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[MetroidPrimeRib]

I'm fine with this, if only because Americans (and the West in general, although Italy and France are trying) need to start taking their own animation more seriously. I feel like Gravity Falls is one of the best looking shows made in the US, which is kind of sad when you compare it to the stuff that finds it's way out of Japan.

In fact, Cartoons in general are pretty limited here, largely because they almost all come out of CalArts graduates. If you don't live in that one area, go to that one school and make connections with one of like three studios, you have little to no chance of ever getting your scripts animated.

As someone who loves animation in general from all over the world, I agree. But I think anime has the quality of going for better animation quality or directing where as a lot of the most popular animation shows like Family Guy or South Park are extremely vanilla in execution. Korra was probably the sole exception recently because that show had some great animation. The U.S. gave up on 2D after Princess and the Frog.

I think animation is taken more seriously in Italy and France though.

 

[Puruzi]

Action animation is Dead in the US

 

[Stumpokapow]

Probably have some Hollywood blockbusters come out that aren't total trash. Worked for comic books.

I'd say two things:
1) Why do you think they haven't yet? It's not like Spiderman and LOTR were just randomly successes by the roll of some dice. Resources went in to making them work, and appropriate talent was hired, and it was supported by appropriate marketing. What explains this not happening from anime sources?

2) If this did happen and, say, Attack on Titan became a successful live action movie franchise, filmed English as a first-language... (I was going to pick Kill La Kill, but then when I googled it to verify which show that was, what I found was repulsive to me) do you think the current anime fanbase would come along for the ride, or reject it as insufficiently pure? Why was it filmed in English? Why is it live action? Why was this or that changed?

This push-back occurs in all geek communities (see Star Trek 2009-; Game of Thrones changes; Walking Dead changes; god knows how many Marvel fans complaining) but the degree to which it occurs makes it easier or harder for companies to navigate the transition successfully. And probably contributes a lot to whether the community gets incorporated into the broader pop-culture community.

Edit: Cyan mentioned that he felt that Pacific Rim seems like something closer to a successful western attempt at something like anime. I think that's partially true, but also partially shows that if this were to happen, the anime community wouldn't even necessarily recognize it.

 

[Cornbread78]

Come on, even the most popular stuff like Clannad which is adapted from VNs has that's stuff lol.

Nothing is wrong with the Clannad anime, unless your against a

Spoiler

married couple

holding hands, lol.

 

[Subpar Spatula]

Probably have some Hollywood blockbusters come out that aren't total trash. Worked for comic books.

The giant issue is how do you approach the topic of anime and discuss it without talking about the more lewd and creepy aspects (which make up for a lot of it)? Comics show sexism but not to the extent of anime. Crunchyroll does Twitch streams of their new dubbed shows and one was Free!. How should media go about discussing hyper sexy teenage boys who run around in speedos? What about a big favorite of Steins;Gate with some of the creepy shots and "shower" scene? How do you talk about the well known beach episodes? With comics and video games you don't have a this giant chunk of content being lewd and creepy so you can discuss a great deal of the work, you can't with anime.

 

[Jawmuncher]

The US has pretty much given up on 2D.

Which is just downright sad. I always hoped that anime could fill that void for the masses. But we don't seem to be quite at that level yet with what is available. There is the stuff like Stump mentioned, but we need more of that.

The giant issue is how do you approach the topic of anime and discuss it without talking about the more lewd and creepy aspects (which make up for a lot of it)? Comics show sexism but not to the extent of anime. Crunchyroll does Twitch streams of their new dubbed shows and one was Free!. How should media go about discussing hyper sexy teenage boys who run around in speedos? What about a big favorite of Steins;Gate with some of the creepy shots and "shower" scene? How do you talk about the well known beach episodes? With comics and video games you don't have a this giant chunk of content being lewd and creepy so you can discuss a great deal of the work, you can't with anime.

Yeah for anime to become big or at least more accepted in the "geek culture" in the west, there would have to be a big cultural movement on the stuff japan is making.

 

[Trojita]

The frame here is that there's a perception problem. So pointing out that people are wrong in their perceptions doesn't seem to be a refutation of them, it seems to confirm the problem. What's the strategy to overcome it? If anime's content is no weirder than content that is mainstream, how do you propose to get people to realize that? You have people outside the anime bubble saying they're being turned away. If the response is "well, that's their problem, how closed-minded!" then sure, ok, great. That's the answer to the OP and we can all move on with our lives. But if there's actually desire to overcome the perception problem, how should that happen?

I was pointing out that the comics he talked about were ever growing but to him they had satisfying ending plot points, but to other people the never ending nature could be annoying. A comic like Naruto ends, while the story of X-men will be continuing without resolution even after we are all dead. It's the difference in authorship between the two countries.

It isn't necessarily anime fans problem that some people are weirded out by the "genre". It's the companies in the host country. They operate through a business campaign that would rather attract a smaller amount of people that will spend a lot of money over having a widerspread audience. Blu-ray sets in Japan cost 100's of $$$. They then try and cater to the people that will buy those sets by having more explicit material in them or a bonus item with purchase, that many times is explicit as well.

There's just more of those series that they know they can get people to spend 100's of dollars than more great quality mainstream titles that are also usually more expensive to produce.

I'll admit I like some pervy shows like Shimoneta (oddly enough it's an anime about pervy stuff being outlawed in Japan), but the mainstream shows should have more of a focus.

 

[MogCakes]

As with video games, nobody wants to take a risk on this stuff when they have safe options that they know will produce profit.

That's also part of it. It's a self-perpetuating cycle in which the perception of the medium by the public affects the business viability of marketing it. I don't see this changing until Disney or some other megacorporation decides to bleach and rebrand it as a 'new' form of animation.

 

[Subpar Spatula]

I was pointing out that the comics he talked about were ever growing but to him they had satisfying ending plot points, but to other people the never ending nature could be annoying. A comic like Naruto ends, while the story of X-men will be continuing without resolution even after we are all dead. It's the difference in authorship between the two countries.

It isn't necessarily anime fans problem that some people are weirded out by the "genre". It's the companies in the host country. They operate through a business campaign that would rather attract a smaller amount of people that will spend a lot of money over having a widerspread audience. Blu-ray sets in Japan cost 100's of $$$. They then try and cater to the people that will buy those sets by having more explicit material in them or a bonus item with purchase, that many times is explicit as well.

There's just more of those series that they know they can get people to spend 100's of dollars than more great quality mainstream titles that are also usually more expensive to produce.

I'll admit I like some pervy shows like Shimoneta (oddly enough it's an anime about pervy stuff being outlawed in Japan), but the mainstream shows should have more of a focus.

The pervy shows are the mainstream. It's not every season you get a Fullmetal Alchemist or Monster.

 

[AcademicSaucer]

Arent otakus outcasts even in Japan?

 

[Jarmel]

What should have happened long ago was good EVA, Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, and Akira movies coming out. Part of the problem is that the larger studios are conservative and there hasn't been a super successful anime IP Hollywood movie. Partly because there hasn't been a real attempt. The closest attempt was the All You Need is Kill movie and that only came out last year(?).

I'd say two things:
1) Why do you think they haven't yet? It's not like Spiderman and LOTR were just randomly successes by the roll of some dice. Resources went in to making them work, and appropriate talent was hired, and it was supported by appropriate marketing. What explains this not happening from anime sources?

2) If this did happen and, say, Attack on Titan became a successful live action movie franchise, filmed English as a first-language... (I was going to pick Kill La Kill, but then when I googled it to verify which show that was, what I found was repulsive to me) do you think the current anime fanbase would come along for the ride, or reject it as insufficiently pure? Why was it filmed in English? Why is it live action? Why was this or that changed?

This push-back occurs in all geek communities (see Star Trek 2009-; Game of Thrones changes; Walking Dead changes; god knows how many Marvel fans complaining) but the degree to which it occurs makes it easier or harder for companies to navigate the transition successfully. And probably contributes a lot to whether the community gets incorporated into the broader pop-culture community.

Edit: Cyan mentioned that he felt that Pacific Rim seems like something closer to a successful western attempt at something like anime. I think that's partially true, but also partially shows that if this were to happen, the anime community wouldn't even necessarily recognize it.

1)There are IPs that probably could do very well in the US but no high level director has tried other than again Liman. Cameron doing Battle Angel Alita could have easily opened up a ton of doors but that dream is long dead now. It seems like this is starting to change with recent news this year but I would have to chalk it up to studios just generally being conservative.

2)If something like a Hollywood AoT did become super popular, I imagine it would be treated like its own work much like comic book fans do to stuff like the Marvel and DC movies. If it's good, it's good. Hollywood writers probably would do their own thing and the source creators in Japan would do theirs. Especially since the anime version would be a closer adaptation.

Are some people going to bitch about this and that? Sure, but if the work is good enough I don't think it would be consequential.

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

Which is just downright sad. I always hoped that anime could fill that void for the masses. But we don't seem to be quite at that level yet with what is available. There is the stuff like Stump mentioned, but we need more of that.

Anime production schedules are brutal. That's another problem in and of itself.

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

Nothing is wrong with the Clannad anime, unless your against a

Spoiler

married couple

holding hands, lol.

 

[Mass_Pincup]

As someone who loves animation in general from all over the world, I agree. But I think anime has the quality of going for better animation quality or directing where as a lot of the most popular animation shows like Family Guy or South Park are extremely vanilla in execution. Korra was probably the sole exception recently because that show had some great animation. The U.S. gave up on 2D after Princess and the Frog.

I think animation is taken more seriously in Italy and France though.

Unfortunately it's seems like here in France we're transitioning to 3D as well. There's a lot of classic cartoon that are being rebooted in 3D unfortunately.

I'd say two things:
1) Why do you think they haven't yet? It's not like Spiderman and LOTR were just randomly successes by the roll of some dice. Resources went in to making them work, and appropriate talent was hired, and it was supported by appropriate marketing. What explains this not happening from anime sources?

2) If this did happen and, say, Attack on Titan became a successful live action movie franchise, filmed English as a first-language... (I was going to pick Kill La Kill, but then when I googled it to verify which show that was, what I found was repulsive to me) do you think the current anime fanbase would come along for the ride, or reject it as insufficiently pure? Why was it filmed in English? Why is it live action? Why was this or that changed?

This push-back occurs in all geek communities (see Star Trek 2009-; Game of Thrones changes; Walking Dead changes; god knows how many Marvel fans complaining) but the degree to which it occurs makes it easier or harder for companies to navigate the transition successfully. And probably contributes a lot to whether the community gets incorporated into the broader pop-culture community.

Edit: Cyan mentioned that he felt that Pacific Rim seems like something closer to a successful western attempt at something like anime. I think that's partially true, but also partially shows that if this were to happen, the anime community wouldn't even necessarily recognize it.

If it's faithful to the source material I don't see why not. But I may not be the best to juge since I even saw Dragon Ball Evolution in theater.

Spoiler

I did not enjoy it to be clear

 

[Azuran]

I'm fine with this, if only because Americans (and the West in general, although Italy and France are trying) need to start taking their own animation more seriously. I feel like Gravity Falls is one of the best looking shows made in the US, which is kind of sad when you compare it to the stuff that finds it's way out of Japan.

In fact, Cartoons in general are pretty limited here, largely because they almost all come out of CalArts graduates. If you don't live in that one area, go to that one school and make connections with one of like three studios, you have little to no chance of ever getting your scripts animated.

There's no market for animation in the west unless you're writing something that's aimed at children or families. Even the major players like Disney and Dreamwork don't bother making animated movies aimed at adults so why would other people take risk with them? Gravity Falls may be good but it's not exactly aimed at adults or in this case, teenage boys and girls which are the main targets of anime.

Anime will always be popular over her because it offers material you will never see in western animation.

The pervy shows are the mainstream. It's not every season you get a Fullmetal Alchemist or Monster.

lol no they aren't. Those are made for a niche audiences and are not as popular with the mainstream as you like to believe.

 

[Puruzi]

The pervy shows are the mainstream.

No they aren't.

 

[Trojita]

none of that gets ignored.

LOL

none of that is ever ignored? Those first two issues are behind entire storylines and in Jessica's case, is part of shaping her entire character and arc.

In the mainstream non-comic fan fanbase. If you showed that one panel to the average mcu movie watcher they would cringe like they are looking at a pervy manga panel.

Not sure if that counts as something ignored when practically every discussion of the character pre-movie included it.

People on forms discussing it. Most people wouldn't know anything about that shit. Most people think Tony Stark is a great guy.

 

[Ozium]

What I've noticed about most Anime fans is the need to make anything and everything about and/or related to Anime.. it's freaking absurd.

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

There's no market for animation in the west unless you're writing something that's aimed at children or families. Even the major players like Disney and Dreamwork don't bother making animated movies aimed at adults so why would other studios take risk with them? Gravity Falls may be good but it's not exactly aimed at adults or in this case, teenage boys and girls which are the main targets of anime.

Yeah, what was even the last animated show aimed at adults that wasn't a comedy in the West? Aeon Flux?

In the mainstream non-comic fan fanbase. If you showed that one panel to the average mcu movie watcher they would cringe like they are looking at a pervy manga panel.



People on forms discussing it. Most people wouldn't know anything about that shit. Most people think Tony Stark is a great guy.

Like I said, the people who care about MCU movies have almost no overlap with the people who care about the ongoing comic storylines.

 

[Subpar Spatula]

No they aren't.

The pervy shows aren't the most popular animes each season? Of course there's exceptions like One-Punch Man or Gundam but it's usually a lot of ecchi or fanservice animes that make it to the top. Did we all forget Kill la Kill was the biggest show of that season? Or K-On!? I tried watching Heavy Object but episode 1 there's this boobed girl who's trapped in her seatbelt and it's very detailed. K: Return of Kings has this big boobed second in command who's skirt is way too short for her while Neko is a cat creature who wears usually nothing.

 

[Trojita]

What I've noticed about most Anime fans is the need to make anything and everything about and/or related to Anime.. it's freaking absurd.

Explain.

 

[KirbYuuYuu]

The pervy shows are the mainstream. It's not every season you get a Fullmetal Alchemist or Monster.

Selling under 10k isn't what I would call a mainstream.

 

[Trojita]

Yeah, what was even the last animated show aimed at adults that wasn't a comedy in the West? Aeon Flux?



Like I said, the people who care about MCU movies have almost no overlap with the people who care about the ongoing comic storylines.

And yet we are talking about why anime/manga can't become mainstream because of some of its content. With Western comics apparently that material can be ignored, but not Japanese comics.

 

[Satch]

The funny thing is that comics have their own seedy side as well, that gets ignored though.

Purple man mind control raping Jessica Jones for months.

Antman beating his wife.

Most comic female heroes having big breasts.

That's not even talking about the adult centric comics.

american comics literally get dragged for this stuff ALL THE TIME

 

[Mass_Pincup]

The pervy shows aren't the most popular animes each season? Of course there's exceptions like One-Punch Man or Gundam but it's usually a lot of ecchi or fanservice animes that make it to the top. Did we all forget Kill la Kill was the biggest show of that season? Or K-On!?

What's your baseline for popular?

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

The pervy shows aren't the most popular animes each season? Of course there's exceptions like One-Punch Man or Gundam but it's usually a lot of ecchi or fanservice animes that make it to the top. Did we all forget Kill la Kill was the biggest show of that season?

Kill la Kill is probably bigger in the West then in Japan, but it was popular in both.

But no, pure ecchi anime are almost never the best seller. The best seller this season will be Osumatsu-san (a comedy) or Owarimonogatari which is like half ecchi and that stuff is the worst part of Monogatari for the most part.

And K-On is not on the pervy side, like not at all.

american comics literally get dragged for this stuff ALL THE TIME

Yeah I think so too, there has been more and more complaints raised about stuff like fridging as time went on.

 

[mdubs]

I for one would like an American Solanin movie.

Attack on Titan for a big Hollywood blockbuster, Monster and the rest of the Urasawa stuff for HBO please.

 

[texhnolyze]

I think the main problem is not the lack of coverage by the media, but it's just that most otaku are not too proud of what they're doing. If otaku are more open and reveal themselves in the public by doing public and community activities, people will start to recognize them and media will cover them more. However, what can otaku do to 'show off' their hobbies? Can they be proud of what they're doing? As mentioned on the article, cosplayers are different with otaku.

Moreover, I'll have to emphasize the literal meaning of otaku itself. People tend to generalize 'people who watch anime' as otaku, but they're not. Otaku is someone who is obsessed with a hobby, mostly in anime/manga. They can easily distinguishable by looking at their rooms. Anime fan is not always an otaku. I think otaku are more into ecchi/moe stuff than mainstream anime fans.

Even urbandictionary has it wrong:

Otaku is extremely negative in meaning as it is used to refer to someone who stays at home all the time and doesn't have a life (no social life, no love life, etc)

That's not the definition of otaku, that's hikkikomori. Hikkikomori is not always an otaku, he/she could be locking him/herself due to bullying, broken home, or many other factors.

 

[KHlover]

Tbh I think it makes sense to not count cosplay just with anime and manga. Cosplay has expanded to other media, you'd leave out a big part of the format.

 

[Subpar Spatula]

Kill la Kill is probably bigger in the West then in Japan, but it was popular in both.

But no, pure ecchi anime are almost never the best seller. The best seller this season will be Osumatsu-san (a comedy) or Owarimonogatari which is like half ecchi and that stuff is the worst part of Monogatari for the most part.

And K-On is not on the pervy side, like not at all.

Ah, now it's not "pure ecchi". Loads of anime is creepy whether you want to accept it or not.

What's your baseline for popular?

Views on various streaming sites.

 

[Toxi]

I'd say two things:
1) Why do you think they haven't yet? It's not like Spiderman and LOTR were just randomly successes by the roll of some dice. Resources went in to making them work, and appropriate talent was hired, and it was supported by appropriate marketing. What explains this not happening from anime sources?

2) If this did happen and, say, Attack on Titan became a successful live action movie franchise, filmed English as a first-language... (I was going to pick Kill La Kill, but then when I googled it to verify which show that was, what I found was repulsive to me) do you think the current anime fanbase would come along for the ride, or reject it as insufficiently pure? Why was it filmed in English? Why is it live action? Why was this or that changed?

This push-back occurs in all geek communities (see Star Trek 2009-; Game of Thrones changes; Walking Dead changes; god knows how many Marvel fans complaining) but the degree to which it occurs makes it easier or harder for companies to navigate the transition successfully. And probably contributes a lot to whether the community gets incorporated into the broader pop-culture community.

I think the fans wouldn't have trouble recognizing a live-action Dragon Ball or Sailor Moon or Pokemon or whatever if it were actually on the level of quality as Spider-Man. We don't know for sure because all of the anime adaptations we've had (short of Speed Racer) have been more on the level of Daredevil or The Fantastic Four than Spider-Man and Batman.

 

[fertygo]

The pervy shows aren't the most popular animes each season? Of course there's exceptions like One-Punch Man or Gundam but it's usually a lot of ecchi or fanservice animes that make it to the top. Did we all forget Kill la Kill was the biggest show of that season? Or K-On!? I tried watching Heavy Object but episode 1 there's this boobed girl who's trapped in her seatbelt and it's very detailed. K: Return of Kings has this big boobed second in command who's skirt is way too short for her while Neko is a cat creature who wears usually nothing.

this show is on track to being best seller of the season, you tell me

 

[Branduil]

Arent otakus outcasts even in Japan?

"Otaku" means something different in Japan than it does in America. It literally translates as お宅="(another person's) house" and refers to anyone who is obsessed with something. You can be a train otaku, military otaku, fighting game otaku, figure otaku, etc. Just watching anime doesn't make you an otaku.

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

The pervy shows aren't the most popular animes each season? Of course there's exceptions like One-Punch Man or Gundam but it's usually a lot of ecchi or fanservice animes that make it to the top. Did we all forget Kill la Kill was the biggest show of that season? Or K-On!? I tried watching Heavy Object but episode 1 there's this boobed girl who's trapped in her seatbelt and it's very detailed. K: Return of Kings has this big boobed second in command who's skirt is way too short for her while Neko is a cat creature who wears usually nothing.

The "pervy" shows are aired at 2am and if a miracle happens they might sell more than 10k copies.

They are not mainstream at all.

this show is on track to being best seller of the season, you tell me

Osomatsu-san doing well is so awesome.

 

[Parallax]

In the mainstream non-comic fan fanbase. If you showed that one panel to the average mcu movie watcher they would cringe like they are looking at a pervy manga panel..

being unknown by casual fans isnt the same as ignored. read any comic written with hank pym, and theres a good chance hes still going to be lamenting over it. the jessica jones tv show just came out, and they pretty much state that shes still in shock over what kilgrave did to her. nothing is being ignored.

 

[Bigboss242]

Pretty much what I was thinking.

There are like 2 or 3 shows a season I can watch

Sometimes even less then that which is pretty dissapointing.

 

[Azuran]

Views on various streaming sites.

That's the worst way to measure popularity for anything.

Go look at DVD sales or ratings instead.

 

[Subpar Spatula]

The "pervy" shows are aired at 2am and if a miracle happens they might sell more than 10k copies.

They are not mainstream at all.

They're enough mainstream that if I enter the book store at Metrotown and go to the anime section I'm greeted with a lot of pervy shit.

That's the worst barometric anyone could use for anything.

Go look at DVD sales or ratings instead.

A lot of the audience isn't in Japan and doesn't watch it on TV. Online stream views is good enough for me to determine popularity.

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

Ah, now it's not "pure ecchi". Loads of anime is creepy whether you want to accept it or not.

Views on various streaming sites.

Streaming sites have zero effect on the actual anime production, they make zero profit for anyone in the production. Crunchyroll and Funimation sites would be a better metric but they dont have a viewcounter and I doubt the production commitees give much of a shit about what is popular on CR or Funi anyway.

 

[Nairume]

I'd say two things:
1) Why do you think they haven't yet? It's not like Spiderman and LOTR were just randomly successes by the roll of some dice. Resources went in to making them work, and appropriate talent was hired, and it was supported by appropriate marketing. What explains this not happening from anime sources?

2) If this did happen and, say, Attack on Titan became a successful live action movie franchise, filmed English as a first-language... (I was going to pick Kill La Kill, but then when I googled it to verify which show that was, what I found was repulsive to me) do you think the current anime fanbase would come along for the ride, or reject it as insufficiently pure? Why was it filmed in English? Why is it live action? Why was this or that changed?

You could even just point at Ghost in the Shell as an example of this happening right now.

 

[Piecake]

Unless you are in anime fan you are not going to watch anime with your kids. I think that drastically reduces the appeal because it limits it to already existing fans. I mean, even if you were a casual fan of anime growing up, you are not going to introduce even something like One Piece to your kids because do you want them thinking that huge boobs, fan service and objectifying women is okay? No, you would pick a different cartoon, something like Disney, Pokemon, Studio Ghibli, or a super heroes cartoon. I am sure people will point out that comics are filled with huge boobs, fan service, and objectified women, but that is really only in the comics. The cartoons and the movies largely try to get rid of all of that stuff.

A parent seeing coverage of an anime convention or sees a clip of One Piece or Guren Lagen is not going to say to him/herself, I am going to take my kid to that! And the kids who are interested in it likely already know about it, and the kids who arent, arent going to be convinced by more coverage. I think that is why you don't see more coverage on it because stuff like GoT, Super Hero movies, LoTR, etc are stuff that either parents who arent aware of it would watch on their own, and/or would watch with their kids. I really doubt an adult/parent is going to suddenly develop an interest in anime or would want to introduce their kids to it if they weren't already fans.

 

[MogCakes]

This push-back occurs in all geek communities (see Star Trek 2009-; Game of Thrones changes; Walking Dead changes; god knows how many Marvel fans complaining) but the degree to which it occurs makes it easier or harder for companies to navigate the transition successfully. And probably contributes a lot to whether the community gets incorporated into the broader pop-culture community.

This is it though. What is considered acceptable to the broader pop-culture perspective is much more narrow than what you will find in the niches. That's why they are niches. The reason anime as a medium will likely never reach mainstream appeal at least within the next decade or so, beyond the questionable content, is the medium itself. 2D animation has no market in most English-speaking territories and bleaching the medium into a more socially acceptable and tame form of animation would have a huge negative reaction. Not a viable business proposition.

 

[AnathemicOne]

If I wanted to know something about what content to expect from anime, probably the community thread here would be a good place to look, right?

Ok, right off the bat we've got a cutesy little girl "gaf-chan" banner and references to being "lewd." Probably community in-jokes, but emblematic of the kind of content people talk about when they talk about anime being unappealing to outsiders. Right? Pandering fanservice ("lewd") and moe little girls, and especially the combination thereof, are a big chunk of what people dislike and complain about with anime. Through that lens we're not off to a great start.

We've got a list of recommended animes to check out (I'm going to be reacting primarily based on the pictures here, since that's the primary presentation):

1. Fushigi na Somera-chan - some kind of moe little girl, with a robot in the background?
2. Hackadoll the Animation - pandering fanservice
3. Haikyuu!! 2 - looks like a sports team story. volleyball?
4. Hidan no Aria AA - more fanservice
(not great so far, three of the four are the kind of unappealing content we've been talking about)
5. Lovely Muuuuuuuco! - doggie!
6. Kagewani - looks like a serious drama thing
7. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans - giant robots, ok
8. Noragami Aragoto - a bunch of people standing around in a hall. maybe another drama?
(progress! zero fanservice in the second group of recommendations!)
9. One-Punch Man - oh hey, this one I've actually heard of. a subversive superhero thing.
10. Osomatsu-san - odd style, not the standard anime look. not sure what to make of it, but it doesn't look fanservicey
11. Owarimonogatari - no boobs hanging out, but a girl whose obviously in high school makes me suspicious
12. Shomin Sample - fanservice
(only one definite one here, not too bad)
13. Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen - maybe a fighting tournament or something?
14. Valkyrie Drive - Mermaid - fanservice
15. Young Black Jack - some kind of action or war thing I guess
16. Yuru Yuri San☆Hai! - hoo boy, little girls in short skirts. not a good look

And then more cutesy little girl banners promising me there's so much more!

Ok, so just based on the presentation here, I would expect 2, 4, 12, 14, and especially 16 to be unappealing fanservice stuff. 1 is moe, and 11 I am (perhaps unfairly) leery of. That's almost half of the top (!) recommendations right off the bat. I'm not trying to be unfair here. Maybe these shows are actually totally fine in terms of content and are just presented in a way that makes them look like something they're not. But even if that's the case, what does it say about anime that this is expected to be appealing? And how would we expect people who are repulsed by fanservice to react, if this is the best that current anime has to offer?

Damnit BGBW, this is why we can't have nice things.

 

[The Technomancer]

The "pervy" shows are aired at 2am and if a miracle happens they might sell more than 10k copies.

They are not mainstream at all.

I think "mainstream" was used incorrectly, but late night anime does make up the bulk of discussion online in the west which is where anyone in the west is more likely to encounter it.

 

[-Horizon-]

The pervy shows aren't the most popular animes each season? Of course there's exceptions like One-Punch Man or Gundam but it's usually a lot of ecchi or fanservice animes that make it to the top. Did we all forget Kill la Kill was the biggest show of that season? Or K-On!? I tried watching Heavy Object but episode 1 there's this boobed girl who's trapped in her seatbelt and it's very detailed. K: Return of Kings has this big boobed second in command who's skirt is way too short for her while Neko is a cat creature who wears usually nothing.

Wasn't kuroko season 2 airing at the same time? I thought that was the more popular show.

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

A lot of the audience isn't in Japan and doesn't watch it on TV. Online stream views is good enough for me to determine popularity.

Online streams are for the most part illegal. This is a whole other issue - people have gotten their shit for free for so long that it is thought of as outrageous to pay for it in the first place. That's a huge issue to why anime/manga have never been as huge as they could have.

Then again, it is rather difficult to get a good gauge on what is popular outside of Japan. Oricon for manga sales and straight Blu-ray anime sales are useful for Japan but in the West the majority obtain it illegally so it is far harder.

 

[Mass_Pincup]

Views on various streaming sites.

Streaming sites as in Crunchyroll or fansub?

 

[Cornbread78]

What I've noticed about most Anime fans is the need to make anything and everything about and/or related to Anime.. it's freaking absurd.

Huh? So, I'm not sure when the last time I went around the office quoting anime lines, or asked my clients what their thought on which spirit in Fate/Zero was the best, or went into the beak room to make lunch and tried to make a meal from Soma cook-off style with the lady from customer service.. yeah bitch, I'm a cooking Gary Stu, you better recognize. ..

Uggh, utter and total nonsense.

 

[Jarmel]

Streaming sites have zero effect on the actual anime production, they make zero profit for anyone in the production. Crunchyroll and Funimation sites would be a better metric but they dont have a viewcounter and I doubt the production commitees give much of a shit about what is popular on CR or Funi anyway.

Well that might be changing with Funi actually starting to get in the production side.

 

[Tohsaka]

They're enough mainstream that if I enter the book store at Metrotown and go to the anime section I'm greeted with a lot of pervy shit.



A lot of the audience isn't in Japan and doesn't watch it on TV. Online stream views is good enough for me to determine popularity.

Western streaming numbers mean literally nothing. The vast majority of anime's money is from Japan, and a lot of the money actually comes from merchandising. Western revenue is just a drop in the bucket, because they're not willing to pay huge amounts for merchandise and $50 for two episodes on a Blu-ray like Japan is.