It feels like Japanese-created anime has dominated the young adult and mature animation landscape for decades - but is the tide beginning to turn?
For years young adult and mature animation in the west has only really been found in the form of comedy such as Family Guy and South Park. However, the past decade has seen a shift. Alongside the rise of streaming platforms we've also seen the growth in titles that come under mature western animation and subsequently a growing audience that enjoys them. Series such as Scavengers Reign, Invincible, and of course the incredibly popular Arcane (which opened to 34 million views in it's opening week), all point towards a future in which European and American animated series sit comfortably next to Anime on the shelves of many an adult and many an Otaku worldwide. And with technology and education becoming more gloablised with every passing day, Africa, South Asia, and South America are following closely behind.
The thing that makes this shift in animation creation and viewership so special is that it does not take away from Anime itself. A quick google search will show that Anime continues to grow in reach, viewership and production (the anime movie Suzume had a box office of $318 million in 2022). Rather this creates a means by which more stories can be told in entirely new ways with entirely new perspectives. Never before have we seen the variety of stories and animated styles that we have now coming from viewpoints, mythologies, and creators from the world over. And with a larger audience comes a larger budget, and the time to craft these animated series and movies with care. Arcane's sound track and sound design alone are award worthy, and the opportunities and doors its success has had will no doubt open doors and supply opportunities to musicians, voice actors, and other creatives that were either narrow or closed entirely in the past.
So we would do well to embrace this change fully rather than pitting the Western, Eastern or South styles against each other. Rather we would do well to celebrate all the great animation that comes out, supporting artists who are putting their blood sweatr and tears into telling stories that may just stay with us for a lifetime.
Tell us, what do you think - Is mature Western animation finally having its day in the sun? Or do you think Anime will alwasy far eclipse it?
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