[SP] Looking back on 00's - part 1. Flow of 00's...
Small Talk / 2009/10/24 23:34
Part 1. Flow of 00's...
1. Digital production
Many Japanese animation producers have moved onto digital production from cel animation, and I think this is probably the biggest change in 00's. Fast and cheap production meant more quantity. I felt that many series in the beginning of this process had problems finding the right color and drawing style. This is especially so when I look back on some of the series now. Also, unlike Disney that used 2K pixel with CAPS digital system, Japanese animators used SD production which means SD upscale for Blu-ray release for most of the older shows and this is a shame in HD era.
2. Post-Evangelion
If one has to pick an anime that represents 90's, most will pick Evangelion. It really did have a big impact (even called social trend in Japan) and for a TV series, made a huge profit. On top of that, there was Ghost in the Shell. So many of the series after these two tried to mimic the trend. I actually remember an interview from possibly Newtype, where a producer was saying how many animators felt the pressure after Evangelion and GITS that animation should be like that. Personally, I felt that many did not have the entertainment value that the first two had. This trend started in the late 90's and slowed down gradually during 2000. However, Evangelion-like metaphoric theme and ending, not-so-clear backgrounds, teenager's mental stress and conflicts are still used by many of the recent shows and it really shows how much impact this monstrous show had in Japanese animation industry.
3. New trend code "Moe"
Mid 2000 and on was overtaken by moe fever. There were many but the one that really set the trend was Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi. Producers understood Otaku well and the show was an overwhelming success for the genre. As many of the series' strong point was female characters, it was easy to sell character goods, too, which means $$$$. So not only the number of anime series increased but so did the number of low quality anime with nothing but female character attraction. There's a limit to how much goods Otaku can buy and many of the series failed to make profit. I think this was the main reason why anime industry became so unstable. That said, I can't deny that these are the series that sell the most, so I can't really blame the producers.
4. Remake
Interesting thing is that in 00's there were floods of remakes. Not only the old ones like 009, Atom, Gundam, Kitaro, Yattaman, Casshern, Evangelion, Mazinger, Getter, but new ones like Kanon and Fullmetal Alchemist... These were not sequels that were trying to bring back the old fans, but rather complete remakes, and in no era this many were done in my knowledge.
5. "Anime"
In 00's Japanese anime becomes a hot property in North America. Pocketmon, Oscar winning of Spirit Away, easy access to movie files due to P2P seemed enough to boost the popularity. The size of the anime industry in North America increased dramatically, but because they over-estimated the market size, both ADV and Geneon suffered great losses in later years.
*p.s1: I also felt that many of the series that came out in late 90's ~ 00's had generic and forced story development and character emotions(compared to that of other era). Also increased number of annoying sissies...(Evangelion might be responsible for this) Funny thing is, I never really felt this way until recently(like past 2 years or so). There's an expression in Japan that goes "middle school 2nd year-like" and I think I kinda get what they mean ^^;;
*p.s2: I don't consider myself anime industry expert and inaccuracies are bound to happen(and I admit that I assume a lot of things). Please think of this post as an opinion rather than historical facts.
1. Digital production
Many Japanese animation producers have moved onto digital production from cel animation, and I think this is probably the biggest change in 00's. Fast and cheap production meant more quantity. I felt that many series in the beginning of this process had problems finding the right color and drawing style. This is especially so when I look back on some of the series now. Also, unlike Disney that used 2K pixel with CAPS digital system, Japanese animators used SD production which means SD upscale for Blu-ray release for most of the older shows and this is a shame in HD era.
2. Post-Evangelion
If one has to pick an anime that represents 90's, most will pick Evangelion. It really did have a big impact (even called social trend in Japan) and for a TV series, made a huge profit. On top of that, there was Ghost in the Shell. So many of the series after these two tried to mimic the trend. I actually remember an interview from possibly Newtype, where a producer was saying how many animators felt the pressure after Evangelion and GITS that animation should be like that. Personally, I felt that many did not have the entertainment value that the first two had. This trend started in the late 90's and slowed down gradually during 2000. However, Evangelion-like metaphoric theme and ending, not-so-clear backgrounds, teenager's mental stress and conflicts are still used by many of the recent shows and it really shows how much impact this monstrous show had in Japanese animation industry.
3. New trend code "Moe"
Mid 2000 and on was overtaken by moe fever. There were many but the one that really set the trend was Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi. Producers understood Otaku well and the show was an overwhelming success for the genre. As many of the series' strong point was female characters, it was easy to sell character goods, too, which means $$$$. So not only the number of anime series increased but so did the number of low quality anime with nothing but female character attraction. There's a limit to how much goods Otaku can buy and many of the series failed to make profit. I think this was the main reason why anime industry became so unstable. That said, I can't deny that these are the series that sell the most, so I can't really blame the producers.
4. Remake
Interesting thing is that in 00's there were floods of remakes. Not only the old ones like 009, Atom, Gundam, Kitaro, Yattaman, Casshern, Evangelion, Mazinger, Getter, but new ones like Kanon and Fullmetal Alchemist... These were not sequels that were trying to bring back the old fans, but rather complete remakes, and in no era this many were done in my knowledge.
5. "Anime"
In 00's Japanese anime becomes a hot property in North America. Pocketmon, Oscar winning of Spirit Away, easy access to movie files due to P2P seemed enough to boost the popularity. The size of the anime industry in North America increased dramatically, but because they over-estimated the market size, both ADV and Geneon suffered great losses in later years.
*p.s1: I also felt that many of the series that came out in late 90's ~ 00's had generic and forced story development and character emotions(compared to that of other era). Also increased number of annoying sissies...(Evangelion might be responsible for this) Funny thing is, I never really felt this way until recently(like past 2 years or so). There's an expression in Japan that goes "middle school 2nd year-like" and I think I kinda get what they mean ^^;;
*p.s2: I don't consider myself anime industry expert and inaccuracies are bound to happen(and I admit that I assume a lot of things). Please think of this post as an opinion rather than historical facts.
