Analyse the growth and transformation of the anime industry in North America alongside the increasing accessibility of anime streaming. From disjointed episodes uploaded to YouTube in parts, to illegal fan-subbing websites, to today’s officially licensed streaming sites like Crunchyroll and Netflix, how and where fans watch anime has drastically changed. Examine the ways this has impacted anime’s popularity (and vice-versa) as well as the viewer experience. How has it affected shows that are not licensed to streaming services? What happens when a service fails (see: Amazon’s Anime Strike)?
Anime streaming has been a contentious topic for a long time because in the early days, most if not all of it was illegal. Since watching the streaming videos was easier than buying the licensed product, the anime studios both in Japan and the US lost tons of money, and some people in the anime industry have even given whole panels at cons explaining about the perils of streaming. A lot of the policies of legal streaming sites like Crunchyroll--as well as the new technique of simuldubbing--were developed to deter illegal streaming or make it less profitable. – Debs5 years ago
Thanks @Debs! That makes a lot of sense. If you have any recommended sources that talk about this, let me know. I wonder if I can find any sources that talk about why some illegal sites have remained, despite the prevalence of legal streaming? – Eden5 years ago
Attack on Titan seems to be heavily influenced by German culture and philosophy. Are there any real correlations to this? Do any other anime shows portray philosophical theories and are they doing it as a service or a disservice?
I am not a very big anime fan, but Neon Genesis Evangelion has definitely been influenced by philosophical theories, especially by Kierkegaard. It was also an outlet for the psychological battles of creator Hideaki Anno. – tanaod6 years ago
great topic! while it may be difficult to actually statistically correlate these occurrences, i think it's certainly true that many anime display influences from certain philosophical theories or debates. Naruto, for example, mirrors the tensions in philosophical discourse of the search for a true "Universal," which you can see displayed in the ethos of certain characters and their goals. – ees6 years ago
Well, there's a lot of interplay between anime and philosophy. Fullmetal Alchemist deals with Plato's Allegory of The Cave , while Attack on Titan deals with Scmitt's The Political.Naruto definitely has elements of Buddhist thought.
– RedFlame20006 years ago
Japan frequently produces a live action of an anime. While the West is doing something similar to popular animé like Death Note, what are your thoughts on an animé’s live-action counterpart in Japan and the West?
I'd be interested to see the demographics and response to live actions produced in each country. Where North America generally meets such adaptations with displeasure and an upturned nose, how do Japanese viewers respond? – Slaidey5 years ago
Masaaki Yuasa is one of the most celebrated directors in anime today, and for good reason. His dynamic, fluid style of animation, which creates a look and feel of real movement in all of his projects, is unlike that of any of his peers. He often applies his style to odd narratives with odd art styles, which serves to accentuate the difference between the work that he produces and that of his contemporaries.
To what extent is his dynamic style of animation integral to the stories that he chooses to tell? Are the manga versions—in cases where there are such—sufficient in and of themselves, or are his animations more whole works? Are they fundamentally different? What commonalities exist between disparate entries of his canon such as Mind Game (2002) or the Tatami Galaxy (2010), Devilman Crybaby (2018) or Ping Pong (2014), his contributions to Space Dandy (2014) or to Adventure Time (2014)? Yuasa seems to be concerned with growth, change, and self-overcoming, but is this interest expressed in his style as well as in the plots that he works with?
It is widely believed good art-style is the one that is most pleasing to the eye, while this true to certain level art-style has more to it then beauty. Art-style when used properly can do more than just make an anime look beautiful . It can be used as a tool of visual communication and world building. For example the wacky art-style used in one piece perfectly complements its odd unrealistic setting, it also gives a good insight into the characters(Ussop is a liar hence has a Pinocchio nose,Sanji has tall legs signifying his use of legs as his weapon of choice). On the other end we have death note, it has a more subtle and realistic art-style suggesting grounded story,its grey tones are similar to that of neo-noir suggesting the vibes of the crime drama it is. So in this light exploring art-style as a tool that can perfectly compliment and complete the story is some thing that needs to be done.
You may want to consider the works of Masaaki Yuasa, which are all heavily stylized. From Ping Pong (2014), to the Tatami Galaxy (2010), to Devilman Crybaby (2018), the use of color, art style, and dynamic animation style are all vital to the storytelling and, a case could be made, to the setting itself. This is most striking, in my opinion, in The Tatami Galaxy (2010), which uses color and stylized representation of the setting (through photographs on top of drawn panels) to striking effect. – C.W.B. Bryson5 years ago
This is a proposition for the analysis of making choice and facing consequence in the anime (or the manga) series ‘Tokyo Ghoul’. The character of Ken Kaneki can be taken as the main vehicle for exploring the philosophical idea of personal choices and the effects one has to face based on them. It can also be explored from a psychological stance, especially through delving into the divided identity of the protagonist in ‘Tokyo Ghoul:re".
initially kaneki decides to stick with the delusion that he can live as a human even though his body is of a ghoul. he chooses to stay weak and naive. as a result he is taken by jason and tortured till his very psyche is fractured and split. he then flips then jumps from one side of the spectrum to the other far end. – SKala5 years ago
Anime reboots in the past decade have been common. Some of the most successful anime series among Western audiences have been remakes of older series: Fullmetal Alchemist was notoriously remade into Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood by Studio Bones and experienced substantial commercial success. Hunter x Hunter was remade in 2011 and brought a new generation to love the series. Devilman Crybaby by studio Science Saru remade the 1972 cult hit Devilman and became a critical success and quickly a cult fan hit on Netflix. Dragon Ball Z Kai, a remake of the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, experienced popularity domestically and abroad. But others have suffered: Basilisk: The Ōka Ninja Scrolls, and Berserk (2016) were critically panned. Mixed critical and fan reviews met Sailor Moon Crystal. This year, shoujo series Fruits Basket is due for an entire series reboot that promises to capture the nostalgia of the older series. What makes an anime reboot successful–is it the popularity of the source material, the production studio, or just passionate fans? This article will examine the history of full-series anime remakes, their popularity, and their critical reception, to show that not every series should be remade. For those that have been deemed successful, this article will look at common elements that contributed to their success and how they might be applied to future reboots.
Think about any beloved property from the past from any medium. Can that beloved property be revisited with new and fresh ideas brought to the table? If the answer is yes, then a remake shouldn't be out of the question. If the answer is no, then it should be left alone. That's pretty how I think about remakes or reboots and the same can be applied to anime. Maybe some aspects of an older anime are outdated or could be improved upon, while unsuccessful remakes don't quite capture what fans liked about the original in the first place and don't really introduce interesting ideas. – cbo10945 years ago
Remakes and reboots really need to capture the spirit of the original work if they are to be seen as doing anything other than riding the coattails of the original: otherwise, they may as well be a completely new series. As an example of a bad reboot, Nurse Witch Komugi R took what made the original special and exchanged it for generic magical girl tropes. Such moves are likely to both offend fans of the original and fail at standing out among the ample competition from past and present – LaPlant05 years ago
Anime and manga is filled with the trope of abusive, neglectful parenting. Incredibly popular anime and manga have featured characters suffering from some history of emotional or physical abuse from their parents. Memories of this abuse tend to drive their motivation and goals. A few examples include Gaara, Hinata, and Naruto from Naruto, Shinji from Neon Genesis Evangelion, Historia Reiss from Attack on Titan, Todoroki Shouto from My Hero Academia, and almost all the Zodiac characters from Fruits Basket. Examples abound, and some of the most well-loved characters have horrible family histories. This article seeks to examine the prevalence of this trope, the psychology behind abuse, the importance of its depiction, and why it might resonate with readers. It also looks at how abuse is depicted in a visual medium, and how that affects how the character is interpreted by the audience.
(Since there are so, so, *so* many examples of abusive parents in this medium, I’m curious as to whether I should hone in one one series instead of doing a broad sweep. Let me know what you think!)
I agree that there's many examples that can be used for this topic, which is great as it will provide a lot of content that can be analyzed and addressed. Rather than just focusing on one series, it might be interesting to reference multiple examples from different animes and mangas. However, try not to be too broad when referencing multiple examples - you'd still want to go into depth and analyze each example thoroughly. Doing so could possibly reveal similarities and/or differences to how abusive parents are portrayed in these mediums and what this might mean on a greater and thematic level. – jay5 years ago
It also might be important to ask what the effect of the abuse may have on the characters (within) the stories themselves. How do the characters deal with their abuse. How does it change them. – Jiraiyan5 years ago
