An animated history

Grumble Grumble Grumble

Since the Anime downturn in 1999, Anime production in Japan has entered what the established producers/directors describe as a 'Bubble Market' Starting in the year 2000, major corporations (such as Sony) decided that because on the long term economic recession in Japan, investments in 'entertainment' fields (video games, movies & anime) have done better then traditional investments in consumer electronics and manufacturing. So they started putting a lot more money into Anime production. On top of this, the export market for Anime started to grow, with US distributers also started to invest in Anime production. As a result, established studios, and the many new startups are now swamped with work, so much that the quality of individual series has suffered, and anime series are being produced from stories that in the past, wouldn't have been considered worthy of production... (Studio XEBEC was so concerned about the quality of the 'Mahou Sensei Negima' that they announced that the DVD release will have considerable changes made to address the quality issues...) The demand for experienced Anime staff has inhibited the rebirth of the OVA market. And with the long term effects of out-sourcing inbetweening and background work, there is now a lack of new experianced people moving up into the ranks of producers and directors. This issue has gotton so bad that the Japanese Goverment has started a program to subsidize new anime productions to give experience to new native Japanese staff. Manga sales in Japan has leveled out, and is actually starting to decline, as the market is suffering from the effects of the increasing number of used manga shops, bootlegs and picture cell phone piracy, and Internet downloads. With anime exports now starting to level off (Only the most anticipated series are selling, with sales of the less popular and niche market series are in decline. The number of announced new Anime licenses at AX is much smaller then last year...) the increased amounts of bootlegs coming out of China, and the Japanese economy starting to recover (which means investment money will now go back to consumer electronics and manufacturing...) I don't see the current situation is sustainable...

As far as Internet sales are concerned, the issues of bootlegs and Digitial Rights management has yet to be addressed. If Internet sales and downloads become significant, it will be in the form of entirely different form, (such as Microsofts TVIP protocol...)

the situation seems nasty, like a nettle (bear with me on this one), but with things that are nasty, something good can be made out of the situation (like nettle soup, which is quite earthy in taste and watery in textue, incase your wondering). With the gobal mainstreaming of anime, more and more talented writers, directors and producers, namely James cameron, are becoming exposed to the art (the cameron reference concerns his supposed interest in remaking battle angel alita as a live action hollywood movie). Now I know the previous statement somewhat supports out sourcing, but as long as there is talent involved in the art and said talent is kept in check, then while it mightn't save anime and manga, it will sustain it. Also (back to the annalogies), if TVR are any thing to go by, then as long as there is a market, no matter how small, then decent anime and manga will survive. As regards pirates and bootlegs, some of the copies are exceptionally good (yes I own copies). This will make the problem of erradicating piracy very hard, The best method, in my opinion, is to weed out the garbage and manage or 'buy out' the good ones. Finally for the internet to become viable (which ould be hard to do), the the security and reliability of the network (If ever there was a need for a rival against microsoft, this is it) must be sorted. These were my views and opinion, but I would like to know what you think.

Another question for you. Over the years, how much has anime and manga been influenced by western designs and ideas. Also how much has anime and mang influenced the western world within the same period?

Careful LenMiyata, you may have just written someone's report for them. ;)

Seriously though Cudwieser, why all the questions?

That would be my training. As a wanna be physicist, it is an instilled trait that I ask why. Also I like to know the history and other associated knowledge of things that I am interested in. To repay the favour what are you saying in the first line of your statement. Getting back to business, due have any knowledge to share relating to the previous question.

he also made a manga called 'Adolf' lol

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ency...ga.php?id=1323

I read that Astro Boy was the first anime

Adolf!? When was this released and (pardon me for asking) was it about?

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Originally Posted by Cudwieser

Adolf!? When was this released and (pardon me for asking) was it about?

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Quote:

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Adolf takes place in the pre-World War II centers around three people with the name Adolf. Adolf Kamil is a Jew living in Japan. His best friend Adolf Kaufmann is a confirmed Nazi. The third Adolf is Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Germany.

Adolf also centers around Sohei Toge, a Japanese reporter.

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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_(manga)

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This is a story about three Adolfs. Sohei Toge, a Japanese reporter for 1936 Berlin Olympics was surprised that his younger brother, an international student in Germany, was mysteriously murdered right after informing him about an important document. At the same time in Japan, a half-German, half-Japanese boy named Adolf Kauffmann and his best friend, a Jewish-German boy named Adolf Kamil, were accidentally involved in this incident. Their lives and fates are now inevitably interwoven around the biggest secret of the third Adolf -- Adolf Hitler.

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Source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ency...ga.php?id=1323




it was released in 1983