Animes' popularity around the world.

[Big Ewis]

hey guys, was just watching a few Dragon Ball Z clips on youtube for old time's sake and thought it was a cool idea to ask here to the actual ppl rather than reading stats and articles:
how popular are animes in your respective countries ? I mean I've NO CLUE about a country like South Africa, or even England. I know it hit the U.S. pretty hard as late blooming, but hard.
In France it's a tradition already now...everyone from around my generation (born 1986) knows DBZ, every - one, it's just not possible to not know DBZ and Goku and stuff.

How popular, give me examples: mangas sold at book stores ? local stations play animes on TV ? ppl discuss animes amongst the youth as a norm ?


Personal note:
I personally dislike animes, but have nostalgia for DBZ of course, and still love Saint Seiya because it's simply genius cinematography. But I'm pretty annoyed at how popular it is here in France...it's a total norm to have a grown 35yo read, breathe and live for mangas/animes. Haven't checked the stats, but I'm 101% sure we have the highest rate of Japanese speakers in Europe (at least) based exclusively off of the manga culture as gateway.

 

[kipper]

My young ones regularly use the games console to go onto You tube and watch Animes like soul catcher's. Not for me. It has made them want to learn Japanese though.

 

[j'nuh]

It's more of a subculture in the UK. Every 90s kid watched Pokemon and/or DBZ and/or Yu-Gi-Oh and/or Digimon. But most people stopped short there.

The few that are into it in their teens, are avid about it. It's one of the most obsessive subcultures around. Since a lot of people involved were the "outcast" type at school, having a fandom to associate with is a big driving factor in why people are so interested in it. The fandom has a lot of crossover with other "geeky fandoms" - gamers, bronies, comic fans, LARPers, tabletop game players, lolita fashion, card gamers etc. - and this all gets incorporated into conventions that bring these fandoms together quite neatly. It means that anime fans typically have a number of these "geeky interests", and so there's a lot of content to keep occupied with. So where at a rugby club you are only guaranteed one common interest, rugby, anime fans typically share a bunch of interests. The "avidness" of the fandom means that although they make up a minority of the population, people will travel widely to attend conventions. Most popular universities have active anime societies too. So you can make good friends and stay active in it, despite there being relatively few people interested.

The exceptions are Studio Ghibli films. They are popular beyond anime fans in the UK.

I'm into it, but not so much into the fandom, and it's a lot of effort sorting the generic crap they come up with these days, from the really solid pieces of work. Japan was hit hard by the recession, and anime studios take fewer risks, so they revert to what's popular, and what's popular sucks. Finding quality shows is sometimes difficult. atm, I'm finding it easier finding good western shows.

 

[Big Ewis]

"Studio Ghibli films", wth ? never heard of it. Oh, okay, just checked it out..

Well thanks for your reply j'nuh, as (almost ) always, a pleasure !

Interesting you should bring up the fandom being "crossover" in the UK, as it's a lot more purist-like here. Not that I've seen many 20 yo geeks in the past few years, but it's true that in France guys will tend to become Japanese culture fanatics altogether.
I've a guy on FB, an absolute paradigm of the 'french anime geek', who's now basically obsessed with all things Japanese pop-culture, and then actual culture. He writes in Japanese every once in a while on his status, he uses those annoying fukking little Japanese type smileys, lives and breathes animes, has learned thoroughly the language, and even went to Japan and called it the best time he's ever had.
That's the French phenomenon, at about its highest peak, in all its glory.

The regular geek though here is, yeh, the guy who plays video games the whole time, is usually pretty intelligent but has little life experience, is highly sensitive to anything at all, but there's definitely that longing for Japan and all things japanese lingering there...
Oh, and they do usually love power metal :lol:

 

[Superalexmarket]

My first contact with the Anime, it was through the Robotech series (an Americanization of the Japanese original series Macross). It was different than anything I'd seen before (1986) and his music was epic.

 

[Big Ewis]

^ yup, remember that one...a very sensitive cartoon, and the music I recall was well composed.
A good japanese anime, in short !

Animes big in Argentina ? They seem to be HUGE in every Latin nation, so I'd imagine yes.
You must have heard of "Caballeros del Zodiaco" right ? I know it's huge in Spanish/Portuguese speaking countries...

 

[dasNdanger]

When I was like 5 years old I had a crush on the original Speed Racer. Broke my heart when mom told me he wasn't a real boy.

I like some anime - like what I've seen of Cowboy Bebop and Fullmetal Alchemist, and enjoyed the Samurai 7 series and absolutely loved Star Blazers (the American adaptation of Space Battleship Yamato) back around 1980. Never got into reading manga, mostly because the series go on forever and with my ADD I prefer shorter stories rather than things that never seem to have an end.

However, I can understand the popularity of both anime and manga. For one, unlike in American comics, the male characters aren't all muscle-bound and hard. Instead they're often quite pretty (I love pretty male characters*), and have emotions they aren't afraid to show. I think that plays well to young readers/watchers as well as certain older ones, too. And as far as the stories go, they are usually far more dramatic and complex than stories told in the western style. Even with some of the 'overacting' of anime characters I find that when I do start watching anime it quickly sucks me in, both the characters and the story. I just don't have the time necessary to devote to entire series at the moment.

*See any character played by Johnny Depp



das

 

[Big Ewis]

yes, the Japanese are very sensitive with their art. Excellent story telling can be found.
I'll repeat that Saint Seiya is simply brilliant. The best I've ever seen on a screen, all genres included, along with Matrix and Lost in the movie and series departments.

 

[Superalexmarket]

Does anyone remember Super Agent Cobra ... wow that anime accelerate my puberty, man!! The local TV station broadcast this at cartoons hours (5pm), and was the closest thing to XXX that I've seen in cartoons. Anyway his Psychoweapon was spectacular ...

 

[RyotoTheDragon]

Does hentai count?

But serious. Being born in the 90s, anime was part of my childhood. I remember in primary school these two boys agreed to fight each other, before they started fighting both had to power up lmao.

To answer your question anime was pretty popular in that everyone in similar age to me rushed home to catch episodes of dbz, even if it was on repeat. We use to draw characters, argue who was the strongest and put them up against superheroes. Everyone knew dbz.

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

Death Note is a brilliant Adult anime series, if anyone hasn't seen it. Absolutely fantastic.

 

[Feicarsinn]

I've never been big into anime, but Full Metal Alchemist is an exceptional show.

 

[Amobokoboko]

In Belgium it never really lifted off. We had the luck of benefiting from the French colleagues :club Dorothé where we watched DBZ, City hunter, Les chevaliers de Zodiac etc... On Italian broadcasting stations we watched Sherlock Hound.

Later in Wallonia the broadcasted Ghost in a Shell the series (altho it could never beat the movies)
And now on the Digital network we even have a Manga chanel. But nothing new there unfortunately.

 

[Big Ewis]

Does anyone remember Super Agent Cobra ... wow that anime accelerate my puberty, man!! The local TV station broadcast this at cartoons hours (5pm), and was the closest thing to XXX that I've seen in cartoons. Anyway his Psychoweapon was spectacular ...

yeh I do remember that, but I think it was an older version my brother and I knew...

Does hentai count?

But serious. Being born in the 90s, anime was part of my childhood. I remember in primary school these two boys agreed to fight each other, before they started fighting both had to power up lmao.

To answer your question anime was pretty popular in that everyone in similar age to me rushed home to catch episodes of dbz, even if it was on repeat. We use to draw characters, argue who was the strongest and put them up against superheroes. Everyone knew dbz.

thx for that.
And loooool at the bold. Awesome anecdote !

In Belgium it never really lifted off. We had the luck of benefiting from the French colleagues :club Dorothé where we watched DBZ, City hunter, Les chevaliers de Zodiac etc... On Italian broadcasting stations we watched Sherlock Hound.

Later in Wallonia the broadcasted Ghost in a Shell the series (altho it could never beat the movies)
And now on the Digital network we even have a Manga chanel. But nothing new there unfortunately.

wasn't going to mention le Club Dorothée because I didn't think anyone would know here, but yeh you guys had that in Belgium a little huh ?
Nicki Larson
yeh the manga channel is very popular in France...well just the fact that they have an all-french all-manga channel tells you smt...

 

[Amobokoboko]

Lately popularity went up again but a bit more in the French speaking part of Belgium. Lots of translate manga and anime out there. In Flanders the manga by Osama Tezuka is very popular, you'll find it in nearly every comic book store both english and Dutch. But as Belgium has a very strong comic society we tend to focus on domestic productions more. Sorry for going off topic a little bit.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Oh its pretty popular in SA but more of a copy ripped stuff from your friends and watch if you manage to get some time in general while there are of course people going nuts for it. I remember a lot of dubbed stuff growing up in the late 80s early 90's like Robotech, Heidi was translated into Afrikaans here, transformers.. thats about what I can remember. Only got big again later on in the 2000's but is now pretty accesible. There are a lot of ***es I absolutely love though; Cowboy Beebop and half the studio Ghibli movies in particular. See you later, space cowboy! Some of those mentioned earlier I found very good as well and I find it hilarious how the Japanese tend to go so OTT. Some of the comedic ones are great fun to watch as well probably because of the culture shock.

EIDT: apart from youth when I didn'tknow the stuff I was watching was Japanese my kind of re-introduction with anime was, I can't remember the ***le but.. let me do a quick google search for "chojin dick".. yep, there it is- [h=1]Urotsukidōji[/h]
Weird. I have of course since found weirder but it was a bit of a slap in the faceat the time when a friend invited me over for an animated movie and I'm 16 and wondering what the hell he is trying to get me into 'Disney' for..

 

[Big Ewis]

Sorry for going off topic a little bit.

You are NOT forgiven !!
Also: interesting comment. I know Belgium loves its "BD", but surely being close to French culture there would have to be a big anime fanbase there...

Oh its pretty popular in SA but more of a copy ripped stuff from your friends and watch if you manage to get some time in general while there are of course people going nuts for it. I remember a lot of dubbed stuff growing up in the late 80s early 90's like Robotech, Heidi was translated into Afrikaans here, transformers.. thats about what I can remember. Only got big again later on in the 2000's but is now pretty accesible. There are a lot of ***es I absolutely love though; Cowboy Beebop and half the studio Ghibli movies in particular. See you later, space cowboy! Some of those mentioned earlier I found very good as well and I find it hilarious how the Japanese tend to go so OTT. Some of the comedic ones are great fun to watch as well probably because of the culture shock.

EIDT: apart from youth when I didn'tknow the stuff I was watching was Japanese my kind of re-introduction with anime was, I can't remember the ***le but.. let me do a quick google search for "chojin dick".. yep, there it is- Urotsukidōji


Weird. I have of course since found weirder but it was a bit of a slap in the faceat the time when a friend invited me over for an animated movie and I'm 16 and wondering what the hell he is trying to get me into 'Disney' for..

OK, cool. So basically like anywhere in the Western world really. There are the ppl who go crazy over it, but usually it's not a regular ritual like it may be in France for e.g....