Complacency / unimaginative anime

Jul 19, 1:29 AM

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Dec 2021

The creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion has gone out and said that he's tired of anime complacency. What he means is studios don't want to experiment as much anymore and create the same animes with similar concepts that aren't as innovative just to make a profit, instead of making new original content. Rather the creator of Neon Genesis would rather see more variety when it comes to anime.

What are your thoughts on this? Is he right? Do you agree / disagree with anime nowadays?

https://comicbook.com/anime/news/neon-genesis-evangelion-original-anime/

Jul 19, 2:13 AM

GTRaijin

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Aug 2014

753

Well, no shit sherlock. Just look at the anime that are coming out for the past few years or so. It's most noticeable with isekai genre where even the titles are almost identical, not to mention the characters/plot/etc. You get maybe 1 or 2 at best actually good and something different anime in like half a year/a year.

Jul 19, 2:17 AM

Zarutaku

Online

Sep 2016

9915

Who wouldn't want more variety?

No, this isn't my signature.

Jul 19, 2:34 AM

TheRealRouges

Online

Feb 2021

1074

SavouR said:
The creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion has gone out and said that he's tired of anime complacency. What he means is studios don't want to experiment as much anymore and create the same animes with similar concepts that aren't as innovative just to make a profit, instead of making new original content. Rather the creator of Neon Genesis would rather see more variety when it comes to anime.

What are your thoughts on this? Is he right? Do you agree / disagree with anime nowadays?

https://comicbook.com/anime/news/neon-genesis-evangelion-original-anime/

Well if you see the trajectory of the industry in the last year you can clearly see that, we are in the worst era of Japanese animation since the industry got stable in the late 70s, now that the industry have the budget for incredible project they waste money on utter trash because they have to follow the market, unfortunately the average audience for any piece of media is, well, average and easy pleased with just action and flashy animation, they don’t need to get imaginative anymore, they just need to repeat the same plot points with the same character types and they are set for success

Jul 19, 3:12 AM

Daddi4900

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May 2021

It's not really about whether he's right or wrong. It's mostly just about where you sit in the pipeline. The conveyor belt from starry-eyed child in the candy store of anime to disillusioned anime veteran is so consistent you could write books about it. It's not even just anime, people ride the same ride with literally everything in life, ever, forever.

As time goes on, things change. If you liked how things were, when they change, you'll be upset, and there's no sense in which you're wrong in that feeling. Other people may or may not like things the way they are now, and there's no sense in which those people are wrong either. That's just how it be.

Jul 19, 5:29 AM

zeyrox1109

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Jun 2024

yeah he is right, fax

Jul 19, 5:58 AM

SimplyBrazen

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May 2024

1281

I mean who wouldn't like more variety. Problem is in this case, anime offers plenty of variety. Just cuz the majority of anime nowadays is oversaturated trash does not mean that there isn't innovative work being released at all times.

So I don't agree with the statement. I would however like for these more innovative shows to receive more attention. That's not a problem with the industry tho, rather a problem with the audience who would rather watch more generic, uninspired trash than the actual good stuff.

Jul 19, 8:18 AM

Puntosmx

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Jun 2022

163

Well, that's right.
But anime don't experiment for the same reason Hollywood doesn't experiment: They are averse to risk.
Experimental anime are a risky gamble, and most of the tike it does not provide RoI.
So, the sure bet is to make same-y shit in bulk that will provide guaranteed profit.

OTOH, I see he did not watch Bocchi, which means he is not a man of culture and his opinion should be dismissed due to lack of updated information.

Jul 19, 8:22 AM

Puntosmx

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Jun 2022

163

SimplyBrazen said:
I mean who wouldn't like more variety. Problem is in this case, anime offers plenty of variety. Just cuz the majority of anime nowadays is oversaturated trash does not mean that there isn't innovative work being released at all times.

So I don't agree with the statement. I would however like for these more innovative shows to receive more attention. That's not a problem with the industry tho, rather a problem with the audience who would rather watch more generic, uninspired trash than the actual good stuff.

Good point. I totally agree.

Jul 19, 9:44 AM

#10

CaptainSekiro

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Jul 2023

I think we've been getting some really interesting stuff lately (but I've only been into anime for 3 years, so don't have any sense of "the good old days" of anime)

Frieren, Dungeon Meshi, and the currently-airing Elusive Samurai have been anything but generic in my opinion (but if this is talking exclusively about anime originals instead of manga adaptations then idk)

Jul 19, 11:19 AM

#11

tsubagakure

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Mar 2012

126

"writing is a process, a journey into memory and the soul."

"every man is a creature of the age in which he lives and few are able to raise themselves above the ideas of the time."

"any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… it takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction."

"there's no such thing as perfect writing, just like there's no such thing as perfect despair."

Jul 19, 3:23 PM

#12

afx237v_7

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Feb 2024

been sayin this shit forever

Jul 19, 4:09 PM

#13

specxlaw

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Jun 2022

He is right, but with some anime, that’s fine because the story is just well made or thought out.

Chainsaw Man is an example of one that experiments a bit more and did it well, at least for part 1 (anime ver ain’t done yet tho).

Kaiju no 8 is an example of one that, while it doesn’t do anything crazy new, uses tropes well and tells a decent and engaging story.

95% of isekai, though? well… yeah. Less said the better.

The industry can benefit a lot from experimenting more and not falling into what Hollywood’s done with same old same old.

Jul 19, 7:11 PM

#14

Raging_bull

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Jun 2024

fax whatever he said is true the animes don't hit no more like they used to it's the same thing recycled

Jul 19, 8:19 PM

#15

Bolona07

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Jul 2023

286

Absolutely. Anime has been getting more and more bland over the seasons and i’m dying for something new

Jul 20, 10:24 AM

#16

ch3ru

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Jan 2016

He's right. Even though there's still variety, the difference now is the much high quantity of new shows being released every season, and the vast majority are some kind of isekai LN adaptation.

Isekai isn't even inherently bad or uninteresting, it's just hard for any to stand out from the crowd right now. It doesn't help that very few are doing anything interesting with the trope.

There are plenty of popular shows classic anime are technically also isekai (Inuyasha, Fushigi Yuugi, Digimon, Rayearth is even getting an upcoming remake!) It feels like modern isekai has forgotten that a key aspect of being transported to another world isn't just "changing the setting to fantasy" and then giving the main character some OP ability/ies so they don't even have to develop some survival skills or try to adapt to the world more. Most isekai protagonists don't even try to go home anymore!

Jul 21, 2:15 AM

#17

JayremyTM

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Dec 2017

He isn’t wrong, but I don’t completely see eye to eye with him. From what I have seen, anime companies still keep finding new segments and opportunities to try their hand at something different. It’s just that these efforts don’t get the spotlight they deserve. I’m very confident that experimenting is still alive and kicking in the anime industry, but there is just so much going on. I think Look Back might be a good example of this because it sets itself apart from many series by being a one-shot with a unique story. Fujimoto wanted to test the waters with this approach. Complacency is probably why we keep seeing the same shit in many anime, especially in the romance genre but I still haven’t seen much duplication in the Shonen genre, even though there are references that make them all almost cut from the same cloth.

Jul 21, 1:10 PM

#18

Rodal_Series

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Jul 2020

Idk, man.. Sturgeon's law says 90% of everything isn't good. 20 years ago, every season would provide bad and good anime. Feels the same today tbh.

Jul 22, 12:08 PM

#19

jh3yson

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Nov 2023

A verdade é que hoje tudo é voltado para a quantidade e a qualidade e mediana, a gente consome o que tem.

Jul 27, 10:44 PM

#20

tsukor

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Aug 2021

So true. And these days animes not just “flat” clichés, but also rather shorts. 12 eps max and even that consist a bunch of fillers. I guess financiers wont risk money over it. What a shame, I would be ready to spend more on decent stuff.

Jul 29, 5:45 PM

#21

samthestan

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Mar 2021

694

this happening to media in general

Aug 12, 2:09 PM

#22

devil_lady

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Feb 2022

I think anime has always been like this. Like, even when anime was in its golden years and straight to dvd and vhs series were just being sold everywhere in Japan - we got a lot of ground breaking classics but also a lot of garbage. I think it’s more obvious that the market prefers to repeat concepts and story lines because anime as a whole is more accessible. I’ve seen a lot of creative things happening in animanga the past few years with the rise in popularity for animation so hopefully the things that deserve attention will sort their way to the top.

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