Recently, we presented this selection of anime to be released on netflix before the summer, the opportunity to see the efforts undertaken by the streaming platform to invest in this increasingly popular sector. And precisely, if the rise in popularity of anime in recent years is clearly no longer to be proven, recent revelations make it possible to realize its impact and its current scope.
netflix vision
A few days ago AnimeJapan 2022 was held in Tokyo, one of the biggest events in the world dedicated to Japanese animation. On this occasion, Netflix unveiled nearly 40 anime titles that will be broadcast on the service in 2022comprising series, such as for example Thermae Romae Novaereleased just this week.
But the streaming platform also offers animated filmslike the movie bubblepremiered at this year’s Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival), or Drifting Homeproduced by Studio Colorido, known for having already adapted the manga Burn the Witch in animated film 2020, and more recently for their participation in the series Star Wars: Visions (on the episode Tatooine Rhapsody).
And as reported varietyNetflix therefore provided previews of upcoming titles during this event, including sharing new illustrations for The Seven Deadly Sins: Grudge of Edinburghas well as the trailer for the second season of Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045. And after all these revelations, Kohei Obara, director in charge of anime creation at Netflix, demonstrated the importance of anime within the catalog of the streaming platform. He said:
Anime is a cornerstone of our investment in Japan, watched by nearly 90% of our members here last year. At the same time, interest in anime has increased around the world, and more than half of our global members watched it last year. Whether it’s diversifying our catalog or bringing back [animes] fan favorites, we want to continue to develop our members’ discovery and love for anime, both in Japan and around the world […].
With more than half of the platform’s subscribers having watched at least one anime in 2021there is no doubt that this industry has become a full-fledged player in the entertainment sector, resulting in a significant increase in the size of its market.
the new conquest of the west
As reminded The Geek’s Diary, a 2019 market study by the Japan Animation Association estimated the value of the industry at over $24 billion. And these figures, dating back nearly three years now, are no longer necessarily indicative of the rise in popularity anime have experienced thanks to recent works such as Demon Slayer (whose anime had just been released), Jujutsu Kaisen or tokyo revenge.
Because with the global pandemic, many people have tried anime during the multiple periods of confinement, thus discovering a format which is then very conducive to binge watch (anime episodes lasting on average less than 25 minutes, unlike “classic” series episodes, generally ranging from 45 minutes to an hour).
At the same time, we can also explain this explosion of interest in anime by the simple fact that it has never been so easy to access that at present: between on the one hand the development of dedicated simulcast platforms, organizing themselves together to be able to face the massive investments of new streaming platforms that are determined to have market share in the sector, the offer has never been so rich as it is now.
Of course, we could mention the role of social networks in the spread of the genre on the internet, and even work done upstream by the classic precedents of the kind such as dragonball, naruto or One Piecehaving paved the way years ago, and which allow current works to be as popular today.
