A lot of anime comes from e-novels and light novels. If we look at the list of anime I am watching in this current season, 13 comes from e-novels or light novels and only two comes from manga. I feel this is a key reason for the strength of anime, the ability of sourcing unique story arc’s from a very wide range of sources, which include the public. This is very different from the 1990’s, but is a change which seemed to align with the overall rise of anime in the west. Demon Lord, Retry! is an anime series adapted from the light novel of the same title written by Kurone Kanzaki. I'll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History: It Seems Turning into a High-Born Baddie Makes the Prince All the More Lovestruck[a] is a Japanese light novel series written by Izumi Okido. Loner Life in Another World (Japanese: ひとりぼっちの異世界攻略, Hepburn: Hitoribotchi no Isekai Kōryaku) is a Japanese light novel series written by Shoji Goji. “The Healer Who Was Banished From His Party, Is, in Fact, the Strongest” is a Japanese light novel series written by Kagekinoko The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor (やり直し令嬢は竜帝陛下を攻略中) is a Japanese light novel series written by Sarasa Nagase. Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest (ありふれた職業で世界最強) is a Japanese light novel series written by Ryo Shirakome Demon Lord 2099 ( 魔王2099) is a Japanese light novel series written by Daigo Murasaki The Stories of Girls Who Couldn't Be Magicians (魔法使いになれなかった女の子の話) is a Japanese web novel written by Yuzuki Akasak Goodbye, Dragon Life (さようなら竜生、こんにちは人生) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hiroaki Nagashima Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles (精霊幻想記) is a Japanese light novel series written by Yuri Kitayama As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World is a Japanese light novel series written by Miraijin A. Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World (ゼロから始める異世界生活, is a Japanese light novel series written by Tappei Nagatsuki The Apothecary Diaries (薬屋のひとりごと) is a Japanese light novel series written by Natsu Hyūga Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective (鴨乃橋ロンの禁断推理) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Amano Dandadan (ダンダダン), also script displayed as Dan Da Dan, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yukinobu Tatsu
Thank you for the amazing comment! So true Tons of stuff in the past 20 years or so have come from light novels That's another pretty interesting/unique aspect of the anime industry in Japan There's so much more to discuss here!
I don't think there needs to be a distinction anymore. Before the world became connected, sure, but now it just doesn't make sense. This is an interesting conversation though.
Absolutely! I think it warrants discussing. The reality is that it seems unlikely Japan would do it but it's also marketing 101. If you make "anime" something only Japan can produce the it gives anime an extra something that can't be replicated unless you actually make it in Japan. When that means it'll be good or not is another matter though! lol
The French don't allow you to use their regional names for wine and the Scot's don't let you use the term scotch for whiskey not made in Scotland. I think its a good idea, but it will never happen.
OK I'm going to contradict myself real quick. Eventually you can't make it regional, it's becoming too mainstream and b/c Anime in it's current use can be argued to be a shortened form of the word Animation. Animation is not regional. Also I feel like most people that consume anime in any form know the difference between Anime/Donghua/Manga/LN...
I think "anime" is kind of a dead concept these days. Most Anime, even from Japan, is sort of a cliche of what anime really was. It used to be bunch of techniques that animators used to save money, essentially. Long poses, big eyes to show facial expressions, high detailed art with little animation... Modern anime is all digital, most of the unique "anime" characteristics are just repeated tropes at this point. You can barely tell one show from the next, unless it's based on a classic manga.
Interesting point! I agree that compared to for example the 80s-90s when there was the OVA boom and much more money being invested in experimental stuff things weren't as generic as they have become. There is much more of an awareness now about creating something for the global market. That's not innately wrong but it has resulted in a bit more of a generic look. At the same time though, isn't that how a style/genre is created? Often limitations result in stylistic choices that then became characteristic of that style and thus even if those limitations are no longer a thing, the stylistic choices remain because that's what has come to define the style/genre.
@@japankyonews I think the style and the genre are two different things. If we consider that the vast majority of 70's/80's American cartoons starting to be animated in Japan or Korea already (G.I Joe, Transformers...), that animation style was becoming pretty prominent in media before imported Japanese Anime started to hit the market in a big way. I think with the American Children's Television Act passed, you start to see the rise of these distinctly American styled cartoons on Cartoon network, with that sort of side-of-your-notebook style art, but still being animated in Korea or Japan for the most part. I think the biggest different between Anime and 90's American cartoons, was the ongoing narrative vs. the "monster of the week" story that most shows had, even X-Men and Spider-Man rarely had a two part episode. A real anime, like Gundam from the 79, has a real, ongoing story with a beginning and an end. It's not something you can just watch casually in any order. And as I said, the Anime from Japan didn't have the big budgets that western shows had, nor did they have the audience. A lot of those tropes we recognize as "anime" I find far less prevalent in the 2000's kids shows, like Pokemon and Digimon. They tended to be Monster of the Week childrens cartoons, with fairly Western pacing and story telling. What we do see with modern Japanese anime today though, shows like My Hero, Attack on Titan, One Punch and Demon Slayer.. is they tend to be much more consistency, and while they use a lot of tropes, they have significant less filler than older Anime's (like DBZ and Naruto). Instead of 2 episodes of Goku powering up, it's a well animated 10 seconds. But for every good Anime, there's a dozen budget shows that look like Flash animation. A lot of these shows just look like visual novels which are probably geared more toward the Japanese market. At the same time though, Western cartoons really distanced themselves from Anime in the last 20 years.
Good stuff
THANK YOU!!!
A lot of anime comes from e-novels and light novels. If we look at the list of anime I am watching in this current season, 13 comes from e-novels or light novels and only two comes from manga. I feel this is a key reason for the strength of anime, the ability of sourcing unique story arc’s from a very wide range of sources, which include the public. This is very different from the 1990’s, but is a change which seemed to align with the overall rise of anime in the west.
Demon Lord, Retry! is an anime series adapted from the light novel of the same title written by Kurone Kanzaki.
I'll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History: It Seems Turning into a High-Born Baddie Makes the Prince All the More Lovestruck[a] is a Japanese light novel series written by Izumi Okido.
Loner Life in Another World (Japanese: ひとりぼっちの異世界攻略, Hepburn: Hitoribotchi no Isekai Kōryaku) is a Japanese light novel series written by Shoji Goji.
“The Healer Who Was Banished From His Party, Is, in Fact, the Strongest” is a Japanese light novel series written by Kagekinoko
The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor (やり直し令嬢は竜帝陛下を攻略中) is a Japanese light novel series written by Sarasa Nagase.
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest (ありふれた職業で世界最強) is a Japanese light novel series written by Ryo Shirakome
Demon Lord 2099 ( 魔王2099) is a Japanese light novel series written by Daigo Murasaki
The Stories of Girls Who Couldn't Be Magicians (魔法使いになれなかった女の子の話) is a Japanese web novel written by Yuzuki Akasak
Goodbye, Dragon Life (さようなら竜生、こんにちは人生) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hiroaki Nagashima
Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles (精霊幻想記) is a Japanese light novel series written by Yuri Kitayama
As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World is a Japanese light novel series written by Miraijin A.
Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World (ゼロから始める異世界生活, is a Japanese light novel series written by Tappei Nagatsuki
The Apothecary Diaries (薬屋のひとりごと) is a Japanese light novel series written by Natsu Hyūga
Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective (鴨乃橋ロンの禁断推理) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Amano
Dandadan (ダンダダン), also script displayed as Dan Da Dan, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yukinobu Tatsu
Thank you for the amazing comment!
So true
Tons of stuff in the past 20 years or so have come from light novels
That's another pretty interesting/unique aspect of the anime industry in Japan
There's so much more to discuss here!
I don't think there needs to be a distinction anymore. Before the world became connected, sure, but now it just doesn't make sense. This is an interesting conversation though.
Absolutely! I think it warrants discussing. The reality is that it seems unlikely Japan would do it but it's also marketing 101. If you make "anime" something only Japan can produce the it gives anime an extra something that can't be replicated unless you actually make it in Japan. When that means it'll be good or not is another matter though! lol
The French don't allow you to use their regional names for wine and the Scot's don't let you use the term scotch for whiskey not made in Scotland. I think its a good idea, but it will never happen.
So true
I think the odds of Japan actually doing this are close to 0 lol
Thanks for commenting!
OK I'm going to contradict myself real quick. Eventually you can't make it regional, it's becoming too mainstream and b/c Anime in it's current use can be argued to be a shortened form of the word Animation. Animation is not regional. Also I feel like most people that consume anime in any form know the difference between Anime/Donghua/Manga/LN...
Thanks so much for commenting!
I hope more people weigh in! Would love to see what others think
I think "anime" is kind of a dead concept these days. Most Anime, even from Japan, is sort of a cliche of what anime really was. It used to be bunch of techniques that animators used to save money, essentially. Long poses, big eyes to show facial expressions, high detailed art with little animation...
Modern anime is all digital, most of the unique "anime" characteristics are just repeated tropes at this point. You can barely tell one show from the next, unless it's based on a classic manga.
Interesting point!
I agree that compared to for example the 80s-90s when there was the OVA boom and much more money being invested in experimental stuff things weren't as generic as they have become. There is much more of an awareness now about creating something for the global market. That's not innately wrong but it has resulted in a bit more of a generic look. At the same time though, isn't that how a style/genre is created? Often limitations result in stylistic choices that then became characteristic of that style and thus even if those limitations are no longer a thing, the stylistic choices remain because that's what has come to define the style/genre.
Also thanks for the comment!!!!
@@japankyonews I think the style and the genre are two different things. If we consider that the vast majority of 70's/80's American cartoons starting to be animated in Japan or Korea already (G.I Joe, Transformers...), that animation style was becoming pretty prominent in media before imported Japanese Anime started to hit the market in a big way. I think with the American Children's Television Act passed, you start to see the rise of these distinctly American styled cartoons on Cartoon network, with that sort of side-of-your-notebook style art, but still being animated in Korea or Japan for the most part.
I think the biggest different between Anime and 90's American cartoons, was the ongoing narrative vs. the "monster of the week" story that most shows had, even X-Men and Spider-Man rarely had a two part episode. A real anime, like Gundam from the 79, has a real, ongoing story with a beginning and an end. It's not something you can just watch casually in any order. And as I said, the Anime from Japan didn't have the big budgets that western shows had, nor did they have the audience. A lot of those tropes we recognize as "anime" I find far less prevalent in the 2000's kids shows, like Pokemon and Digimon. They tended to be Monster of the Week childrens cartoons, with fairly Western pacing and story telling.
What we do see with modern Japanese anime today though, shows like My Hero, Attack on Titan, One Punch and Demon Slayer.. is they tend to be much more consistency, and while they use a lot of tropes, they have significant less filler than older Anime's (like DBZ and Naruto). Instead of 2 episodes of Goku powering up, it's a well animated 10 seconds.
But for every good Anime, there's a dozen budget shows that look like Flash animation. A lot of these shows just look like visual novels which are probably geared more toward the Japanese market. At the same time though, Western cartoons really distanced themselves from Anime in the last 20 years.