Code Geass and One Piece Film: Red director Goro Taniguchi has dismissed worries about the globalization of anime as the medium increasingly attracts audiences outside its domestic market.
Anime directors Junichi Yamamoto and Taniguchi recently sat down with CBR in an interview for the new Enter the Garden series. When asked if there were any worries about creating anime for more diverse audiences in an increasingly globalized world, Taniguchi reacted in shock, replying, "Something that I'm anxious about?! Not at all! Even from my first work, I've never thought that I was creating my work only for the Japanese market. So that's not something I ever limited myself to. So I don't think about that at all."
Japan Has Long Since Been Creating Anime for International Audiences
Yamamoto added, "I've been to Anime Expo myself. I was at the Azuki event the other day. I saw all the fans looking at Taniguchi-san. You can tell that everybody is in love with anime and there's just this purity and I love that we have a community like that. For me, it's to be able to share what we love about anime. No worries at all, no apprehensions. I just feel excited." Taniguchi added that as far back as Isao Takahata's Heidi, Girl of the Alps, Japan has been creating anime with an eye for global audiences, saying it was "nothing special."
Taniguchi echoed this sentiment in a 2023 interview with Full Frontal. Having directed the beloved sci-fi anime Planetes, he referenced his pride in its multicultural cast and changes to the series so that international audiences, not just Japan, would understand. His new Enter the Garden series, with Yamamoto directing Episode 1, is a clear example of anime's globalization. The series takes inspiration from the world of Azuki, created by the American company Chiru Labs. Chiru Labs also produces Enter the Garden alongside Japanese companies Dentsu, qzil.la and Imagica Infos.
Solo Leveling Is a Major New Example of Anime's Globalization
Another example of globalization can be seen in decisions of what series get adaptations within anime's conventional pipelines. Crunchyroll's CEO Rahul Purini revealed that the company stepped in to help produce Solo Leveling, highlighting, "Sometimes certain stories might not be what our partners [in Japan] might be able to create and produce primarily for the Japanese audience." That prediction was well-founded, with streaming data suggesting that Solo Leveling was Japan's 9th most viewed series of the Winter 2024 season (ABEMA and Niconico viewing data). Meanwhile, data from MyAnimeList, with a 95% overseas user base, suggested the series was by far the most-watched anime of Winter 2024. Solo Leveling was notably dropped by just 1% of fans.
Half of the Anime Industry's Income Is Sourced From Overseas
Anime's globalization has also been a polarizing topic regarding forms of expression. 50% of the anime industry's income derives from overseas markets, with Disney's head of anime sparking controversy when he said more "acceptable expressions" in anime were necessary in light of increasingly diverse audiences. Other notable flashpoints include Witch Hat Atelier, whose creator received backlash from a section of readers over her inclusion of characters with disabilities and people of color. She received additional abuse over a post where she acknowledged how she was listening to international audiences regarding positive representation, with some saying the appeal of anime was that it didn't cater to Western sensibilities.
Source: CBR
