Animehas evolved beyond geek culture enthusiasts to accommodate mainstream audiences; the inclusion of anime on streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ underpins the medium’s popularity surge in recent times. Tocomprehend the 2020s anime boomin the West, a famed executive from one of Shōnen’s leading franchises elatedly points out the style’s defining assets.
In aninterview with Tatsuya Nagamine, a veteran anime director who directedDragon Ball Super: BrolyandOne Piece Film Z, the industry specialist suggests that anime outperforms most Disney works in terms of reception due to the genre’s exclusive traits. The Dragon Ball director emphasised that anime appeals to all, highlighting the medium’s stylistic superweapon.
Tatsuya Nagamine Openly Boasts Anime’s Superior Traits As A Creative Medium
Tatsuya Nagamine, one of Toei Animation’s exemplary directors behind global anime accomplishments —One Piece Film Z,Dragon Ball Super: Broly, One Piece Log: Fish-Man Island Saga— painstakingly glosses over anime’s recent successes, explaining the rationale behind the medium’s global reception. In the words of the director, “Japanese anime is made in a way that even adults can understand.”
Anime is one of Japan’s leading international trademarks, and despite the medium’s unconventional style, it’s clearly outpacing contemporaries in the field effortlessly. According to Nagamine, the medium’s intended audience cuts across both the older and younger generations, making it the ideal household preference for entertaining media. The seasoned director suggests that even anime’s quirkiness enhances the genre’s splendour.
“Japanese anime is made in a way that even adults can understand. It’s not predictable like Disney. I think overseas anime fans are already tired of Disney’s routine anime.”
— Tatsuya Nagamine.
Legendary studios like Toei Animationand Studio Ghibli broke through the Western-dominant space by building on anime’s arresting traits that now govern the entertainment space. Nagamine notes that the success of anime is another win for the Japanese, considering their success in the automobile market through Toyota.
Anime is well-known for its novel approaches to storytelling that are engaging and rewarding to experience. There is no grossly static formula, as every work shares defining traits — an elevating difference that distinguishes the medium from Western animations. On this note, Nagamine criticizes Disney’s monotonous, routine-like animations that fail to satiate viewers’ desire to see something different on screen.
Even Though Anime Struggles With Everyday Portrayals, It’s Still Making An Impact Globally
Apart from sharing anime’s greatest strengths, Nagamine unbiasedly fleshed out the difficult parts of anime production. In his words, “it’s difficult to express everyday movements.” Anime performs well because more often than not, central sequences are greatly exaggerated to achieve a desired effect.
Consequently, the focus is on the superfluous, making it hard to pick out unusual elements. Regardless of the medium’s difficulty in adapting everyday movements,anime will still excelas the creative style often focuses on escapism as a storytelling tool.
