blkmage (post: 1361014) wrote:So yeah, it's been an eventful year, in spite of anime dying and all.
TheSubtleDoctor (post: 1361116) wrote:I know there is a lot of doom and gloom about the market, but what precisely do you mean by "anime dying?" In North America or Japan? Is this more a case of adapting to changing market conditions or getting over a learning curve? The bad economy certainly hasn't made it possible for the market to come back yet, at least here.
But, Blkmage, I am NOT trying to argue with you at all]
I was actually being sarcastic. Essentially, yes, there's a lot of a-bloo-bloo-blooing going on about how anime is dying. And yet, I was able to watch something like 20 or so shows that were airing in Japan this year that I really enjoyed. That's not to mention the amazing movies that came out this year: Summer Wars and the tail end of Kara no Kyoukai.
More seriously though, the reason that people are saying this is because of the way that the industry is set up in Japan. TV productions lose money over there and so the only way to make a profit is through DVD sales. Anime DVDs are ridiculously expensive and overpriced over there, about two episodes per disc for something like $60, I think.
The problem with this model is that only really hardcore fans buy these exorbitantly priced DVDs and so the industry churns out bad series after bad series to attract these fans. These fans are also typically into the moe stuff, buying shows that feature their favourite characters or whatever. It's also these series that have a lot of merchandising outside of DVD sales. We're looking at character songs, figures, and other things.
And so we have a death spiral where industry increasingly produces more and more unoriginal pandering series because creative and original productions don't make money. A very good example of this is the shows that run int the noitaminA slot, which are shows that were made specifically to target a broader audience. These shows do amazingly well in TV ratings but get terrible sales, which translates to a financial disaster.
Of course, this only applies to TV productions. Movies and OVAs still do fairly well, and I think I've seen the producer for Gundam UC mention that they think that more productions will be moving in that direction, especially after the success of Kara no Kyoukai.
Do I think anime is dying? Not quite yet. Like I said, there was a ton of stuff that I enjoyed this year and last year, and there's a ton of interesting stuff that I'm looking forward to in 2010. Also, the industry isn't stupid, and they are making changes (like the move to movies and OVAs that I mentioned). There are concentrated efforts to get more original stuff produced.Cool cool. My memory doesn't last more than 3 months, so I can't write anything like this
" wrote:RustyClaymore 11:27 - Ah yes, Socks is the single raindrop responsible for the flood. XD
TheSubtleDoctor (post: 1361201) wrote:Thank you, sir! That's good knowledge. Do you blog about this sort of thing?
KhakiBlueSocks (post: 1361203) wrote:[font="Trebuchet MS"][SIZE="4"][color="RoyalBlue"]- Kodocha: The one thing that I love about Kodocha (One of many things that I love, I might add) is the fact that it doesn't fit into any one genre. One minute it's a dramatic series, then the next it's a fall-off-your-chair comedy, then if you don't watch out, it turns into a shojo anime, then the very next episode it's a shonen anime! Kodocha packs a lot of bang for it's buck.
- "Azumanga Daioh": Before "K-On!", before "Lucky Star", before "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya", there was "AzuDai", the reigning queen of them all. From beginning to end, "Azumanga Daioh" kept my attention and kept me laughing.[/color][/SIZE][/font]
" wrote:RustyClaymore 11:27 - Ah yes, Socks is the single raindrop responsible for the flood. XD
Blessed be the LORD my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:
My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me.
blkmage (post: 1361135) wrote:Of course, this only applies to TV productions. Movies and OVAs still do fairly well, and I think I've seen the producer for Gundam UC mention that they think that more productions will be moving in that direction, especially after the success of Kara no Kyoukai.
Blessed be the LORD my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:
My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me.
Blessed be the LORD my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:
My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me.
Blitzkrieg1701 wrote:As always, the bulk of the anime I got into this year has already been around for a while (heck, I only just watched all of Kiki's Delivery Service THIS MORNING), and to be honest, most of the stuff I saw WAS produced this year was kind of underwhelming (K-On! is the one exception, and even that's just a silly diversion) But then, I spend way more time getting caught up on anime I missed the first time around than I do following the Hot New Things, so I'm sure I'll experience the best parts of '09 eventually.
" wrote:RustyClaymore 11:27 - Ah yes, Socks is the single raindrop responsible for the flood. XD
most of the stuff I saw WAS produced this year was kind of underwhelming (K-On! is the one exception, and even that's just a silly diversion)
KhakiBlueSocks (post: 1361482) wrote:[SIZE="4"][color="RoyalBlue"][font="Trebuchet MS"]
- Kino's Journey[/font][/color][/SIZE]
Blitzkrieg1701 (post: 1361711) wrote:YES
" wrote:RustyClaymore 11:27 - Ah yes, Socks is the single raindrop responsible for the flood. XD
blkmage (post: 1361135) wrote:I was actually being sarcastic. Essentially, yes, there's a lot of a-bloo-bloo-blooing going on about how anime is dying. And yet, I was able to watch something like 20 or so shows that were airing in Japan this year that I really enjoyed. That's not to mention the amazing movies that came out this year: Summer Wars and the tail end of Kara no Kyoukai.
More seriously though, the reason that people are saying this is because of the way that the industry is set up in Japan. TV productions lose money over there and so the only way to make a profit is through DVD sales. Anime DVDs are ridiculously expensive and overpriced over there, about two episodes per disc for something like $60, I think.
The problem with this model is that only really hardcore fans buy these exorbitantly priced DVDs and so the industry churns out bad series after bad series to attract these fans. These fans are also typically into the moe stuff, buying shows that feature their favourite characters or whatever. It's also these series that have a lot of merchandising outside of DVD sales. We're looking at character songs, figures, and other things.
And so we have a death spiral where industry increasingly produces more and more unoriginal pandering series because creative and original productions don't make money. A very good example of this is the shows that run int the noitaminA slot, which are shows that were made specifically to target a broader audience. These shows do amazingly well in TV ratings but get terrible sales, which translates to a financial disaster.
Of course, this only applies to TV productions. Movies and OVAs still do fairly well, and I think I've seen the producer for Gundam UC mention that they think that more productions will be moving in that direction, especially after the success of Kara no Kyoukai.
Do I think anime is dying? Not quite yet. Like I said, there was a ton of stuff that I enjoyed this year and last year, and there's a ton of interesting stuff that I'm looking forward to in 2010. Also, the industry isn't stupid, and they are making changes (like the move to movies and OVAs that I mentioned). There are concentrated efforts to get more original stuff produced.
That post was a product of many lists and not memory, actually.
Yamamaya (post: 1362594) wrote:Unfortunately, this can often happen in a niche market. Sure, they could make an anime series that attracts a broader audience but in the end they can't count on the casual viewer to buy the DVDs. Thus, they go with the less risky option and give out the crap that the otakus want.
The only anime series that wasn't based off manga, visual novel, or light novel in the last few years that I can think of was Code Geass. They threw in a multitude of Pizza Hut ads in the anime just for extra cash.
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