Ani-may? It Will!
Resistance is Futile.
For those who think anime is ‘cartoons for kids’ and are happy to relegate it to a corner of their creative / marketing / storytelling sensibilities, it might be worth a few minutes to check out Polygon’s recent survey.
Those ‘Japanese animated show’s you may have heard about, are no longer just about die-hard fans in cosplay- they've busted through into the mainstream like One Punch Man busting… someone.
We know (or should do), that anime is a veritable universe of storytelling wonder- epic battles, emotive dramas, fantastical adventures or just wild weirdness. Depending on where you are, or where in life you are, it either already is or is fast-becoming a cultural phenomenon.
While the survey is US- centric, Asia of course in many ways is the driver/ enabler and the one to revel most in a global wave.
Some key takeaways:
🔥 Unsurprisingly, Gen Z is spearheading the anime revolution, but are by far not the only ones (great comparison to Gen Z’s NFL following in there too).
🌈 Diversity is anime's middle name- fans come from all walks of life.
💖 Almost half of the viewers have had a crush on an anime character– hey there, rom-coms 👋
🧘🏽Used as? Comfort food, relief when feeling overwhelmed, angry, or sad- and also to “pump themselves up”.⚡
😎It's a lifestyle, a vibe- more than half of Gen Z fans claim it influences everything from their identity & style to how they navigate the social battlefield.
🍿Needless to say @Netflix, @Crunchyroll and a few others make an appearance.
Bottom line seems to be- get on the anime bandwagon if you have not. An anime invasion is here, and resistance is futile.