TV Anime is today’s main form of Japanese animation, it always plays a new episode every week and most of the TV Anime’s total time-length is about four months, someone can be much longer such as Naruto. However, this anime form is facing serious challenges in the coming future because of the development of the anime industry. More and more TV Anime works become only the advertisements of the original anime novel or comics, that the animation quality is integrally reduced. This seriously influences audience enthusiasm. Accompanying with the reputation reducing, many of the original anime works are made in the type of Anime Movie. TV anime’s market is further occupied by these similar art forms. In this kind of competition, the biggest differences between the two competitors are their quality and broadcast cycles, so now what advantages could the long-tern broadcast characteristic bring for TV Anime in the future industry? I have some hypothesizes. For proving my guessing, I will compare my research of the original TV Animes and the original Anime Movies of the same period to get a deeper understanding of their quality, popularity, reputation, and also the capitals they created. Currently, I believe it will show that the Anime Movies’ popularity, reputations, and created capitals will fastly have a stable trend but TV Anime may have some obvious changes when the special episodes played.

Television Anime Shows are today’s main form of Japanese animations, they always play a new episode every week and most of the TV Anime’s total time-length is about four months, some works can be much longer such as Naruto. However, this anime form is facing serious challenges in the coming future because of both the external and internal factors. For example, new animators are hard to grow up in the current industry. On the other hand, more and more original anime works are made in the type of Anime Movie. TV anime’s market is further occupied by this similar art form. At this critical moment, how could the Japanese TV Anime further develop and have as much market as possible in future industrial competition? To explore my hypothesis, I will first research the industrial environment and TV Anime itself to find what the industry itself shortcoming needs to improve. Comparing, afterward, my research of the changing TV Anime and the Anime Movie to further explore the possible transformation and development of future TV Anime.

Young Generation Needs Better Work Conditions

Anime industry must first improve the current work environment to reduce the living pressure on the anime artists of the young generation. “According to the Japanese Animation Creators Association, an animator in Japan earns on average ¥1.1 million (~$10,000) per year in their 20s, ¥2.1 million (~$19,000) in their 30s, and a livable but still meagre ¥3.5 million (~$31,000) in their 40s and 50s. The poverty line in Japan is ¥2.2 million” (Eric, Margolis), we can see the slave-like salary is an average industrial standard. The animator and other labourers who work in the industry, especially the newcomers, have to face the unimaginable amount of works while living in poverty. This public “industrial secret”, however, is caused by the exploitation in the industry because “a recent report by The Association for Japanese Animations indicates the industry’s worth as a whole topped over ¥2 trillion in 2017 — a new record” (Matt, Schley). It is obvious to see that the overall value of the industry has not been fairly allocated to workers. The companies must have largely discounted the value of underlying labours because the employee’s job benefit do not have any improvement during this positive trend of the industry, especially by comparing to a decade ago that Alex Marttin noted: “a monthly wage of ¥94,000 at best — for an average of 250 hours of work — until an artist gets to handle keyframes or storyboards”(Alex, Marttin). Even Yasuhiro Irie, who the Representative Director of Japan Animation Creators Association, warns that “Production companies need to devote themselves to paying young animators properly as they improve. If they don’t, in some 10 or 15 years, there will be no animators” (Matt Schley).

The Conflict of Intra-Industry Must be Noticed

TV Anime company must solve the hostile relationship between the senior and junior employees. Resources are all monopolized by the old practitioners; however, they do not fairly treat the successors and the poor salary is impossible to support the new anime makers to grow up by themselves. Kemono Friends 2, by Ryuuichi Kimura, is the most unfortunate example resulted from this internal confrontation. Tatsuki, as the director of the younger generation, with his studio Yaoyorozu created the miraculous success of Kemono Friends which the first season. However, “TATSUKI reported in September that, per a notification from publishing and production company Kadokawa, he is no longer working on the Kemono Friends project. Soon after, the anime’s official website announced that the studio Yaoyorozu would no longer be involved. Producer Yoshitada Fukuhara confirmed in December that Yaoyorozu will not return” (Karen Ressler). Tatsuki and his studio were unilaterally removed without given any public reasons. The truth was believed as the internal conflict in the company because “Kadokawa’s statement (translation via u/kjwffr on Reddit)on the matter was conciliatory in tone, trying to recast themselves as nice guys trying to keep the band together, as the mean old animation studio stubbornly insisted ‘no way’”(David Cabrera). I have never imagined the decadence of TV Anime industry has been so serious until seeing this young generation team almost had no right to voice for their efforts and achievements. The old in power only seeks for the short-term benefits; they used the popularity of the first season to attract a lot of business cooperation and made a fortune while the broadcast of the second season. Nevertheless, this has seriously damaged the reputation of Kemono Friends because its all original plots and settings have been all discarded to erase the existence and influence of Tatsuki and his Yaoyorozu. Due to the suddenly increased interests and audiences, today’s Japanese TV Anime industry has lost its way. The newcomers need to be treated friendly and trained well by the experienced seniors but not work like tools for the company. The interests struggle between the senior and junior within the industry must be solved peacefully, otherwise, TV Anime will lose its artistic value as artwork and become a fast-food culture that only serves audiences with temporary entertainment in modern decades.

The Potential Advantages of TV Anime

To defeat Anime Movie, TV Anime must further develop its unique characteristics to the practical advantages. Like what Brown Steven T said: “If the film truly produced a perfect digital simulation of cinema, no one would see it as different from cinema. In other words, the digital film must repeat cinema with a difference” (Brown, 172), the digital film, the anime, must find its style and unique selling point to be independent and successful. This principle is fit for any artworks including both the TV Anime and Anime Movie. Especially, because Anime Movie and TV Anime are the similar industries and TV Anime’s independent work quality is hard to achieve the level of Anime Movie, TV Anime must find its market range by further developing the strength characteristics. In terms of a more practical situation, the commercial market, TV Anime must have a strategy to express its value through its distinctive conditions. The long periodic broadcast is an excellent choice among TV Anime’s characteristics for attracting investment. Not like the movies usually end in a few hours, and with an uncertain sequel, TV Anime has much longer broadcast allocated to each week in the months. This does not only provide TV Anime producer with the opportunity to read the feedback from audiences, but also build a perfect carrier for commercial advertisements. A few months of collaboration is the best news for the capitalists because the audiences will remember what their products are after a few times of repeatedly play in each week. This is one of TV Anime’s biggest advantages in contrast to Anime movies. Because many people cannot remember what the advertisement talked about after just played once, but if let them sit in the theatre to watch the repeated advertisement before playing movies, they will hate this product just like me hating Subway caused by its crazily repeated advertisement on the YouTube. Furthermore, the long-term cooperation between manufacturers and TV Anime even had created a new form of anime, the Short-Length Anime that “The three-minute length gives ample room to develop content with a strong storyline, in contrast with the standard television commercial format, which is too short for such story development since it is generally limited to just 15 seconds.” (Takashi Muto). Although it has developed and differentiated into various types, the most initial and now the main type still looks like traditional TV Anime. Usually, the short anime still weekly plays a new episode and has simple story development. This TV Anime targets at letting the audience remember the brand or the original comic, but it gives the main content to the creative animation story. For example, Teekyu, “The animation announcement came five months after the manga was first published, the fastest manga-release-to-anime-announcement time that Earth Star Entertainment has ever had” (Egan Loo). Each episode of the anime is about 2 minutes long and until now the series has had nine seasons. The TV Anime brings unimaginable sales increase of the original comics, and it has received a 12-episode anime adaptation in 2016. The cost and risks of investment are the biggest issues for making Anime Movie, however, this Short-Length TV Anime does not need to worry about it. This form of TV Anime can achieve the high-return through the step by step development and operation with only little risk at the initial investment that only loss little even if it fails.

TV Anime Needs A Revolutionary Change for Its System

In conclusion, I think the biggest problem for the development of TV Anime is the internal work system in the industry. At the most beginning, I thought the growing Anime Movie was the main threat of future TV Anime, however, I changed my mind, after researched the never involved industrial darkness. The slavery-like intra-industry can no more support TV Anime in the increasing market requirement and the newcomer should have a better working environment because they are the future. I even feel like this industry has no hope if the revolutionary transform did not happen.

Annotated Bibliography in “Japanese Television Anime Needs Self-help”

Alex Martin. “Future of ‘anime’ industry in doubt”. The Japan Times. The Japan Times Ltd. Mar 4, 2009. Web:https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2009/03/04/national/future-of-anime-industry-in-doubt/#.XdfmzehKhPa

Brown, Steven T. Cinema Anime: Critical Engagements with Japanese Animation. Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspxdirect=true&db=cat02755a&AN=cul.b1059405&site=eds-live&scope=site.

David, Cabrera. “What Was Kemono Friends?”. Nov 9, 2017.https://medium.com/@sasuraiger/what-was-kemono-friends-75a16f319510

Egan, Loo. “Crunchyroll to Stream Teekyū Anime About Girls’ Tennis Team”. Animenewsnetwork. Oct 11, 2012. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-10-11/crunchyroll-to-stream-teekyu-anime-about-girls-tennis-team

Eric, Margolis. “The dark side of Japan’s anime industry”. Jul 2, 2019, 8:30am. https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/7/2/20677237/anime-industry-japan-artists-pay-labor-abuse-neon-genesis-evangelion-netflix

Karen, Ressler. “Kemono Friends Director Tatsuki Reveals 2nd ‘Hentatsu’ Anime Short”. Animenewsnetwork. Feb 28, 2018. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-02-28/kemono-friends-director-tatsuki-reveals-2nd-hentatsu-anime-short/.128378

Matt, Schley. “Younger animators still struggling amid anime boom”. May 8, 2019. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2019/05/08/general/younger-animators-still-struggling-amid-anime-boom/#.XeqWrehKhPY

Takashi, Muto. “Harnessing the Power of Anime as an Outstanding Marketing Solution”. https://www.dentsu.com/news/ideas/harnessing_the_power_of_anime.html

Alex Martin. “Future of ‘anime’ industry in doubt”. The Japan Times. The Japan Times Ltd. Mar 4, 2009. Web: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2009/03/04/national/future-of-anime-industry-in-doubt/#.XdfmzehKhPa

Summary: This article summarizes the hidden dangers in the anime industry, such as low quality in art creation and lack of new workers. It says the current industrial conditions cannot continue to support the development of anime in further. Its analysis of the future environment and current industrial situation can help me to find how the anime industry could survive and develop by its special advantages. Facing the currently hidden problem is a necessary thing for the future project.

Brown, Steven T. Cinema Anime: Critical Engagements with Japanese Animation. Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat02755a&AN=cul.b1059405&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Summary: This academic book talks about the overall situation of anime development in recent decades. It further analyzes anime’s advantage in the industrial competition in the term of the globalization. This author’s main topic is kind of similar to mine, although our opinions are not exactly the same, this book can still provide a lot of deep thinking in a different view to help my research.

Condry, Ian. “Dark Energy: What Fansubs Reveal about the Copyright Wars.” Mechademia, vol. 5, 2010, p. 193-208. Project MUSE muse.jhu.edu/article/400557.

Summary: Some of the main problems that the anime industry currently faces is illustrated in this article. It is always hard for the anime to solve the copyright problems because balancing the interests and harm from fans need to consider a lot about the current situation and market requirement. This kind of consideration is also a part of the prospecting future that can help me to more comprehensively think of the position of anime in future society.

Marco Pellitteri. “Kawaii Aesthetics from Japan to Europe: Theory of the Japanese ‘Cute’ and Transcultural Adoption of Its Styles in Italian and French Comics Production and Commodified Culture Goods.” Arts, no. 3, 2018, p. 24. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3390/arts7030024.

Summary: This article makes a very deep reflection on a specific characteristic of anime. It really talks in detail about how this unique anime characteristic as a kind of Japanese culture largely influences the world. This culture-related influence is one of the biggest topics that must be focused on when talking about anime because this is its most obvious value in the social view. I think study more about this ability of anime can help me to find a way that maintains anime constantly developing in the future.

Swale, Alistair. Anime Aesthetics: Japanese Animation and the Post-Cinematic Imagination. Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat02755a&AN=cul.b926850&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Summary: Anime is taken to a higher aesthetic level in this academic book, it aims to remake the current social reflection on anime. The author wants to invoke more people to treat anime more formally in an artistic and cultural perspective. This book is very helpful to analyze the exact advantage of anime. It is a good tool to help people to see the artistic achievement of the modern anime industry.

The movie, Beasts of the Southern Wild by Benh Zeitlin, is a story that uses family as a base model to talk about the inheritance of lifestyle and culture and how people should live. The mainline is Hushpuppy growing up and inheriting her father Wink’s lifestyle. Analyzing this movie step by step from three stages: setting, scenes, and the behind meaning can much help to have better comprehension.

In terms of the characters, Hushpuppy the protagonist is set as a little girl because this can make the biggest contrast for becoming a “wild man”. She is the child of the southern residents who means the southern future. She and her father Wink reflect the continuance of human culture. Since she is a very little kid, this can make the people have a much stronger realization of her growth. Hushpuppy’s father Wink, in the audiences’ first impressions, makes a big contrast of appearance with his daughter. He is a rude man with strong muscles and even a three times larger body in visual size than Hushpuppy. This kind of character can immediately let the audiences think of the powerful and wild and also a reliable father. The fact is so that Wink is a father who truly loves his family and his daughter Hushpuppy. He represents the southern residents who have a wild lifestyle. His illness is an obvious foreshadow for the climax and cleverly ending the story for highlighting the culture inheriting. Hushpuppy’s mother, no matter in the memory or the bar, represents the complete family that Hushpuppy wants. She is formed to be a standard southern woman who is beautiful for her healthy and strong, and this corresponds to Wink’s characteristic setting. Her existence is also the symbol of the perfect lifestyle that most people pursue. The other southern residents together build a bigger family for Hushpuppy and Wink and other residents in the community. This makes the living environment in the movie look more real and acceptable for the audiences. Hushpuppy also constantly learned from them and became a truly wild southern person to inherit this lifestyle.

Most of the main scenes that tell the main idea are concentrated in the second half movie. In the crab party, Wink and other residents want Hushpuppy to eat the crab in a more wild way, and Hushpuppy proved that she is strong enough to handle it. This is the first time that the movie directly comparing the southern lifestyle with the others and it requires Hushpuppy to choose to be a truly wild southern man. This is also Wink’s love and education that he wants her daughter becoming staunch and strong in facing a challenge. In the talking with the shipman who eats a lot of the chicken biscuit and keeps the wrap, the lifestyle topic extends forward. The movie now says that it is important for everyone to have a lifestyle and their own decision on it. If we lost the direction in our busy lives, we are hard to remember who we truly are. We live in the world just like the shipman sailing on the sea in the movie, there is no exact destination but we need to have our lives in a kind of style just like he constantly eats chicken biscuits because this is life or we will forget why we are alive. In the floating bar, the mother-like chef is a beautiful dream for Hushpuppy’s perfect life, but Hushpuppy finally chooses to face the truth though at the beginning living alone scene that she wants mom so much. This chief is illustrated as the same as Wink’s memory for making the audience a sense that Hushpuppy has achieved the pursuing life, and then this scene enables people to chose what they truly want if they were in this situation. Hushpuppy made her decision to accept Wink’s death and to live like what Wink taught before, to be a man. When Wink’s ends, Hushpuppy became a true southern man but not a child. Hushpuppy facing the prehistoric aurochs is a fantastic technique that showing Hushpuppy has been brave and strong as the same as Wink wants. This is the time of the inheritance of southern wild lifestyle and culture. Those are the main scenes telling the main idea. There are still other interesting functional scenes for understanding the plot and relationships of characters At the most beginning, little Hushpuppy feeding the animals and lives by herself showed how different the wild southern lifestyle is. Wink shooting the storm shows that he loves his daughter. In the emergency shelter scene, the rescuers are illustrated as rude people who used violence to control the southern refugee and shot to the kids. They represent the outside people who cannot understand the southern lifestyle. The repeating displaying of prehistoric aurochs constantly reminds audiences of the wild sense and build a dreaming climax for Hushpuppy’s growth.

This movie implies a lot of ideas towards the inheritance of lifestyle and culture. Wild southern residents are not understood by the government. Their lives are limited in the shelter and their lifestyles are erased by the rescuers. This is an accusation towards the American government that the truth is not as good as the official voices. However, the whole story still gives hope of the southern future by Hushpuppy and other children, that they are inheriting the spirits, cultures and lifestyles of their predecessors. Then, extending this idea, the parent-child relationship is the most fundamental and influential way to continue the culture. Wink and Hushpuppy’s story is not only a family story, it indeed is the miniature of human history. There is still a lot of different culture in the world but they might be too weak to continue to keep being themselves in the development of globalization. The cultural integration should respect converged peoples’ opinions and focus more on making the converged people feel more comfortable in the change of lifestyle, for example, slow the speed and protect the current situation. In the end, the most important in the movie is advocating for individual life. Learning from Hushpuppy, what people need to know more is that we must face the truth and under this premise to decide what kind of life we want. We need to keep doing something to be ourselves but not living in the lie of the dream just like Hushpuppy rejected the mother-like chef to go back home to Wink. She at the end understands that she and the lifestyle she wants are the same as her father, thus she inherits her father’s life as a southern wild.

References

Zeitlin, Benh, et al. Beasts of the Southern Wild. 20th Century Fox Film Corp., 2013. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat02755a&AN=cul.b1037598&site=eds-live&scope=site.

TV Anime is today’s main form of Japanese animation, it always plays a new episode every week and most of the TV Anime’s total broadcast time-length is about four months, someone can be much longer such as Naruto. However, this anime form is facing serious challenges in the coming future because of the development of the anime industry. More and more TV Anime works become only the advertisements of the original anime novel or comics, that the animation quality is integrally reduced. This seriously influences audience enthusiasm. Accompanying with the reputation reducing, many of the original anime works are made in the type of Anime Movie. TV anime’s market is further occupied by these similar art forms. In this kind of competition, the biggest differences between the two competitors are their quality and broadcast cycles, so now what advantages could the long-tern broadcast characteristic bring for TV Anime in the future industry? I have some hypothesizes. For proving my guessing, I will compare my research of the original TV Animes and the original Anime Movies of the same period to get a deeper understanding of their quality, popularity, reputation, and also the capitals they created. Currently, I believe it will show that the Anime Movies’ popularity, reputations, and created capitals will fastly have a stable trend but TV Anime may have some obvious changes when the special episodes playing.