The anime has become a phenomenon. Every year more and more anime series and movies are coming out and the population of anime fans around the world also keeps increasing. Also, the popularity of a particular anime title that became a hit TV series usually lasts for years. Although the show ended up on the TV station where it aired, fans will be reaching out for their own copies of the series and watching it over and over again. One might wonder: What is the secret behind the success of Anime? What does Anime have that often can’t be found in its western counterparts? In this article, I will try to point out some of the key factors behind the success of Anime.
Exciting action and complexity appeal to a wider range of viewers.
While cartoons, which were made in western countries, mainly target children as their primary audience, anime, on the other hand, targets a broader range of viewers. In fact, a large part of the population of die-hard Anime fans are teenagers and people in their early 20s. In most cases, while children enjoy the spectacular actions and fighting scenes, adults and youngsters appreciate the complexity of the story and its emotional content. Most of the Anime series are mixes of comedy, action and drama.
The main characters grow and develop their abilities as the story progresses.
Unlike most western cartoons, where once the hero has established their character there is little room (often none) for improvement, anime characters grow as the story progresses. A good example would be the characters in “Dragonball Z” where they even use “power levels” to show the improvement in a character’s fighting ability. In the sports anime titles “Slam Dunk: Team Shohoku” and “Hajime No Ippo”, the main characters learn different techniques in each match. Often the most exciting moment in an episode of an anime series is when the villain and the other characters are surprised by the hero’s new ability.
Keep viewers on the lookout for upcoming episodes.
Most of the anime series manage to “hook” the viewers. By deliberately keeping the story hanging at the end of each episode, viewers tend to stay tuned for the next one and would never want to miss an episode. In most action anime series, the battle between the hero and the villain lasts several episodes and each episode is different from the next.
While there are more reasons fans keep reaching out for their favorite anime titles, we’ve pinpointed three of the most common factors. (1) It can attract more viewers because it deliberately targets a wider range of audiences. (2) The way Anime characters grow and improve provides more excitement for the viewers. This is also one of the key factors behind the success of role-playing games (RPGs). And finally, (3) viewers are attached to their favorite series because of the way Anime writers intentionally end each episode by not giving a definitive conclusion to the story.