The last decade or so has been incredibly difficult for many anime fans. A number of slightly ominous and derogatory statements regarding anime as an industry and an art form confront me on a regular basis; some of which with I'm, frankly, hard pressed to argue.
Ten years ago an anime store or a convention dealers room presented a wondrous mix of genres and products. Walls were plastered with scrolls depicting Ranma, Space Battle Ship Yamato, Goku, and the Eva-01. Martial arts heroes, space ships, giant robots. Figures, model kits, stationary, trading cards, and many other products crowded the shelves. The same stores and cons still exist. The same products still exist. Though what you actually see has changed dramatically.
Pop culture is certainly prone to turnover. Music, games, television shows - that which stagnates dies. Anime is no different. But in 2011, entering the venues discussed above, you may think you were instead in a porn shop. The emphasis is now on character figures and artwork which go out of their way to display provocative poses providing the viewer ample cleavage and up-skirt shots at it's most moderate. Many figures include cast-off options (removable clothes) allowing the owner to bask in plastic anime nudity from any desired angle. To make matters worse, there's also a tendency for characters to be underage as well. Unsettling, to say the least.
I acknowledge that cheesecake and fan-service elements have long been a part of the anime industry, but they were hardly the focus in mainstream productions or among fandom. I recently visited an old on-line haunt of mine which focuses on discussion of anime and the vast majority of conversation regarding the anime themselves centered on the qualities of the female characters - how they are cute, annoying, moe, tsundere, how they dress, wear their hair, and speak. Indeed the main driving force for many current fans is to crush on cute, or lust after large busts. The Spring 2011 line-up shows a preponderance of shows to suit their tastes. I both fear and fear for those looking forward to shows such as Seikon no Qwaser season 2 (about a young boy who gains his power through the consumption of holy breast milk) and Astarotte no Omocha (no desire to describe this atrocity - read the link at your own risk).
These shows (and, make no mistake, their fans) have run many people off from anime and it's hard to blame them. Where did my giant robots and martial arts heroes go? They're still out there, it's just harder to find. There are still some really great films and television programs in production, and I volunteer to wade through the cesspools and bring those quality shows to the surface for any friends who may look in here from time to time. Coming soon - Anime is Still Good, a multipart blog post that hopefully won't be abandoned before I'm done sifting through this season's new shows at least.
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