Anyone who’s anyone can see that anime and manga are becoming more and more popular as the years go by, and have even made their way to mainstream media in the West. Netflix recently announced 12 new anime series being added to their collection, including Way of the House Husband, TRESE, and Godzilla Singular Point. It’s clear that the popular streaming service is getting serious about producing anime, but should it be trusted to maintain the momentum?
First of all, why the sudden interest in anime? An article from Wired goes into why Netflix is investing heavily into this industry. Simply put, it’s their most popular genre worldwide, so they’re testing the waters by appealing more to Western audiences with their aesthetics and themes. This has led to Netflix making a huge impact in the industry since the streaming service distributes a variety of content, and so the anime they produce will reach out to audiences who say, only came for Parks and Recreation reruns. Meanwhile services like Crunchyroll specifically cater to anime fans, so it’s less likely to bring in new people who have never interacted with anime.
Outside of appealing to fans, there may also be financial reasons as to why Netflix wants to produce more anime. It’s easier to have animators, voice actors, and others in production work remotely to create a show, rather than getting a bunch of actors together, moving them around in different locations under a strict filming schedule. Also, it’s cheaper. Even if original shows seem to be doing well, Netflix is more than happy to pull the plug if it becomes too cumbersome and expensive to continue production. Although it could also do with Netflix’s questionable marketing strategies, where they heavily advertise some of their shows, but put the others in a dusty corner for subscribers to discover far too late.
Anime also have an advantage that most other Netflix originals don’t have: they already have a manga and a dedicated fanbase who will no doubt watch the show. Cancelled shows like GLOW and Tuca and Bertie need to be watched first in order to get a grasp of the story. However anime like Kakegurui and Beastars have been around for much longer, and have gained marketing outside of Netflix through the manga and fan communities.
Perhaps it’s good that Netflix is doing something different with anime. It has always been considered a Japanese art form, yet it has made its way into Western mainstream and encouraged non-Japanese studios to feature the style. However, to say that appealing to Western audiences will make anime more marketable is ignoring the reason why so many people tune into anime. Most of it is set in Japan and features a different perspective on the world, so it’s a form of escapism for non-Japanese people. Netflix may be making huge changes to the anime world, but people will always be drawn to its core, and that will certainly not die anytime soon.
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