History Main / TurnOfTheMillennium

* SuperSmashBros.

* The MillenniumTrilogy

This is also the decade that introduced the world to the {{Emo Teen}}s, who quickly replaced {{goth}}s as the popular "rebellious" subculture. Of course, some level of angst is justified among the general population, due to [[CrapsackWorld 9/11, the two wars America has been involved in, several major national scandals, a recession that has been promised to last until the end of 2010 at least, major bankruptcies in the auto and banking industry, an increase in unemployment, a new foreign policy crisis at least once every few weeks, ineffectual politics and general uncertainty about the upcoming decade]]. And we haven't even mentioned Europe * coughGreeceIcelandcough* . Now, people try to [[OldShame forget about the emos]], except when they're [[AcceptableTarget making fun of them]].

--> '''See also TheMilleniumAgeOfAnimation''

* SystemOfADown

* [=~Post 9-11 Terrorism Movie~=]

* [=~D.Gray-Man~=]
* [=~D.N.Angel~=] (Manga began in 1997)

* [=~Wolf's Rain~=]

* [=~Yakitate!! Japan~=]

* [=~24~=]
* [=~30 Rock~=]

* {{Heroes}}

* [=~BioShock~=]

* [=~inFamous~=]

* [=~Pokémon~=] (remained remarkably popular throughout the 2000s, although the fad died down early in the decade, way too many spinoffs to count)

** [=~Luigi's Mansion~=] [[/index]]

* [=~Let's Play~=] (and conversely ''{{Retsupurae}}'')

* DoctorSteel

* [=~Avatar: The Last Airbender~=]

** [=~Batman: The Brave and the Bold~=]

* {{Gundam 00}}

* GundamSEEDDestiny
* GundamUnicorn

* GundamSEED

* RufusWainwright (Debuted in '98, got more popular in the '00s)

See TheWarOnTerror for the major wars of this decade. Note that, since TheWarOnTerror has defined American and NATO-sphere foreign policy for almost all of this cultural period, this decade has marked the arrival of Middle-Eastern civilizations as societies to know about. For the first time, for example, Westerners may notice other Westerners wearing clothing with text in Arabic, Persian, or Hebrew due to the various wars, diplomatic missions, and cultural activism movements that have emerged since 9/11.

It is also the time in which the internet is really starting to become a part of society at large, instead of being limited to computer geeks and Usenet groups. Everyone is getting connected, with many people owning media storage devices, have access to the internet, etc. Technology is always getting better and less expensive via Moore's law, and you can walk into a supermarket and buy a computer which is at least a million times more powerful than the ones that put man on the moon. {{Video games}} finally started to come into their own and gain mainstream recognition, especially near the end of the decade, with the release of the {{Wii}}. There was also the unfortunate side of video games being DarkerAndEdgier.

The period that started on January 1st, 2000 (or January 1st, 2001), and continuing into ThePresentDay even after [[TheNewTens New Years 2010]]. If you want to get less technical, the decade ''really'' started on September 11th, 2001, when the terrorist attacks heralded the end of TheNineties culture and viewpoints, just as [[JohnFKennedy JFK]]'s assassination heralded the end of TheFifties for the United States. It is possible this decade may have ended culturally in fall 2008, which saw the start of the [[HistoryRepeats worst financial crisis]] since TheGreatDepression, followed two months later by the election of BarackObama as President. However, a mix of economic and cultural lag, [[IdiotBall bad policy]], and bad luck may stretch it out for the rest of the decade, [[ItGotWorse if not longer]].

An alternate case could be made that, culturally, we're really seeing the two shortest "decades" on record. The first was in the immediate post-9/11 period that saw a dramatic upshoot in [[PatrioticFervor patriotism]] and government confidence in the United States. The second, starting around 2005, came as a result of the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, other US biased events and especially the recent recession, resulting in a complete 180° in those attitudes and a whole lot of [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism cynicism regarding government]]. Since culture and technology have become more and more entwined, and given the [[LensmanArmsRace accelerating rate of technological development]], this may be a harbinger of cultural decades to come, if not of the impending extinction of the concept of "cultural decades." In simpler terms, this might mean that we may see major cultural changes every 5 years instead of 10, possibly bringing about a "pentade" or "half-decade" as the defining unit of cultural eras for the rest of the 21st century.

Much of this decade's cultural attitudes can be seen as a complete 180° from TheNineties. A lot of humor consists of CrossingTheLineTwice, and things which are seen as mildly offensive would have caused the MoralGuardians to have strokes just a few years earlier. {{Anime}} is now an accepted form of entertainment in American society, filling the same niche as comic books and sci-fi; as an outspoken example, shoujo manga has become as predominant in girls' rooms as superhero comics in boys'. As such, obsession with Japan and awareness of East Asian affairs (especially with [[ChinaTakesOverTheWorld China's rapid rise as a world power]]) is becoming popular in the US once more. Movies tend to be more about adventure and self discovery than action and blowing things up. Of course, when you consider what started the decade off, [[UnfortunateImplications it's kind of understandable why]]. However, Korea has managed to succeed Japan as the "Hit Asian Nation" due to the aging Japan taking a demographic shift.

It is also the time in which the internet is really starting to become a part of society at large, instead of being limited to computer geeks and Usenet groups. Everyone is getting connected, with many people owning media storage devices, have access to the internet, etc. Technology is always getting better and less expensive via Moore's law, and you can walk into a supermarket and buy a computer which is at least a million times more powerful than the ones that put man on the moon. {{Video games}} finally started to come into their own and gain mainstream recognition, especially near the end of the decade, with the release of the {{Wii}}. This leads some to [[CyberPunk worry about the government or others abusing technology]]. Don't worry, [[GenreSavvy we know Orwell well enough to get the allegories.]] There was also the unfortunate side of video games being DarkerAndEdgier.

There also seems to be a sudden surge of [[NostalgiaFilter kids who grew up in the '90s suddenly pushing this decade into a negative light]], because people aren't making [[RefugeInVulgarity gross-out cartoons]] or [[MascotWithAttitude cheesy cartoony games]] for the favor of live action shows and video games featuring [[strike: grimdark shootan]] more realistic settings and stories. Oh yeah, music must be bad because of [[{{Synthesizeritis}} electronic sounds making everything too pretty]] and who knows what else, so it's almost like [[CyclicTrope those baby boomers of the '50s have done back in the '70s and '80s]]. But don't worry people, [[MST3KMantra these bitter fights are just occurring on the internet as we speak]]. Now read this paragraph again [[AutoTune in AUTOTUUUUUNE]].

*AllCGICartoon: Disney and other animation companies abandoned traditional animation during this decade, though towards the end of the decade there was some hope that the two might coexist.