is anime dying in america?

[Koir]

Agreed. Lately, I've been really appreciating whoever the Japanese voice actor is for the Minori Kushieda character in the Toradora anime...

[Mikachii2202]

there is just about no anime / manga stuff in Canada i have to go to this certan book stor to get it its getting harder and harder to find its making me depressed... im going to get my ice cream....

[Salvanas]

The only main reason Anime is dying out, is because of three reasons;

1: Fangirls.
2: Illegal streaming on the web.
3: FANGIRLS.

People should buy the manga's and anime DVDs and not stream of download them. The Artists already gain a minimum wage due to their work. Streamers and downloaders just reduce that income to almost 0.

Now, after that rant. I'm off to stream Naruto Shippuden episode 85.

[allie2590]

Originally Posted by Mikachii2202

there is just about no anime / manga stuff in Canada i have to go to this certan book stor to get it its getting harder and harder to find its making me depressed... im going to get my ice cream....

What are you talking about? I'm from Canada, and I can find plenty of stuff.

[Ramones1976]

Originally Posted by peterv20

one of my weekly routines was dashed saturday when i went to go shopping at one of my anime stores "anime nuts" and it was closed.i mean really closed,out of bizz...then i stopped to think about it,they're shops looking run-down and closing.how about your area?

Aside from economic reasons I think anime could also start to die as a fad in north america, but not just yet, in a few years to come...

[Mikachii2202]

What are you talking about? I'm from Canada, and I can find plenty of stuff.



theres like no manga/anime were i live cause i live on a farm lmao .. i have to travel 1 hour to get to the nearest mall and theres just about nothing there...

[Sukotto]

I highly doubt it would ever die in America. US companys are licensing more and more anime all the time, that why some are starting make it on to tv also. And besides I usally can never get near the anime section at a video store (not rental stores) without the whole section being filled up with 14 year old girls, thank god for online shopping.

[Naoko]

I hate English dubs...I'd rather poke myself in the eye with a hot french fry than listen to the bad acting that is English voiced anime >_<

I take that back...only 9% of it though...Some anime isn't so bad dubbed...InuYasha wasn't horrid, neither is Bleach nor VanDread. Most of the rest of it...omg ear bleeding. Anyone ever watch Sailor Moon at like 6am on UPN as a kid and now, several years later, watched an episode and thought "Oh em gee...Serena (Usagi) sounds like she ate a cat and it scratched her vocal cords on the way down?"

[Digikoto]

A few factors that I consider are these:

1.) If I'm not mistaken, Anime consumers are a niche market even in their home country. That said, it goes without saying that the same would be true and even moreso in the states.

2.) Piracy and the 50/11 sites you can view Anime online with have to severely hinder Anime rental revenue as well as DVD purchase. A friend of mine owned an Anime shop here in the DC area and it struggled due to this convention.

3.) There is a double edged sword with Anime in the states. Fans want to be able to purchase Anime at Best Buy Chappelle Show prices. It's not really feasible given the cost of production and localization and the ratio of popularity. So fans won't pay higher prices and thus publishers cannot drop DVDs because they can't recoup their publishing/licensing costs. Catch 22 of the century.

4.) Best Buy alone probably had the buying power of the entire Prefecture of Osaka. Given that fact, they can get highly discounted rates on the Anime they purchase to resell. When they drop the price of Bleach Season 2 box set to $29 here in the near future, they will create a fiercely competitive situation with local Anime retailers in that area. (especially in this economy) As much as I love local mom & pop run establishments... You'd be hard pressed to get me to purchase it for the full $69 when I can go to Best Buy and get it for less than half of that. A local retailer can't afford to go that low.

So, to answer the original question, yes, I think that Anime is dying in a sense in the states. There will always be a loyal fanbase, but many of them aren't willing to spend the money to truly make Anime thrive.

On the other side of the coin, I think more studios need to follow the DBZ/Pokemon formula. Each studio needs to market a specific work to kids that can fit into a "Saturday Morning Cartoon" slot. Something that kids ages 8-13 can really get into. They could then use the loot from that production to invest in the shows that the "hardcore" fans would be more into watching.