You must have at least heard the word ‘anime’ in your lifetime. But if you have regularly come across this term, then you know what’s the hype. Anime is basically a term used specifically for Japanese animated shows and movies. The hype is justified considering the craze and following anime culture has acquired. The rise in anime popularity has everything to do with the quality of anime. There are many challenges that the anime industry faces.
Be it animation, characters, story, or anything else, anime has been spot on in its portrayal of feelings, emotion, and strong powerful messages that the audience loves. Access to anime is now easier thanks to Netflix and Crunchyroll, as the former has a huge library of anime whereas Crunchyroll is exclusively made for anime. Even though there are some titles not available legally yet but it is gaining pace steadily.
Anime is becoming more and more of a mainstream entertainment form. The primary reason for this success is the huge catalog of titles anime provide with many categories. Series like ‘One Piece’ and ‘Naruto’, has helped to spread the popularity more than any other anime, there are emotional anime like ‘ I want to eat Your Pancreas’. The diversity of the anime world is too big this diversification of genre has been able to provide something for every taste. This has been one of the reasons for the popularity and increased number of fans in the world.
Challenges Before Anime Production
High Production Cost
Even though the growth is pretty steady, the anime industry finds many challenges. The number one reason is the cost of producing anime. The animation business is time-consuming and incurs a huge cost with the requirement of labor, which increases the cost of production. And the profit also depends on the performance of the anime. If the anime doesn’t do well then the production companies suffer a heavy blow.
Piracy
There are an estimated 10,000+ anime in the world and only a limited number of anime, say less than 450 anime are available in countries like the US, Canada, etc. This number goes downhill in other countries. Since there is a limited catalog available legally, the audience turns to pirated sources in order to watch anime that are not available.
Every anime is available illegally worldwide which affects the revenue of anime companies. This problem hurts the industry in long term. The above image shows how many titles are available in the regions legally. The US, Canada, China, and South Korea are among the countries with the most licensed anime. Whereas the remaining titles are only available illegally and watched with pirated sources.
Very Little Diversification
Anime shows often follow the same plot with changed storylines and characters, as it is evident that most anime that comes out has a male teenage protagonist with little to no representation of females and other less privileged groups. Sometimes it makes the relatability a bit difficult for the audience.
These challenges have not at all slowed the growth and popularity of the anime industry. Despite these shortcomings, the quality is unmatched and there is no anime that are the same. In conclusion, the anime industry has come a long way in recent years, with a steady increase in popularity. However, it still faces a number of challenges, such as high production costs, piracy, and lack of diversity. As the industry continues to grow, it will be important for studios and networks to address these challenges in order to ensure the sustainability of the industry in the long term.
