How Popular Is Anime In Japan, Really?

 

Millions of people worldwide consume anime every day. But how prevalent is it in Japan itself? The answer: not as much as some international fans would like to believe.

Anime: Japan’s geek gateway drug

For millions around the world, anime is their first exposure to Japan, Japanese culture, and the Japanese language. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Anime acts as a powerful “gateway drug” to the Japanese language and culture. People learn Japanese, make Japanese friends, and even move to the country because they’re current or former anime fans.

I’m no exception. I discovered anime in the 1980s when I happened upon Robotech. After I learned the show was a wild fusion of three original Japanese anime, I went down the rabbit hole to see what else was out there.

Sadly, at that time, there was little available in translation. I made do with VHS tapes off of satellite of shows like Dirty Pair and Gatchaman that I bought off of people I found in the back of the Comics Buyer’s Guide.

Over the years, my hardcore anime watching waned. As I learned more Japanese, I became more interested in news from Japan and in other aspects of Japanese culture. But I’ll still watch the occasional series if it catches my interest.

Anime outside of Japan has come a long way from when I was ordering VHS tapes by post. The global Japanese animation market exploded in the past decade, from 0.24 trillion yen in 2012 to 1.31 trillion yen in 2021. Some analysts say they expect the global market to grow by almost 10% year over year between now and 2030.

In other words, more and more people are taking the same journey I did as a kid — which is nothing short of awesome.

Who watches anime in Japan?

However, this popularity can breed misconceptions. Particularly, some anime fans outside of Japan think anime watching is a near-universal phenomenon within the country.

So how many people actually watch anime in Japan? The answer is: quite a few. But not everyone. And it’s important to know exactly who’s watching.

There are some English-language Web sites — quite a few, actually — claiming that something like 70 to 75% of Japan’s population watches anime. They claim similar viewership for the US. However, after combing through these sites, I couldn’t find a source for these striking claims.

I did, however, find several Japanese marketing firms that collect this data for the domestic Japanese market. These numbers are a lot more modest.

Famitsu Intelligent Strategic Marketing is one company that produces statistics about Japan’s domestic anime market. Their 2017 report put the total domestic viewing audience at around 31 million people — which was, at the time, about 32% of Japan’s population.

Kadokawa Game Linkage found similar results in 2020. They estimated an audience of around 35 million, or 37%.

That’s not bad. However, that also means a majority of the Japanese population — over 60% — doesn’t consume anime at all.

And the audience that watches anime is primarily young. In f-ism’s report, they found the largest audience was 5–9 year olds, with around 65% in this age range watching anime. The next largest age range was 10–19 year olds at around 44%. Viewing numbers steadily drop after that, with only 40% of young adults saying they watch anime. People 60+ were the smallest market segment at under 20%.

Sazae-san > One Piece

Of course, a key question is: what are people watching?

When people in the west say “anime”, they typically mean shows like One Piece or Naruto. But Japanese animation is highly diverse. The longest-running — and most popular — shows reflect this diversity.

Japan’s most popular anime.

In f-ism’s report, the most popular anime that are watched in time-shifted format (video on demand) are the usual suspects like One Piece and Dragonball Z. But look at the list of anime watched in real time. Sazae-san — a slice of life show about a typical Japanese family — leads the pack, followed by Chibi Maruko-chan and the long-running detective series Meitantei Conan (Case Closed).

Source: f-ism

To call Sazae-san “popular” is an understatement. The long-running show has been on the air now for half a century. It holds the Guinness Record for the world’s longest-running animated series. The show is such a ritual that there’s a phrase — Sazae Syndrome (サザエ症候群; sazae shoukougun) — that refers to the malaise induced by watching Sazae-san on Sunday night knowing you have to return to work or school the next day.

f-ism’s numbers are borne out by Video Research’s weekly round-up of the most popular programs watched in real time. Sazae-san tops the list, followed once again by Chibi Maruko-chan, Meitantei Conan, and Pretty Cure. The first shonen anime, My Hero Academia, barely squeaks in at number 6.

Sazae Slayer

Watch our video essay on the popularity of Demon Slayer — and what one of Japan’s foremost animators thinks about it — on our YouTube channel.

Some caveats to these numbers. First, these are broadcast numbers. More and more, younger viewers in Japan are shifting away from broadcast TV and towards video on demand services such as Amazon, Hulu, Netflix, and Ameba TV.

VOD services tend to be cagey about their viewership numbers and ratings. However, we can surmise that, since their viewership runs young, they’d slant away more from shows like Sazae-san and more to what international audiences think of when they think of “anime”.

Also note that there’s one exception to the iron reign of Sazae-san: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer).

We’ve written before about the runaway success of Demon Slayer — most notably the film, Mugen Train, which shattered domestic box office records. It’s done just as well on TV too: the February 6th, 2022 episode was the most-watched animated show on TV that year. (The other shows were exactly what you’d expect to see: Sazae-san followed by Conan and Chibi Maruko-chan.)

Demon Slayer is one of those intergenerational phenomenon like Evangelion that seems to hit Japanese anime every 10 years or so. In other words, it’s the exception that proves the rule.

It’s great if your love of anime leads you to visit Japan — or even move here. Just don’t assume once you get here that everyone you meet will be up on the season’s hottest anime. Because odds are, if they’re over age 20, many of them won’t have any idea what you’re talking about.

TOKYO REVENGERS ANIME REVIEW

 

Tokyo Revengers is an anime about a guy named Takemichi Hanagaki, he is 26 years old and living in a small apartment, he hates his job, and has only ever had one girlfriend. He use to be in a gang until he left during middle school due to being bullied by a stronger gang that took over his school. Since then Takemichi Hanagakirealized he ran away from his past and was given the opportunity to travel back in time.

During his adventure in the past, he meets up with his girlfriend Hinata’s brother Naoto and tells him that his sister will die 12 years in the future. Because of this Naoto decides to become a cop and save her, and so does Takemichi.

The great thing about this anime is that when he goes back in time, he actually is able to come back to the present day. Each day spent in the past is a day spent in the present time but his body is in a state of suspended animation. Due to facing his past bullies and never backing down despite getting his ass handed to him over and over again, he gains respect and

friendship of the leader of the Tokyo Manji Gang Manjirō Sano!

When coming back to the present small things start to change and gradually his actions in the past ripple into the present. The anime has a great cast of characters each with a unique set of morals and life decisions. Without giving too much away the main goal of the character is to write his wrongs from his past, to maintain his relationship with his girlfriend, and to save her from her present fate. Takemichi’s goal is to save the Tokyo Manji Gang!

5 HEARTS OUT OF 5

ART STYLE AND ORIGINAL FACTORS

The art style for Tokyo Revengers is modern, clean, and very realistic. During fight scenes, you feel the character’s pain and during times of sadness, it’s almost like you are watching a friend cry. The anime focuses on light tones and bright colors that contrast its dark humor and also at times intense story.

All of the characters are very well-fleshed out and have unique backstories. The main character especially is such a good protagonist because you really care for him and his life, he’s the ultimate underdog.

*My only complaint is that I wish the anime had the main character go back in time and learn to protect himself even just a little because he is always getting his ass kicked, watching it makes me feel so bad for him. Also, the ending was way too much of a cliffhanger to the point that it makes you mad the way they ended it because it’s at such a good part.

How to get AMC free trial?

 

AMC is an American Entertainment platform launched on February 29, 1980, mostly 43 years ago. It has its headquarters in New York and the United States. There is a total of 2,026 employees working with AMC as per the data of February 2022. It provides many services such as cable channels, streaming services, production studio, and independent film distribution. 

With a subscription to AMC, you can stream content from various channels such as BBC America, IFC, AMC, and Sundance TV along with many of their movies and shows on demand.

If you are thinking about whether AMC offers a free trial or not, then let us tell you that AMC gives free trial services to users. In this blog, we will tell you How to get AMC free trial.

AMC free trial activation

Before getting started with the activation of the free trial make sure you have downloaded the AMC application to the device you want to stream the content. There are many ways to get AMC free trial described below. 

1. Sign up on the AMC application. 
2. Enter the required details.
3. Create a new username and password for your account.
4. Enter your credit card details. 

After this, you will be provided with a free subscription for 7 days of the AMC trial.

You can also get a free trial by using third-party apps such as Amazon Prime Video. To get the subscription through Amazon, follow the below-mentioned steps:

1. Open the website of Amazon Prime Video.
2. On the window, a text would be displayed saying “Start your free 30 trial now.”
3. Then click on it.
4. Now you have to create a new account.
5. Enter the asked details such as Your full name, mobile number, email id, your payment method, and any other information if asked. 
6. Now you should visit Amazon’s free trial AMC Plus.

And with this, you can stream AMC’s free trial services through Amazon Prime Video.

AMC Subscription Price

After discussing How to get AMC free trial, now we will tell you about the pricing policy of AMC which you will have to pay as a subscription fee if you want to continue with the services of AMC. 

The charges of AMC vary from plan to plan. 

• If you purchase a standalone plan of AMC directly from the website, then you will be charged $9 per month. 

• But, if you purchase an annual plan of AMC then you will have to pay $83.88 which will result in a saving of $2.
• If you purchased the subscription through any third-party application, then you will be charged a different amount. The amount may vary from app to app. 

Final Thoughts

After learning how to get AMC free trial, you should try to use the free services even if it is just for 7 days. The content variety that is available on the application is vast which will surely entertain the users.

Some key points of Canadian Laws Regarding Agricultural Sector

 

Canada is one of the world’s biggest Exporters of Agriculture Produce after other countries. In 2018, Canada produced the following:

• 20.3 million tons of rapeseed
• 3.5 million tons of dry pea
• 2 million tons of lentil
• 3.4 million tons of Oats (which made it the second-largest producer of Oats in the world)
• Soy of 7.2 million tons
• Barley of 8.9 million tons
• 13.8 million tons of Maize.

And many more. The list is not yet complete there are several other products as well but you got the idea of how big Canada’s agriculture production is. 

In this blog, we will discuss Canadian Laws Regarding Agricultural Sector so let us begin with our blog.

Government Departments of Canadian Agriculture

Canadian Government has different departments divided for various functions relating to agriculture which are described as follows:

• Department of Canadian Dairy Commission

Their role is to ensure that the producers get fair prices in exchange for their products. And to give good quality products to the final consumers.

• Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

They formulate and regulate the policies relating to Canadian Agriculture, income earned from farming, development & research, and inspection and regulation of the animals and plants. This department is headed by the Ministry of Agriculture (Canada).

• Department of Fisheries and Oceans 

Conserving and making sustainable use of Fisheries resources is their main function.

• Department of National Farm Products Council

The function is to promote agriculture practices in Canada and overseas. They promote Canadian Eggs, Canadian Turkey, Canadian Hatching Egg producers, and Chicken producing farmers of Canada.  

• Grain Commission of Canada

As the name suggests it is responsible for grains produced. This department is headed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Agri-Food. 

• Agency of Canadian Food Inspection

It conducts food inspection programs before allowing the food to be delivered to anyone. They also check the health of those animals which were being used in the process to check if any harm has been inflicted on them or not.

Agriculture Industry of Canada

Given below is a list of the agricultural industry of Canada:

• Brewing Industry
• Egg Industry
• Forage Industry
• Buckwheat Industry (It is used for mixes of Pancakes and Pasta)
• Fish and Sea Food Industry
• Fruit Industry
• Dairy Industry
• Confectionery and Chewing Gum Industry
• Industry of Canary Industry
• Grains and Oilseed Industry.
• Industry of Maple Syrup

Bottom Line

The list relating to Canadian Agriculture Industry mentioned above is not yet completed because this industry is just so wide and is nearly impossible to cover every product. Farm Credit Canada and The Agricultural Credit Corporations are the two examples that provide loans to farmers at very low rates and also give the required training to the farmers and guide them on what they can do to enhance their product quality. Not only this but Canada has a large number of Profit and Non-Profit government-organized companies that are set up especially just to help the farmers in any way possible. We hope that this blog helped you providing some knowledge about Canadian Laws regarding Agriculture Sector.

Energy Independence in the USA and oil price volatility

 

Energy independence is a significant factor that shows how well a particular economy is performing concerning to its natural fuels. For an economy, it is essential to perform well both in terms of economic assets independence and financial resources as well.

So, in this read, we will try to study the reasons why can’t energy independence in the USA make its way out. And for this reason, we have summarized the whole content into a few highlights which are enough to let you understand the same. 

Let’s have a cursory look at it.

What is energy independence?

Before diving into the complete concept, it would be quite better to have an insight into what “Energy Independence” is. It has been noticed that the term is explained incorrectly by many of us. Energy independence refers to adding up all of the economy's energy production comprising oil, natural gas, coal, and renewables, and then deducting the net energy consumption from it. The outcome shows the energy independence of that particular economy.

However, in this read, we will majorly be focusing on oil and gas production and the factors relating to it.

Understanding Behind-the-scene factors

The U.S. is the world’s largest producer of oil and gas despite its sourful public relations and the high volatility of the oil and gas industry. One of the major factors impacting the prices of oil is the war held between Russia and Ukraine. The war has impacted several countries adversely and has even influenced major working and pricing. 

Let’s have a look at the other factors contributing to the hurdle in energy independence in the USA, and they are:

Ample of ready-to-use federal lands: The oil and gas industry has ample federal lands that are ready for use. Among the unused lands, around 5000 lands were approved in the year 2021. The number of lands that have been approved is about 6 times the average number of wells drilled in the past 5 years. But the current data reads that the number of lands approved are higher when put against the number of wells drilled.

Plenty of unused leases at disposal: The other factor concerning this issue, is that there are plenty of unused leases at disposal which are around 10 years of unused leases at the disposal. The oil and gas industries are currently producing nearly on half of the area.  

New projects won’t cut down the prices: As per the recent study, it has been depicted that launching new projects won’t help in cutting down the prices or would lead to an increase in the supply in the short term. Energy independence in the USA is an era of plenty of fossil fuel energy. It has also been concluded that the new big oil projects are not fast, and safe. In addition to it, they are not expected to bring long-term solutions.

The Final Cut!!

The read was furnished to help in understanding the factors essential for bringing energy independence in the USA. This is so because working or improving these areas will help the whole economy to bloom and prosper. A timely and thorough monitoring of these aspects will surely help in bringing favorable outcomes.

Suzume review – Makoto Shinkai’s charming modern Alice in Wonderland

 The Your Name director’s mythic and comic new animation is an absorbing, intriguing and bewildering work

Here is the new animation from the Japanese film-maker Makoto Shinkai, whose 2016 fantasy Your Name captured moviegoers’ imagination and led him to be thought of as a new master and perhaps even the heir to Hayao Miyazaki himself. It is an absorbing, intriguing, bewildering work: often spectacular and beautiful, like a sci-fi supernatural disaster movie or an essay on nature and politics, but shot through with distinctive elements of fey and whimsical comedy.

Suzume (voiced by Nanoka Hara) is a lonely, smart teenager, who lives with her aunt after the death of her mother. While walking one day she chances across a mysterious young man called Souta (Hokuto Matsumura), who is apparently in search of a door. Fascinated and somehow nettled by this stranger and his eccentric quest, Suzume sets out to follow him, stumbling into abandoned ruins and finding a disturbing door in the middle of nowhere.

 

Like a modern Alice, she opens it – and appears to unleash vast cosmic forces and earthquakes. It appears that Souta’s mission was to seal up these calamitous portals; he says that his vocation is that of a “closer”, for which he needs a “keystone”. But a bizarre quirk of fate transforms Souta into a broken-down child’s chair that hobbles about talking in Souta’s voice, and as for the keystone, it takes the form of a talking cat called Daijin (Ann Yamane).

And so their adventures commence, at once vastly mythic and quirkily comic, and the resulting flavour has some undoubted charm. Suzume can be read at one level as about the seismic changes of adolescence and adulthood, but isn’t only (or maybe at all) about sex: it’s about status, respect and being seen. Suzume has something important to do, and of course what she has to do is protect nature itself, an idea with its own generational importance.

• Suzume screened at the Berlin film festival, and is released on 13 April in Australia, and on 14 April in the US and UK.

 

… as 2023 gathers pace, and you’re joining us from India, we have a small favour to ask. A new year means new opportunities, and we're hoping this year gives rise to some much-needed stability and progress. Whatever happens, the Guardian will be there, providing clarity and fearless, independent reporting from around the world, 24/7. 

Times are tough, and we know not everyone is in a position to pay for news. But as we’re reader-funded, we rely on the ongoing generosity of those who can afford it. This vital support means millions can continue to read reliable reporting on the events shaping our world. Will you invest in the Guardian this year?

Unlike many others, we have no billionaire owner, meaning we can fearlessly chase the truth and report it with integrity. 2023 will be no different; we will work with trademark determination and passion to bring you journalism that’s always free from commercial or political interference. No one edits our editor or diverts our attention from what’s most important. 

With your support, we’ll continue to keep Guardian journalism open and free for everyone to read. When access to information is made equal, greater numbers of people can understand global events and their impact on people and communities. Together, we can demand better from the powerful and fight for democracy.

Whether you give a little or a lot, your funding is vital in powering our reporting for years to come.

Anime: Let’s Talk About it!

 With the state of events today, I think it is important to stay positive and find something fun to do. As such, with the growing popularity of online services such as Netflix and Hulu, I find it important to also introduce or entertain those doing something else – those watching Anime. By analysing its different aspects, such as its history and what makes it unique, my aim is to answer many peoples’ critiques, which argue  that anime is unrealistic, childish, or plainly  stupid. I also wish to provide the necessary information to those uninformed about the topic, which in return can allow them to try out a new long-lasting hobby.

For those that are unsure about what this article’s main focus is, I will give a short rundown. Anime, as it is known in Japan, is any sort of animation, or cartoon. The name isn’t even really an abbreviation of the English word “animation”, but instead is the way that the Japanese would say “animated cartoon”. Even so, its massive growth throughout the world jumpstarted the recognition that anime, simply said, is just Japanese animations.  

Its history,  interestingly enough, predates  events such as the 1930s Depression, with the earliest ever animations being created around the beginning of last century. Following the Second World War, a culturally rich Japan would find itself under heavy influence of the United States.  American brands such as Disney  became  leading motivations for Japanese cartoonists to  open  up  in  order to  compete. This  led  to a 50s boom in entertainment, with studios for anime and manga blowing up across the nation – a good example is  TōeiDōga  in 1948, or  Toei Animations  as it is known now.  Consequently,  a  depression in the 70s along with several  new trends  caused  an explosion in the 80s,  in accordance with  the rising economy, as famous anime, including  Dragonball  and Fist of the North Star  were born. The 80s epoque was key for the development of anime – for example, thanks to  Dragonball, anime in the 90s such as Naruto and OnePiece, now regarded as classics, were  created.  Of course, this is without mentioning the growing popularity of anime outside of Japan, as the subject has received increasing international support ever since the 70s. Cartoons such as Sailor Moon depict this aspect well. The 21^st century brought forward new innovative anime as well as continuing classic series. Implementation of new technology helped improve the quality of following shows, such as the amazing  Code  Geass  and Death Note. In the 2010s, modern anime such as My Hero Academia, Hunter X Hunter,  Demon Slayer  and Attack on Titan  appear on the scene to amaze the world.

Anime is unique thanks to its focus on both storytelling and artistic animation – creativity is at the forefront of all good anime. Varying tempos in different anime pave the way great plot development, which bring forward the author’s imagination. Things often get turned upside-down in order to expose completely new and unexpected viewpoints, allowing you to dive deep into this alternate universe. Figuring out plot twists is also truly exciting.

When discussing anime, one also has to mention the artistic aspects. Its most distinctive features include the eyes, which are purposefully made larger and more colorful, the haircut, which often has an abstract shape and color, as well as physical traits, such as whiskers in Naruto’s case. Outfits also play a distinctive role in anime personalities – an iconic example is Luffy’s straw hat. In fact, many animators have stated their discontent with the rising pressures around drawing characters:

“The talk is that just drawing the eyes for a modern anime girl takes as much effort as it used to take to draw the entire bridge of the Space Battleship Yamato.”    

Nevertheless, it is thanks to such ‘burdening’ effort that Japanese animators  manage to blow the minds of billions of viewers throughout the world. This focus on the art and style of the production is what manages to set apart anime from normal cartoons such as Tom and Jerry. Each movie or series has a specific style which it respects. Asking 3 different artists to draw each other’s work would leave you with 3 different drawings for each work – nothing is the same.  The variety in anime is also complemented not just by unique stories but also by the unique art.  

As such, calling anime immature  is  a rather vague critique. Those who watch anime know that apart from the ‘notable Shounen’, which are oriented towards teenage boys,  there are  other  shows which excellently depict the grit and weight of their universes.  Much like movies, anime  covers  a wide range of age groups,  as  specific  shows are not as appropriate for children. A  child watching  Dragonball Z  would be able to understand the ‘superhero’ plot. However, if you show the same child  Terror in Resonance,  an anime about the motives behind terrorism, they won’t understand.

In all honesty, I myself thought anime was stupid. That is at least until my good friend introduced me to Tokyo Ghoul, after which I had a complete change of heart.  As such, my message to anime critics is to watch the first 4 episodes of any popular anime within their preferred genre – afterwards, if you want, you can leave your impressions below.   

Naruto drawn by Toriyama ((Dragonball creator) – middle) 
Original Naruto by Kishimoto (left) 
Krista’s eye from Attack on Titan (right)

This doesn’t mean that there is no reason to critique anime. There are several social viewpoints against it with which I agree. One of them  is  the over sexualization of women and the unrealistic expectations that it can set for both men and women about their bodies. This is of course within some limits, meaning that it  doesn’t apply to all anime.  Specific examples can be found in many Shonen anime, such as the 17-year-old Joseph Joestar in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and the 18-year-old Nami in One Piece. Much like Disney movies from the U.S, these exaggerated appearances and features can deceive people’s perception of beauty. On the other hand, I would say that an exaggerated character can be a complementary part of a show – wouldn’t it make sense for an exaggerated character to be part of an exaggerated story? There is also the fact that many of the artists behind the anime might simply be aiming to humor their viewers through imaginative exaggeration. This means that anime with weaker plots might be trying to impress or make people laugh through artistry, rather than making them feel attached, through storytelling. Such series often leave  behind a bad reputation for those who are uninformed (e.g., ‘Food Wars’). Not to say that good-looking anime contains bad plot, of course – this is  a generalisation.  Still, there are lots and lots of anime which try to rectify their mediocre storytelling with flashy animation and jokes.

Joseph Joestar (JJBA S2) – left
Nami (One Piece) – right

So, to conclude this article about anime, what I have covered is just a small part of the big picture. If there is one more thing I would want to add is that you should try it! Personally, I would say that it has granted me joy that I would never have otherwise discovered. It is good fun, it can be enjoyed with friends over plenty of online streaming platforms  such as Netflix or Hulu, and it is most definitely a viable, interesting source of entertainment for all!

Information about featured image: Heroes from Shounen Jump – the most famous company behind Japanese youth entertainment. It is responsible for both manga and anime.