Anime’s global dominance hinges on balancing creativity, fan demand

“Dan Da Dan” is one of the nominees for Anime of the Year at the ninth Crunchyroll Anime Awards. The award ultimately went to “Solo Leveling.” Image: Courtesy of Crunchyroll

TOKYO, Japan — Creativity and connecting with audiences have always been crucial in the growth of anime. Despite its global dominance, having the innate ability to touch hearts will always remain at the forefront of the beloved art form.

For Crunchyroll COO Gita Rebbapragada, portraying the human side of a character is one of the many factors why anime continues to dominate on multiple platforms amid the rise of Gen-Z and younger audiences.

“There are two things. One, it retains a real originality to it that makes it feel very real and authentic to people. Second, I think the characters we see in anime are endearingly imperfect and human,” she explained to INQUIRER.net in a one-on-one interview.

According to Rebbapragada, younger audiences often gravitate toward anime that “usually have a hook within the first few minutes,” although she noted that character development is also a factor in its growth

“With anime, there is an emphasis on character development, the pacing can be a little different, it feels different to watch, and that makes it unique. Having something different, unique, special and authentic speaks to the younger generation and a lot of fans,” she said while noting how the writer’s affinity for “The Apothecary Diaries” is an example to prove her point.

Rebbapragada also pointed out that a character’s “endearingly imperfect and human” — whether they have superpowers or are ordinary people — is what makes audiences gravitate to anime.

“The characters we see in anime are endearingly imperfect and human. They’re very relatable in a way that even if they have superpowers and even if you have a flaw, there is something relatable in the sense that many of them are on their own journeys,” she said.

“You’re not seeing them in their final form when you first meet them. I think that [resonates] with people, especially for those who are at a certain stage of their lives,” she continued.

Creativity vs fans

Like other facets of popular culture, anime’s global dominance somehow comes at the expense of sacrificing creativity to appease the fans, or vice versa. “It’s a little bit of both. Ultimately, it’s an art form.” Rebbapragada said, underscoring that a creator’s artistic side will always be king.

“We do try and listen to creators and the industry [in general] because they’re interested in learning. They get really excited about a show getting successful, and they want to see why, especially when there is a show that is popping in certain territories,” she said. “There are certain stories that we feel like could be added, so I think the fans will actually shape what anime is made of.”

This, as shared by Rebbapragada, is where “a lot of sharing of information” comes in. “There is so much science that you can apply to art. It’s fundamentally a creative pursuit, and what we feel strongly about is to honor the intentions of the creator. We want to elevate and honor that intention. It’s not our place to tell anyone what we think.”

The Crunchyroll executive also stressed that “listening to and showing up for fans” is still a priority. However, honoring the creators’ freedom to tell stories will always be king. “When fans get upset, fans get upset. But you have to be able to take in these spaces for creative freedom, too.”

“What is really important to us is that we want to showcase that anime is touching lives from every corner of the planet,” Rebbapragada said. “It’s such a global phenomenon, not just something that resonates with a certain part of the world. That’s why we always make sure [that everyone is represented].”  /ra