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AP 560 - Q. Anime has Changed

Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 4:54 pm
by VicMonado
Hey all better late than never, sorry about that. Anywho this week's question: Anime has had a bit of a boom since the 80's and 90's eras, the medium has become far more mainstream not to mention accessible. What do you percieve to be the positive and negative changes to the landscape of anime over the years and have you had to adapt to any of those changes?

This question was submitted by BlackMagic4444, thanks man.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/rLmnc6o.jpg[/I :ugeek: MG]

Re: AP 570 - Q. Anime has Changed

Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2018 3:01 pm
by xahldera
You answered part of your question, Andrew. One of the positive changes of Anime now is that it is more mainstream and accessible. In the dim and distant past, when I was very young, my only exposure to Anime was Cantonese dubbed versions of "Doraemon" and "Doctor Slump" that came on sporadically sent VHS tapes from my relatives back in Hong Kong, China. The lack of consistency may have indirectly contributed to me becoming less interested and showing more interest in Western Cartoons only. In my "Otaku Revival" period in my university years, around 2002, I found it easier to get back into Anime because at this point companies like ADV were releasing DVDs on a semi-regular basis. Not to mention that Sci-Fi channel in the UK (Before it was renamed to "SyFy" and seemingly moved away from showing actual Science Fiction related content) was showing Anime on it. And then the internet and it's wild west like environment meant a large number of "unofficial sources" provided me a chance to sample some of the wares, the best of which drained my wallet rapidly from purchases of official releases...if they showed up in the UK :P . Eventually some of those "unofficial sources" cleaned up their act and became official sources, most notably "Crunchy Roll". This pretty much became the Netflix of Anime.

However, with greater mainstream recognition comes greater mainstream problems. The largest of those that I have noticed is the proliferation of the "Moé" art style. Used sparingly, it can work for certain series especially "Slice of Life" type shows. However many shows have attempted to jump on this bandwagon in an attempt to make a large amount of money from drawing characters in a "cutesy" way that may not necessarily suit the overall perception of the show. Most recently has been complaints about the latest incarnation of "Highschool DxD", "DxD Hero", going down the "Moéblob" route. Related to this is the increased use of CG animation as opposed to hand drawn animation, in an attempt to get the episodes to the screen sooner to keep with demand. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with using computers to draw art. Technology marches on, often in an inevitable fashion. However when the corner cutting is particularly egregious, you do start to ask questions. I recall a friend linked me to an article covering the more problematic examples of this in Sailor Moon Crystal, as seen here on Kotaku comparing the TV broadcast to the Bluray version. I guess you could say both issues are the Anime industries equivalent of microtransations and loot boxes in the Video Games industry i.e. attempts by the larger companies involved in making the product to squeeze more money out of it's fans and consumers, which in turns can make it less enjoyable to consume. There are other problems such as the P-word, "politics", as casual and hardcore fans clash over how certain subjects and social issues are depicted in Anime, often with only a cursory glance at the series in question, resulting in "concerned citizens" clamouring for continuing censorship in the cartoons that we consume. Infamously in my homeland, the UK, the appearance of "Urotsukidoji, Legend of the Overfiend" in the 80's brought Anime into the mainstream in a rather negative fashion, so much so that it probably in my opinion set back Anime fandom in my homeland for several years and misinformed members of the general public, who still consider Anime to be those "Weird Pornographic Japanese Cartoons". This court case from 2014 shows a lot of the mass media still doesn't "get it" with regards to Anime/Manga. Anyway, I won't go any further into this aspect as it will involve going further into a rabbit hole that might take up far more time.

As for what I have done to adapt, I had to adult more and adulting is hard, especially when paying bills and investing in other hobbies outside of Anime as well as having less free time to indulge in said hobbies. This means I've had to be more selective in what Anime I watch and which physical releases I can buy. But I still keep an eye on the Anime scene and like to keep up with is popular there.

tl;dr Anime is easier to watch, moéblobs are taking over and I have to spend more wisely.

War has changed

Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2018 12:41 am
by YotaruVegeta
I think the positives and negatives of the anime industry lie in accessibility. Sorry to sound like an old man (sorry, not sorry) but if kids want anime, it's very easy to binge on a moment's notice. Youth, who have no income to spend on officially distributed content, might decide to watch pirate streams of anything and everything, filling the pockets of nefarious parties who, I am guessing, don't funnel their ill gotten gains back into the anime industry.

I can't blame kids for going to pirates, especially when there are certain production companies who do not distribute their programs officially for foreign markets. If you want to watch a Ghibli movie, for example, you either have to purchase physical media (YECH!) or head over to one of a few theaters showing the Ghibli movies this year. In the age of instant data, this is a hassle for young folk. Why does Japan not get that you have to train your youth to support your products?

Re: AP 570 - Q. Anime has Changed

Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2018 8:06 pm
by QueenInoue
Anime being more accessible is definitely one of the biggest positive changes. Also animation quality has gotten better over time. Look at anome from the old days and anime from today side by side and the quality of the medium has improved.

Re: AP 560 - Q. Anime has Changed

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2018 5:29 pm
by Shieldbro
I would definitely agree that the rise of streaming services has been a positive change in recent years as many people are able obtain anime without going to fishy pirate sites. Biggest positive change for me would be the increase of overall quality especially towards how color is portrayed. Anime today have much more bright and vibrant colors than anime of old. I was just watching the (relatively) new Yugioh movie and I was blown away in how pretty the colors are compared to the old Yugioh tv series and movies.