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Originally Posted by Utsuro no Hako
Is that really a matter of content or marketing? I mean, Ika Musume is a late night anime, but it would've fit in the Saturday morning lineup of any American network in the '80s.
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For otaku shows, it's both. Marketing has always had influence on how the shows would turn out--it did in the 80's and it does now--but I think the more depressing part is that creators these days don't just create stories, they produce them, with specific intent on them being adaptable for television or movie screens. I can name examples for light novels, manga, eroge... You don't sell big if you don't sell out, that's the simple matter of fact. In Japan, there's just a lot of competition in every creative field, and if you want someone to notice you, you'll include the tropes, you'll draw cute girls, you'll do the marketing. Now, being someone with fresh ideas and storytelling is one thing, the key is being able to communicate them well to your audience. We could say that the original work is kind of like a commercial for producers to notice you. Basically, you're catering to producers who are second or third-generation otaku themselves. This is another reason why I called the industry incestuous in the other thread.
I was hoping things would turn around with this new wave of anime originals, but it doesn't matter, the brain damage these writers sustained as children watching cartoons has the industry under a creative lockdown. Take for example this recent comment from superstar writer Okada Mari.
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AnoHana scriptwriter Mari Okada revealed in the August issue of Media Factory's monthly Da Vinci magazine that the drama included slapstick erotic elements in its original conception. As a contemplative slice-of-life story with a quieter tone, the anime's final version differs greatly from the writer's original plans. ANN
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I hate her so much. Other staffers saved the day on that one, and even the final version of AnoHana was high on tropes.
I'd love to see Hollywood one day take a popular romantic comedy manga and turn it inside out, just to flaunt moe-kei worshippers with how much better it sold than its anime adaptation.