Forum - View topicAnswerman - What Makes An Anime A Crossover Hit?
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Moroboshi-san
 Posts: 174 |
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Well, he failed to let us know what are those hits he is talking about and based on what criteria they are hits (personal opinion doesn't count). Without that this whole discussion is pretty much meaningless. As an example most Miyazaki/Ghibli movies could perhaps be counted as these hits and still they fail most of the criteria written by the guy. |
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Touma
 Posts: 2651 Location: Colorado, USA |
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I agree with what angelmcazares said, and I think that it is also worth noting that Justin was not talking about what he wants, what he likes, or what he thinks that anime should do.
He was making an observation about the characteristics of anime that have had some crossover success. I think that some people have the wrong idea about the article. |
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MidoriUma
Posts: 130 |
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Then maybe that's part of the problem. You (and the "many others" you speak of) are entirely free to adopt Justin Sevakis's views and demand that anime become more Americanized, with lots of big explosions and car chases and whatnot. Strip the medium of any trace of its Japanese roots that made the fans adore it. That's kind of what is happening now. Personally I consider the Japanese studios, directors, artists, and writers to be the authorities on anime, and I think they are by far the most qualified people to decide what makes hit anime and manga. That's kind of how the industry grew and existed for many decades (until Justin Sevakis came along and decided he knew better, of course). |
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Hiroki not Takuya
 Posts: 2514 |
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Alan45
 Village Elder Posts: 9840 Location: Virginia |
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@MidoriUma
You misread the entire article. Someone asked the question of what was necessary to make an anime appeal to an audience beyond just anime fans, that is to be a crossover hit. Justin specified the characteristics of those shows that qualified. He did not demand that Japan adhere to those specifications, he didn't even suggest that it was a good idea. He even pointed out that attempting to appeal to western audiences doesn't always work. Also, if you would quit getting upset and read the thread carefully, you would find that most of the people here on the forum actually want anime to continue to be Japanese and not attempt to appeal to the western market. After all, that is what attracted us to anime in the first place. |
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Mr Adventure
 Posts: 1598 |
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Have... Have ever seen an anime from the 1980s? There's few things more 'anime' then an over the top action scene with fast cars and explosives. Anime historicly borrows most of its tropes from other media cultures. Manga and anime owes itself to the methods of Walt Disney via Tesuka after all. |
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ParkerALx
 Posts: 194 |
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Justin didn't even remotely claim that anime should be Americanized. He merely made an observation about what traits super popular shows often have that make them appeal to both a mainstream Japanese and mainstream American audience. It had nothing to do with his personal preferences. |
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Ziko577
Posts: 136 |
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I think why AoT is so popular is due to the themes, soundtrack, and visual presentation. This is coming from someone who's reading the manga and beginning to see the issues in it (i.e. plot armored characters, predictable plot-twists, lack of world-building, etc.) When S2 hits and it will next year, it'll really slow the plot down significantly as Titans fall into the background and the corrupt government gets a lot more focus and most fans will see how bad things get. First, they have to resolve the plot with Annie though. Toonami is a great example of a block that runs the gamut with these guidelines and all the shows on there have some or all of them in play and that works though my criticisms lie with the aggresive censorship, questionable dialog, and choice or voice actors/actresses which is a big deal to me in dubs. Parasyte comes to mind as it started this weekend and I hated the dub of it and my brother asked me almost non-stop about why this or that happens. My explanation is to either read the manga or suspend disbelief as much of it doesn't get resolved. |
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Lili-Hime
 Posts: 569 |
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Ok... so I take it you haven't listened to Justin much on ANNcast and don't know his personal tastes. The guy watches Japanese arthouse movies that are very slow paced. Only Yesterday is one of his favorite anime ever, and that's about as slow paced and Japanese as it gets. He just pointed out that if you want success in America, your anime has to have what Americans like. Conversely, fantasy and Disney (like Lord of the Rings and Cinderella) sell much better in Japan than gritty gun/action movies like Die Hard.
Funny how many of the anime fans who think Japanese culture is superior forget this. Many Japanese creators are influenced by western things. Dirty Pair: Project EDEN straight up had xenomorphs in it. Rurouni Kenshin pretty much directly steals Marvel character designs. The cultural borrowing goes both ways though (Powerpuff Girls, Steven Universe, and The Matrix are very anime influenced). |
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EricJ2
 Posts: 4016 |
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Also, Midori seems to be under the impression that Justin was saying "We Americans want anime to be JUST LIKE US!" Uh-uh. 
What he was saying is that a conventional genre format done well within the rules of its genre will hook a mainstream audience as well as a niche fan audience, because new viewers aren't as patient about abstract artistic indulgence as established viewers. Or, to put it more simply, what's the first anime you would show a non-fan who's never seen anime before?: Lupin III, Cowboy Bebop or Monogatari? (Oh, would you really?) |
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EricJ2
Posts: 4016 |
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Oh no, it's perfectly REASONABLE to start a discussion with "Shows as bad as Tenchi and Outlaw Star". 
Outlaw Star just had built-in universal appeal (especially for those who wanted the space-cowboy plot without the gratuitous depression of Bebop), but Tenchi--yes, even the OVA too--was very easy for Cartoon Network to market in '99-'00. Digital bikinis aside, it didn't have the "pervy" stigma of One of Those Harem Shows, simply because Harem didn't exist as a genre yet--It was easy for CN to sell the hero's dilemma as The Love Triangle From Hell. ("The Princess. The Pirate. The Mad Scientist.") No matter how loopy, improvisatory, and first-audience-punishing the OVA episodes were, the main comic premise was easy to grasp, and lasted through the cuddly sitcomfort-food tone of the Universe and Tokyo series. Moral: Don't get fancy. All most people want to do when they watch TV is just watch TV. |
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Knoepfchen
 Posts: 698 |
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Very much agreed. |
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RosaBatata
Posts: 36 Location: Israel |
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When sitting through my (down-under-imported) copies of Monster, I often find myself surprised that the show didn't become a bigger hit in the west. It's just SO DAMN GOOD, and the fact that it takes place in an actual historical western setting we all remember makes it even more relatable.
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EricJ2
Posts: 4016 |
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And what about the 90's King of Crossovers, Ranma 1/2? Passed all the criteria, with crazy characters, relatable humor situtations and plenty of funny action...But the very obviously and traditionally Japanese dojo setting may have been the card that helped sell anime to Western audiences, since it told them up front they were watching something JAPANESE--back when we had our quasi-racist stigma/unfamiliarity about Japan, and still thought they were samurais living in bamboo houses--and understanding what was going on enough to get the jokes. Akane's "violent temper" seemed more like a relatable American girl by our standards, Ranma appealed to those of us who still thought "All Asians are martial arts experts" and Kuno's buffoonish samurai/haiku posturing unintentionally poked fun at our little knowledge of Japan outside of Kurosawa films. Urusei Yatsura was the funnier Takahashi series, but it was stuck in a niche mail-order market, had too many geek references, wandered off the concept in a hundred gonzo directions, and took a lot of time to get the feel for, but like Tenchi, Ranma seemed to be ready-made to hand anime comedy to gaijin Westerners on readily available US store shelves. |
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TarsTarkas
 Posts: 5825 Location: Virginia, United States |
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Justin Sevakis made no such demand. Nor is he requesting any such thing. Japanese studios, directors, artists, and writers may be authorities on anime in Japan, but they are most definitely not, when it comes to whether an anime show or film will be a success in the West. |
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