Has recent Anime felt less impactful?

[Kendjin]

First of all, I want to say that I am not suggesting that there are no good Anime series out recently. What I mean is, I remember back to some series that came out between 2005-2011. I can't think of any recent Anime that I feel has such an impact in terms of story so good that you think back on it as a strong memory.

Now I am more than willing to accept that my memory isn't as good, or I have some how managed to miss the true classics. It could also have something to do with the fact that there have been a lot of second seasons and continuations from earlier anime.

I don't think its something that has changed in me, but I sit and watch some recent series and I find that writers seem to struggle to keep a firm story-line through-out, often fraying through-out the season.What I have noticed as well is we have had a lot more "incomplete" anime in the last few seasons. Too many a hopeful show, a show that would have been a classic, were it only for that ending, or the fact they had a cast in which a few characters made a mere appearance, despite the feeling they meant a lot more.

What brought me to think about this of all time, well without spoiling. Watching Oreimo Season 2, it feels greatly different from the first season, I'd argue it seems like an OVA special, it feels like it doesn't know what it wants to achieve, we lose focus on characters once important and as we speak I feel we are on a roller-coaster that feels its lost its way, so its decided to throw emotions for a loop.

What are people's feelings on this? Am I wrong, has there been something of such a caliber, am I being unfair as I am not giving these recent series time to ripen after completion?

[Down]

Hm, this is a subject on which I'm a bit divided. I know people who've been into japanimation for years and years and strongly affirm that recent animes are way worse than what older stuff is. I would defend a lot what has been done in recent year, yet I have to agree with some of their points.

I think there has been a kind of shift in anime. It's been going on since quite a few years now: series are getting shorter (most animes are 1-cour) because we're more in a logic of a quickly-consumed product, but 13 episodes is a rather bad length. It's too long to be a movie yet too short to make a full serie. I think that's a reason you feel less impact.

Another reason is that studios are focusing on secure values. They're not taking risks. They're adapting mangas, but also a lot more LNs and VNs. And they're making 13-episode anime. And they're trying to appeal a lot more to otakus, while focusing less on the rest, which at some point end up hindering the whole thing.

However, I still find every season at least one or two animes I can qualify as very good. I'm enjoying a lot of recent stuff.

But I have to admit, I'm currently watching both animes from this season and older stuff, and old series really have a thing for them that seems a bit lacking in recent productions. On the whole, I think there are more animes coming out but the same amount of good things, making a lesser percentage. And I would add that really impactful shows are quite scarce too. There's a lot of good things but barely any groundbreaking stuff.

Only things I would call groundbreaking since 2010 would be Madoka (partly for its popularity though) and Mawaru Penguindrum. Haven't seen everything that has been done but no other names come to my mind.

Oh, and liking less stuff over the year is, I think, an actual thing. I have yet to experience it but I think part of the reason old anime watchers (but some exceptions like Ryoji) feel not thrilled by recent productions is that.

[Forythos]

I think it's a question that brings up a somewhate complicated answer, at least for me. I started getting into anime and manga in the late 90s, and the stuff I had access to back then was rather limited, especialy since I lived in the countryside. After having rewatched some of my old classics and watching some older stuff that I hadn't seen but usualy had heard of (I was a very active member at animeboards.com back then), as well as watching many more recent shows, I have to say that it's pretty 50/50 for me.

There are shows I enjoyed back then that felt kind of "meh" compared to some newer shows I watched, while there are some older shows that also managed to stay miles ahead of most of what comes out today. But there is still at least 2 or 3 shows every year that leave a considerable impact for me, with maybe one or two that I intend to watch multiple times because I enjoyed them so much. (Chuunibyou comes to mind as an example)

[Kaguya]

I think it happens overtime. In my case, I watched about 15 animes per season (about four, five years ago) and things just started getting cliche. Even the good animes were somewhat predictable, and had less impact than they would've if I watched them before watching other animes. Gradually, I started watching about 5 per season. About one year ago, I just completely stopped watching them, with exception for a few like sao (because friends kept bugging me to watch) and a few exceptions.

[Snowtsuku]

I think it's because of time.

It's just that people today have different taste. People in your time and today have different perspective when it comes to impact. Same reason why little fan girls like JB and we don't.

Just my 2c.

[Rairu-kun]

Hmmm I think you're right in a way. Well, most of the anime I watch is comedy so I can't really say there's a lot of impact coming from them. I still enjoy them though.

You're right in saying this last seasons endings were hanging. I can't even remember the title of them now, but a lot of them didn't give a proper ending and left me with a bunch of unanswered questions. Ticked me off tbh. Hopefully the explanation is that thy ran out of funding and the writer didn't intend for such an incomplete ending =/.

But yea I getcha, the new anime coming out is not as good as the ones from 2005-2011. I think it's because people like you and me have watched such great anime that we begin to unconsciously compare anime that simply tears at our hearts and minds to the new anime and are left regretting watching new anime and wanting to go back to the old stuff...if that makes sense lol.

[p4izanagi]

no impact whatsoever , greatest impact in my life is reading visual novel .

but the recent anime is all about "Innocent girl with boobs" and "harem"

what am i looking in an anime is the story itself not the drawing .

just like this image

well i think there a lots of 'O' blood type in japan or maybe all the world . meh.

oh im type B .

[Metaler]

I think this kind of feeling is perfectly natural with pretty much any past-times we get in life. As they say, the first time is always the best. The first anime you've watched are most likely the ones that were the most meaningful for you. You can still get the same feeling of excitement from watching more recent stuff, but it definetely won't have that same BAM as the first time.

I usually notice that many people begin to feel that anime is getting worse for them when they begin to notice these feelings. I've been watching anime for years, and I've never felt this happen to me, even if I don't get the same impression I got from back then. Hopefully, I will keep on liking anime for years to come.

Though one thing that COULD help prevent this feeling would be to watch less shows. So many people seem to watch shows just for clearing up their backlog, and this can quickly turn your hobby into a chore.

[InvertMouse]

Sometimes I do feel this way, but overall, I'd say it's just because I'm getting older. When you get old, you become impatient and judgmental . Most important, you become harder to impress.

When I was little, oh, Pokemon Red and Blue, two versions, so cool! Now, "Oh, right. Nintendo is trying to squeeze out more money by tossing out two versions." That kind of mentality.

Thinking back to the old days, it's not like every anime produced was an instant classic. There were tons of rubbish with a few gems here and there. In other words, just the same as it is now. We had Madoka recently. That was pretty awesome. Hanasaku Iroha, etc. Not life changers, but certainly very enjoyable to watch.

When I was little, I loved Yuu Yuu Hakusho etc. If I watched those as an adult, I probably would've dropped them after a few episodes. Take off our nostalgia glasses and really think if they were that good. Some are, some aren't.

To sum up, nah, I don't think anime has become less impactful .

[solidbatman]

Like others have said, you become harder to impress the more involved with something you are. I've been playing video games for a long long time now and while I still enjoy many games, I don't find that they impact me like they used to. Xenosaga for example hooked me for a solid 3-4 months as I poured every free moment of my time into them. Now, I may play 2 hours a day of a single game at most.

Same thing goes for anime. The first 20 or so that I watched were generally amazing and I could think of nothing they did wrong. Now, I hand out a lot lower scores than I used to. The more you deal with a particular media, the less it can surprise you and impress you.

[harry_kinomoto]

Another reason is that studios are focusing on secure values. They're not taking risks. They're adapting mangas, but also a lot more LNs and VNs. And they're making 13-episode anime. And they're trying to appeal a lot more to otakus, while focusing less on the rest, which at some point end up hindering the whole thing.

Hiroki Azuma's book on Otaku: Japan's Database Animals is all about this trend. In a nutshell, he argues how there has been a shift in attitudes. Where in the past people relied on Canon and the author's authority for the "one true world" of their anime to explore, nowadays they place more emphasis on its potential for derivative works. The modern fanbase, Azuma argues, has accumulated a "database" of these qualities and characteristics, that can easily be copy-pasted onto other works as and when appropriate. Many character stereotypes fall into this bracket. For example, if, say, one sees a blond girl with twintails stuttering: "it's not like I did this JUST for you....b-baka!!", you immediately think the character stereotype of tsundere: those who act all tough on the outside but are soft at the right moment, and start recalling other characters who may share this personality trait.

It is tempting to use that to accuse the anime industry for relying only on this database when creating new works, and thus argue at how this has led to the death of originality and so on. Indeed, Azuma himself seems to think so sometimes, saying how works created without recognition of how they are linked to the database "will be weeded out by the market and disappear". Paradoxically, however, he also argues in other sections for how the the proliferation of derivative works has led to a situation where "all signs have begun to float without their foundation", hence meaning that "original and copy have come to have the same value".

I have yet to make my mind up on which side I feel is more "correct". That said though, there are many works that I would think, be enjoyable to people even without knowledge of the "otaku database". While there are some that, for example, rely on previous conceptions of tsunderes for humour and plot development, other more refreshing works bring them to life with a solid backstory and convincing explanations why exactly they turned out to be as cold and reserved as they are. I also note how while those that build on the stereotypes may start off popular, it is the latter category of shows, that are able to inject new meaning to database tropes, that become hit classics - even if those database tropes have been in existence for ages before~ B)/>

[Metaler]

Like others have said, you become harder to impress the more involved with something you are. I've been playing video games for a long long time now and while I still enjoy many games, I don't find that they impact me like they used to. Xenosaga for example hooked me for a solid 3-4 months as I poured every free moment of my time into them. Now, I may play 2 hours a day of a single game at most.

Same thing goes for anime. The first 20 or so that I watched were generally amazing and I could think of nothing they did wrong. Now, I hand out a lot lower scores than I used to. The more you deal with a particular media, the less it can surprise you and impress you.

Reminds me of the Tao te Ching:

When people see things as beautiful,

ugliness is created.

When people see things as good,

evil is created.

Being and non-being produce each other.

Difficult and easy complement each other.

Long and short define each other.

High and low oppose each other.

Fore and aft follow each other.

Therefore the Master

can act without doing anything

and teach without saying a word.

Things come her way and she does not stop them;

things leave and she lets them go.

She has without possessing,

and acts without any expectations.

When her work is done, she takes no credit.

That is why it will last forever.

Basically, we can only create different values for things as we compare them.

[Raddenschlegga]

Like others have said, you become harder to impress the more involved with something you are. I've been playing video games for a long long time now and while I still enjoy many games, I don't find that they impact me like they used to. Xenosaga for example hooked me for a solid 3-4 months as I poured every free moment of my time into them. Now, I may play 2 hours a day of a single game at most.

Same thing goes for anime. The first 20 or so that I watched were generally amazing and I could think of nothing they did wrong. Now, I hand out a lot lower scores than I used to. The more you deal with a particular media, the less it can surprise you and impress you.

Yeah totally right. my first time watching Animes like Shuffle, Love Hina and other harem comedys i was totally flashed. But after a while and some really serious and mature Animes like Legend of Galactic Heroes, Death Note, Code Geass, Blue Gender, Neon Genesis Evangelion etc. this happy stuff became really blunt for me. The same with the visual novels. im now playing Da Capo and while im actually enjoying the game, fails it to impress me. I played to many similiar Visual Novels.

[Zalor]

Such a great topic! Shame it seems to be dying, but I'll try to jump start it again. Anyway, while I do agree that recent animes (from the past 3 years or so) in general are less impressive or interesting then many earlier ones, I feel this this contemporary trend infested with moe, cliches and marketing will eventually decline. Last week I decided to watch Psycho Pass which was running from fall 2012 to spring 2013, after seeing this video that intrigued me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Lkcw5fue9s&list=FLillMlCGgjMxYJgGaKNztIQ&index=10

The video grasped me because I was shocked to see literary references in anime, so I decided to check it out. And to my enjoyment the series was really good. Now I'll be the first to admit I don't think the series quite reached its full potential, but damn did it still do a great job. For instance the main antagonist in the show, (the guy recommending to read Philp K Dick in the video) is an absolutely well written villain and one of my favorite characters. The series gives me hope that there will be other good and thought provoking anime like it in the future. However, what at the same times discourages me is the fact that this show went almost unrecognized; while cliched shit like SAO, and Attack of Titan are getting all the rage. (Okay, I only saw the first two episodes of Attack on Titan but it didn't strike me as a thought provoking, and deep anime like Psycho-Pass or the animes we got in the past). However, then I realized that, the same was kind of true in the past as well. Take Ultimate Gambler Kaiji for example. It is in my opinion one of the most thrilling and at the same time metaphorical and philosophical animes I have ever seen (and takes a spot in my top 5 anime). Yet Kaiji went relatively unnoticed when it was running, and to this day isn't an anime most people are acquainted with. My case in point being that good anime often goes undetected. So to conclude I think while we are in a down trend, I still think works of art will be produced (they'll just be less abundant then they used to be), and you will have to search for them a bit harder.

[Mephisto]

Just my two cents.

Psycho-Pass was freaking amazing, but the majority of people seem to prefer more shounen-esque shows like Naruto, One Piece, ect. (Shingeki and SAO fit here too).

I've been trying to get my cousin to watch Full Metal Alchemist, but he's too busy watching 600 episodes of One Piece instead. (FMAB holds #1 on MAL for a very good reason, since it combines philosophy, an epic story, and shounen-esque characteristics to hit pretty much everyone in the fanbase. The only ones it misses are the Ecchi fanbase (Steve).)

The producers must pander to their fans unfortunately...

Oh yeah. Madoka.

[Metaler]

Just my two cents.

Psycho-Pass was freaking amazing, but the majority of people seem to prefer more shounen-esque shows like Naruto, One Piece, ect. (Shingeki and SAO fit here too).

That's because they're mainstream anime. The kind of anime we watch have a very limited target audience even in Japan.

Also, I don't think Shingeki should be grouped with Naruto and One Piece, since, as far as I know, it really feels more like a Seinen then anything (yeah yeah, I know it's published in a shonen magazine...). Its themes are very thought-provoking and the world is very detailed and rich, so I believe it walks hand-in-hand with FMA and Evangelion. Same goes for Psycho-pass.

[Ryoji]

1 word. YES

[Eldin]

1 word. YES

I don't know about this so much, there are always seasons that feel like this, and some shows are so good that they make other shows that are just as good seem not as good in comparison, because we're still recovering from that much awesome.

anime seasons, like everything else, have their highs and lows. who knows, next season could have something that is just beautiful. judging from the titles I really doubt it, but I've been known to be wrong however few times that may be.

[Ryoji]

To be honest, it's all subjective. Opinions vary about what genre is best. I have a wide variety of genres that I like. I love a good slice of life show just as much as a good comedy. It's all subjective. My opinion of an epic show will be different from say, Eldin. Does that mean I'm right? Lol probably not.

There have been great shows as recent as this season. Attack on Titan is pretty damn epic. However, the overall quality of show is, not so epic. It's a matter of preference.

[garejei]

I can kinda see where you're coming from. The only recent anime that really remains in me as a strong memory is Fate/zero. Psycho Pass was overall great but lots of wasted potential in it.

The 2005-2009 era was my major anime watching phase so I'm probably biased about shows that came out around that time: Aria, Gurren Lagann, Code Geass, Baccano, Death Note, FMA Brohood, Darker than Black, 12 Kingdoms, Kaiji, Black Lagoon, just to name a few. Even stuff like Ergo Proxy, even though it was not that amazing in the end. However, I realize this is completely subjective and I'm most likely just being overly nostalgic.

I've also noticed a flood of moe anime nowadays. Not a huge fan of that. And I miss the times when most shows were 26 episodes with plenty of time to build a story + character development.

However, what at the same times discourages me is the fact that this show went almost unrecognized; while cliched shit like SAO, and Attack of Titan are getting all the rage. (Okay, I only saw the first two episodes of Attack on Titan but it didn't strike me as a thought provoking, and deep anime like Psycho-Pass or the animes we got in the past). However, then I realized that, the same was kind of true in the past as well. Take Ultimate Gambler Kaiji for example. It is in my opinion one of the most thrilling and at the same time metaphorical and philosophical animes I have ever seen (and takes a spot in my top 5 anime). Yet Kaiji went relatively unnoticed when it was running, and to this day isn't an anime most people are acquainted with.

Oh, a fellow Kaiji fan. Cool.

Let's have sex. Now.

[Down]

TBH I do agree it seems to be a question of fluctuations, I'm not sure there really is a down trend. Some seasons have a lot of great stuffs, others are desperately void of anything really good. Well, the fact that series are being more and more 13-episodes long instead of 26 or even 50 doesn't help to make great stuff though, but we could well be in a slightly down period.

Let's have sex. Now.

Having sex on the forum is a no-go, sorry. Do it via PM please.

[Metaler]

To be honest, it's all subjective. Opinions vary about what genre is best. I have a wide variety of genres that I like. I love a good slice of life show just as much as a good comedy. It's all subjective. My opinion of an epic show will be different from say, Eldin. Does that mean I'm right? Lol probably not.

I agree with you completely. Having been studying literature, I realized that our tastes change historically. I believe that what exactly we judge as an impactful piece of fiction varies greatly not just from person to person, but also from era to era. Hell, for all I know, if a Baroque poet time traveled to our era, he might've said that Milky Holmes is the greatest work ever conceived in the face of this planet (just an example...)

[Eldin]

after watching the last 12 episodes of maou-san, no.

srsly, that show just touches me in all the right places. made my top 5 list and if I didn't have a special place in my heart for outlaw star, would probably be my favorite anime ever. every episode is a box of happy.

[Ryoji]

after watching the last 12 episodes of maou-san, no.

srsly, that show just touches me in all the right places. made my top 5 list and if I didn't have a special place in my heart for outlaw star, would probably be my favorite anime ever. every episode is a box of happy.

See?? Perfect example of what I was saying. It's all subjective. Opinions vary (though I'm enjoying maou-san it's nowhere near a all time favorite)

Awesome topic guys.

[Eldin]

See?? Perfect example of what I was saying. It's all subjective. Opinions vary (though I'm enjoying maou-san it's nowhere near a all time favorite)

Awesome topic guys.

in all fairness to other anime, I am probably enjoying maou-san far more than I should be. maybe it's just because there's not really anything else that i'm fond of this season. date a live ended pretty much how I expected it to, gargantia is going pretty much how I expected it to, valvrave is just another mecha anime, nyarko is nyarko and is always funny, railgun is disappointing, dropped oreimo 4 episodes in, droped leviathan 4 episodes in, dropped everything else two episodes in.

this season ended poorly imo <_</>