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INTEREST: Hideaki Anno Voices His Concerns About the Anime Industry

Hollywood already depends more on the international scene than the US. Maybe it is about time anime does the same.

It won't happen, anime is a business and stuff that has no chance of making money off merchandise and BDs/DVDs to an extent will not be made. Can studios try new things, yes, and they also should try new things but no one wants to take a risk because the costs can down a studio, this also is the same thing that the video game industry is facing but unlike the video game industry there are no feasible alternatives for risks to be taken like the indie developers in video games.

the producer coordinates the requests of the sponsors and original creator, and makes sure everything functions from a business point of view, while the Planning people select and hire the creative staff, drill down on defining the story, and coordinates all the gears to work in synchronicity together. Those guys are the ones calling the big overarching creative shots. The director then coordinates the episode directors, the art directors, character designers, and all of the people who define the look of the show.

Unlike Western producers, Japanese producers usually are businessmen who haven't gone to film school, and don't feel comfortable telling a director "this scene doesn't work with that music" or "this scene drags and needs to be cut down."

Hoppy800 wrote:

It won't happen, anime is a business and stuff that has no chance of making money off merchandise and BDs/DVDs to an extent will not be made. Can studios try new things, yes, and they also should try new things but no one wants to take a risk because the costs can down a studio, this also is the same thing that the video game industry is facing but unlike the video game industry there are no feasible alternatives for risks to be taken like the indie developers in video games.

Now, the game industry is not in this sorry state (thou it has its good share of issues), there are things for everyone and a lot of games of different taste and genres sell well, sure shooters are the straps nowadays to make big bucks but its dominance is not even far far from the likes of moe in anime, I don't see darn guns in every single game and first person view, so no don't group games with anime and moe which is what is killing anime, the spirit of anime that is.

With your avatar is very clear what side you are on of course.

Also I wonder if rushing manga adaptations, though the manga doesn't have enough material or ongoing story, is really necessary. yes, it might boost the manga sales. But if the full story gets a proper adaptation then the anime and related merchandise might get equally good sales I think.

Only one thing I noticed is that recent manga and anime are more and more focused on school-life romance comedies in the shoujo section and battle, gore, ecchi and fanservice heavy shows in shounen section. Not saying that there aren't good stories being made, but the variety in stories in these main genres seems to be shrinking. Probably that's one thing that Anno wants to highlight when saying "the Japanese animation industry has hit a dead end". Creators really need to think on this fact thoroughly. Restricting to the fanbase in Japan only isn't really a good idea. Anime is gaining ground internationally fast and that's why when making shows the variety in the stories needs to be much more than what is getting created by mangaka as well as getting anime adaptations.

The issue is once you start aiming your product to another market, you lose what made it appealing to begin with. From a financial standpoint, yes, globalization and homogenization makes money. If that's all you care about, then that's fine. As a consumer, though, I feel it would be a terrible blow against anime. Name your favorite anime and I guarantee it would not have been made under the proposal you are suggesting. No doubt foreign committees would consider it too violent, too sexual, too esoteric, or if nothing else "too Japanese".

It's always odd to see fans push for this kind of globalization. You have no financial stake in these shows, so what do you gain as a consumer? If anything, you stand only to lose if this proposal comes to pass. Instead, we should be grateful Japan's market is enough to sustain this medium as is. Series like One Piece, Detective Conan, Pretty Cure, Gundam, Sword Art Online, Free, Attack on Titan, and virtually every other big titles under the sun are only able to exist in the first place because of the power of the Japanese market. You risk turning anime into western animation by asking for them to prioritize the western market. That's what happened with most European animation which are little different from American animation these days.

Also whatever asdqweiop said seem to confirmed what Justin Servakis said on Answerman.

Quote:

the producer coordinates the requests of the sponsors and original creator, and makes sure everything functions from a business point of view, while the Planning people select and hire the creative staff, drill down on defining the story, and coordinates all the gears to work in synchronicity together. Those guys are the ones calling the big overarching creative shots. The director then coordinates the episode directors, the art directors, character designers, and all of the people who define the look of the show. Unlike Western producers, Japanese producers usually are businessmen who haven't gone to film school, and don't feel comfortable telling a director "this scene doesn't work with that music" or "this scene drags and needs to be cut down."

Well, now I know the problem of production committee and producers, lack of film school experience.

Unlike Western producers, Japanese producers usually are businessmen who haven't gone to film school, and don't feel comfortable telling a director "this scene doesn't work with that music" or "this scene drags and needs to be cut down."

No, that's good. Because as Justin states here and I just previously mentioned, they delegate anything to do with creative direction over to the creators so long as sponsors can play their ads or plug their product, it's all good. Let me emphasize a different part of your post:

I would rather not have the producers and committee members thinking "Hey I went to film school, so I know better!" and meddle or micromanage.

Most commercial films are produced by TV networks and other media companies in a system of “production committees” (or seisaku iinkai) in which partners share investment, PR and other chores in return for a share of the profits. Six or eight partners, ranging from video distributors to radio broadcasters and advertising agencies, is common. And 12 partners is not uncommon.

Significantly, the partners not only have a say in what gets made – most commonly adaptations of popular novels, comics and TV dramas ­— but also how it gets made.

Veteran scriptwriter and indie director Junichi Inoue says this leads to “jishuku” ­— which literally translates as “self-restraint,” but really means “self-censorship.” “It’s more effective than official censorship, actually,” Inoue told a seminar audience at the 2014 Nippon Connection Film Festival in Frankfurt, where his hard-hitting WWII drama “A Woman and War” screened.

@md07

There is a major flaw in that argument when it applies to adaptations of existing works, which is what the majority of anime is. What is there is meddle or change when you know exactly what you're going to produce? Members know exactly what's involved, so they can take it or leave it. In any case, the ultimate concern is recouping investment, hence the emphasis on commercialization and merchandise after it's made, coming back to what this article is about.

He means the reliance on Production Committees, I am sure. Not that merchandising occurs.