Ask John: How Has Anime Changed Over the Past 15 Years?

Question:
How do you think today’s landscape of anime differs from the landscape of, say, 15 years ago? What kinds of series, movies and OAVs were more prevalent back then in comparison to now?

Answer:
The landscape of anime is always changing, but it takes examination of a decade or more to reveal significant trends. Fifteen years prior to today was 1995. That really doesn’t seem like so long ago – at least, to me – and in certain respects anime production hasn’t changed very much since then. However, a close look at the anime of 1995 and the anime of today does reveal some differences, both fundamental and subtle. This examination clarifies how anime has changed, and reminds us of the gradual changes we’ve lived through.

A number of the new anime to premiere in 1995 are comparable to contemporary programs, suggesting that time hasn’t drastically changed the conventions or audience of anime over the past 15 years. Ninku premiered in 1995. Today we have the popular Naruto ninja anime. The Jubei Ninpucho movie was an adult oriented swordplay action film that didn’t make waves in Japan, but fared very well in America. The same description can be applied to the contemporary Afro Samurai anime. The concepts and style of 1995’s Sailor Moon SS & Wedding Peach appear in today’s Fresh Precure. Kuma no Putarou & Ike! Ina-chuu Takkyuubu provided wacky, absurd humor in 1995. Today’s Himitsu Kessha ~ Taka no Tsume and Gag Manga Biyori+ may be even more nonsensical, but the principal is similar. H2 was the Mitsuru Adachi baseball anime of the day. Now we have Adachi’s Cross Game baseball anime. 1995 domestic comedies like Azuki-chan and Mama wa Poyopoyosaurus ga Osuki are similar in tone to today’s Gokyodai Monogatari, Mainichi Kaasan, and Hanamaru Youchien. However, despite these similarities, there may be more differences between the anime of 15 years ago and the anime of today.

A look back at 1995 reveals how much anime has evolved. The Shin Seiki Evangelion TV series and Ghost in the Shell movie were landmarks of the time because they are productions of much greater psychological and philosophical depth and introspection than their contemporary productions. Contemporary anime fans are used to psychologically complex and intellectual anime like Higashi no Eden, Bakemonogatari, Kurenai, Casshan Sins, Garei -Zero-, and Darker Than Black, but this sort of anime practically didn’t exist 15 years ago. Mid and late 90s series like Evangelion, Berserk, Devilman Lady, Mugen no Ryvius, and Shoujo Kakumei Utena paved the way for more complex and challenging contemporary productions like Paranoia Agent and Kuchu Buranko. The Bakuretsu Hunter TV series and Golden Boy and Idol Project OVA series pushed the envelope of provocative fan service in mainstream anime in 1995. It’s fascinating to realize that prominent provocative contemporary mainstream anime like Strike Witches, Queen’s Blade, Chu-bra!!, Fight Ippatsu! Juden-chan!!, Kanokon, Ikkitousen, and Sekirei practically didn’t exist in 1995. Certainly fan service appeared in anime prior to the 1990s, but the boldness and prevelance of explict fan service in many contemporary anime is unprecedented. Likewise, it’s fascinating to recognize that the first Tenchi Muyo TV series was the only “harem” anime to air on Japanese TV in 1995. Contemporary anime fans have been so exposed to harem comedies like Princess Lover, Shuffle, Amaenaideyo!!, Kanon, Clannad, Nagasarete Airanto, Akaneiro ni Somaru Saka, Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Ore de, and Kore ga Watashi no Goshujin-sama that we forget that this variety of anime is still a relatively new sub-genre.

Contemporary anime fans are also so familiar with concepts including moé and tsundere that we may forget that these concepts practically didn’t exist 15 years ago. No TV anime new in 1995 resembled the present day concept of moé anime. Productions like Rozen Maiden, Strike Witches, Tayutama, Kanamemo, Macademy Wasshoi, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, and Sora no Woto didn’t exist in 1995. 1994’s Tonde Buurin, for example, is conceptually similar to today’s Anymal Tantei Kiruminzoo, but there’s an appreciable difference between the way Tonde Buurin used a girl transforming into a pig for humor and the way Kiruminzoo uses girls transforming into animals to evoke feelings of moé affection. The creation of characters specifically for viewers to feel possessive of is an anime concept introduced within the past 15 years. The concept of tsundere – either girls who are initially cold and aloof only to later reveal their romantic vulnerability or bipolar girls who alternate between violent and distant and affectionate personalities – likewise didn’t exist in 1995. The personality type of anime characters including Suzumiya Haruhi, Shiki Ryogi, Kagami Hiiragi, Taiga Aisaka, Rena Ryuugu, Rin Tosaka, and Casca has come into prominence within than the past 15 years.

While characteristics including moé, harem comedies, and psychologically complex anime have largely arisen since the mid 1990s there are also some characteristics of mid 90s anime that aren’t as common now. The most obvious absence may be the OVA format. From its greatest prominence in the 1980s, the OVA format was in decline in the 90s, yet even 1995 saw the release of at least 20 different OVA titles – many of them productions not spun off from earlier TV anime. Some examples include Elementalors, Koryu no Mimi, Armitage III, Ruin Explorers, Landlock, Bio Hunter, Gunsmith Cats, Saber Marionette R, and Bounty Hunter: The Hard. The contemporary anime industry continues to produce OVAs, but there seem to be fewer of them these days, and a larger percentage of contemporary OVAs seem to be related to earlier productions rather than titles completely new to anime.

The rise of moé, harem anime, tsundere characters, and simply anime targeted at hardcore otaku are all symbolic of the contemporary anime industry’s increasing compartmentalization. That progression may also be seen in the decreased prominence of sci-fi and fantasy themed adventure anime for mainstream young boy viewers. There are certainly still major shounen adventure franchises including Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, Fairy Tail, and Tegemi Bachi, but series like Battle Spirits and Metal Fight Beyblade seem less frequent now than they used to be. By comparison, the Gulkeeva, Eto Rangers, Gulliver Boy, Jura Tripper, Zenki, and Tobe! Isami adventure series all premiered in 1995. Contemporary productions including Battle Spirits, Metal Fight Beyblade, Kaidan Restaurant, Net Ghost Pipopa, Blue Dragon, Live On Cardliver Kakeru, and Element Hunters may technically still rival the number of such productions from the mid 90s, but there’s a distinct sensation that the Japanese anime production industry is now much more heavily focusing its productions and marketing efforts on the hardcore otaku market than was the case in the mid 90s.