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How old is too old to still be watching anime?

Anime is no different from movies and T.V. in terms of maximum age. There are plenty of kid shows on T.V. too.

Animastryfe wrote:

Anime is no different from movies and T.V. in terms of maximum age. There are plenty of kid shows on T.V. too.

It's true that anime is no different then a normal T.V. show however the animation factor makes it more suitable to a younger viewers because that is usually the first kind of show they are introduced to as kids. As a result kids and teens become the staple of the animators' profits and the mature 18+ genre gets less attention because anime viewer's tastes are expeced to mature to other mediums. This is proven by the fact that there are far less mature 18+ anime out there. Thus it seems that animators aren't too worried about keeping up with the older fans... Hence my dilemma, whether or not anime will be able to keep my attention in the future...

What exactly are we supposed to discuss?

I suggest manga if you're running low on mature plots. There's a whole lot of seinen manga that aren't adapted into anime (obviously because more money is in adapting the shounen shit). But if manga really isn't your thing then just try not to get too paranoid about growing out of anime, if you ever do get fed up with it I'm absolutely positive you're not going to care at all about being angry with yourself for quitting.

However, the general Japanese population is aging rapidly. With it, the age of the average Anime fan. So, I think that more mature Anime will be released as a proportion, simply to keep pace with this older and more discerning viewer.

That is my take on the situation, anyway.

[Edited to make more sense.]

But I think most are misunderstanding the subject of the discussion "How old is too old to still be watching anime?" and thinking this is about me. What I'm really curious about is how old is too old for the animators? Obviously there is a target demographic for anime but is there also an age limit imposed by animators? This might seem like a stupid question, I mean if you are 60 you probably won't be the target demographic of animators any time in the near future, but in my opinion animators are missing out on profits by not expanding more into the 20-30 age group. Anime is a very flexible medium that can be attractive to all age groups and inspire the same emotions as big screen movies, t.v. dramas, etc. I just believe that there isn't enough of this expansion into this age group. Am I wrong or clairvoyant?

In answer to your question, there isn't the same social stigma in Japan for watching Anime or reading manga, so Anime is often made incorporating very childish elements and very mature elements. The boundaries between genres is also more blurred. All to appeal across the widest range of viewers as possible, both adults and young teens. Take Elfen Lied. Ultraviolent, yet with a (at first) quirky romantic subplot. Full Metal Panic is another Jeckyl-and-Hide series.

So if you are having trouble finding any Anime that is aimed squarely at a mature audience, it is not because the director hates older folk. They are simply bound by the need to appeal to a wide audience.

It's true that anime is no different then a normal T.V. show however the animation factor makes it more suitable to a younger viewers because that is usually the first kind of show they are introduced to as kids. As a result kids and teens become the staple of the animators' profits and the mature 18+ genre gets less attention because anime viewer's tastes are expeced to mature to other mediums. This is proven by the fact that there are far less mature 18+ anime out there. Thus it seems that animators aren't too worried about keeping up with the older fans... Hence my dilemma, whether or not anime will be able to keep my attention in the future...