Imo Anime has been in decline for 10 years or more. This has very little to do with Ai & things have become so generic & bland lately , that perhaps even Ai can easily compete with that now.
Remember Madoka Magica, Code Geass, or Death Note? (could name many more) Name one Anime from the past 5 years -even from different genres- that is not completely trash by comparison.
That’s easier than you’d think; I’d put Journal With Witch, LOOK BACK, and Draw This, Then Die! on the same level as those first two and honestly like all 3 of them much more than Death Note. Yes, there’s more trash then ever being produced. But there’s also lots of great stuff being produced as well; you just have to find it. I could name more; those are just the first 3 that came to mind.
I think the fact there’s more trash than ever being produced kind of proves the original point, but I’m also of the opinion that we’re living in a kind of golden age of media production in that the tools for amateurs to create have never been easier to get a hold of; so alongside all the slop there are going to be a percentage of people, however small, with really noteworthy ideas able to express themselves in ways they wouldn’t have been able to in the past, and I think we should celebrate that.
Or, you know, just quote Miyazaki and be doomer about it I guess.
I think the fact there’s more trash than ever being produced kind of proves the original point
I strongly disagree; the fact that a bunch of trash is being made does nothing to prevent me from watching all the great stuff that’s also being made.
I have mixed feelings because I think anime has been going through a bit of a minor renaissance the last few years with some excellent studios and new movie / tv show productions. However, I would definitely say that anime is becoming really safe in the decision making when it comes to “big budget” anime.
I really respect Rintaro though after having only just recently watched Galaxy Express 999 movie 1 & 2 and Metropolis, all three of which are noteworthy productions.
It’s worth noting that Rintaro has announced he is writing for a new Galaxy Express movie after nearly 30 years since the last one, so he’s probably thinking a lot about some of the themes of that movie series and the roll that reboots have on society as part of this process. And, also, our current “content” focused society.
It’s the same problem as all other media, I expect: production costs have risen and studios (which tend to be run by businesspeople and not artists) want a guaranteed return on their investment, so they don’t want to take a chance on anything without a proven track record of some sort.
It’s really amazing (in the worst way) how society has convinced itself to trust grifters to run everything
You know that line about ending up valuing what you measure? Money is very easy to measure.
The headline is misleading, taken out of context, and sounds much more ominous than what was actually said.
