The Evolution of Anime in the Age of Mainstream Popularity

To understand my shock with anime becoming mainstream we have to go back in time. My anime journey began as a child. With the OG Pokemon. Some people consider Pokemon to be a cartoon, But it's an animated series from Japan. "Anime" as we use it in English is just a word for a Japanese animated series. So yes, Pokémon is an anime. I grew up with older brothers who were obsessed so of course my sister and I were too. I remember opening packs of cards and watching episodes we had on VHS (Yes I am old) over and over and over again. 

When I was in middle school a family friend told my dad that we had to see spirited away. MY MIND WAS BLOWN!! The art, the story, the characters, the music, just wow. My eyes were opened to a whole new world. I tracked down and started to watch every Studio Ghibli movie.

Later that same year at a sleepover a friend said we should watch this show called Fruits Basket. If I am being completely honest it looked stupid but a majority voted for it. It was funny and entertaining until my friend's mom walked in on those characters changing into their human form again… naked! As middle school girls, we thought it was hilarious but her mom made us turn it off. I wasn't invested in the show and didn't care either way, but the next time we hung out my friend and sister wanted to watch more. Now a couple of episodes in and I still wasn't impressed, but curious. My sister and I ended up binging the rest of the show. I got invested around episode 5 or 6 but was quickly let down but the ending!!! My sister and I were confused and with some googling found out the show was cut short, and if we wanted to know the real end we had to read the Manga. Manga? That was the first time I heard of anime books (That's what I used to call them) We found them at our local library and quickly read the whole series. IT WAS SO GOOD!!! I would be lying if I said I didn't cry. What an emotional, funny, and romantic story.

After our rollercoaster of emotions from Fruits Basket, my sister and I were connected by anime. It was our thing. While our parents would work, the two of us would pick an anime and binge it. It is a complete blur of the shows we watched after Fruits Basket, but some that stand out are School Rumble, Ouran High School Host Club, Death Note, and Soul Eater. We both fell in love with anime and loved that no one else knew what we were talking about. Our love was expressed in different ways when we hit high school. My sister got into popular shows and I started watching less mainstream anime. I watched an unhealthy amount up until my Junior year of high school. I remember watching Parastye and thinking "I am done watching this" For the next 5 years I didn't want anime. 

Fast forward to 2022 and I was looking for something to watch on Netflix. Soul Eater popped up in my recommended shows because it was getting taken off Netflix in less than 30 days. Of course, I had to rewatch it! This show was one my sister and I can still talk about for hours and I wanted to see if all these years later it still held its own. It did!! What a creative and entertaining show! My love was sparked again and I started watching more and more.

You can imagine my culture shock jumping back into anime. When I watched anime it was on questionable sites or in 16 parts on YouTube, Now anime is on every streaming platform, with many of these streaming sights creating their anime as well. No one knew what anime or manga was and you'd be made fun of if you talked about it, now it is talked about everywhere. I see celebrities talk about anime, references made at the Olympics and more people with anime merch out and about. Titles like Demon Slayer and Jujutisu Keisen are seen everywhere. When the Demon Slayer manga dropped it sold more copies than all of Marvel and DC comics combined that year. My head spins thinking about how normal it is for someone to get into anime now. 

Let's see some of the pros and cons of anime going mainstream!

Where to watch: I used to watch anime on random sites, or YouTube. Now if you have a regular streaming service you can enjoy high-quality anime. Anime movies are now played in movie theaters as well. Dubbed anime is released the week after subbed, making it easier to stay up to date on new anime. Streaming services such as Netflix have even invested in creating their own anime and live-action adaptations. 

Anime Merch and Manga: I drove an hour and a half to the nearest anime store in high school. Now they carry anime merch in almost every store. The merch quality has become amazing. I used to get t-shirts with just a random clip stuck on, but now they have anime brands who make epic merch. I was lucky our local library carried manga. I think I read every manga book in that library. It was the only place I was aware of that you could read it. Now they have big manga sections in bookstores or you can just read it online.

Conventions and Cosplayers: Anime conventions used to be so much fun. I would never attend a convention now. After seeing ventures overflowing with people, and lines that take 8+ hours to go through it is not worth it. I used to be able to go through an entire convention in 1 day but I don't know how people manage with the crowds to even get through half. Cosplayers are now out of this world. I have seen cosplays that look so realistic I can't help but just stand and stare. Not only are people more creative but they have the resources. Back in my day we would thrift and sew together our cosplays. Now we didn't have TikTok to compare with professional cosplayers so we thought ours were amazing and we had a blast making them! If you want to cosplay don't compare yourself, just have fun with it and make it your own.

Anime conversations: Besides my sister, I never talked about anime with anyone. I remember people thinking anime kids were weird. I didn't care what other people thought but I also didn't want people to know because I felt like anime was my escape and I didn't want to share it with anyone. Now I am the one judging people for talking about anime. I wonder if they are true fans or if they are just trying to be trendy. I find myself having more organic anime conversations and it still weirds me out. The weirdest thing I have seen is people talking about their anime crushes. I couldn't have and still can't admit I have had major crushes on 2d men. Now I see people posting about their crushes, and buying blankets with half-naked characters, and it's normal. Did I think growing up I was weird for being attracted to anime men, yes I did. Now I think we are all weird, but it's nice to know I'm not alone.

If you want to know how anime fans were portrayed back in my day watch Watamote. We were sleep-deprived, delusional, socially awkward, and had a hard time being in normal society.

Now liking anime makes you cool, popular, and different. 

Don't get me wrong, I love that people have discovered the incredible art of anime, I love the perks of having anime more accessible, and I love that I am not the weird kid anymore. Just makes me wonder if this is a trend or if these anime fans are here to stay.

What are your thoughts on Anime becoming mainstream? When did you start watching anime?

Thanks for reading!! 

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