In a recent interview, “Freeze” director Keiichiro Saito and anime producer Takafumi Nakame spoke about the viewing habits of international anime fans and warned of growing one-sidedness within the industry.
Other trends overseas
At the beginning of the conversation, both Saito and Nakame expressed a feeling of stagnation in the anime industry, which also motivated them to take part in the “Global Anime Challenge” – a funding program that aims to broaden the perspective of Japanese anime creators internationally.
As part of this project, they were able to attend several conventions abroad and come into direct contact with fans from all over the world. Saito made an observation that particularly concerned him:
»I have the feeling that the anime that foreign fans particularly love often have a certain one-sidedness. Of course, popular works continue to be popular, but a clear trend is emerging. I think this could lead to a certain distance between the creators and the audience.
If you cling too tightly to this trend, you will end up with only this aspect as the defining feature of the medium. Before that happens, I want to share the many different facets of anime more with the world and create works that impress with their diversity and their own approach.«
Lack of diversity
Nakame agreed with this assessment and emphasized that although anime is designed freely, certain patterns have solidified within this creative freedom. It would be more exciting to allow more courage for new ideas. Unfortunately, many animation studios and creators were too influenced by trends.
In recent years, numerous anime creatives have expressed concern about the continued dominance of Isekai and RPG fantasy formats. They criticized the fact that realistic and original works were becoming increasingly rare.
In addition, the industry is increasingly losing creative power because there is a strong focus on faithful adaptations of manga and light novels instead of giving artists creative freedom. In this context, the number of original anime has recently declined significantly.
Finally, Saito summarized the discussion with an honest insight into his own conflict: He asked himself whether he should create a work that follows current trends and aims for international recognition – for example at the Oscars – or something deeper with a personal message.
Via Former Web
© Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe, Shogakukan / Friend: Beyond Journey’s End Production Committee
