Ask John: Has the Anime Boom Corrupted American Fandom?

Question:
Wow, digisubs and super-saturation of the US anime market has made American anime “fans” into Japanese fans, just with 1/3 of the attention span. I’m kind of sad that it seems more new people are finding their “niche” genres quickly and then deciding they only like a certain type of anime and then refuse to like or watch anything outside of their chosen genre, as well as the whole new-is-good-is-trendy movement.

Unfortunately for guys like us, the “mainsteaming” of anime here never meant an otakuzation movement fusing a love of Japanese animation as a medium, art, commerical product and riveting intellectual discourse and analysis about anime, its artistic merit and social/economic/political issues concerning it. Mainstreaming meant more average Joe’s having a slightly less vague notion: from “Them Japanese violent devil porn cartoons” (thanks, Urotsukidoji) to, “That poorly-drawn kiddie crap” (Sailor Moon, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh), and a huge influx of destined-to-be-geeks who would otherwise be involved in Star Trek/Wars, video games, computers, or sci-fi/fantasy to flock to anime because it was suddenly “cool”.

So what do you think?

Answer:
Although I’ll try to restrain myself, this is my introductory warning that this response will haphazardly meander over a lot of territory and personal philosophising.

Regarding the effect of the digisub revolution on the evolution of American fandom, I honestly don’t oppose the idea of American fans becoming more similar to Japanese fans. But I don’t think that’s what’s happening. While the American fan community may now be as familiar with some aspects of the contemporary Japanese animation as native Japanese fans, and may now exhibit a trend based fan consciousness similar to Japanese fandom, I don’t think that the American anime fan community has adopted all of the characteristics elements of Japanese fandom. Japanese mainstream viewers may have a relatively short attention span for anime given the frequent turn-over of new shows and the sheer amount of anime and manga available in Japan, especially upon including video and computer games and doujinshi. But Japanese fandom is, I believe, more aware of the relative scope of anime than the contemporary American fan community is. For one thing, American anime fans generally aren’t being exposed to the same variety of anime that Japanese fans have access to. There are no digital fansubs of most children’s and family anime series including Crayon Shin-chan, Soreike! Zukkoke Sanninkumi, Kaiketsu Zorori, Shima Shima Tora no Shimajiro, Atashin’chi, Sazae-san, Kochikame, Soreike! Anpanman, Ojarumaru, or numerous other shows that broaden the spectrum of anime and provide a more wholistic perspective of Japanese animation. Many American fans are totally unaware of, or are unfamiliar with, entire genres of Japanese animation. Furthermore, Japanese fans seem to have a more extensive familiarity with and respect for vintage classics and landmark anime titles than American fans do. For example, even 20 years later, Nausicaa is still one of the top ranked characters in Animage Magazine’s monthly poll of favorite characters. I’m not arguing that American fans aren’t aware of older anime titles, but the fact that shows like Mobile Suit Gundam and Lupin the 3rd can’t sustain a Cartoon Network broadcast, or don’t sell well on American home video suggests that American fans place an inordinate emphasis on current and contemporary anime, to the exclusion of older titles.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with preferring particular genres or styles of anime. But limiting one’s viewing to only particular genres of anime or particular shows makes a person a fan of one particular title or style of anime, not a fan of the art form itself. I’m glad to see that vintage titles like Godmars and Creamy Mami do get some exposure in today’s digital fansubbing scene, but with so much emphasis and exposure centered on contemporary titles, I’m afraid that the domestic anime scene is becoming shallow and preoccupied with the glamour and trendiness of anime instead of its substance as a foreign art form. Not to go off on a tangent, but I think it’s appropriate to mention the recent American industry emphasis on limited editions and premium DVD releases and series boxes in response to fan demand. I won’t say that these type of releases don’t have their place and purpose, but in the American market, I’m afraid that they’re frequently overshadowing the anime itself. In the early days of American anime fandom, we had no fancy packaging and no limited editions. We also had a literate, intellectual community of anime fans that produced their own nationally distributed anime magazines including Animag, Animezine, Animenominous, V-Max, and Protoculture Addicts; and fans that fansubbed anime with the intention of exposing the art form to more Americans. Now we have countless “anime fans” that refuse to purchase an anime series, regardless of its quality, if it doesn’t offer a series box or limited edition packaging, digital fansubbers that apparently translate anime to inflate their own egos, and highly touted and eagerly consumed domestic releases of anime titles that are objectively and critically quite bad. (The fact alone that some fans may like a show doesn’t mean that it’s technically or critically good animation.) In effect, it could be argued that anime fandom in America has come down from the mountaintop, for better or worse.

I think it’s commendable to be interested in current anime. Interest in current anime promotes awareness of the contemporary state of the Japanese animation industry and the tastes of Japanese fans which influence that industry. Analysis of contemporary anime in relation to older shows also elucidates changing trends and patterns in the evolution of Japanese animation. But I do get the feeling that current American anime fandom has forgotten or lost much of its intellectual perception of anime as Japanese art. We’re definitely seeing an increasing domestic interest in “girls’ anime” with the licensing and release of Super GALS! Kotobuki Ran, Wedding Peach, Princess Tutu, Fruits Basket, Kodomo no Omocha, Hana Yori Dango, and numerous other titles. But my gut instinct tells me that this new influx of shoujo is a result of process of elimination as much, or more so, than it is a response to broadening interest from American fans. When all the “otaku” shonen shows are licensed, what’s left but to move on to shoujo anime next? I have to admit that I may be romanticizing the past too much and waxing about the “good ole days.” And I may also be a bit excessively alarmist. However I don’t think that my apprehension of the attitude of contemporary American anime fandom is entirely mistaken. If so, I don’t know where American anime fandom is heading, and I don’t know if we’ll ever reach the lofty goal American anime fandom once had of having Japanese animation “understood” and “respected” within mainstream American culture. But once again, I’m admittedly an old fashioned and purist anime fan, so the possibility of anime becoming more of a trendy niche commodity in America than a respected art form may suit contemporary anime fans just fine because such a movement mirrors the casual and trendy and cutting-edge atmosphere often associated with anime instead of the cultish, academic, and introverted character that American anime fandom valued 15 years ago.

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