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There’s no doubt that anime is one of the most popular genres in the world. But with its increasing popularity, some are beginning to wonder if it will ever die. In this article, we’ll explore both sides of the argument and conclude whether or not anime will eventually fade away.
Will Anime Ever Die?
Even though anime is a portrayal of beautiful stories, wise life lessons, lovely themes, deeply-written characters, diverse ways of life, and mind-bending phenomenons; No genre is without its critics, and anime is no exception.
So we’ll discuss the reasons why people think anime will face a downfall in the future:
Rise of Western Animation:
Some people believe that anime will eventually die out, citing several reasons. One common argument is that the increasing popularity of Western animation will lead to the downfall of anime. After all, why watch a foreign show when there are plenty of excellent options from your own country?
This discussion is valid, but it’s important to remember that anime has been around for centuries, and it shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, the opposite is true; anime is more popular than ever before. Thanks to the internet, it’s now easier than ever to access anime from all over the world, and this global reach is only increasing.
While Western animation is undoubtedly growing, it’s still far from reaching the point of well-written plots and the supporting factors that anime possesses for a long time. Western animation lacks deep philosophies, sad touches of melancholy, and happy vibes imbued with wonderful feelings about specific moments shown in anime.
It also cannot easily reach the level of abstraction that is common in many anime stories. Despite accepting the fact that an average Western animation has a higher budget than average anime, the story is usually not the best out there. It will take a long time to learn how to tell amazing stories like in anime.
So even though Western animation is increasing in popularity, with positive impacts on its audience, better animation quality, a higher number of frames per second, and intensive experiences which are all reasons to put it on advantage; it still has a long way to go before it can catch up to anime in many respects that make anime worth your time.
Association With Otaku Culture:
Another reason some people believe that anime will die out is because of its association with otaku culture. For those who are unfamiliar, otaku is a Japanese term used to describe people who are obsessed with anime, manga, and video games.
While it’s true that otaku culture can be off-putting to some people, it’s important to remember that not all fans of anime are otaku. In fact, the vast majority of anime fans are perfectly normal people who just happen to enjoy watching animation from another country.
Yes, there are some aspects of otaku culture that can be considered negative, but this doesn’t mean that anime will eventually die out because of it. The bottom line is that people will always be interested in stories and characters that they can connect with, and anime has plenty of both elements in it.
Lack of Innovation:
Another reason people think anime will die is that they believe the genre has become too stagnant. They argue that there has been a lack of innovation in recent years, and as a result, anime has become boring and repetitive.
While it’s true that some anime are very similar to one another, it’s important to remember that this is the case with any genre of entertainment. There are always going to be some shows or movies that feel like they’re rehashing old ideas.
However, this doesn’t mean that the entire genre is unoriginal. In fact, there are plenty of innovative and original anime out there if you know where to look. Just because a few shows might be unoriginal doesn’t mean that the entire genre is.
There are many seasonal animes with incorporate new ideas and better story-telling, which ultimately helps the anime rise to the popular ones, with each having a distinct wonderful theme or element to keep you going back for more.
Loss of interest:
Some people believe that the reason anime is dying is that people are simply losing interest in it. They argue that the current crop of anime just isn’t as good as it used to be, and as a result, people are moving on to other things.
Recent advances in animation have shown that some anime-making industries have people who don’t like what they’re doing. They basically do It for money, not for passion. This makes the anime industry less attractive to people who want quality over quantity.
It is hard to deny that it’s true, some people might be losing interest in anime, it’s important to remember that this again is the case with any form of entertainment. There will always be people who are interested in it and people who aren’t.
The bottom line is that as long as there are people who are interested in watching anime, the genre will continue to thrive. So even though some people might be losing interest, there are plenty of others who’ll still like it.
Increased competition:
As anime becomes more and more popular, it will inevitably face increased competition from other forms of entertainment. This is especially true now that Western animation is starting to become more popular.
Some people believe that this increased competition will eventually lead to the death of anime. They argue that people will simply stop watching it in favor of more popular genres.
However, this is unlikely to happen. Anime has been around for decades, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. It’s still one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the world, and it doesn’t seem like that’s going to change anytime soon.
Conclusion:
At the end of the day, it’s impossible to predict the absolute future of anime. From what we’ve discussed, it’s evident that anime is going to thrive for times to come while facing the competition from western animation and modern challenges.
So even though there are some challenges that the genre faces, it’s still going to be around for a long time. In fact, with other animations trying to evolve, anime won’t be the same as that of the 90s.
It will continue to grow and innovate, just like it always has. It will still make space in the hearts of people and for that, we can be sure that anime will never die.
In a business perspective, yes it will. However, I don’t see it failing anytime from now. But, it will soon crumble like an Oreo Cookie if Japan will not make the proper reforms when it comes to improving the lives of their workers who works in the anime industry, especially the animators who have long suffered through the years.
I’m not worried anime will die, but I am a bit worried it’s becoming a victim of its own success to some extent. Anime is so popular that even major American brands use anime-style characters in advertisements sometimes. We had a Star Wars anime come out recently, a Cyberpunk 2077 anime is coming soon, and there’s also a Lord of the Rings anime in the works. These things seem cool on paper, but they make me worried that anime will eventually lose the aspects that make it special. If companies like Disney and Warner Bros. are paying anime studios to make cartoons based on their own IP… at what point is all this not really anime anymore?
I prefer anime and manga any time of the day! I hope it never dies. and even if it does, there is so much I still will have to catch up on…
I personally think arguments over subjects like this are pretty pointless. Anime, like all artistic forms, is not a static unitary sameness, and will always be different things to different people in different times and places. Its modes of expression will always evolve and change, and there will always be both supporters and detractors of emerging modes. Likewise, its audience will always be fluid and changing, people both dropping in and out as their own circumstances change. Whether or not there will “always” be a form that can recognisably be called “anime” is a moot point – it is what it is now and is becoming what it will be, and we all of us – more or less – go along for the ride.
Hmm, will anime die? My guess would be probably not. Anime and manga has been pretty well developed since the 1960’s and 70’s, so it’s been around for about 60 years. The likeliness it will disappear anytime soon isn’t that great. Most things that can last more than 50 years tend to stick around for a long while. Will anime and manga be as popular outside of Japan? It’s possible that it could lose some popularity in North America, but there were quite a few fans of anime and manga before the more recent boom of fandom, so it’s likely there will always be a small population of dedicated fans.
If we look at the anime which get international attention, they are often in some specific genres. But we need to realize that there are a lot of shows which never get exposed outside of Japan.
I don’t see western animation telling serious stories with wars and stuff, since the moral guardians will never accept it. I hear often how they stop children from watching anime, and anime itself gets sensored to apeal to the western values.
Just my own two sense.