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Anime. Anime’s popularity in the US. Anime Expo drew huge crowds: 9,700 in 2001 to 40,000 in 2006. Since then, slower growth has been evident: by 2011, only a small rise: 47,000.
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Anime’s popularity in the US • Anime Expo drew huge crowds: 9,700 in 2001 to 40,000 in 2006. Since then, slower growth has been evident: by 2011, only a small rise: 47,000. • The US audience for anime is mainly male teens and adults, according to a recent survey at an SPJA expo in New York, though there have been increasing numbers of anime films and TV programs aimed at girls. • 2002: Anime Network on cable; now deceased. There are currently increasing on-demand outlets, though. • Spirited Away, directed by Hayao Miyazaki, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003.
Cultural Roots Anime is intended to be an art form, closely connected to Japanese traditional culture and beliefs, thus contrasting with the US school of cartooning, which is generally seen simply as an entertainment product to be marketed. Its immediate source is manga, similar to our graphic novels, which cover a wide variety of subjects and are often targeted to specific groups.
Robot & Sci-Fi Series • Astroboy (1963) led to an anime explosion on US cable TV • American adults were the first audience, often replicating the obsessive devotion of Star Trek fans in the 70s. • Typical US anime fan (1960-90) was: • predominately male • technically oriented • 70-80% college educated • between 25-30 years old
On Oct 3, 1982, a show that involved robots hit the Japanese airwaves: Macross. It introduced the concept of the transformable robot for the first time, a concept copied by later shows like TheTransformers. In 1985, Harmony Gold brought the US rights to Macross and 2 other robot shows and combined the three into an 85 episode show called Robotech.
With the advent of the Internet, by the mid 1980s, fans could communicate with other fans—and they did. • The continuing popularity of anime eventually prompted Japanese producers to release an animated theatrical release in 1990: Katsuhiro Otomo’sAkira.
Bring on the Mecha More Americans got excited by anime in 1993, when the Fox Channel aired a re-edited, re-dubbed, eventually partially re-shot version of the Japanese series, Super Sentai (Task Force), retitled Power Rangers. It was an instant hit and created an anime frenzy. Power Rangers(as they were in the ‘90s) Super Sentai (1973)
By the middle ‘90s: Action and . . . • Dragonball Z (1995) explosion of action anime • Audience saw the kind of intricate and creative fighting animation never seen before in any other cartoon. • DBZ intense action animation style even influenced major Hollywood releases such as The Matrix.
. . . Girl Power • Sailor Moon on TV in 1995 was another pivotal point - the show didn't do too well in the ratings in its first run, but it picked up a cult following. • Since Sailor Moon drew in so many young girls, US distributors stopped catering exclusively to male science fiction fans and started bringing in titles that would appeal to females, which paved the way for other female-oriented anime titles, especially others emphasizing romance, comedy, and adventure themes
Kids with Pets &Toys • The next transformation came in 1998-1999 with Pokemon. • Pokemon represented a new anime business model: release a toy, then a video game, trading cards and a TV show. • Pokemon was also key because it was the first TV show where producers did not disguise the fact that anime was Japanese. • Pokemon products became a worldwide phenomenon and US children were hooked.
Pokemon paved the way for other popular similar series such as Monster Rancher, Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Card Captor Sakura
What makes Anime different? • By the 1980s, cartoons in the US were seen as strictly kidvid, with plots following a formula that guaranteed happy endings & no real consequences for violent encounters: no one dies. • Japanese Anime were bound by no such restriction: • Most Japanese anime TV series are designed to last only one or two seasons (usually producing between 13-52 episodes) and then come to a climactic and definite ending. • Connecting plots from one episode to the next are common, leaving audiences curious to find out what happens next. • Intricate plot and character development produces a series of plot twists and turns; heroes may even die or become villains.
More Differences • Multidimensional characters and plots are common. • Many different foci and subplots deepen the narrative. • Most conventional American cartoons tend to focus primarily on the gags & humor, but a single anime series may draw its appeal from many different elements, such as action, characters, relationships, internal conflict, politics, and/or humor. • Many (if not most) anime are intended to mirror real social and political dilemmas.
Emphasis on Originality • Not confined to one genre in order to appeal to one niche market. • Tradition of including mature content in storylines of an adult nature, which can be an advantage or disadvantage in American entertainment market. • Wide ranging themes and genres (from children to adult, from action & sci-fi to cooking & chess playing). • Can create entertaining stories and distinct styles out of something that is often perceived as ordinary and thus unentertaining in real life.
Aesthetic Appeal • Emphasis on graphics & symbolsover words & dialogue to tell story and convey characters’ emotions. • DBZ, for instance, employs elaborate action sequences and symbolic objects, creating a unique and intense style of action in animation, which in turn has influenced live action movies. • Incorporation of advanced cinematic techniques (lighting, camera angles and movement, mise-en-scene) adds to the sense of reality and urgency.
And now . . . Cowboy Bebop
