| Anime keeps becoming more and more popular worldwide. We're getting more shows than ever before and it seems the majority of them are targeted towards newer and more casual fans. Do you think that's had a positive or negative impact on the medium? And do you think its popularity will die out over time or will it keep getting increasingly more popular until it solidifies its position in mainstream media? |
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| Most people don't watch anime, so no. |
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Reply to Serafos
Most people don't watch anime, so no.
| @Serafos I mean, most people don't watch live-action tv shows either, most people don't read books, etc, that doesn't mean these media aren't mainstream. You can ask the average person if they know of anime or have come across anime shows or films before, and they'd probably say yes. |
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Reply to SimplyBrazen
@Serafos I mean, most people don't watch live-action tv shows either, most people don't read books, etc, that doesn't mean these media aren't mainstream. You can ask the average person if they know of anime or have come across anime shows or films before, and they'd probably say yes.
| @SimplyBrazen Live-action shows and books are definitely more popular. |
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| Yes, gatekeepers snoozed and now anime is ruined. |
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| Anime going fully mainstream is the worst thing that could ever happen to community and industry. |
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Reply to Serafos
@SimplyBrazen Live-action shows and books are definitely more popular.
| @Serafos Of course, I was just pointing out that you don't need literally everyone on Earth to watch anime in order for it to be considered too mainstream. |
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| Not necessarily, unless the content is considerably swayed by the prude moralists within the mainstream. |
This dance is the pinnacle of human achievement. |
| Mainstream or not, personally I don't stress too much about it. I still love watching anime, and that's the most important thing. :3 |
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Reply to Zarutaku
Not necessarily, unless the content is considerably swayed by the prude moralists within the mainstream.
| @Zarutaku Don't you think that's slowly happening? With companies like Disney getting involved and whatnots. |
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| It can never be too mainstream. No person on this planet should be denied Princess Tutu. |
| #AnimeGateKeepers hates that idea because of wokeism |
degSep 18, 6:01 AM
| Well in France they already a mainstream way back the 80s that's most our cartoons are direct influence on anime, that's why we don't surprised that much. |
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Reply to SimplyBrazen
@Zarutaku Don't you think that's slowly happening? With companies like Disney getting involved and whatnots.
| @SimplyBrazen I guess partly and this trend should be countered. The content shouldn't adapt to the prude moralists, but they should adapt to content. |
This dance is the pinnacle of human achievement. |
| It's not mainstream from our perspective as hardcore fans. But if you ask average joe who considers anime just another "cartoon" then yes, a lot of people know about Japanese "cartoons". I could approach any average Joe on the street and ask if he ever watched Dragon Ball Z or Pokemon and I'm sure the answer would be yes. Is anime going mainstream good for industry overall? Absolutely. It means more money from investors which equals higher quality anime. Before video games went mainstream you had 20k budget games made in someone's basement. Soon, you will get GTA 6 that costs over $2 billion to make. Sure, just like in games, you will get plenty of dogshit anime in the future, but the ones that are good will surpass our expectations in terms of animation quality, sound design etc. Even watching the teasers for 2025 anime, I'm mindblown how good the animation quality is. |
@SimplyBrazen "We're getting more shows than ever before" Do you have some data to back up that claim? Also, anime has been mainstream in the West since the 1980s and 1990s. |
IKKIsamaSep 18, 6:38 AM
Reply to IKKIsama
@SimplyBrazen
"We're getting more shows than ever before"
Do you have some data to back up that claim?
Also, anime has been mainstream in the West since the 1980s and 1990s.
| @IKKIsama Mainstream is considered sth so popular that it becomes normal. Anime in the west was not considered remotely conventional until the late 2010's. IKKIsama said: "We're getting more shows than ever before" Do you have any data to back up that claim? MAL data is enough. Just search up the seasonal number of shows from the past and compare. |
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| In my country (France) anime is mainstream since the late 1970s when UFO Robot Grendizer became a huge hit. Every French person in their 30s or 40s watched anime when they were kids or teens. From what I gather it's mainstream in the US since the 1990s when DBZ aired on TV there. MAL recently started to include chinese anime so these new seasons can't be compared with past numbers. |
IKKIsamaSep 18, 6:53 AM
IKKIsama said: MAL numbers include chinese anime now so they're hardly reliable. Chinese anime are listed as ONA. So it's not like they get in the way of counting how many TV anime are released in each season. IKKIsama said: In my country (France) anime is mainstream since the late 1970s when UFO Robot Grendize became a hg hit. from what I gather it's mainstream in the US since the 1990s when DBZ aired on TV there. Again, people knowing of sth does not constitute to it being mainstream. Anime shows were broadcasted all over Europe as early as the 70's due to how cheap their licenses were for western broadcasting channels, however they were always treated as bottom tier cartoons and people generally used to look down upon its hardcore fans. I know this as it was the case for my country Albania as well. We all grew up with anime, but no one was so involved with anime back then that it could smh be considered mainstream. Anime didn't become accepted until the 2010's. Prejudice does not allow for media to become mainstream. |
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| Most people will not admit IRL to watching animoo. But anime is really popular worldwide. Almost as popular as video games. Visit any hentai website and each show will have millions of views. |
Reply to kutuya
Yes, gatekeepers snoozed and now anime is ruined.
| @kutuya True, the gate wasnt kept hard enough  |
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| Yes. And modern anime lacks the creativity of anime from the mid 2010s and earlier, 99% of it is just the same stuff regurgitated to appeal to new mainstream fans. |
beugmeisterSep 18, 7:17 AM
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| 1. No 2. Why do you care? Does having random strangers across the world engage with you hobby really bother you that much? You don't own the medium. |
Reply to SimplyBrazen
IKKIsama said:
MAL numbers include chinese anime now so they're hardly reliable.
MAL numbers include chinese anime now so they're hardly reliable.
Chinese anime are listed as ONA. So it's not like they get in the way of counting how many TV anime are released in each season.
IKKIsama said:
In my country (France) anime is mainstream since the late 1970s when UFO Robot Grendize became a hg hit. from what I gather it's mainstream in the US since the 1990s when DBZ aired on TV there.
In my country (France) anime is mainstream since the late 1970s when UFO Robot Grendize became a hg hit. from what I gather it's mainstream in the US since the 1990s when DBZ aired on TV there.
Again, people knowing of sth does not constitute to it being mainstream. Anime shows were broadcasted all over Europe as early as the 70's due to how cheap their licenses were for western broadcasting channels, however they were always treated as bottom tier cartoons and people generally used to look down upon its hardcore fans. I know this as it was the case for my country Albania as well. We all grew up with anime, but no one was so involved with anime back then that it could smh be considered mainstream. Anime didn't become accepted until the 2010's. Prejudice does not allow for media to become mainstream.
| @SimplyBrazen There will always be some prejudice towards the most hardcore fans or some aspects of the medium (even in Japan, mind you), but the fact anime has been watched by most young people for decades means it was already mainstream. |
| Maybe. I honestly don't care either way. I'm not someone who takes pride in liking these niche things that others don't. I'm smart enough to know it's impossible for me to control what is and isn't popular or "mainstream". And I understand more fans means more money for the industry. Which is ultimately a good thing if you want the thing you like to continue existing. I seriously question if people who would rather something die than become mainstream can even be considered fans. Things are going to change no matter what. "Gatekeeping" media is for delusional people who just want to feel special about the things they consume. And I don't care of me saying any of this pisses anyone off. Maybe don't base your entire personality around your hobbies. |
Reply to SimplyBrazen
@IKKIsama Mainstream is considered sth so popular that it becomes normal. Anime in the west was not considered remotely conventional until the late 2010's.
MAL data is enough. Just search up the seasonal number of shows from the past and compare.
IKKIsama said:
"We're getting more shows than ever before"
Do you have any data to back up that claim?
"We're getting more shows than ever before"
Do you have any data to back up that claim?
MAL data is enough. Just search up the seasonal number of shows from the past and compare.
| @SimplyBrazen yeah except the MAL data doesn't back up your claim. Just a small sample Fall 2000 20 new shows Fall 2005 34 new shows Fall 2010 37 new shows Fall 2015 70 new shows Fall 2020 62 new shows Fall 2024 70 new shows. Aside from a massive jump in 2015 the amount of new shows has been consistent for the past 10 years |
Reply to billybub
@SimplyBrazen yeah except the MAL data doesn't back up your claim. Just a small sample
Fall 2000 20 new shows
Fall 2005 34 new shows
Fall 2010 37 new shows
Fall 2015 70 new shows
Fall 2020 62 new shows
Fall 2024 70 new shows.
Aside from a massive jump in 2015 the amount of new shows has been consistent for the past 10 years
Fall 2000 20 new shows
Fall 2005 34 new shows
Fall 2010 37 new shows
Fall 2015 70 new shows
Fall 2020 62 new shows
Fall 2024 70 new shows.
Aside from a massive jump in 2015 the amount of new shows has been consistent for the past 10 years
| @billybub Thanks, that's what I thought. There's only so much anime that can be made. |
Reply to animegamer245
1. No
2. Why do you care?
Does having random strangers across the world engage with you hobby really bother you that much? You don't own the medium.
2. Why do you care?
Does having random strangers across the world engage with you hobby really bother you that much? You don't own the medium.
| @animegamer245 Perhaps learn to read before getting defensive, I was just asking some questions to get some opinions. |
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Reply to billybub
@SimplyBrazen yeah except the MAL data doesn't back up your claim. Just a small sample
Fall 2000 20 new shows
Fall 2005 34 new shows
Fall 2010 37 new shows
Fall 2015 70 new shows
Fall 2020 62 new shows
Fall 2024 70 new shows.
Aside from a massive jump in 2015 the amount of new shows has been consistent for the past 10 years
Fall 2000 20 new shows
Fall 2005 34 new shows
Fall 2010 37 new shows
Fall 2015 70 new shows
Fall 2020 62 new shows
Fall 2024 70 new shows.
Aside from a massive jump in 2015 the amount of new shows has been consistent for the past 10 years
| @billybub The number of new anime is consistently higher each decade. The anime hype didn't just start out of nowhere, it gradually increased over decades, and everything after the 2010's proves that. I'm just saying that number will continue to increase and is currently at its all-time height. |
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| I mean most new anime fans only watch the top 1% of the top 1%, the core anime community that existed 10 or even 20 years ago is still alive and well on sites just like this. A lot of people in this thread keep fearmongering for whatever reason that it growing in popularity will somehow change anime fundamentally, but when looking at the past 7-8 years that just hasn't happened. Japanese audiences are the core demographic and that is still and always will be true. New anime fans will just stick to their jujutsu kaisens, dragonballs and one pieces. Even for the argument of "oh the quality dropped as it's gotten more popular" or "anime isn't as creative as it once was", it's disingenuous to blame those solely on anime getting more popular. Corporations want to cut costs anywhere they can so modern anime having bigger budgets than ever this is especially true, and more creative works works are very risky and given the current state of anime studios, they only want to make what they know will make them money. All in all, who cares. You can like anime in the 2000s or 2020s, you're still the loser sitting in the corner alone. |
| ngl punpun was a bit of an asshole right wing extremist (chud ๐๐)  |
| Anime becoming mainstream is a good thing in my opinion, it means anime is more easily accessible than if it weren't popular at all :) |
 (ใฃโโกโ)ใฃ ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ช๐ต๐ต ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ช ๐๐ธ๐ท๐ญ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฏ๐พ๐ต ๐ญ๐ช๐ ♥ |
| I do not feel it is too mainstream. I know anime isn't as considered to be nerdy or geeky since most people seem to embrace it more nowadays publicly. |
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| "I hope your hobby becomes popular" is considered a curse where I come from. |
This dance is the pinnacle of human achievement. |
Reply to SimplyBrazen
@billybub The number of new anime is consistently higher each decade. The anime hype didn't just start out of nowhere, it gradually increased over decades, and everything after the 2010's proves that. I'm just saying that number will continue to increase and is currently at its all-time height.
| @SimplyBrazen the all time high for new shows in the past decade was Spring of 2017 with 90. Spring 2024 had 66. The amount of new shows was consistently in the 30's from 2000-2014, spiked in 2015 to 60 and has remained consistent ever since. |
Reply to billybub
@SimplyBrazen the all time high for new shows in the past decade was Spring of 2017 with 90. Spring 2024 had 66. The amount of new shows was consistently in the 30's from 2000-2014, spiked in 2015 to 60 and has remained consistent ever since.
| @billybub And it will spike again. It's a growing trend. Then again, not my point. |
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Reply to SimplyBrazen
@animegamer245 Perhaps learn to read before getting defensive, I was just asking some questions to get some opinions.
| @SimplyBrazen SimplyBrazen said: I mean the fact that you asked it to begin with means you yourself are concerned about it. Nobody asks a question like this just to ask it.I was just asking some questions to get some opinions. |
animegamer245 said: Nobody asks a question like this just to ask it. I do. What can I say I'm a curious guy... |
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Reply to SimplyBrazen
@billybub And it will spike again. It's a growing trend. Then again, not my point.
| @SimplyBrazen there is no evidence whatsoever that the number of shows per season will spike again, and having a consistent amount of shows every year for the past decade in no way represents a growing trend. The entire basis of your argument is anime has become more popular resulting in more shows per season, which is empirically false. On top of that you claim these new shows are catered towards a "newer and more casual audience" which also has no basis in fact. |
billybub said: there is no evidence whatsoever that the number of shows per season will spike again, and having a consistent amount of shows every year for the past decade in no way represents a growing trend. The entire basis of your argument is anime has become more popular resulting in more shows per season, which is empirically false. The growth of a medium is not measured over 1 decade, it's measured over multiple. 1 decade is nowhere near enough for such evaluations. billybub said: On top of that you claim these new shows are catered towards a "newer and more casual audience" which also has no basis in fact. The amount of recycled and oversaturated anime with the same tropes and plot development is a direct indicator of it. It's the same reason why the 90's were filled with OVA's, they were more popular and profitable. Newer and casual fans are drawn to this. |
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| Yes, anime is becoming more popular. I'm here, after all. I've been around anime for pretty much my whole life and only got into it when Demon Slayer became impossible to avoid. Not sure if you're implying that becoming mainstream is a bad thing. Clearly a lot of people here are doing that anyway. |
perseii said: Not sure if you're implying that becoming mainstream is a bad thing. Clearly a lot of people here are doing that anyway. Despite ppl saying that, I'm not implying it's a bad thing. That's why I asked multiple questions in the OP. Either way I think the polarity of the topic is interesting to see. |
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Reply to SimplyBrazen
billybub said:
there is no evidence whatsoever that the number of shows per season will spike again, and having a consistent amount of shows every year for the past decade in no way represents a growing trend.
The entire basis of your argument is anime has become more popular resulting in more shows per season, which is empirically false.
there is no evidence whatsoever that the number of shows per season will spike again, and having a consistent amount of shows every year for the past decade in no way represents a growing trend.
The entire basis of your argument is anime has become more popular resulting in more shows per season, which is empirically false.
The growth of a medium is not measured over 1 decade, it's measured over multiple. 1 decade is nowhere near enough for such evaluations.
billybub said:
On top of that you claim these new shows are catered towards a "newer and more casual audience" which also has no basis in fact.
On top of that you claim these new shows are catered towards a "newer and more casual audience" which also has no basis in fact.
The amount of recycled and oversaturated anime with the same tropes and plot development is a direct indicator of it. It's the same reason why the 90's were filled with OVA's, they were more popular and profitable. Newer and casual fans are drawn to this.
SimplyBrazen said: The growth of a medium is not measured over 1 decade, it's measured over multiple. 1 decade is nowhere near enough for such evaluations This is called moving the goalpost. Over the past 1/4 century the amount of shows per season has roughly doubled, with one major spike followed by 10 years of consistency with an actual downtrend over the past 7 SimplyBrazen said: The amount of recycled and oversaturated anime with the same tropes and plot development is a direct indicator of it. It's the same reason why the 90's were filled with OVA's, they were more popular and profitable. Newer and casual fans are drawn to this This is provably false, you can literally go back through the past 20 years and see the same cycles of "tropes" and recycled ideas 90's OVA's were nowhere near as popular or profitable compared to anything on air. They were always extremely niche and it was extremely difficult to come across store that even rented them. No new or casual fan had any clue what something like Urotsukidouji was let alone would go out of their way to find a place that rented it. |
billybubSep 18, 10:29 AM
| In my country it will likely never be mainstream. And thank God for that. |
| It's very mainstream and I don't mind it I don't care about the garbage that's being put out since good anime is already here and we have enough of it |
| An increase in fans leads to a better experience for fans, because it means anime are more likely to be translated. Many titles that interest me remain difficult to find in English. |
| ใใฎ็ฎใ ใใฎ็ฎ๏ผ |
Reply to Cammell
It's very mainstream and I don't mind it
I don't care about the garbage that's being put out since good anime is already here and we have enough of it
I don't care about the garbage that's being put out since good anime is already here and we have enough of it
| @Cammell bro, it's not. In my country, most (if not all) refer to anime as childish cartoons. Like, I'm not even kidding. |
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