One of the most important parts of Japanese culture that paved its way in the entertainment industry was Manga and the science fiction comic stories of Japan. This was further adapted into Anime with the introduction of animation technology and since then the industry has only leaped forward. After the second world war, the Japanese were really inspired by the American culture of comic books and cartoons which they not only imported but also molded into their own cultural styles and it became a hit in Japan. And now we can see how this Japanese comic form fused with animation is getting skyrocketing in popularity in the US and around the world.
Anime in the USA is supersizing at a surprising speed which is evident as it’s over 1 billion dollar industry already in the US and is expected to increase manifold in the future. Also, the global anime market which is currently valued at 24 billion dollars is expected to increase by about double its current value in the next decade. Anime is nothing very new in the US, it has been around 40 years now but its overbearing popularity is a much more recent case. Astro Boy in 1963 was the first successful anime hit in the United States after NBC who created the English adaptation of the anime and aired it in America.
Now we will see decade-wise how Anime made its strongholds in the US entertainment industry
Anime Introduction in the USA in 1963
Anime was introduced in the US in the 1960s when Astro Boy was adapted into English and was shown in America for the very first time. People loved it as it was something different from the DISENY cartoons they were watching. This fueled distributors in the US to bring more Anime content from Japan into the US.
Anime growth in the 1970s
After a few successful American-adapted anime movies the popularity of anime began to fall down in the States in 1970. But then a show called star blazer was introduced to American Population and boy did they love it!
Onto the 80s
Then the 1980s began the Golden age of anime in America when die-hard American anime fans imported anime VHS and made fan subs which were not even the official English translation but helped in the spread of anime content a lot. This shows the extent to which people were ready to go to consume Anime content in the US. The Mecha genre of anime was one of the most populous genres in the United States at that time, which to date remains one of the important genres in anime.
In the 90s
Coming along the 90s when anime truly exploded in America when cartoon network and Toonami played out as a gateway for American audiences to a whole lot of anime tv series and movies. They aired the most famous Anime of the time “sailor moon”, “Mobile Suit Gundam” and one which to date remains popular “Dragon Ball Z“!
Well in the 90s one of the biggest anime series was launched on television which literally expanded worldwide and made anime popular not only in the USA but in other big countries like India. The show was “Pokemon” and this show has literally made a 100 billion dollar industry! Unimaginable right?
The 2000s and Golden anime series
Well moving onto the 2000s when Naruto and other 90s leftover anime were still making an impact through television some of the banger anime movies came out too like “The girl who led through time”, “Paprika” and “Spirited Away” which won Oscars in 2003 proving that anime was a serious case in USA now. The 2000s were the time when television shows became popular all around the world including the South Asian region leading to the popularity of anime in those areas too.
The 2010s and more accessibility
In the 2010s not only came more anime series but easier and more accessible ways to watch them were introduced. Distributors like Crunchyroll and Funimation got licenses from anime studios in Japan and became top anime studios across the world. They tended to the problem of the long gap of the time period between anime releases in Japan and the US and made anime episodes available for US audiences as soon as the show was aired in Japan. This effectively increased the anime fanbase in the US and led to the foundation of further growth.
In the current times ( Netflix Age)
When “Knights of Sidonia” the first anime was released on Netflix back in 2014 it became a hit and this was the signal for the popular streaming gateways of today to get anime onboard with them. since then Netflix alone has released a number of anime movies and shows and a large number of subscribers absolutely love it. 50% of Netflix subscribers watched anime content in 2021, there have been around 1.10 million searches about Naruto in the US per month which shows the grip of this popular anime in the young generation of the US.
Reason for such Rise in Anime in the US
There have been certain reasons for the popularity of Anime in the US we will try to dwell on them in detail below
The Cultural Influence of Japan
Well for starters Japanese culture has a great impact in the US as both countries have been engaged with each other from older times. Anime provides a sort of gateway into the Japanese culture which the Americans love. It is something new and fascinating for them and intrigues them to explore more. Many bug distributors from the US have been collaborating with Japanese Studios to bring Anime into the US.
Gripping Storyline and deep insights
With the Introduction of Anime in the US people realized that Anime was not just for kids but for all age groups could watch it. Anime movies like “Akira” and “Grave of Fireflies” with deep and dark concepts appealing to the very Nature of Human beings and the thought process of humans made it clear that Anime could show something which was previously believed that could be only shown in movies and documentaries. Anime was for all age groups and had various genres which was an important reason for its immense popularity.
Accessibility of Anime Content
With the Advent of streaming services such as Crunchyroll and Netflix the accessibility of anime content has been very easy and it adds to its growing popularity. Crunchyroll has 10 million subscribers and a big chunk of them are from the US.
Anime Convention and Expos
The Rise of Anime in the US can also be seen in a large number of people turning up at conventions and expos of Anime held in the States. A recent Anime Expo in Los Angeles gathered up a crowd of more than 100,000 people! that may sound astounding but these numbers are expected to only rise in the near future. These conventions and expos are important in popularizing anime culture in the US they attract many first-time viewers and fans to them.
How are Recommendations working in increasing Anime Popularity?
In today’s age of Information social media plays an important role in deciding the pop culture in the US and also around the world. The influence of Anime on social media is not hidden from anyone. The New Episodes of “Attack on Titan” trend no.1 on Twitter, there are numerous anime reaction channels present on Youtube and a huge amount of anime fandom is present on the internet. All of them combined tends to promote and attract a large number of people watching anime.
With so many people and websites recommending Anime around the world, it is obvious that anime will be becoming more and more successful in the future and will grow populous around the world.
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What can we expect for the Future?
Well by studying the recent trends one can safely assume that there is no stopping for anime growth in the US or even around the world in the near future. It will be safe to say that Anime is set to become the next big thing in the world of Entertainment. It will not be surprising to watch Anime dominating even the Hollywood sector in the near future. The Young generation has wholeheartedly accepted Anime and it is going to proser further on.
Concluding
Anime is now a normal part of American culture and is going to ingrain itself more and more into society as time goes on. It’s interesting to see how anime has grown in America and more precisely how it’s changed and perceived by people over time. Anime will keep on adapting to the varying taste of the US audience and will succeed immensely.
This Study was Conducted By Animeindie Team. All the research is done by a team of Anime Lovers, if you want more Cool Anime Updates & News then subscribe to our Youtube channel & follow us on Instagram & Pinterest.
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