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Originally Posted by DaFool
I would like to invite eggplant, kj1980, or any other Japan-based forum members (or anyone for that matter) to comment on the peak of 50 new anime series premiering this summer. Is this the maximum size of the bubble right before it is about to pop?.... Dang, I can feel it everywhere. They say that animation is a cyclical industy...I just realized it cycles really hard
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All I can say is that as a consumer, I am really enjoying the state of anime right now. Lots of shows and lots of
good shows, as far as I am concerned.
I know little about the industry, but perhaps its cyclicality will be slightly offset by the growth of markets in America and China -- although the greatest expansion in both markets may be in illegal downloading, rather than purchase of licensed anime. I'm not sure how significant sales of goods, such as figures, is to international profits. I think it's an important part of profits in Japan.
The potential power of the Chinese market is shown to me every time I look up a
seiyuu's name in
kanji on Google: I have to limit it to Japanese sites or else most of the top sites are Chinese.
Age demographics are probably significant, too. In Japan, there are comparatively few young people, and the shadow baby-boom is trailing off here in the West, too. So anime and manga aimed at a slightly older audience, and at girls, may have to be part of maintaining the industry's strength. This would mean more shoujo and josei and more late-night-style seinen anime, I imagine. Although I doubt that could make up for any dip in the popularity of the early-evening kids' shows.
In the end, I agree with kj1980: stick with safe investments; this could be a bubble. And although the prospect of 50 shows is gratifying, I hate the thought that there will more good shows on that I don't have time to watch.