Why is death note and attack on titan very popular among normies (including ones that dont watch anime at all)
| For a long time those 2 anime have been the most popular on mal (to the point that the user total difference between 2nd and 3rd most popular anime was quite distant in numbers) and also very popular among normies, even ones that dont watch anime like us for a long time. what made those 2 anime special among them? for being seinen-like maybe? |
| I know your PTW list is bigger than your completed list. |
| they are edgy, people like edgy : need more of a reason check out this then - https://kotaku.com/why-death-note-and-attack-on-titan-are-so-popular-1681020358 |
 |
| cuz theyre anti heroes and everyone likes anti heroes |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| I think they are not too "otaku", that might be the reason |
| If you're a fanboy, please don't waste my time. Watch more movies, please. Perhaps, this is hell. |
| They're usually what new people tend to get introduced to anime |
 |
| As a normie I can say those 2 attracted me (even though I didn't watch anime at all) because they were cool ideas I've never seen in other media before. Western stuff is great and all, but a unique premise like those 2 have is what draws people in. If AoT didn't exist I'd probably still wouldn't be watching anime today. |
 |
| Catchy titles, word of mouth, wide accessibility, not-too-heavy-to-digest contents, etc. |
| I don't know if I'm considered one of the normies having watched 1700 anime but I find death note and attack on titan fairly high up there. Not the best but fascinating nonetheless. But I also find Avant garde anime shorts fascinating just as much too and those are certainly more obscure and far from what any normies will ever watch. |
| Imagine using the word normies non ironically |
| I'd say Death Note is so popular in the West specifically even outside of the anime community due to how it appeals to general audiences. Here in the US crime dramas and thrillers are pretty popular with live action shows like Breaking Bad and the Sopranos being pretty popular. Death Note while a lot more abstract and less realistic falls under that niche. We get to see a bright young student like Light descend into madness as he becomes a methodical killer with a God complex. Its stories like these where a normal character ends up becoming the bad guy are just so captivating to Western audiences and from what I've heard about Attack on Titan the story also falls under this pattern as well with Eren becoming more morally gray and outright evil as it progresses, but I can't say much since I'm very early on in it. TLDR: Normal people ending up becoming a morally questionable is a very appealing trope to Western audiences which makes these anime more popular among those who aren't normally into anime. |
This post is brought to you by your local transfem gamer goblin. Will not tolerate bigotry and will fight against "anti-woke" sentiment to make the anime community a safer place.  |
LSSJ_Gaming said: I'd say Death Note is so popular in the West specifically even outside of the anime community due to how it appeals to general audiences. Here in the US crime dramas and thrillers are pretty popular with live action shows like Breaking Bad and the Sopranos being pretty popular. Death Note while a lot more abstract and less realistic falls under that niche. We get to see a bright young student like Light descend into madness as he becomes a methodical killer with a God complex. Its stories like these where a normal character ends up becoming the bad guy are just so captivating to Western audiences and from what I've heard about Attack on Titan the story also falls under this pattern as well with Eren becoming more morally gray and outright evil as it progresses, but I can't say much since I'm very early on in it. TLDR: Normal people ending up becoming a morally questionable is a very appealing trope to Western audiences which makes these anime more popular among those who aren't normally into anime. I mean... I had no clue how he was gonna use the Death Note, I only knew that it's a unique concept that sounded cool. You don't really know what you're getting into, that's why it's a draw. For AoT, it's not exactly rocket science - insane looking giants attacking the cities... Fuck, I'm in. Wanna see more of that world. Don't need to dig deeper than that. No one is gonna know how gray Eren's character is, at least before getting into it. IMO of course. Maybe there are people who try to spoil themselves and read up about what happens in the shows before watching it. |
|
CelestialWeeb said: There are many reasons 1) They are "normal" meaning they don't have weird stuff, parody, "weeb" things nor fanservice Actually that's a great point, I totally forgot about that. It was one of the main reasons for me as well back then. |
|
| General population who are somewhat into anime is only after thriller genre because of quick shock effect. But i don't think they are popular if we consider entire population. Something like dragon ball z is still more popular because of how accessability works |
  Click for a anime mashup! Still not gone bandwagon u, keep crying. Here u are welcome to CRINGE at my EXISTENCE |
|
| death note was the anime that started it all for me <3 |
Main            Bonus |
| Maybe they are somehow good enough to atract masses of different audience types? No, it mustnt be that... Probably people just like trash, they dont want to be pseudointellectuals and like the wannabe psychological stuff, we are better without them but for some reason I cant sleep well at night knowing that nobody knows the existence of SEL and NGE, I wish I could talk about the imaginary/fake interpretations and multiple meanings of those shows but they just refuse to get into it, idk why because those shows are peak fiction and better than Brothers Karamazov by far, I wonder why people is so mediocre and they arent just like me, special. |
| 1. They are like pretty good for like 2/3 of their runtime. 2. Unique concept, that has no direct western equivalent. 3. Only mildly cringe, which is very good by anime standards. Edit: Although I suppose The Walking Dead is kind of like Attack on Titan? Yikes... |
| Death Note brought in a lot of new fans from it's Netflix adaptation. As despicable as it is, it did help breathe new life into the series. My sister has never watched anime before in her life, and she still watched it because of that movie. I'm less knowledgable about AoT but I certainly do remember people talking about it back then, even if they don't usually watch anime. If I had to guess, I would say it's because it was a more darker series, that was marketed very well. |
 This ground is soiled by those before me and their lies. I dare not look up for on me I feel their eyes |
| Two main reasons: -They are relatively short when you consider most of the popular anime out there have 200+ episodes (One Piece, Naruto, DBZ, etc). -They aren't full of typical anime cliches like lolis or power of friendship which makes them pretty non-anime fan friendly. |
| They're really good, they're highly accessible, they've got unique and great ideas as well as execution, and they translate easily into a western (or otherwise non-Japanese) perspective. |
| For non fans, i'd say Exposure. Like how in the 90's and early 2000's, everyone watched and knew about DBZ, Pokemon or Yugioh is. Even people who never watched or cared for anime. |
| My waifu is the most wonderful waifu. Mai Valentine. We're freaking out that we're running out of time, but to do what? Should i stop and think of that? Is there something i could do to slow it down? Live in a day for once, instead of watch it sprinting by |
| Because these anime have a wide appeal. |
No, this isn't my signature. |
| they're easy to follow for non-anime fans. No weird japanese humor |
| My waifu is the most wonderful waifu. Mai Valentine. We're freaking out that we're running out of time, but to do what? Should i stop and think of that? Is there something i could do to slow it down? Live in a day for once, instead of watch it sprinting by |
| Because it's easy for anyone to understand the premise and very well executed without complex japanese cultural references. |
| Normies really love violence and edgy shit, anything else is unacceptable. |
 |
| 1- they aren't cringe/weird. 2- they're really good (yes. most people dont care about AOT and deathnote endings) |
| They're popular for the same reasons shows like The Walking Dead or Squid Game are popular. They're heavily shock-reliant thrillers that don't dabble much in weird otaku tropes, which often don't connect with broader audiences. The stories are fairly easy-to-digest and not especially deep, but have just enough edge and "dark" themes to give normies the impression of weight and substance. Separately, spectacle and intense action sequences did AoT a lot of favors, while Death Note hooked fans with its pseudo-intellectual spin on the shonen formula. Not exactly too fond of them but I'd admit both are well-executed in terms of the makings of a "popular show," striking the balance between accessibility and complexity. |
More topics from this board
» On the subject of anime and assthewiru - 8 hours ago |
26 |
by karrotStick
»»
9 minutes ago |
|
» At what age you should stop watching anime?swirlydragon - 2 hours ago |
9 |
by KiliianSleipnir
»»
9 minutes ago |
|
» How to make anime "trickle down"?thewiru - Sep 26 |
35 |
by BilboBaggins365
»»
30 minutes ago |
|
» Do you feel you would still have been an anime fan had you started decades earlier (Or later)?thewiru - Yesterday |
21 |
by BilboBaggins365
»»
39 minutes ago |
|
» 🍀 Anime Spring 2025 Male & Female Characters Tournament (Final Stage) ( 1 2 3 4 )ISeeLifePeople - Sep 7 |
197 |
by TitanOfPlasma
»»
57 minutes ago |