Published:
Over the past few years, we have seen the impact of Japan’s pop culture worldwide. Whether it is music, food, or fashion, the trends that Japan brings are unavoidable. However, one of the things that has taken the world by storm is Japanese animation. It is one of the primary sources of content for Gen Z, with statistics showing that 44% of Americans aged 18-24 watch famous anime titles. Furthermore, it is expected for the anime industry to generate 69.8 billion dollars by 2032. With various companies supporting many of the streaming platforms for the consumers outside of Japan to watch anime, regions such as in Europe are showing anxious interest to be part of the market. As we are seeing the anime merchandising market size to be 2.07 billion dollars by 2030 with the support of conventions such as Japan Expo and SunnyCon Anime Expo.
In terms of the business side of this industry, Crunchyroll and Funimation are known to be the primary sources of bringing anime to the mainstream and building a solid community of people who can legally stream them. However, in 2020, Sony purchased Crunchyroll for 1.18 billion dollars as they wanted to expand their presence in the streaming industry. This led to the recent decision to merge Crunchyroll with Funimation. Funimation CEO Gen Fukunaga stated that “some important things happen in the industry that’ll make it get there.... There’ll be more global expansion”. This further indicates anime’s value to the world and how it builds its industry from its popularity.
Anime has not only taken over viewership, but has also influenced many of the other well-known industries we see on social media or around us. An example of this can be seen in the fashion industry, where brands such as Dior have collaborated with an animated TV show, Spy X Family, to promote a new collection line dedicated to the show’s characters. Another example is Loewe coming into the world of Studio Ghibli to collaborate to create their exclusive Ghibli-designed Loewe handbags. An additional facet that has been heavily influenced is the music industry. Artists such as Yoasobi have taken over the world from their hit song, “Idol," which is the opening theme song to Oshi No Ko; their unstoppable presence in the J-Pop genre and the Anisongs has earned their spot in the Billboard’s Global Chart. Songs dedicated to certain anime shows have sparked numerous hit songs on global charts in recent years as they bring listeners to the shows or vice versa. The correlation of different industries of anime has further proven the signs of it creating a lasting impact on the world.
Anime has always been a creation many have indulged in for creativity and the value that’s factored into the impact. Countries such as China have shown a distinctive creation for the world through Donghua (Chinese animation) for people to watch, and the genre has built a community base worldwide. This comes from the Chinese youths’ love for well-known anime titles such as Slam Dunk. It has broken many records in China, as the recent movie adaptation has broken the box office records, with a staggering 14.46 million dollars in presales and almost 3 million watching the movie on the premiere day.
As the mainstream keeps changing and new trends arise in the future, anime is here to stay for everyone in the world to watch.
File under
Share this article
