Is the Western golden age of anime really over?

[Zontar]

Many anime fans in the West, particularly Canada and the US, view the early 2000s as the golden age of anime. Dubs where becoming consistently good, dvds where starting to be a thing so owning a while series was becoming easier then in the past, and anime could be seen on cable on weekend nights and Saturday morning on regular TV. In the years that followed, though, it disappeared from television for the most part, their time-slot replaced by cheap Disney tween comedies, low budget mature animated skits and whatever the hell Fox replaced the 4kids morning with (didn't really follow that one). The golden age, in the eyes of many, was over.

Well not for me. Despite the disappearance from television anime is more affordable then ever before, conventions which didn't even exist when the supposed golden age happened gather more and more goers each year, and it's easier to find anime then ever before (strictly speaking about legal means, like streaming on Netflix, Crunchyroll and Funimation, or buying it from the anime section of a store. I remember going to the dvd section of a Best Buy and my god the anime section was bigger then the video store in my home town).

So in short I'd say the anime golden age in the west never really ended, it simply changed with the times. How do you guys feel about it?

 

[DefunctTheory]

It is over, in a sense.

There is no 'golden age' of anime - like many other forms and sources of entertainment, it simply is. It's borderline mainstream, its affordable, easily acquirable, and of good quality.

Its no longer special. Its common. And I suppose that's a victory in itself.

 

[Lilani]

It is over, in a sense.

There is no 'golden age' of anime - like many other forms and sources of entertainment, it simply is. It's borderline mainstream, its affordable, easily acquirable, and of good quality.

Its no longer special. Its common. And I suppose that's a victory in itself.

I agree with this. Special blocks on TV like Toonami and Adult Swim which featured anime weren't just indicative of the demand of anime, they were indicative of how people consumed media at the time. But that doesn't mean anime is no longer in demand, in fact what's really going on is just the opposite. There's so much demand for so much anime there isn't a single block on television that could adequately meet the demand, or compete with what's already out there. After Toonami was gone people went to Adult Swim, and now downloads and streaming are how most people I know watch anime.

So I wouldn't say the "golden age" is over because the TV blocks have dried up. I'd say it's over simply because it's spread out among more people and more platforms, and thus doesn't feel like such a concentrated and special thing. Catching a special block on TV after school or staying up obscenely late to watch Adult Swim has a charm to it, but in those days it was hard for me to keep caught up on anime because I had a lot of shit to do after school and it was impossible for me to have my TV on late at night without getting caught. I much prefer being able to stream things on Netflix, or just order the season online.

 

[Saetha]

Dunno. I know I watch a lot less anime now then I did five or six years ago, but then, I used to watch a lot more television in general five or six years ago. And besides, I'm one person - I may be part of a trend, but not indicative of one by myself.

If I had to comment though? I'd say the anime fanbase has simply stopped growing. It's got fans, loads of fans, but it's not going anywhere. It's static. Which is good, because it won't disappear, but also kinda bad, because it hasn't yet achieved that sort of everyman popularity that movies and tv have always enjoyed, and that video games are starting to see. Anime, in the sense of the entire entertainment industry as a whole, is a niche product. Now, it's a bloody huge niche, but a niche nonetheless. If it ever wants to get bigger, become a standard thing in America, where "normal" folk are gossiping about that newest episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion. If anime ever wants that status, it'll need a new golden age, and probably a whopper of one, too.

On the other hand, there are benefits to being a niche. Sure, you better hide those OVAs and stuff that body pillow beneath the bed when your in-laws come over, but niche products generally have more freedom and creativity.

 

[Username Redacted]

*Pseudo Logical fallacies incoming* I'm 31 years old. I've been watching anime since I was in middle school (do the math) and I strongly disagree about there ever being any sort of "Golden Age". There where good anime series made 18 years ago and there have been good series that came out within the last year. Many in fact. I very much appreciate how much more accessible anime is now (fuck VHS) and the animation quality has steadily improved as well. Hell, if forced to list my top 10 favorites series said list would start with 'Serial Experiments Lain' (1998) but it would likely include 'Barakamon' (2014) as well (haven't given enough thought to this to come up with another eight titles). A good show is a good show. They come out all the time.

 

[Sung-Hwan]

What goes on in the West with anime is irrelevant both to me and the world as a whole. It's a niche hobby generally reserved for those with deeper perception and understanding, and as long as it floats in Japan, I will be kept happy.

Same goes for its sub mediums.

 

[stroopwafel]

The 'golden age' is over b/c by and large anime doesn't appeal to mainstream audiences anymore and b/c modern anime is mostly garbage with weird shit like Moe and Harem, made specifically for lonely 'otakus' that fill the void in their lives with imaginary girlfriends and hug pillows. That is not to say that there aren't any gems left with every season, but you have to look long and hard for it. From last season I really enjoyed Aldnoah.Zero, I thought it was absolutely fantastic(can't wait for second season to start). But even that I think is too 'Japanese' to have any mainstream appeal the likes of yesteryear's Gundam Wing, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun etc.

So yeah, anime is back at being a niche. I do hope that current anime is just another phase and that we'll see a revival of sorts that isn't so...sissy. Late 80's/90's anime is still the best though. Espescially those made in the wake of western sci-fi movies. For anime to become cool again they have to stop making it specifically for otakus.

 

[SweetShark]

Not feel anything really, because I get pass the point of "Anime addiction".
Also is better to see the original. I prefer to read the manga first and then watch the Anime if it is VERY different from the original material.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Well, when was the last time you saw anime of Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll, or Memories type quality?

Yeah, that means it's over. There was a time anime reached for the stars, but those days are long gone.

Sure, you might get a Little Witch Academia once in a blue moon, but that simply doesn't sell to the raging hormones of teenaged boys and lonely geeks.

 

[FirstNameLastName]

No offense, but i really can't do anything other than roll my eyes whenever anyone stars talking about the decline of anything.

People have been saying that morality, spirituality, politics, art, culture, language, economics and society have been in constant decline since as long as there has been morality, spirituality, politics, art, culture, language, economics and society.
People talked about a golden age of cinema which consists of, and again, no offense to anyone who is the exception here, but the golden age of cinema consists of a bunch of movies no one gives a single fuck about anymore. Many people who grew up on music from the 50s and 60s saw 70s music as a blight on the musical landscape, yet the 70s are now remembered with firm nostalgia to this day. And now we are in the same situation today, people whine about how music has declined because they are too stupid to stop listening to the garbage that the mainstream music industry tells them to listen to; to stupid to realize that with the internet there is more music now than even, along with all the music from previous generations.

So in conclusion, i doubt it. Anime probably isn't going anywhere in our lifetimes, so at most it may have a temporary and subjective lapse in quality or financial viability.

 

[Foolery]

Doubtful, but some of the Funimation dubs aren't great. I chalk it up to needing new blood for VAs. Can't just chuck Monica Rial into everything and expect it be decent. Of recent-ish dubs I thought were good, Stein's Gate and Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood spring to mind.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Maybe we can say we are in the silver or bronze age of anime in the West?

I mean sure the early 00's was golden but it did felt like gold due to the anime dvds cost back then (£"0 for 4 episodes)! Again Golden age is suiting given that it was a better start of it all (as the op mention that it was easier to obtain anime or manga than import and they did started to aired them too).

I kind of prefered the "now" version we got now due to the fact we got a far wider range of anime and I get to go to convention!

 

[The Wykydtron]

Eyes also rolling, I was never around in the Adult Swim days because I was never in a position to even have access to those channels back then but there's still good stuff being released. Off the top of my head I can come up with:

I've not got up to date with it but Akame ga Kill is good and according to my friends it keeps up its quality, Amagi Brilliant Park is pretty funny with a fun jerk with a heart of gold (kind of) main character, there's a Grisaia anime out although i'm not exactly following it (I saw Michiru's opening scene animated, my life is complete, I need to see nothing more) going back kind of a while there was Watamote which was overlooked by many because I believe Attack on Titan was airing at the same time, also known as OH MY GOD TOMOKO WHY?!

Finally, the very most important point is that the excellent No Game No Life was released only one or two (or three?) seasons ago. Checkmate atheists naysayers. That anime was Hype

Spoiler: Average reaction to any given scene or episode

[sub][sub]Why is it so beautiful...[/sub][/sub]

 

[Soviet Heavy]

It never really was "golden" in the sense of quality. Spirited Away winning best Animated Feature resulted in a deluge of absolute garbage being licensed in the hopes of striking gold. The actual percentage of shows worth watching didn't really change that much.

Nowadays, the western market just isn't as profitable anymore. You're seeing less dubs, skyrocketing DVD prices, and more subbed works only available online.

 

[COMaestro]

I would argue that the "Golden Age" of anime wasn't due to the quality of the releases at that time, but more due to the saturation that finally hit the Western market. Before then, you'd be able to find a few anime rentals at Blockbuster and such, but that would be it and there were very few options for anyone to find more. Once Toonami came around, though, a few more series became somewhat mainstream which opened the doors for even more titles. It kind of just snowballed from there until you had huge sections of anime in Best Buy, or shelves and shelves of manga in all the large bookstores. This was the so called "Golden Age" simply because you could find it everywhere. Still, there were good titles and there were crap titles. Not everything brought over from Japan at this time was fantastic, but there were definitely some gems.

Looking now, though, those huge sections of anime have been reduced to a single shelf. Same with the manga. Only the biggest titles are stocked. However, through Amazon and other online retailers, people can still purchase the stuff they want, plus Netflix has a large selection of anime, and of course there's Crunchyroll and Funimation with an even larger range of titles. And just like the "Golden Age" there's a mixture of fantastic titles and crap titles. So the "Golden Age" is over in that the saturation of the marketplace has been pulled back somewhat, leaving the almost mainstream status it had to firmly sit in the niche interest category, but the quality of available titles is just the same as before.

 

[Jiggle Counter]

Well, when was the last time you saw anime of Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll, or Memories type quality?

Yeah, that means it's over. There was a time anime reached for the stars, but those days are long gone.

Sure, you might get a Little Witch Academia once in a blue moon, but that simply doesn't sell to the raging hormones of teenaged boys and lonely geeks.

I was gonna be an old fart and start by saying, 'These days we have harem anime and fan service everywhere, I remember in the good ole days, etc, etc'

But then I thought back to the ole school anime.

There were tits and ass in the old anime too. Sure there was a lot more cyberpunk and ninjas that sliced your face in half, but there was still nudity for no other reason than hey boobs.

Ranma is an old anime, and that's a harem.

The whole cast of Yandere, Tsundere, and other anime tropes, they're all prevalent in old animes.

If anything I just think that there's MORE anime being assembled and shoved out than before. That's probably why I think there's 5000% more ecchi romance comedies than there should be.

 

[Zontar]

Nowadays, the western market just isn't as profitable anymore. You're seeing less dubs, skyrocketing DVD prices, and more subbed works only available online.

I don't know, Funimation and Aniplex are still putting out a steady stream of dubs. Sure they haven't completely filled the void Bandai Entertainment and ADV left, but the stream is strong enough that I'm still only able to afford a fraction of the series I want. Which rolls to the second point: what skyrocketing DVD prices? I remember when 30$ would get you 4-5 episodes on a DVD, 50-100$ for 12-26 episodes is pretty cheap by comparison, and that's before things like the godsend that is the Super Amazing Value Edition. It may not be the cheapest thing on the market, but hey compared to cabal shows they aren't that expensive. And as for the subbed works, I can't really think of any shows on the legal streaming services that only got subbed. Sure there are a few series I've had to watch subbed because a dub wasn't coming, but that was stuff like Macross where an official release outside of Japan isn't going to ever happen unless they who must not be named go under (the, uh, the other "they who must not be named").

 

[Casual Shinji]

I was gonna be an old fart and start by saying, 'These days we have harem anime and fan service everywhere, I remember in the good ole days, etc, etc'

But then I thought back to the ole school anime.

There were tits and ass in the old anime too. Sure there was a lot more cyberpunk and ninjas that sliced your face in half, but there was still nudity for no other reason than hey boobs.

Ranma is an old anime, and that's a harem.

The whole cast of Yandere, Tsundere, and other anime tropes, they're all prevalent in old animes.

If anything I just think that there's MORE anime being assembled and shoved out than before. That's probably why I think there's 5000% more ecchi romance comedies than there should be.

Yes, there was T 'n A back in the old days too, but there were also those titles that raised the bar farther than we thought possible, like the aforementioned Akira, Ghost in the Shell, etc. The last one I can think of is maybe Metropolis and that movie was already kind of a mess. But it still showed the world the visual heights that animation could reach.

Anime now just seems content in wallowing in it's geek fantasies, and so does the audience.

 

[shintakie10]

Eyes also rolling, I was never around in the Adult Swim days because I was never in a position to even have access to those channels back then but there's still good stuff being released. Off the top of my head I can come up with:

I've not got up to date with it but Akame ga Kill is good and according to my friends it keeps up its quality, Amagi Brilliant Park is pretty funny with a fun jerk with a heart of gold (kind of) main character, there's a Grisaia anime out although i'm not exactly following it (I saw Michiru's opening scene animated, my life is complete, I need to see nothing more) going back kind of a while there was Watamote which was overlooked by many because I believe Attack on Titan was airing at the same time, also known as OH MY GOD TOMOKO WHY?!

Finally, the very most important point is that the excellent No Game No Life was released only one or two (or three?) seasons ago. Checkmate atheists naysayers. That anime was Hype

Spoiler: Average reaction to any given scene or episode

[sub][sub]Why is it so beautiful...[/sub][/sub]

Oh my god, No Game No Life was absolutely amazing. The scenes with the gigantic chess board were fuckin amazin, and distressingly compelling considerin it wasn't really real.

I so hope there's a second season.

On topic!

Gotta agree with the people who say its not over. Just look at the success of Crunchyroll or the fairly large selection of anime on Hulu that gets added to constantly. Back in the early 2000's there was all of 2 places to see anime. Nowadays you can get animes all over the interwebs, both legally and illegally.

 

[crazygameguy4ever]

if anything anime is consistently getting better these days... the dubbing is great, the animation is good and so are the stories.. there are some bad ones now and then, like Attack on Titan but for every attack on crap there's a Ghost in The Shell Arise. for every space dandy, there's a Blue Exorcist... it all depends on the people involved with the anime's production