Is the Western golden age of anime really over?

[TheSapphireKnight]

I would say the 'golden age' is over only in terms of getting groups of new fans all at once. It seems like most new fans will likely end up discovering things on their own rather than have larger groups center around a few shows at a particular timeslot. Between Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Hulu it seems easier than ever to get into anime.

As far as quality goes though, I don't think there has been any huge downward trends. There are ups and downs, 2014 in particular has been a pretty great year, with something for just about everyone.

 

[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]

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.

Funny thing with NGNL, the ending was the biggest "now read the manga lol" ending EVER, and those endings rarely see second seasons but the manga is sooooo far behind the anime. Like, barely up to the chess game level of behind. Maybe it has no fan translators working on it so it could further ahead but not translated but I doubt it.

I wouldn't call Hulu much of a success until it stops being US only for no real reason but yeah Crunchyroll seems to be doing alright. I can't break my old technically illegal anime sites stream habits though, they were the only possible source of anime for me for like 8-10 years.

I still buy the DVDs of the ones I really liked, within reason. £100 for the first season of Code Geass. YEAH OK.

Now that i've had time, i'll bring up Tokyo Ghoul as another semi recent one that was good. Also had a read the manga type ending but it was an actual satisfying ending on its own.

Thank you for having a good character arc Kaneki. I was hoping you wouldn't keep being an indecisive, worthless shitter from episode 1 to 12.

I still wonder how Kaneki got zero rehabilitation or monitoring after the first 10 minutes of episode 1. Ghouls are an accepted fact of life in this universe, a professional doctor, with as far as I know no ulterior motives for doing this, transplants a powerful ghoul's organs into him to save his life for the very first time in medicinal history and just goes "well there you are, good as new. Go home."

Good doctor, 10/10.

 

[Scars Unseen]

Knights of Sidonia aired in Japan this spring. One week after the last episode aired, Netflix had the entire season available and fully dubbed.

No, I'd say that anime is doing just fine.

 

[Savryc]

The "Golden Age" of Anime is only over because the sweaty, shut in otakus of yesteryear got old. Old enough to notice things aren't like they used to be. Naturally this is wrong cuz "those dern kids and their instant gratification, we in our towering intelligence and infinite wisdom were never like that!" etc.

So like every medium in existence expect the same "X is dead" BS in about 5-10 years time when this generation of undesirables gets narky about "the good old days".

 

[sextus the crazy]

The "Golden Age" of Anime is only over because the sweaty, shut in otakus of yesteryear got old. Old enough to notice things aren't like they used to be. Naturally this is wrong cuz "those dern kids and their instant gratification, we in our towering intelligence and infinite wisdom were never like that!" etc.

So like every medium in existence expect the same "X is dead" BS in about 5-10 years time when this generation of undesirables gets narky about "the good old days".

Quoted for Truth. There are plenty of terrible anime that came out in the 90s and there a number of hidden gems now that haven't been fully appreciated yet. People like to remember the days of their youth when everything they like came out, but the fact is, there will always been lots of crap and enough good stuff as long as you look hard enough.

 

[Erttheking]

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

Does Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood count? Because that's still easily one of my favorite animes of all time.

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

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.

Perhaps but we can still find some level of enjoyment and artistry in our anime.

I still argue Kill la Kill as a thematic piece, Psycho Pass was a blast, Madoka was awesome, and the Ufotable Fate animes are kicking all kinds of awesome

Is the original golden age of anime reaching for the stars dead? Yes. But artists will still keep trying to combat the fold and make something spectacular.

At this point, we simply criticize the bad and promote the good.

edit: as for the "raising the bar" thing, those shows will come but at a slower rate.

it's like with any science; major breakthroughs at the very start and then small incremental changes followed by another breakthrough. It will take time and patience but they will come.

For now, let's enjoy what we got and hope for better

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

The "Golden Age" of Anime is only over because the sweaty, shut in otakus of yesteryear got old. Old enough to notice things aren't like they used to be. Naturally this is wrong cuz "those dern kids and their instant gratification, we in our towering intelligence and infinite wisdom were never like that!" etc.

So like every medium in existence expect the same "X is dead" BS in about 5-10 years time when this generation of undesirables gets narky about "the good old days".

Quoted for Truth. There are plenty of terrible anime that came out in the 90s and there a number of hidden gems now that haven't been fully appreciated yet. People like to remember the days of their youth when everything they like came out, but the fact is, there will always been lots of crap and enough good stuff as long as you look hard enough.

Yep, 90's were full of "grimdark" shows with so much blood and violence with no narrative or thematic reason and the present is full of either cute girls or self insert.

that said, the good of the past, mostly due to nostalgia and time, have been considered better than the good of the present. Whether it's true or not has yet to be seen but at this point, we as a fandom should promote the good and criticize the bad as that is the role we have as consumers.

 

[NiPah]

that said, the good of the past, mostly due to nostalgia and time, have been considered better than the good of the present. Whether it's true or not has yet to be seen but at this point, we as a fandom should promote the good and criticize the bad as that is the role we have as consumers.

You should always promote the good, but there is no reason to criticize the bad, bad just means you didn't like it.
Criticizing shows because you don't like them is uselessly antagonistic and serves no greater cause then to make yourself appear like a dick to the people who did enjoy the show (and the creators of the show).

Some people look for deeper meanings to their anime, some people just want to sit back and be entertained.

 

[Ikasury]

there is a 2 episode OVA of Terra Formars followed by a 13 episode season 1 covering a good chunk of the released manga... i don't care about anything else anymore =w=

OT: the fact the above exists and i can get it and it will likely be dubbed soon enough tells me that anime is full on mainstream... that manga was about as Niche as freakin' Kamon Rider... if it were breed with Berserk and had a splash of Gantz in the gene mix... i am happy... also this means whatever 'golden age', eh, yea i'd say that's 'gone' in the sense of the whole 'this is amazing cool and new' that 'Golden Ages' are typically sterotyped with, anime isn't 'new' anymore, still... generally... good, i have a harder time sifting through all the bs nowadays and primarily stick to seinen manga as that's about the only thing that entertains me because it isn't blatant moe-harem-stuck-on-romance-bs... and i've even started reading the older stuff because originals always are better in my opinion (Like Rumiko Takashi, she did the harem faffing before it was cool, and damn did she do it right!) so most of my favorite titles are still back in the 90s era stuff...

plus another reason i know anime's basically main stream? most of the people i know are tell ME how 'cool' and 'amazing' fate/ZERO is along with my brother gushing about the 'new' Infinite Blade Works... and i had to explain to him that was a movie done 'meh' years ago... well now its a series... also there's a box set released outside Japan supposedly of 'Kara no Kyoukai' that will NOT be dubbed, because to do such is sacrilege XD yup, its mainstream now~

gone the golden age, welcome the much more common-cheap-mainstream of silver and bronze *snickers*

but damn... seeing Michelle Davis be a premo ice-queen and blow up cockroaches with ant-fists in motion... happy days... happy freakin' days

also... if i want to see a 'Golden Age'... why i have the new Berserk movies titled as such for that

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

that said, the good of the past, mostly due to nostalgia and time, have been considered better than the good of the present. Whether it's true or not has yet to be seen but at this point, we as a fandom should promote the good and criticize the bad as that is the role we have as consumers.

You should always promote the good, but there is no reason to criticize the bad, bad just means you didn't like it.
Criticizing shows because you don't like them is uselessly antagonistic and serves no greater cause then to make yourself appear like a dick to the people who did enjoy the show (and the creators of the show).

Some people look for deeper meanings to their anime, some people just want to sit back and be entertained.

So if I was to criticize Violence Jack for extreme acts of violence, both sexual and physical, that are framed in rather self gratifying and misanthropic ways, I would be a dick to fans of the show and Go Nagai who has already done enough for our industry? I would think that media such as that sets a poor precedent for our culture given our stereotypes of people who indulge in escapism to the point of debilitation.

To me, criticism, both academic and artistic, can serve to improve our medium in new and bold directions. For those who love themes, it enables us to further express messages and symbols through framing, writing, and art. For those looking for entertainment, it enables us to have both highly kinetic and well shot action with no major camera mishaps and non-stock characters and stories that further pull the watcher in. It matters not if one likes a bad show or hates a good show, analysis of all kinds can yield results that improve media.

 

[Kaimax]

To me, criticism, both academic and artistic, can serve to improve our medium in new and bold directions.

The problem is most of "Your passionate criticism" are meaningless in random forum.

People like to remember the days of their youth when everything they like came out, but the fact is, there will always been lots of crap and enough good stuff as long as you look hard enough.

Everybody who does this (that Gets trapped in their "old anime is better" delusion) should watch Sage from Anime Abandon in Channel Awesome.

There are honestly less "Bad Anime" and more just "anime that you don't like" these days. Problem for these guys, Don't like instantly means bad.


OT:
There was never a Golden Age of anime to begin with, it's just the usual nostalgia fanboys trying to justify that "their anime" was better than "yours".

 

[WouldYouKindly]

I can walk into Barnes & Noble and buy manga. Not manga I'd particularly want to read, but it's still there. I have available English translations of a great many manga and most of the more popular shows from Japan, dubbed and subbed.

So long as that doesn't change, I don't care what you call it.

 

[Ratty]

Everybody who does this (that Gets trapped in their "old anime is better" delusion) should watch Sage from Anime Abandon in Channel Awesome.

There are honestly less "Bad Anime" and more just "anime that you don't like" these days. Problem for these guys, Don't like instantly means bad.


OT:
There was never a Golden Age of anime to begin with, it's just the usual nostalgia fanboys trying to justify that "their anime" was better than "yours".

I still think Sage is wrong about Vampire Hunter D. I dunno, I wouldn't say anime from the 80s and 90s was better, especially not in terms of animation since corners had to be cut a lot more, but I do know it tends to appeal to me a lot more personally. Something about the themes and style and traditional animation of the older shows I find a lot more appealing. But that's just personal preference.

Anime isn't mainstream in the US and I doubt it will ever be as mainstream as something like "The Big Bang Theory", but have you SEEN the big bang theory? Why would you want your shows to be like that? From the classics to the latest shows, anime like all media is more available now than it ever was before. I'd say this is probably the best time to be an anime fan that there's ever been.

It's like when I see younger people complain they're born today instead of (for example) in the 50s so they could have experienced the Beatles when they were new. It's just like, kid you can now listen to all of the Beatles albums any time you want almost anywhere you want. You don't have to wait for new releases and sit by a bulky record player, and you don't even have to worry about being drafted into Vietnam.

 

[Kaimax]

Everybody who does this (that Gets trapped in their "old anime is better" delusion) should watch Sage from Anime Abandon in Channel Awesome.

I still think Sage is wrong about Vampire Hunter D. I dunno, I wouldn't say anime from the 80s and 90s was better, especially not in terms of animation since corners had to be cut a lot more, but I do know it tends to appeal to me a lot more personally. Something about the themes and style and traditional animation of the older shows I find a lot more appealing. But that's just personal preference.

My main point of "go watch Sage" are targeted to those that keep glorifying the era, especially the one that keeps repeating the same'ol titles while ignoring the bad ones in that era.

 

[Casual Shinji]

People like to remember the days of their youth when everything they like came out, but the fact is, there will always been lots of crap and enough good stuff as long as you look hard enough.

Everybody who does this (that Gets trapped in their "old anime is better" delusion) should watch Sage from Anime Abandon in Channel Awesome.

You mean the guy who made that abysmal Akira review, where he completely misunderstood a scene that was pretty clear and then used it as a running criticism throughout? Or his latest Tokyo Godfathers review where he had his little "scientific test" as to why dubs are better? Ugh, that guy...

There's always been shit anime, the difference being that some anime back then was allowed to exist outside the stifling grasp of merchandise. Now, the only reason anime still exists is because of merchandise.

 

[sextus the crazy]

To me, criticism, both academic and artistic, can serve to improve our medium in new and bold directions.

The problem is most of "Your passionate criticism" are meaningless in random forum.

People like to remember the days of their youth when everything they like came out, but the fact is, there will always been lots of crap and enough good stuff as long as you look hard enough.

Everybody who does this (that Gets trapped in their "old anime is better" delusion) should watch Sage from Anime Abandon in Channel Awesome.

Ha, yeah, that's generally what I think of. Love that show, but it's pretty funny how he's still in that mindset, despite the sheer amount of crap he reviews.

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

People like to remember the days of their youth when everything they like came out, but the fact is, there will always been lots of crap and enough good stuff as long as you look hard enough.

Everybody who does this (that Gets trapped in their "old anime is better" delusion) should watch Sage from Anime Abandon in Channel Awesome.

You mean the guy who made that abysmal Akira review, where he completely misunderstood a scene that was pretty clear and then used it as a running criticism throughout? Or his latest Tokyo Godfathers review where he had his little "scientific test" as to why dubs are better? Ugh, that guy...

There's always been shit anime, the difference being that some anime back then was allowed to exist outside the stifling grasp of merchandise. Now, the only reason anime still exists is because of merchandise.

I will ignore the comments about Sage since I don't know much about him.

But i'm pretty sure that there were bad industry practices back in the gilded age of anime. We have our merchandising, they have their grimdark or just plain underfunded shows.

Bad industry practices are not a new thing; companies have been screwing us over for a while and frankly, the fact that any studio decided that Ikki Tousen was worth 4 seasons was trying to screw us with stupid.

 

[VanQ]

There was no "golden age" as far as anime goes, it's just that people tend to remember all the stuff they liked and forget the bad stuff. The human brain is really good at that. And as a result it makes it look like the 90s and earlier were better than now because the duds have all long since faded from memory.

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.

You mustn't be watching the same anime I've been watching in the last decade. Because the last decade has produced titles like Time of Eve, Fate/Zero, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Denpa Teki na Kanojo, Mardock Scramble and a whole bunch of other great anime if you bothered to take off the rose tinted goggles. And that's coming from someone whose anime archive is about 30% pre-2000 shows and last count I had about 900 TV anime series and 200 anime movies in that archive. I do certainly miss the old charms of shows like Golden Boy, Hand Maid May, Urusai Yatsura and Birdy the Mighty but the medium is still strong if you bother to look.

 

[Casual Shinji]

You mustn't be watching the same anime I've been watching in the last decade. Because the last decade has produced titles like Time of Eve, Fate/Zero, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Denpa Teki na Kanojo, Mardock Scramble and a whole bunch of other great anime if you bothered to take off the rose tinted goggles. And that's coming from someone whose anime archive is about 30% pre-2000 shows and last count I had about 900 TV anime series and 200 anime movies in that archive. I do certainly miss the old charms of shows like Golden Boy, Hand Maid May, Urusai Yatsura and Birdy the Mighty but the medium is still strong if you bother to look.

I don't bother to look, not anymore. I stuck it out for about 4 more years before deciding this shit just ain't worth it anymore. On rare occasion something might catch my eye that's worth a damn, like Nichijou and Little Witch Academia, but I'm kinda done with the medium in general.

And yet, what a coicidence that I highly prefer the left image. Unlike the right one it has a much more striking arrangement of colour, along with the warm texture of hand-painted cells.