How do new anime fans get into the medium?

[cudwieser]

Wasn't me [he says looking at his copy of Plastic Little]
Seriously though Plastic Little is a nice little gem. Hardly the best anime you'll see but still a well done romp with great animation, characters and a decent story.

As for Neo It was D'Gray Man. If you still have a copy of the issue it was the first of the reader reviews in the section.

 

[Neil.T]

Wasn't me [he says looking at his copy of Plastic Little]
Seriously though Plastic Little is a nice little gem. Hardly the best anime you'll see but still a well done romp with great animation, characters and a decent story.

[Cough] Realistic boob physics. [Ahem]

As for Neo It was D'Gray Man. If you still have a copy of the issue it was the first of the reader reviews in the section.

Damn. I don't have that issue, unfortunately. The first one I bought was issue 88 (with K-On on the cover). It's fun to get something printed in NEO, isn't it?

Sonoda is the greatest character designer of all time as far as I'm concerned. Whatever the merits or otherwise of any show he worked on, the strength of his designs always shines through.

I'd have jumped in (and did) with BGC. I have to agree with Sonoda. He is a grossly underrated artist and it is a shame most of his works were never truly realised as anime His manga is a must for any collection, especially Gunsmith Cats).

Thinking about Kenichi Sonoda again, I wonder just how many people globally got into anime as a direct result of seeing his artwork in some form. For me, Sonoda has got to be one of the most important creatives in terms of first establishing anime among Western audiences, alongside Katsuhiro Otomo and Masamune Shirow.

 

[cudwieser]

[Cough] Realistic boob physics. [Ahem]



Damn. I don't have that issue, unfortunately. The first one I bought was issue 88 (with K-On on the cover). It's fun to get something printed in NEO, isn't it?





Thinking about Kenichi Sonoda again, I wonder just how many people globally got into anime as a direct result of seeing his artwork in some form. For me, Sonoda has got to be one of the most important creatives in terms of first establishing anime among Western audiences, alongside Katsuhiro Otomo and Masamune Shirow.

It gives me a little buzz to know that every so often my voice will be heard.

Putting my ego away you ask a good question about sonoda being the conduit through which some have gotten into anime. His works were inspired by Hollywood films and his love of cars, guns and other american (western) cultures. It made his works somewhat more palletable to western audiences. Saying that, imo, those that knew sonoda would more likely be those with a more dedicated access like Satellite TV. The more terrestrial among us were likely introduced with Akira, Fist of the North Star and Cyber City, Tokyo Babylon, Overfiend or Black Magic (remember that name) if you're old enough. Younger fans likely started with the cinema releases of Ghost in the Shell (written by the same guy who wrote and produced Black Magic) and eventually NGE when they started to grasp what anime was about.

P.S Seeing as you mentioned Otomo, you might want to consider Kon, not only their individual works, but a unique anime Otomo wrote and Kon cut his teeth on, Roujin Z

 

[Neil.T]

you ask a good question about sonoda being the conduit through which some have gotten into anime. His works were inspired by Hollywood films and his love of cars, guns and other american (western) cultures.

And the best example of that is Gunsmith Cats.

His manga is a must for any collection, especially Gunsmith Cats.

P.S Seeing as you mentioned Otomo, you might want to consider Kon

I cannot even tell you how how much of a fan of the late great Satoshi Kon I am. If I hadn't already been a fan of anime when I first encountered Paprika, that would've done it.

The full extent of what Kon would've brought to anime as a medium, given another 10 or even 20 years, we will now never know.

God rest his soul.

 

[ayase]

Younger fans likely started with the cinema releases of Ghost in the Shell (written by the same guy who wrote and produced Black Magic) and eventually NGE when they started to grasp what anime was about.

Not to make you feel old or anything cudwieser, but I think most younger fans of anime these days probably weren't even born when GitS was in cinemas the first time...

It is interesting to observe how what gets people interested in anime seems to have really changed over time - Not to generalise, but while a lot of older fans seem to have been attracted by the more western flavoured sci-fi/cyberpunk films and shows of the 80s and 90s (even if they don't necessarily stay for that content and find other genres in the medium they enjoy equally as much - That certainly happened with me) a lot of younger fans seem much more into the more distinctly Japanese magical / supernatural highschoolers stuff that's been very popular for the last decade or so. Though I may be underestimating the number of people who still get into anime through Shonen Fighting Show With 9 Million Episodes X™.

 

[qaiz]

You don't get into anime, anime gets into you.

 

[cudwieser]

Not to make you feel old or anything cudwieser, but I think most younger fans of anime these days probably weren't even born when GitS was in cinemas the first time...

It is interesting to observe how what gets people interested in anime seems to have really changed over time - Not to generalise, but while a lot of older fans seem to have been attracted by the more western flavoured sci-fi/cyberpunk films and shows of the 80s and 90s (even if they don't necessarily stay for that content and find other genres in the medium they enjoy equally as much - That certainly happened with me) a lot of younger fans seem much more into the more distinctly Japanese magical / supernatural highschoolers stuff that's been very popular for the last decade or so. Though I may be underestimating the number of people who still get into anime through Shonen Fighting Show With 9 Million Episodes X™.

It's not necessarily that we got into more western anime (I doubt the intent in the beginning was to cater to us) it was simply Western channels catering for western audiences with stories they knew we'd understand. With the indroduction of more open media like the net, audiences weren't watching 'Diluted' content (remember that word and track down the original Cartoon Network episodes of Naruto). Most of us old timers (I take no shame in it. I'm 32 now don't you know ) simply found something interesting and persued it, ultimetly finding out that it was Japanese and loving it (well not despising it). The Fact that Sonoda's works were western inspired only helped him (and thank god it did). The truth is GITS was maybe the first truly 'westernised' anime film (Akira IIRC wasn't meant for the west per se, but was accepted for it's then (and still) technical mastery of the art and very unique story) as it was maybe the first to gain a universal release and acceptance. After that Ghibli blew the doors of Disney with Spirited Away.

What caused western audiences to baulk were Japanese Values (Overfiend again). We are still suffering that stigma (not Helped by Excel Saga and Puni Puni Poemy which is an absolute must see by any western anime fan). What I've oberved of the younger audiernce is the Tenchi Effect (Tenchi Muyo). That is the breeding on watered down 'westernised' anime on Cartoon Network. It isn't that the younger were any more introduced to 'Japanese' anime than the older generations because of watered down versions. With the net (and Youtube and Piracy, yes Piracy) those that watched or wanted Naruto quickly found out that anime was much more in depth and bigger than the watered down rubbish we were being given. All I'll say is watch Excel Saga and Puni Puni Poemy if you want some idea of what the Japanese watch and think we want to watch (bear in mind much truth is said in jest). Also check the Puni Puni Peomy trailer on Youtube before watching the full movie. It will save your ass a lot of therapy.

P.S You're probably right about the younger fan being born post GITS. I make no bones about being as old as I am as I'm far from the oldest. Speed Racer was out in the west in the 70's/80's (as was Astro Boy under the guise of the Mighty Atom), but it does raise an interesting question. There is a generation (relative term) before me and at lest one after. It seems there is now a forth is starting. With that I ask (as I've asked before) what was your seminal anime? Some it was Astro Boy (60's/70's) or Speed Racer (70's/Early 80's). Some it was Akira (80's/Early 90's) or Fist of the North Star (Early 90's). After that was Ghost in the Shell (1995), Cowboy Bebop (1998) or Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995). Now what are anime fans starting their advebture with?

 

[ravenwood7040]

Now what are anime fans starting their advebture with?

Well, for me, the first time I watched an anime knowing what it was was Kill la Kill. At the time, I had watched finished Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Season 4 of Korra was just about to start up. I was interested in watching another animated show with a character like Korra in it, and I figured anime was probably going to be my best bet for something like that, so I poked around Netflix and ended up watching Kill la Kill over 3 days. I suspect thats probably not a typical experience though...

 

[Zin5ki]

You don't get into anime, anime gets into you.

Quite so! It is often a matter of circumstance, that is to say, being in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time (delete where applicable).

 

[Neil.T]

Things sure have moved on since the early days of anime in the UK. Here's a quote lifted directly from a little catalogue that came with some of Manga Video's VHS tape releases. Of the benefits of joining their membership club, it says:

Only with the Official Membership Card and your own Membership Number will you be able to gain street cred ...

"Street cred"?! How very '90s.

 

[Neil.T]

Double-post, I know, but I should've mentioned for the sake of our younger users that "street cred" was how your social standing used to be measured in the days before Facebook "likes".

 

[cudwieser]

In the days we used to socialise. God they were awkward moments

 

[Neil.T]

In the days we used to socialise.

Speak for yourself, dude!

 

[D1tchd1gger]

Well it's been a long and winding road. It started before I knew it had, in the mid-80s, with the likes of Ulysses 31, Mysterious Cities of Gold and Dogtanian (Euro-Japanese collaborations), but they were mixed up with likes of Transformers and Thundercats from the States and I was under 10 so it was all cartoons to me.

The first anime I knew was anime was Akira and Legend of the Four Kings on BBC 2 and Channel 4 in the early 90s. But I didn't really pursue it at all, my main form of entertainment was another Japanese influence in gaming, I had a Mega Drive with a number of JRPGs. I then became a student and stuff like Pokemon and Dragonball I saw as kids stuff.

After uni it was back to gaming with PlayStation and Final Fantasy/Tekkan/GT. The next anime I remember watching was Spirited Away. I rented it from Blockbusters after it won an Oscar this lead to watching the rest of the Ghibli films on Film 4. I think I also rented the likes of Steam Boy and Metropolis around this time.

So next, in 2007, when my physical collection consisted of Akira, Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke (and The Animatrix), along came Manga Force and then AnimeCentral. This was the first time I had ever watched anime series (that I knew were anime), but whilst both were great for introducing me to lots of different anime, financially Manga Force was terrible (100 dvds at £8 each, especially as some series split into 4 or 5 parts were going for £8 as a collection!) and just one many poor financial decisions on my part. So again I couldn't pursue anime as an on going hobby.

So next we come to more recent times. After finally getting my finances under control I signed up to Netflix and watched the likes of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Death Note, Attack on Titan and Bleach (re-watch from AnimeCentral). And then this year it sort of exploded with SyFy showing their series of films, of which I had only seen The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Your Name being massive (plus seemingly an anime a month being in the cinema, has that been a new thing this year?), VICELAND showing there series of shows and films and signing up to Crunchyroll (to continue to watch Bleach, which ironically has been on hiatus after that Bount arc). I've also been able to start buying stuff, although mainly films for the moment including the entire Ghibli Collection within a year (starting after Film 4 didn't show anything bar Wind Rises and Kaguya last Christmas). Oh and I reappeared here thanks to all that.

So there you are a mixture of TV, renting, cinema releases, purchasing and streaming (including the odd film/series illegally ). I still regard myself as a bit of a newb and it may even fizzle out as other procrastinations have come and gone in the past, but for now I've got lots of shows on my various queues.

Talking of newbs I think this forum could do with a glossary of terms as there's still some stuff I have to work out when I see it here, for example I saw AoA the other day and it took a while to work out it was Aniplex of America (I'd heard of Aniplex, can't miss it when seeing the little sting at the start of their shows, but didn't know that that was their full name).

 

[cudwieser]

S

Talking of newbs I think this forum could do with a glossary of terms as there's still some stuff I have to work out when I see it here, for example I saw AoA the other day and it took a while to work out it was Aniplex of America (I'd heard of Aniplex, can't miss it when seeing the little sting at the start of their shows, but didn't know that that was their full name).

Sounds like an instruction manual to me. Don't see the 'kids' reading it

Isn't there an encyclopedia on this site?

 

[Girls with Guns]

Well, unlike most of you young Whippersnappers , I am old enough to have seen the very first broadcasts of Japanese anime in America way back in the mid to late 1960's - I watched the original airings of Speed Racer, Astroboy, and Kimba the White Lion when I was between 5 and 9 years old... They were Ok, although I wasn't a big fan of these new cartoons that had people with really big eyes and stood perfectly still except for their mouths when they talked, lol... But, after that, I actually didn't see much anime on TV at all for the next 40+ years, and was pretty much totally oblivious to it until my two pre-teen daughters showed me a couple of Studio Ghibli movies and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time about 7-8 years ago, and I really enjoyed all of them. Since I had kids, we watched a lot of the children's channels on television, and another big influence for me was seeing Avatar: The Last Air Bender series on Nickelodeon. Even though it wasn't actually true anime, it had enough anime influence, and the story was so good, that it made me very interested in checking out more anime. I noticed there was some anime broadcast on Television early Sunday mornings on Adult Swim, so I started getting up about 6 am on Sundays to watch some of the anime they aired - Ghost in the Shell, Durarara!!, Cowboy Bebop, and Casshern Sins, mainly. The main problem with broadcast anime though, is that I was only able to see the epeisodes that were airing that particular Sunday, so I ended up starting shows in the middle of the series and either missed episodes or saw them out of order. Not a great way to watch anime. I did learn very quickly that I hated Shounen series like Bleach, Naruto, and DBZ, so I just ate breakfast or did other things around the house during those time slots.

Then along came Netfilx streaming to our home, which I signed up for my daughters to use after I completely cut the cord on all TV/Cable/Satellite five years ago, since there was basically nothing but garbage on TV any more and I was tired of paying over $100 every month for nothing. I soon noticed Netflix had a small selection of anime on it, and I finally was able to watch a few series such as Blood+, Last Exile, Samurai Champloo, and Chrome Shelled Regios in their entirety, from start to finish, and when it suited my own schedule. After that I was pretty well hooked on anime, and my newest and most expensive hobby of collecting anime on Blu-ray began shortly thereafter...

 

[Adam-M]

Netflix and other streaming services are the cause of most of most of anime going generic and acceptable. When I first got into it with Akira when I was at school still there was very little available in this country, and then what was here was very much watered down and westernised but part of that was due to the content (violence or otherwise). Take Battle of The Planets for example. The Americans invented the character of 7-Zark-7 (the daft robot thing) as filler to replace the action which was seen as too much for kids. Then with Akira Japanese things became a bit cooler. For example, the character designer from Akira worked on Batman Beyond which is why the pilot with street gangs is so reminiscent of it.
When I was younger you had to actively seek out and find anime in this country (pre-interwebs remember) so you stood out as being "different" thus "not normal" for watching that kind of thing. Now it's everywhere so it's just become acceptable. I'm sure I've mentioned it before though, but quick tip - don't suggest to a millenialoid that Sword Art Online wasn't the first time someone got trapped in a computer game. Also, "I fight for the users".

 

[Rui]

Netflix and other streaming services are the cause of most of most of anime going generic and acceptable.

That's an interesting viewpoint. I'm not sure that I agree; Netflix doesn't really feel all that relevant outside of their experiments like Neo Yokio as I don't think that they can claim to have had any relevant creative influence on mass market fare like SAO. The fact that kids might latch on to Attack On Titan/Death Note/SAO and other big hits now thanks to increased exposure has got to be a good thing, even though the excited newer fans themselves can be a little... overwhelming sometimes.

Meanwhile, Amazon's Netflix-esque push into anime streaming hasn't shown any signs of harming the quality of the actual content. If anything, this season's Inuyashiki has many of the hallmarks of those classic shocker titles Manga used to license for us, despite being directly funded by Amazon's money since their sweeping acquisition of the noitaminA streaming rights. Whether it becomes a 'thing' like SAO and a generation of fans rave about how it's the first and best show of its type (which it isn't) is yet to be seen, but regardless of those mainstream opinions I think it's a solid show.

I think, personally, that a lot of anime has always been generic and acceptable. Boring kiddy shows and meandering romantic comedies have been around for yonks. Before, we relied on our local distributors to filter what was available (which was good if your tastes aligned with theirs, and terrible if they did not). Now, there's so much available that we have to perform that function ourselves, but it still feels as though there's plenty of high quality anime around to satisfy me. This season, in particular, is loaded with cool stuff which could never be described as generic.

R

 

[Adam-M]

When I say generic, I was referring to the fact that anime on a whole is no longer a "shock! gasp! different!" kind of thing. It's more acceptable because there's that much of it available that it just becomes considered as a TV show by some people instead of an anime.

 

[Rui]

When I say generic, I was referring to the fact that anime on a whole is no longer a "shock! gasp! different!" kind of thing. It's more acceptable because there's that much of it available that it just becomes considered as a TV show by some people instead of an anime.

Oh, I see. Having had most of my hobbies go through the period where they were niche and weird, I'm loving this more mainstream balance we have now. Though it's a shame that it doesn't seem to have translated into more prestige and revenue for the industry...

R