From: gavigan@gn.ecn.purdue.edu (Ryan P. Gavigan)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.animation
Subject: Re: Perception of Japanimation
Date: 15 Dec 92 22:37:41 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network

In article <n11act@ofa123.fidonet.org> Kevin.Kline@ofa123.fidonet.org writes:
> BB> I still fail to see how bad anime can hurt the animation industry.  Do
> BB> bad movies hurt the film industry, bad TV shows the 
> BB> television industry,
> BB> bad books the publishing industry, or bad 
> BB> net.postings the internet news
> BB> hierarchy?
> I can see where bad anime can hurt the animation industry... It is because
>animation isn't quite established here in this country (despite the 3 recent
>Disney animated films) and if we continue to allow trash like "girls with
>guns" and bloody violence to continue.  It will turn off many people to
>animation and you could be looking at an animation drought.  Put it this way, 

I disagree here.  Animation will continue to be $$$ run, what people want to
see/rent/whatever, that will generally get done.  The part of that 
equation that HASN'T existed before is the availability of the wide variety
of choices in material.  I would also counter that just as many people 
would become more interested in animation because of that "attitude" than
will be turned off by it.

>you mentioned TV... Well all the BAD TV shows the last several years has hurt 
>TV in general (MORE people are renting videos and going out to movies instead 
>and TV viewership is WAY DOWN).

TV viewership isn't down in terms up amount watched, it's down in terms of 
how well shows do, because there are so many other choices on television, 
compared with networks who have held exclusive domain for 30+ years, and
one must be more picky and investigative to latch on to good shows. (Quantum
Leap, Northern Exposure, etc)

> Well if bad animation were to continue, wouldn't you say that viewership of
>animation would be WAY DOWN?  

As long as there is a diversity of opinions, viewership can't go down.  Take
a look at the sales figures (well, you can't really, but here they are, sort 
of).  Every single anime titles out-sells (in terms of initial orders) 
previous titles and has done so for 3 years.  This primarily doesn't have 
much to do with "show quality", it largely depends on the overall market for
anime increasingly diversifying to video rental outlets. (No we don't have
Tower Video in IN unfortunately, no 49c a night rentals here.)  Also, takes
sales figures for say, Project A-ko (don't see what's your problem with it,
it's drop dead funny, as most farces are supposed to be.) which now has
reached sales in the five figures in terms of units (10000+).  Compare
that with say 14.2 million units of BatB sold.  I would doubt seriously
that some little 'ol MD Geist could hurt the animation industry.

Disney has carved a niche, indeed, but maybe they would at least try something
a little different and say, release it under Touchstone (like WfRogerRabbit).
It couldn't hurt their strangle hold on things.  (Plus, Katzenburg wouldn't
pass up anything that would make $$$)

Ryan Gavigan
gavigan@gn.ecn.purdue.edu

> 
>
>--- Maximus 2.00
Newsgroups: rec.arts.animation