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Old 2004-01-06, 14:07   Link #1
mr_green32
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Anime in the 00's: mainstream or just a new way of entertainment

Ok, maybe this is just a battle between the hardcore anime otakus and the fresh-off-of-Cartoon-network DBZ/Gundam Wing kids, but what do you think: is anime becoming too mainstream, or is it just another form of entertainment that's having it's time in the light? I remember just yesterday having to locate the nearest AniCon just to buy used VHS anime. Okay, maybe not yesterday...more like 6 years ago when I started. Nowadays, you can buy anime at a gas station (wow, New York has it all!). Much like Final Fantasy VII threw gaiming into the mainstream, I think Dragonball (and fuc---I mean funimation) threw anime into every home in America. That's great, but I feel something's being lost in the transition. Now every 8 yr old thinks he's the #1 freak because he can name all the characters in Cowboy Beebop. Maybe it's just a part of life, how something can boom into the open and do well. But how long will it last? Will the craze die down here in america, leaving the experience back in the underground hands? Or will it be another part of our entertainment pastime forever? Eh, maybe my hatred for English-dialogue anime has gone to my head. Maybe I like the Japanese language too much. And maybe, just maybe, Lina WILL have bigger breasts one day. I like her just the way she is anyhoo...

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Old 2004-01-06, 15:11   Link #2
maxthelostboy
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umm its not new here at all! Speed racer! classic in ever way! astroboy came here too! though MOST people do not watch anime because they rather watch real shows (friends, etc.) and anime is not played on prime time on main stations like abc, nbc, fox etc. Cable stations yes. I think what throws most people off from anime is the price, some people rather buy a cheaper dvd thats 2 hours and blah than a anime dvd that has 90 minutes of show for like $30. Yes there r alot of exceptions and yes dvds are cheaper some places. and final fantasy 7 did nothing into blasting video games into the world! Pacman , mario, sonic, all before that! Though a certain show may just be a thing of the time i doubt anime will.
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Old 2004-01-06, 15:39   Link #3
Thelastguardian
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You know....6 months is not that long :| that mean you started downloading anime at June 2003....DUDE dont act like you have 50 years of experience Of course I also dont watch anime for this long, but I think my experience will suffice me saying this: For anime world the last 12 months does not consists of much changes. The only thing that would be major is anime is finally going to mainstream North America's society. But it still has a long way to go.

I hate to say this but anime IS another kind of entertainment whatever you like it or not. Just like action movie, romance drama, whatever. Anime is created to entertain people, not toture them
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Old 2004-01-06, 16:03   Link #4
kj1980
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I have no idea how "mainstream" anime is in America.

But at least in Japan, you can say that anime is somewhat "mainstream." That, meaning there are two groups of people in Japan:

A. People who watch anime and read manga as kids, and "grow up" watching less and less anime, reading fewer and fewer manga as they age. In otherwords, they finds something else as a hobby (like sports, for example). The majority of the population consist of these people.

B. People who watch anime and read manga as kids, and "grow up" watching more and more anime, reading greater and greater manga as they age. These people, according to the level of in-depthness, find themselves diving into deeper realms of the otaku world (for example, doujinshi creation, garage-kit model making, going to animation schools, etc.).
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Old 2004-01-06, 16:14   Link #5
Joe Dalton
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the had been wtatching for 6 years o yee of little vision!
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Old 2004-01-06, 16:30   Link #6
kjwise
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It is getting to be mainstream. Here we get a shelf or two of Manga Entertainment releases in major dept stores, about 1/4 of the space for 'World Cinema'.

I still buy my DVDs from Japan though rather than from the US as the dubbing process takes too long and IMHO is a waste of time.

Until you can buy English subbed releases from Japan, I guess the world market for anime is too small to be called mainstream.
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Old 2004-01-06, 16:41   Link #7
method
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I would put anime in the niche entertainment category. Some titles are mainstream like Pokemon or DBZ, but those are the exceptions. I would define mainstream as being able to start a conversation with someone and they know what you are talking about.
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Old 2004-01-07, 09:10   Link #8
mr_green32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by maxthelostboy
and final fantasy 7 did nothing into blasting video games into the world! Pacman , mario, sonic, all before that!

Gotta stop you there, pal. I never said FFVII "blasted gaming into the world", I simply stated my observation of gaming both on a social and econimic level post-FFVII. Sure, everyone knew about games when it was released. No kidding. However, during the release, it recieved multiple magazine, television, newspaper and internet coverage. It was exposed to all forms of media like no other game. Who would expect to be reading Sports Illustrated and expect to see an add for the latest Mario? Well, after FFVII, you just might. Same goes for Madden NFL. Almost everywhere you go, someone has Madden 2003 or 04. People put PS2s in their vehicles just to play it on the go. It's amazing how far the industry has come. But I must say, over the past 5 years, video games have become mainstream. Look at the consumer margins for games around Atari's time, then Nintendo's time, Playstation's time, and now. You'll see a HUGE flux. There are over 70 different magazines dedicated to gaming. When I started, there were 15. Not including the small, fan-based mags. You've got to admit: gaming is more "out in the open" now than ever, and in my opinion, it started with the Playstation and, to be specific, FFVII.
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Old 2004-01-07, 17:26   Link #9
Kobugodo
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Anime isn't going mainstream... it's a little more popular... and getting more exposure for sure. And the reason it's easier to find anime in stores is because of DVDs... If it wasn't for DVD's becoming a standard. you wouldn't find it at your nearest video store. I work in a video/music store... and dvd's not only made way for anime... but made way for lots of foreign movies. I don't have to go downtown to a small independently owned store that sales exclusively foreign films.
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Old 2004-01-07, 18:46   Link #10
maxthelostboy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mr_green32
Gotta stop you there, pal. I never said FFVII "blasted gaming into the world", I simply stated my observation of gaming both on a social and econimic level post-FFVII. Sure, everyone knew about games when it was released. No kidding. However, during the release, it recieved multiple magazine, television, newspaper and internet coverage. It was exposed to all forms of media like no other game. Who would expect to be reading Sports Illustrated and expect to see an add for the latest Mario? Well, after FFVII, you just might. Same goes for Madden NFL. Almost everywhere you go, someone has Madden 2003 or 04. People put PS2s in their vehicles just to play it on the go. It's amazing how far the industry has come. But I must say, over the past 5 years, video games have become mainstream. Look at the consumer margins for games around Atari's time, then Nintendo's time, Playstation's time, and now. You'll see a HUGE flux. There are over 70 different magazines dedicated to gaming. When I started, there were 15. Not including the small, fan-based mags. You've got to admit: gaming is more "out in the open" now than ever, and in my opinion, it started with the Playstation and, to be specific, FFVII.
Final fantasy Vii has nothing to do with it. I have lots of old magazines pre playstation and they have pictures of video game ads in them. I think u mean final fantasy 7 launhced the final fantasy series higher then it's ever been but video games no. Mario was already a known name by them. I bet more people on the street would know who mario is than cloud.
but each his own I respect your idea alot
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Old 2004-01-08, 09:50   Link #11
mr_green32
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I see. Narrowing it down to a specific game is a bit much. Gomen. I would say that, given my experience, around the mid-to-late 90s is when the gaming industry hit it's boom. Hope it stays that way, and I believe it will. Viva-la-gaming!
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Old 2004-01-08, 17:10   Link #12
CC Ricers
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You can get DVD sets of Family Guy and The Simpsons at $40 for over 25 episodes. The day that legitimate anime becomes that cheap is the day that it is mainstream.

Right now I don't think it's mainstream because it's not covered too much in mainstream entertainment publications. You might read a little blurb of a new Miyazaki movie or see a review, but it usually doesn't go deeper than that. Nope, the 'anime buzz' segment is still a long way off.
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Old 2004-01-08, 17:17   Link #13
GreyArea
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mr_green32
I see. Narrowing it down to a specific game is a bit much. Gomen. I would say that, given my experience, around the mid-to-late 90s is when the gaming industry hit it's boom. Hope it stays that way, and I believe it will. Viva-la-gaming!
Sorry, going OT again, but Tomb Raider did more for the mainstream appeal of video games than FF7 did.

And prior to that, it was Sony's entrance into the video games market, their big push on the Playstation which made it living room entertainment for the masses.

There was no single thing that tipped it over.
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Old 2004-01-08, 17:40   Link #14
CC Ricers
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I agree. Tomb Raider did more than FF7. The N64 was dominating the PS1 in monthly sales before that. FF7 just made RPGs 'cool', just like GoldenEye and Turok popularized FPS games for consoles.
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Old 2004-01-12, 11:59   Link #15
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haha! when FFVII or whatever came out, i was playing supernintendo.. :P

you guys sound so old. (well. alot older than me)

Quote:
You can get DVD sets of Family Guy and The Simpsons at $40 for over 25 episodes. The day that legitimate anime becomes that cheap is the day that it is mainstream.
I completely and totally agree with you. though we all know that that is never going to happen.
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Old 2004-01-13, 08:52   Link #16
mr_green32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GreyArea
And prior to that, it was Sony's entrance into the video games market, their big push on the Playstation which made it living room entertainment for the masses.
The Playstation was released in Sept 95, but SCEA was established in May 94. Their add campaign, combined with pushing their new hardware into the market, helped their success even before the system was released. Then, once it was, it went big. That, in my opinion, is where it started. Live long, Sony. And gaming.
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Old 2004-01-13, 10:33   Link #17
alchemistfanatic344
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Well 6 years ago there want much licensing going on I mean even today we are just getting stuff that was released in japan 6 or 7 years ago i mean the samauri troopers OVA's just came out last year but they were released in Japan like 8-9 years ago. Anime has been mainstream in Japan for a long time America is simply catching up witht the big boys and its about time. theres only so many times you can watch Sailor moon or DBZ before your tired(and i realize that there are more anime than those two so i would really apreciate it if you wouldn't point out the obvious fact that there are tons of anime out today i simply making a point). Personally i think going mainstream is good Anime, in my opinion, is much more than just a cartoon I mean in Gundam wing alone you experience many philosophies on the concepts of war peace and the complexity of the human mind. Again in Evangelion I myself discovered new concepts that changed my opinions on people in general and people as a whole (the AT field concept gave me chill bumps). So i think Anime can teach people a lot aswell as entertain
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Old 2004-01-13, 10:36   Link #18
alchemistfanatic344
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mr_green32
[B] Now every 8 yr old thinks he's the #1 freak because he can name all the characters in Cowboy Beebop.[B]

Wow 8 year olds a re watching the work that will become a genre in itself....cool.
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Old 2004-01-13, 11:02   Link #19
dragonz20
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Maybe it's not mainstream yet but it's pretty darn close. Pokemon, sailor moon, Yu-Gi-Oh, cardcaptors, DBZ.. that's anime right there. just because they're not buying the dvds because it's too damn expensive doesn't mean it's not mainstream u forget the videogames (pokemon), the posters, collector's item, the toys, etc... remember transformers WAY back then. I never owned the whole VHS collection of transformers and i think few of us did... but who will argue against me when i say that transformers was mainstream?... toys were selling like crazy.

come to think of it, i think anime is mainstream... i think it's because we (anime fans) are way ahead of everyone else when it comes to anime... we watch anime that won't be released legally for at least 2-3 years if at all and i think that's why some of us may believe that anime is not mainstream because they're not up to where we are.
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Old 2004-01-13, 11:11   Link #20
mr_green32
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I agree, alchemist. I think going mainstream is a good thing. Putting companies behind anime does alot for us mere hobbyists. With more funds behind the franchise, we can finally have easier access to those anime we love and wish for. I hope anime stays on this track forever, bringing quality animation and story to generations to come. Time will tell.

About Japanese games: if you stack our library with Japan's, for any system you'll see not only a large quantity difference, but also a very large genre difference. Their gaming culture is so different from ours. The games we bring over here arte ones that cater to the US' likes. There are quite a few games that will never make it over here not because we're "behind the game" (no pun intended), but because our gaming crave is different from theirs. Recent example: the latest Tokyo Gameshow had a very nice booth set up for Half Life 2. Completely void of people. No one cared. However, a new horse-racing sim was crammed full of onlookers. Odd huh? We're 2 different countries with 2 different outlooks for gaming, but one thing is clear: we love 'em.

Gaming and anime 4ever!!!
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