With the end of the 2010s upon us, I figured this might be a good time to look back and reflect on some of the developments in the world of Anime and Manga. Discuss some of our favorite (and hated) shows and how the industry has changed over the last ten years. Plus I’ve been having some thoughts about this lately that I wanted to get off my chest.
! So I’ve actually been looking at quite a few Top 10 of the Decade lists, pretty much all filled with the usual suspects (Hunter x Hunter, My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, etc.) And I’ve heard some people say that this was a really great decade for anime. And…yeah, in a lot of ways they’re right. Animation quality continues to improve and impress, anime adaptations are now being broken out into seasons rather than running continuously year-long (a fate that One Piece is, sadly, still stuck with), Crunchyroll and other hosting sites have made anime more accessible than ever, and on the dub side of things, English dubs are probably the best they’ve ever been. And yeah, there have been a lot of anime (and manga) this year that have just been darn good in terms of animation, art, characters, and storytelling. But, as happy as I am about many of these changes, the more I think about the more it feels that anime in the 2010s was really….angry and violent.
)
! I mean, yeah, duh, I know, there have always been angry, violent, and dark anime out there. Comes with the territory that many of them are geared towards teens and adults. But…it kind of feels like there was a surplus of them this past decade. Yes, I know anime/manga has always had a dark streak, going back to the 60s-80s, but I suppose you could say this decade had a resurgence of it. This could totally just be me, but for the last several years it’s felt like whenever some hot new popular anime comes out, half the time it’s something really dark, edgy, violent, or sinister. I mean, WatchMojo recently released and look at the entries that made the list:
! Psycho-Pass, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Devilman Crybaby, Erased, Made in Abyss, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero, Attack on Titan, Hunter x Hunter, Parasyte.
! (here’s the link, btw, if you’re interested,
! And among those, Hunter x Hunter, Made in Abyss, and Fate/Zero have created some of the most horrific and disturbing content I’ve ever seen in any medium, to the point that I don’t ever want to watch them again. And, I dunno, I don’t really recall anything this intense in the past decade of anime. Like, look at some of the most popular anime from the 2000’s.
! FLCL, Fullmetal Alchemist, Samurai Champloo, Gurren Lagann, Haruhi Suzumiya, Ouran High School Host Club, Fullmetal Panic, Ghost in the Shell: SAC.
! Now, I’ll admit, I might be cherry-picking a bit. The 2000’s certainly had its share of dark anime and anime with dark moments (perhaps the most famous of which being the Nina episode from FMA), but I think they usually showed some restraint so as to not go overboard. And, again, it just felt like there was more of it.
! But hey, who cares if these shows are dark, as long as they’re good, right? Well, at this point, for me, it’s not even really a question about whether these dark shows are “good” or if the dark moments serve a narrative purpose. I’m just…sick of it. I’m tired of all the darkness and angst. I’m tired of worrying whether I’m going to see people (including children) die in agony each time I watch an anime. But, most of all, I think I’m just sick of being out of the loop and not being able to appreciate these shows with other people.
! Hell, frankly, I envy people who are able to enjoy these shows. I mean, I don’t want to be that guy. I don’t want to hate or be disgusted by anime to the point I don’t want to even watch it. And I don’t want to bring down the party with all my frustration and negative emotions. But…well, that’s just how I feel.
! But hey, a lot of people have seen these shows and don’t seem to have a problem with their intense and disturbing content. And, honestly, it does kind of amaze that they seem to have this much tolerance for it. I guess they must be getting something out of it. I mean, is this just a reflection of the world we’re living in? Is Trump, Brexit, global warming, school shootings, and god knows what else really affecting our mood this much? (incidentally, the 2010s in general kinda sucked too) Are these shows some kind of catharsis or validation for our negative emotions? Well, if that’s working for you, great. But as for me, it’s just stressing me out more.
! And I will freely admit that this could entirely be just a me thing. Maybe I’m just getting older, maybe my sensibilities are changing, or maybe it’s just my own weird-ass brain chemistry. But whatever it is, I don’t think I’ve ever been more turned off by anime than I have this past decade. Which is not to say I’m giving up on it. Certainly not. I love anime and I would to continue to enjoy it. But…this decade has made me a lot more cautious and reluctant towards the medium. I just hope in the coming decade I’ll discover more anime and manga that appeal more to my tastes.
! Yeah, that was pretty much a bummer of a retrospective. So, to leave you all on a more positive note, here’s a list of some anime and manga I truly enjoyed watching and reading this past decade:
! -Kill la Kill
-Assassination Classroom
-Mob Psycho 100
-My Hero Academia
-The Promised Neverland
-Lupin III Parts 4 and 5
-Steins;Gate
-Jojo’s Bizarre Advnture
-Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
-Mobile Suit Gundam: Origin
-Dr. Stone
-FLCL Progressive and Alternative
-Angel Beats
-Wolf Children
-Your Name
tl;dr Me bitching and moaning about violent anime again.
So, how about you? What did you think about the anime and manga of this past decade? Do you have any hopes or expectations for the coming decade?