additionally, while this blog entry was one that talked exclusive about anime, this can (to a less degree) also applied to contemporary manga and visual novels. Its harder to come up with something new, so most creators take the easy way out these days.

That said, I cannot complain too much. While this may sound like a rant, it was not meant to be the case. There are good contemporary anime series (like Katanagatari), they just don't come as frequently as they have in the past and more fodder-filled anime are commonly aired. Hopefully, the trend will eventually reverse itself.