Ask John: Can You Explain Differences in American and Japanese Animation Viewers?

Question:
My friend was explaining to me the common theory of how “Japanese take animation seriously while Americans think cartoons are for kids.” Yet, while I agree to some extent that Animation is taken more seriously in Japan, I disagreed with his assurtion that therefore, animation is much more popular in Japan. I think a lot of Americans have a made up vision that Japan is a place of higher creative freedom than the US. And I really think some Americans have the idea that anime is a widespread popular thing in the US. I have to disagree. For all I know, many casual people in Japan will not know Akira or Ghost in the Shell. On the other hand, while names like Sazae-san and and Doraemon are house hold names, they aren’t viewed by many people other than children. In contrast to that, Americans of many ages seem to have the appreciation for Family Guy, Simpsons, Futurama, and South Park. I just see America as having a higher base of “casual animation viewers” while “anime viewers” in both America and Japan are just the “otaku” class. I would appreciate it if you can share your insight on this matter.

Answer:
In order to compose an answer to this question, I’ll have to make some broad statements about the Japanese fan community that are based on my own observations and theories, so their precise accuracy may be unreliable. I am undoubtedly a fanatic anime fan, but I try to maintain a realistic perspective on anime and anime fandom. From personal experience visiting Tokyo numerous times I know that Japan is, in some respects, more liberal minded than America. I also know that anime is not quite as mainstream in Japan as many American fans think it is. I think it’s reasonable to say that anime is roughly as commonplace in Japan as comic books are in America. Anyone in a major American city can easily find Superman and Spiderman comics, but they’re not so common as to be found without a little bit of effort. Likewise anime is relatively common in Tokyo, but not so common that average visitors literally trip over it (Akihabara being the exception). A tourist can find anime literally everywhere in Akihabara Electric Town, without even trying, but elsewhere in Japan, uncovering anime takes a bit of effort. Similarly, even though there seem to be dozens of anime television shows broadcast on Japanese television at any given time, actually finding them on Japanese television is a rarity. I think that especially American visitors expect to be able to just channel surf Japanese television at any time of the day and stumble upon at least one anime broadcast. That’s actually rarely the case, as the majority of Japanese television seems to consist of baseball and variety/celebrity talk programs.

American fans, I suspect, presume that anime is commonplace in Japan because so much anime exists. In reality, anime seems to be relegated to distinct enclaves in Japanese society: Akihabara Electric Town, Nakano Broadway, and isolated, individual shops spread throughout Tokyo. The isolation of anime culture in Japan seems to reflect the character of Japan’s fan community. Unlike the American fan community, which seems to be a vibrant, energetic community, Japan’s otaku culture seems to consists of a large number of individuals who share a common interest, but don’t interact very much. American anime specialty stores and conventions are characterized by noise and motion, by vivacious and active fans. Japanese anime specialty stores, and as far as I know, conventions, seem to be more like museums or libraries where consumers and collectors gather to privately respect and examine the objects of their obsession. Japanese otaku gather by necessity, and share information and opinions. American fans, I think, are motivated to gather and physically, exuberantly interact with other otaku face to face.

It’s partially this attitude that causes American fans to over estimate the size and influence of anime fandom in America. Since American anime fans typically congregate among other anime fans, they get the impression that “everybody” loves anime. Furthermore, anime gets a lot more press coverage now than it used to, and there is more anime on American television now than ever before. But on a relative scale there are still very few anime series available on American television, and most telling of all, a major Disney DVD release can sell many times more copies in a single day than an average domestic anime DVD will sell in its entire lifetime. Anime is increasingly high profile in America because it’s still foreign and frequently misunderstood, but while typical Americans are probably familiar with The Simpsons and South Park, significantly fewer of those same average Americans recognize names like Mobile Suit Gundam and Cowboy Bebop.

Both Japan and America have mainstream animated hits and different strata of viewers who are familiar with mainstream animated series, and hardcore fans. I believe that typical Japanese citizens are at least somewhat familiar with Sazae-san, Doreamon, and Totoro, but fewer typical Japanese citizens are likely to recognize names like Trigun and Chobits. Disney movies are reasonably successful in Japan. Studio Ghibli movies are among the highest grossing films ever released in Japan. But casual, mainstream Japanese citizens don’t think of Ghibli movies as associated with Berserk and Elfen Lied. In the same way, typical Americans recognize Bart Simpson and the cast of South Park but can’t tell the difference between Pokemon and Full Metal Alchemist. Family Guy is one of the best selling DVD series in America, but many of the Americans who love Family Guy don’t associate Family Guy with anime broadcast on American television like Cowboy Bebop, Pokemon, and Inuyasha. In both Japan and America, mainstream entertainment is separate from niche programming, regardless of its format or style. In both Japan and America, mainstream animation is thought of as mainstream entertainment first and animation second. Animation intended for hardcore fans, in Japan and America, is a fringe culture largely alien and unappealing to the mainstream.

There probably are more mainstream viewers receptive to animation in America than there are in Japan just based on the fact that there are so many more people in America than there are in Japan. The law of averages creates many times more casual animation watchers in America than in Japan. I’ve always believed that the most popular anime TV series in Japan are ones watched by families, not just small children. Programs like Detective Conan and Sazae-san contain mature and nostalgic themes specifically addressed to mature viewers. The fact that the majority of mainstream animated television programs in America seem to be adult oriented while most of the successful mainstream Japanese programs are for families and children lies in differences in the respective cultures of animation. America has never had much mature, niche market animation. So the mature animation that America has created has become popular among mature, mainstream viewers. On the other hand, Japan has targeted mature animation specifically at niche viewers since the early 1970s, so there’s now an established precedent that mature animation is not mainstream in Japan.