Quote:
Originally Posted by Traece
It's called culture. America loves its action and the "hero gets the girl" trope... We like other stuff too, but the mainstream audiences tend to favor that genre.
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Which is why I said from the very beginning that it's up to creators to change the status quo. I may not know the American market, but I doubt that it's as abysmally dumb as people seem to think it is.
To me, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy, a negative feedback loop. Creators think audiences want dumb entertainment, so only dumb shows get created. In other words, it's a chicken-and-egg problem. If such content weren't even created, it's hardly fair to lambaste audiences for their "poor taste".
Now, if by mainstream we refer to anime that can reach a broader spectrum of adults, not just those with niche interests in the medium, I'd say, why not? Be it in Japan or in the West, I don't see why anime cannot address topics of interest to adult audiences. Stories that deal with real-life, day-to-day — or even existential — concerns. The question, really, is why aren't creators trying?
I think we'll find that it's not really about how foreign markets function. It boils down ultimately to how the anime business model works in Japan, where anime is essentially advertisement for merchandise. But even then, you can see how Japanese creators try to take it beyond mere advertisement. After all, if the point of
Gundam is just to sell toys, why bother investing as much they have on creating such an extensive back story for the
Gundam universe?
You will find, I strongly suspect, that the "suits" are not as mercenary as the public likes to think. Yes, there will be intense interest in the bottom line, but that's part of doing business. Anime has to help its stakeholders make money. But you'll find that even the most hardened executives will understand that if they don't have a good story, they won't make money either. Not in the long run, in any case.
Which is to say that I don't buy the idea that "mainstream" anime won't sell in a market like America's. If the content has broad appeal, I feel it can work. So, perhaps marketing is indeed what's needed. That in turn means that you'll need entrepreneurs who feel that the potential gain is worth the risk.