Anime that could trigger the next Anime Boom (In your opinion)

IMHO I think....

• Digimon Xros Wars
• Pretty Cure Series
• Yu Gi Oh Zexal

Hm, maybe a dub of Tiger And Bunny, I think that could draw people in if it aired on television.

Yeah. I would love to see Tiger And Bunny on TV. Especially since I still havent seen it.

I don't think it's what so much as how. While there certainly needs to be something of quality behind it, what truly needs to happen is good marketing

Also I'd consider focusing on the shows that fall into the Animation Age Ghetto to be directly harmful

How would you determine what exactly constitutes that Ghetto though?

Well lets look at the best selling anime in Japan over the past couple years: Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari- Ha No! (Do I even have to explain?)

Puella Magi Madoka Magica- I don't see this hitting of in America either

Fate/zero- I could see this hitting off in America, somewhat normal fantasy show

K-ON- Not enough widespread appeal to really "hit" off

So if we look at some of the best selling shows in recent history I don't see shows with widespread appeal in places like America and other western countries Of course my analysis could be wrong but I think I know western tastes pretty well, living in America all my life

edited 10th May '12 5:44:03 PM by RojanRando

I dont think aiming to adults is the thing to do. I mean, the animation age ghetto is a very bad thing but I think the anime slump was created due to aiming anime solely at adult otaku.

IMHO I think the next anime boom has to be among general audiences, mainly children.Thus I pick.

• Digimon Xros Wars:I think that with the right marketing strategy, this series could revitalize digimon in the USA.

• Pretty Cure:Lighthearted and fun, it could be a great gateway to anime.

• Yu Gi Oh Zexal: Despite being quite....inferior to previous entries in the Yu Gi Oh Saga, it could redeem itself by bringing in new viewers to Yu Gi Oh.

• Yu Gi Oh Duel Monsters:Being the most popular entry, Saban or the new licensor could market it properly and reel in new viewers.

While I agree that it needs to be something for general audiences, I don't think young kids is the way to go. At that point it's not different enough from other cartoons for anyone to care

Also; Yugioh Zexal is airing on TV and Pre Cure has been attempted and failed (Magical Girl series in general don't seem to do well)

Correction, it was attemped in CANADA. It was never attempted on the USA. It got good ratings in the UK. I think it could do well on The Hub and god knows Cartoon Network needs a new hit for girls.

I think so too!! Dont say Pretty Cure is dead yet!

Nicktoons continues to air DBZ Kai and DBGT. I wonder if they will get more anime...

The Marvel superheroes adaptation could have been this but... I unfortunately not, and the less said about out the better.

What the?

Nevermind...

I wonder if its not too late for Fairy Tail and Toriko to get TV deals.

What about D.Gray-Man? If it did well enough on, say, a revived Toonami, Funi might get off their lazy butt and dub the other half.

If FU Nimation is holding back on the second half, it's either licensing issues or that the first half sold too badly to be worth it.

IMO, the anime boom will not be caused by anything that has already aired, or it would have already. Yu-Gi-Oh! and Digimon are well-established and get instantly put aside as kids shows, due to the dub in Yu-Gi-Oh!'s case. If we could have the FU Nimation Channel on basic cable, however, or at least more widespread services, and have more... intellectual titles air with only minimal fanservice stuff, if any, then anime could boom, since more people would have the channel and could flip onto it by coincidence.

edited 10th May '12 10:45:49 PM by burnpsy

Tri Gun Brotherhood [more like the manga], voiced by Jonny young boch [w/ Knives done in his Izaya voice]

w/ Wendee Lee voicing Eledria Crimsonnail.

That, or Air Master Brotherhood. ;)

Why are we supposed to be waiting for a "next anime boom" again?

The otaku market is profitable enough to go on with several dozen anime being made in every season, and it continues to allow the production of some experimental, quirky series along with the more established routines.

Any truly mainstream anime would be, by necessity, aimed at the Lowest Common Denominator. This Cracked article, about why Hollywood blockbusters are so stupid, summed it up best:

An "anime boom" would just give studios an excuse to start pandering to that crowd. I'm personally glad that the anime isn't like this right now, and I hope that it stays this way.

I'm waiting on the next anime boom, so I can be sure my favourite stuff gets a good dub

A truly mainstream anime might be impossible.

But I totally disagree that stuff has to be dumbed down to have appeal to multiple cultures. Of course what you're saying is that money says things should appeal to the lowest common denominator which isn't quite the same thing I guess.

And disregarding the market factors, being mainstream would have... Other benefits Like not appearing so otaku-like

edited 11th May '12 3:36:51 AM by UltimatelySubjective

I don't think there's actually any new anime fitting all the required bases. For starters, you'd need an ongoing long runner to keep long term momentum with the masses, something Japan isn't churning much out of now. Then it'd have to be something truly mold breaking to catch on a new audience. Yet another Maho Shoujo or Digimon clone isn't going to cut it, or else the ones we have would have done it already. Then it'd have to be something with international appeal even to those with no previous knowledge of anime, and anime in general is becoming more and more endogamic now.

Maybe TWGOK? And if it gets a good dub, i can see Beezlebub winning the US market, sort of. Err...

The next Anime Boom in the US?

The young girl's market is the primary trigger for an Anime Boom. Appealing to adult males (new viewers beyond the current anime fan group) is the secondary stage for an Anime boom. The final aspect of an anime boom are a bunch of "thinking man" shows that make viewers think deep thoughts about life and meaning, leaving a lasting impression and cementing them as future anime fans.

It's easy to identify the anime shows that could do this.

1: K-On: Although the current dub won't do it. I have no objection to the current cast, but the way K-On could trigger an anime boom is clear. Disney dubs it, including the songs, and markets it to tween girls. (Might require some slight editing of the Mugi-vision scenes). It fits in perfectly with Disney's current Hannah Montana type theme. It can appeal to tween girls as a rose colored idea of what highschool will be like, and appeal to their mothers as rose colored nostalgia of what their highschool life was like. Essentially, K-On is perfect to take on the role that Sailor Moon played in the first big anime boom by appealing to young girls. I suppose it doesn't have to be Disney, another company could do it. But the current marketing effort of selling to current anime fanatics is not going to succeed, it has to be marketed aggressively to the general tween girl market.

2: Tiger And Bunny: The young boy market of course is usually the heart of an Anime market. Several anime continue to appeal to this market in the US even today. One notable recent anime that could do something here would be Tiger And Bunny. Mainly because it can appeal to both young boys and to adult men. Which means it can sell broadly based on the young boy appeal, and attract more positive attention from adult males outside the current anime fan group- creating an opening for further anime shows targeted at adult men.

3: Madoka Magica: The final element of an anime boom are shows that leave a deep impression because of what they make you think about life. This group of anime never get quite as widespread as the big drivers of an anime boom, such as Sailor Moon or Dragon Ball Z. Rather they play to the people who got hooked by the big draws and then cements them as future fans of anime. Neon Genesis Evangelion was the flag bearer for a long time in this category. NGE will probably still continue to play this role, but as it is aging there is certainly an opening for a replacement, and Madoka Magica is the obvious choice. For one thing it is based on a Western story (Faust), and has a strong message that can connect with Christians and people living in a Christian influenced society. Additionally the US is quite familiar with Magical Girl stories (after all they originated in the US) and so while a few of the more Japanese Magical Girl tropes might pass over people's heads, most of the shock and subversion of a Magical Girl story will still be there for American viewers. The main weakness of Madoka Magica is that men will be hesitant to watch a Magical Girl show, but perhaps it will be a strength as well, as it means Madoka might attract adult women who grew up watching Sailor Moon, creating a larger market for anime with adult women.

edited 11th May '12 6:33:50 AM by Sackett

The key to me is successful marketing more than anything else. Stuff like Toonami, actually trying to grab tweens and teens interest with the stuff its licensed.

And besides, a high tide raises all boats. Making the Anime market bigger in America means more accommodation for shit.

edited 11th May '12 10:41:10 AM by Scherzo09

If by "otaku-like", you mean stereotypically ecchi/harem/moe presentations, I don't think that there such a direct correlation between that and obscurity, that on the other end of the scale, we could expect mainstreamness and normalcy to go hand in hand.

The most niche anime category of all, the elitist-pandering noitaminA timeslot, has some of the most "normal" stories, even if they are pretty much the opposite of mainstream.

I disagree with that. If you look at the history of record-breaking, industry modifying successes, (in any medium), they were almost never notable for their innovation. Not that they were all offensively generic either, some of them had some nice subtle fresh touches, but typically, they were still comfortably in the middle of old recognizable genres, they just happened to be done really really well.

Millions of TV viewers (especially young american girls) are not ignoring the Mahou Shoujo genre because they saw so many that they are already bored with it. Always asking for more innovation, is a fannish mentality. They ignore it, because it was never brought to their attention. And if it was, it failed to catch them at the first minutes. I agree with Scherzo 09, it's mostly a metter of marketing. And beyond that, it's a matter of a properly fine-tuned story.

I mean, compare Toonami to what [as]'s Anime block is now. Toonami was, initially, a program that really tried to sell anime to its audience. It wanted you to watch its shows. [as]'s block on the other hand is little more than a dumping ground for anime's they license; they're unadvertised so you have to actually go out of your way to watch them.

No one anime is suddenly going to make a new Renaissance; it needs a concerted effort by some network to air anime in a way to attract a market.

I would say Tiger And Bunny is the best bet. It's got Multiple Demographic Appeal, there's not much that would alienate audiences not familiar with anime and/or Japanese cultural tropes, and it appears that we're on a superhero trend which, given all the Steve/Tony and Thor/Loki shippers, T&B can easily utilize.

Of course, for that to happen, Viz has to get off its ass and dub the fucking thing already.