A heated debate has broken out on one of Reddit's most
popular forums among anime fans, known as otakus. The topic at hand: what anime do they think would
not have achieved the same level of success if they were released today?
The exchange of opinions has been intense, with arguments
ranging from the evolution of public tastes to changes in the entertainment
industry. Some users have pointed out
that certain iconic series from decades past benefited from a specific cultural
context that made them stand out at the time, but that they might not resonate
in the same way with today's audience.
Nostalgia has been a key factor in many of the opinions
expressed, with users fondly remembering how certain series marked their
childhood or adolescence. However, the
impact of technological advancement on anime production and distribution has
also been discussed, suggesting that some of these older series may not stand
out in a landscape saturated with options and constantly evolving quality
standards.
The debate has led to deeper reflection on the nature of
success in the anime industry and how it is intrinsically linked to the interaction
between the content and the audience of each era. While some series
have endured over time, others may have been products of their era, capturing
the essence of a specific moment but perhaps not being relevant to later
generations.
·
« In my case, I would say
HUNTER x HUNTER, despite being one of my favorite animes. I think people would
get bored with such a long series and criticize inconsistent animation and too
many disposable characters. I wonder, would we have been able to reach the
Chimera Ant Arch with all these prejudices today? ».
·
" Any romance that goes
nowhere ."
·
« I would say Hetalia. With
the fact that it is about anthropomorphized countries, I don't know how it
would enter a climate of political sensitivity like the one we have now .
·
« Zero no Tsukaima is the
correct answer. Part of the reason it was so popular is that it was different
from other series of its time. If it were released today, no one would think
about it .
·
« I think that many of the
old harem/romance series with tsundere protagonists would have absolutely no
attention today, as if they had before .»
·
« More specifically any harem
series with monogamy or open endings. One of the biggest reasons why most new
harem series switch to an isekai setting is to avoid the issue of monogamy.
"People get tired of seeing their favorite girl lose to the one who came
first ."
·
" It would still be a
great series worth watching, but I doubt The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
could be the megahit today that it was in 2006. The anime landscape has changed
a lot since then ."
·
«City Hunter!».
·
« Fairy Tail most likely went
unnoticed. The fact that no one talks about Edens Zero proves it .
·
" Fist of the North
Star. The legendary manga inspired a lot, but the anime couldn't have stood out
today with its barely animated fights ."
·
« I doubt FLCL would have
become as popular as it did. It feels like that series needed to premiere
exactly when it did .
·
« Many trend-setting anime
would not be so popular if they were not the first of their genre. A good
example would be My Next Life As A Villainess. It is the anime that set the
trend in the villain isekai. But if you swapped it with another current villain
anime and this one premiered today instead, then people would say “ah shit here
we are again, another villain isekai.” I can also say this with Banished From
The Hero's Party. It's not bad, but the trend of being kicked out of the hero's
team has become so hackneyed nowadays that it wouldn't do well if it were
released today instead of in 2021 .
·
" Imagine if Golden Boy
came out today ."
·
« Elfen Lied. In my opinion,
she hasn't aged well at all. It addresses several serious topics such as abuse,
trauma, rape and others very poorly. It also includes sexualized
infantilization and incest. Overall, she's gross and uptight just for the sake
of being that. I don't think she would be welcomed now ."
·
« Elfen Lied has only
maintained a certain cultural relevance because it was released at a time when
sex and gore reigned supreme. The series is a narrative shit-fest, with very
poorly written characters and a paper story that seems to believe it can
replace real depth with tits and gore .
·
« Maid-sama was fantastic
when it came out and is still very good. But it came out right at the end of
the shoujos with chad bishounens and right at the advent of the Modern and
Independent Tsundere who don't need any man. Now I understand why so many
modern male protagonists are romantically useless. If you have the girl saying
“it's not like I like you or anything, baka” AND you have a guy Chad who says
“well I like you” and then kisses her (right after she says “I don't like you”)
and then jumps through a window to pretend to commit suicide .
·
" Mirai Nikki, and the
perfect example is what happened with Platinum End ."
·
« Highschool of the Dead. It
came out right when the West was obsessed with zombies and during one of the
golden ages of ecchi (at least in my mind) and it's still in MAL's top 200, I
think. I don't think it's that popular today, although I loved it when I was
13. '
·
« Inuyasha. I loved it as a
kid, but even as a very patient kid watching anime on actual TV before
streaming was a thing, even then I was losing my patience. Inuyasha is too
slow, repetitive and generic. The concept and characters are great and it would
be great as a remake with less filler, however. But if it were released the
same, most people would not have patience .
·
« The Meloncholy of Haruhi
Suzumiya.. It was the first of its genre and had a significant influence on
later series, but there are so many things that have executed its ideas better
that it simply doesn't hold up. It's basically the “Sienfeld's Not Funny”
problem, where a genre-defining work gets buried under the things that are
based on it .
·
« People talk about
trendsetters like Sword Art Online or Haruhi as if the current anime landscape
wouldn't be completely different if they hadn't aired when they did, as if they
were canon anime events. It's hard to think of an answer to that question, since
the only old anime I've seen are those canon-type series .
·
« Cowboy Bebop would have
been largely ignored. Episodic format + old cast do not do well in today's meta .
·
" People would destroy
Code Geass so much if it came out today ."
·
« Love Hina. Tsundere
protagonist who physically abuses her love interest, generic harem, no isekai.
It would be difficult for him to surpass 7.0 in MAL .
·
" FLCL would be as
popular as Listeners if it came out today ."
Source: Reddit
