Alternate link: https://archive.md/YyNv5 Interestingly, The vast majority of these Netflix users do not watch anime subbed. This is definitely a sign of how mainstream anime has become. Netflix...
80 to 90 percent of users opt to watch anime dubbed.
The vast majority of these Netflix users do not watch anime subbed. This is definitely a sign of how mainstream anime has become.
To capitalize on the demand, Netflix has begun offering anime titles with dubbed audio and descriptions in up to 33 languages.
Netflix has really been doubling down on anime lately. They're pouring in a significant amount of resources into it. Not only have they've backed a bunch of adaptations of major properties, such as Cyberpunk:Edgerunners and Terminator Zero (both very well-received), they've even brought in big-name actors like Rosario Dawson, Timothy Olyphant, Giancarlo Esposito for these dubs. Which is absolutely crazy.
Goes to show how massive the global growth in anime has been.
Of course we have no real way of knowing without hard data, but I would speculate that anime’s popularity in many localities is a result of it being different and filling niches that local media...
Of course we have no real way of knowing without hard data, but I would speculate that anime’s popularity in many localities is a result of it being different and filling niches that local media rarely touch, as well as dealing with subject matter that would never be considered for animated properties in some countries (with animation being largely relegated to family-friendly productions or Family Guy style comedies).
If that’s the case, then that kind of appeal has remained mostly unchanged since it started making inroads in foreign markets back in the 80s and 90s, which is interesting if only because local markets have done little to target the unfilled niches that anime has been serving for decades now. Clearly there has been some influence, which is how we got shows like Avatar and RWBY, but the response is somewhat muted with many of the shows in question being smaller productions that many causal anime watchers have never heard of.
Not that this state of affairs is wrong or bad, but it’s at minimum interesting. It’s difficult to envision even a cut-down form of an animated project like Legend of Galactic Heroes, which was a highly philosophical and political character-driven space opera anime that spanned 110 episodes, getting greenlit in the US for example.
The closest we have is Netflix doing projects like Castlevania. I guess the old school media empires still haven't adapted for the diverse tastes in animated content?
The closest we have is Netflix doing projects like Castlevania. I guess the old school media empires still haven't adapted for the diverse tastes in animated content?
I think it boils down to the fact that anime is made on much lower budgets and in much higher quantities. This leads to productions taking more risks on unusual premises and aesthetics in an...
I think it boils down to the fact that anime is made on much lower budgets and in much higher quantities. This leads to productions taking more risks on unusual premises and aesthetics in an effort to stand out amongst the crowd, hoping to find whatever niche is really hungry for it.
Conversely, Hollywood content in particular is very expensive and as a result very risk averse. When 20 episodes of animated American TV costs $40m to make, there's a much stronger incentive to stick with formulas known to have broad appeal.
I was going to say it's too bad Netflix anime is on a scale from 1 to 8 - they're sometimes good but never quite reach excellence - but I'd forgotten about Edgerunners, that might be a 9 from me....
I was going to say it's too bad Netflix anime is on a scale from 1 to 8 - they're sometimes good but never quite reach excellence - but I'd forgotten about Edgerunners, that might be a 9 from me.
Conversely they fund some hot garbage on a regular basis. I wonder just how hands off they are. Some shows make me think someone should probably have noticed something before the show is published and is received as poorly as one might predict.
I think this comes down to Netflix’s approach, which seems to be using their cash to throw numerous things at the wall to see if they’ll stick. They don’t leave the impression that they have any...
I think this comes down to Netflix’s approach, which seems to be using their cash to throw numerous things at the wall to see if they’ll stick. They don’t leave the impression that they have any insight into why the shows that do well are popular.
Castlevania is easily up there as well. I say this not as a correction, but as a recommendation if you haven't watched it yet. You don't need any knowledge about the games at all, though obviously...
Castlevania is easily up there as well. I say this not as a correction, but as a recommendation if you haven't watched it yet. You don't need any knowledge about the games at all, though obviously there are references throughout.
I'm super curious about this because Crunchyroll's statistics are more like 60% dubbed, but it varies a lot by demographic and region. A huge number of Gen Z viewers says they always watch content...
The vast majority of these Netflix users do not watch anime subbed. This is definitely a sign of how mainstream anime has become.
I'm super curious about this because Crunchyroll's statistics are more like 60% dubbed, but it varies a lot by demographic and region.
A huge number of Gen Z viewers says they always watch content with subtitles, but I'm guessing many are choosing dubtitles for anime?
I've never really been into subbed anime. Granted, I grew up on dubbed DB, DBZ, Gundam, Pokemon, Zoids, etc. and didn't really approach subbed until way later, so maybe that's partially why? But...
The vast majority of these Netflix users do not watch anime subbed. This is definitely a sign of how mainstream anime has become.
I've never really been into subbed anime. Granted, I grew up on dubbed DB, DBZ, Gundam, Pokemon, Zoids, etc. and didn't really approach subbed until way later, so maybe that's partially why? But mostly I think it's because dubbing has gotten better. The reasons I've sought out subbed anime are:
It's not available in English dub
It's heavily censored in the English dub
Lore or plot points are changed in the English dub
And I feel like all 3 have slowly become less and less of an issue over time as anime rises in popularity in the US.
My introduction to anime was dubbed as well, and I watched it that way for a few years afterwards. At first I switched simply because I wanted to watch more Bleach but Adult Swim had run out of...
My introduction to anime was dubbed as well, and I watched it that way for a few years afterwards. At first I switched simply because I wanted to watch more Bleach but Adult Swim had run out of dubbed episodes to air, and the only thing available quickly after airing in Japan were subs. Subs stuck mainly due to differences in average quality of performance at that point in time (Japan just takes VA as an industry more seriously).
I’ve dipped my toe into dubs since then and the ceiling of quality has risen, but there’s still often large gaps between individual VAs, with some doing great while others are just passable and a few grating, and it’s difficult to ignore those differences. Japan has mediocre VAs too, and there’s an argument to be had that bad performances are less noticeable by non-native listeners, but even as I’ve become able to understand and speak Japanese, my perception hadn’t shifted much. Usually JP VA quality tracks roughly with the anime’s production values, and so less capable VAs don’t usually get significant roles in most of the shows that are good enough to make it big overseas.
Part of it also is that English VAs don’t ham things up nearly as much as their JP counterparts. This really sticks out when someone with a traditional theatre background (where ham is king) makes their way into an English dub, because their performance usually “clicks” better than it would have with a VA whose background is mostly in voice acting. I would love to see more theatre people make their way into the industry.
This may be entirely irrelevant to anime as it's not something I watch, but I do consume a large amount of foreign films. Watching an English-dubbed Japanese/Korean movie makes my head explode....
This may be entirely irrelevant to anime as it's not something I watch, but I do consume a large amount of foreign films. Watching an English-dubbed Japanese/Korean movie makes my head explode. Every single time, I'd rather have the original language with subtitles, as you can hear the original tone, inflection, all of the nuances of conversation, even if you can't understand the language itself. That, and the intensity of the dubs, rarely matches the original character's speaking voice.
Honestly, I'm not surprised for a few economic reasons alone: American Live Action TV shows are frequently and unceremoniously canceled - especially on Netflix Netflix has has a track record of...
Honestly, I'm not surprised for a few economic reasons alone:
American Live Action TV shows are frequently and unceremoniously canceled - especially on Netflix
Netflix has has a track record of expensive, Live Action ventures that are critically panned.
TV Seasons have become noticeably shorter in recent years.
There's a vast content library of existing Anime content
Anime can be re-dubbed by new actors.
Additionally, I think that American Millennials and Gen-Z watched quite a bit of anime content growing up, or were at the very least, adjacent to peers who were. Factoring in even more weird economic thought, the 2007 Writers Strike could probably be linked to this increase in consumption as well, just given where it lines up with in the generation. This break in 'regular broadcast' honestly might have given anime content an additional vector to enter mainstream western culture.
Regardless, certainly an interesting change in trends.
Yeah. Combine that with the boons of anime from a business standpoint: anime is already finished from the perspective of Netflix. they may fund a few (or used to, before recent years), but many...
Yeah. Combine that with the boons of anime from a business standpoint:
anime is already finished from the perspective of Netflix. they may fund a few (or used to, before recent years), but many anime are simply licensed and the risk lies more in "will this appeal to Western audiences?"
Since the labor is from Japan, anime tends to be much cheaper than your average western show. A cartoon episode can cost around 500k-1m or so. You can likely license an entire season for 1-2m (these are rough numbers, more from the mid 2010's) for some high quality shows.
the season structure is already well established in Japan to usually be 12 20 minute episodes. Not much debate about how to batch deals.
Oppotunity to expand audience past those who are already on Netflix. I think they screwed this up in the anime community for several reasons, but it's always a factor.
On costs, traditional animation is also just cheaper than live action and/or detailed CG. A skilled animator can render countless details and subtleties into the frames they draw that would...
On costs, traditional animation is also just cheaper than live action and/or detailed CG. A skilled animator can render countless details and subtleties into the frames they draw that would require painstaking work to reproduce in CG, and the setting of the show has little practical impact on its budget no matter how many locales are involved or how fantastical it might be. Same for things like costuming.
Going back to the show I used as an example in my other post (Legend of Galactic Heroes), producing 110 episodes of a live action space opera with the numerous different locations, characters, and space battles as that show includes would be so wildly expensive that it wouldn’t even be within the scope of possibility. You’d be lucky to get a couple 10-episode seasons or 1-3 movies.
I'm pleased to hear most of them prefer watching anime dubbed in their own language. Perhaps we'll have more investment on dub actors for English language. It's been a small industry where we hear...
I'm pleased to hear most of them prefer watching anime dubbed in their own language. Perhaps we'll have more investment on dub actors for English language. It's been a small industry where we hear the same voices often.
Alternate link: https://archive.md/YyNv5
Interestingly,
The vast majority of these Netflix users do not watch anime subbed. This is definitely a sign of how mainstream anime has become.
Netflix has really been doubling down on anime lately. They're pouring in a significant amount of resources into it. Not only have they've backed a bunch of adaptations of major properties, such as Cyberpunk:Edgerunners and Terminator Zero (both very well-received), they've even brought in big-name actors like Rosario Dawson, Timothy Olyphant, Giancarlo Esposito for these dubs. Which is absolutely crazy.
Goes to show how massive the global growth in anime has been.
Of course we have no real way of knowing without hard data, but I would speculate that anime’s popularity in many localities is a result of it being different and filling niches that local media rarely touch, as well as dealing with subject matter that would never be considered for animated properties in some countries (with animation being largely relegated to family-friendly productions or Family Guy style comedies).
If that’s the case, then that kind of appeal has remained mostly unchanged since it started making inroads in foreign markets back in the 80s and 90s, which is interesting if only because local markets have done little to target the unfilled niches that anime has been serving for decades now. Clearly there has been some influence, which is how we got shows like Avatar and RWBY, but the response is somewhat muted with many of the shows in question being smaller productions that many causal anime watchers have never heard of.
Not that this state of affairs is wrong or bad, but it’s at minimum interesting. It’s difficult to envision even a cut-down form of an animated project like Legend of Galactic Heroes, which was a highly philosophical and political character-driven space opera anime that spanned 110 episodes, getting greenlit in the US for example.
The closest we have is Netflix doing projects like Castlevania. I guess the old school media empires still haven't adapted for the diverse tastes in animated content?
I think it boils down to the fact that anime is made on much lower budgets and in much higher quantities. This leads to productions taking more risks on unusual premises and aesthetics in an effort to stand out amongst the crowd, hoping to find whatever niche is really hungry for it.
Conversely, Hollywood content in particular is very expensive and as a result very risk averse. When 20 episodes of animated American TV costs $40m to make, there's a much stronger incentive to stick with formulas known to have broad appeal.
I was going to say it's too bad Netflix anime is on a scale from 1 to 8 - they're sometimes good but never quite reach excellence - but I'd forgotten about Edgerunners, that might be a 9 from me.
Conversely they fund some hot garbage on a regular basis. I wonder just how hands off they are. Some shows make me think someone should probably have noticed something before the show is published and is received as poorly as one might predict.
I think this comes down to Netflix’s approach, which seems to be using their cash to throw numerous things at the wall to see if they’ll stick. They don’t leave the impression that they have any insight into why the shows that do well are popular.
Well Seven Deadly Sins is one of their most popular series, so I blame the viewers...
Castlevania is easily up there as well. I say this not as a correction, but as a recommendation if you haven't watched it yet. You don't need any knowledge about the games at all, though obviously there are references throughout.
Hmm, I didn't think of Castlevania as anime but I did watch it!
I try my best not to be an old man, but reading 80-90 percent of users like dubs has me screaming GOD DAMN KIDS!!!!
Old man, we used to watch anime dubbed on the telly and it was all we had.
I'm super curious about this because Crunchyroll's statistics are more like 60% dubbed, but it varies a lot by demographic and region.
A huge number of Gen Z viewers says they always watch content with subtitles, but I'm guessing many are choosing dubtitles for anime?
I've never really been into subbed anime. Granted, I grew up on dubbed DB, DBZ, Gundam, Pokemon, Zoids, etc. and didn't really approach subbed until way later, so maybe that's partially why? But mostly I think it's because dubbing has gotten better. The reasons I've sought out subbed anime are:
And I feel like all 3 have slowly become less and less of an issue over time as anime rises in popularity in the US.
My introduction to anime was dubbed as well, and I watched it that way for a few years afterwards. At first I switched simply because I wanted to watch more Bleach but Adult Swim had run out of dubbed episodes to air, and the only thing available quickly after airing in Japan were subs. Subs stuck mainly due to differences in average quality of performance at that point in time (Japan just takes VA as an industry more seriously).
I’ve dipped my toe into dubs since then and the ceiling of quality has risen, but there’s still often large gaps between individual VAs, with some doing great while others are just passable and a few grating, and it’s difficult to ignore those differences. Japan has mediocre VAs too, and there’s an argument to be had that bad performances are less noticeable by non-native listeners, but even as I’ve become able to understand and speak Japanese, my perception hadn’t shifted much. Usually JP VA quality tracks roughly with the anime’s production values, and so less capable VAs don’t usually get significant roles in most of the shows that are good enough to make it big overseas.
Part of it also is that English VAs don’t ham things up nearly as much as their JP counterparts. This really sticks out when someone with a traditional theatre background (where ham is king) makes their way into an English dub, because their performance usually “clicks” better than it would have with a VA whose background is mostly in voice acting. I would love to see more theatre people make their way into the industry.
The film world has needed a regular injection of theatre talent pretty much forever
This may be entirely irrelevant to anime as it's not something I watch, but I do consume a large amount of foreign films. Watching an English-dubbed Japanese/Korean movie makes my head explode. Every single time, I'd rather have the original language with subtitles, as you can hear the original tone, inflection, all of the nuances of conversation, even if you can't understand the language itself. That, and the intensity of the dubs, rarely matches the original character's speaking voice.
Honestly, I'm not surprised for a few economic reasons alone:
Additionally, I think that American Millennials and Gen-Z watched quite a bit of anime content growing up, or were at the very least, adjacent to peers who were. Factoring in even more weird economic thought, the 2007 Writers Strike could probably be linked to this increase in consumption as well, just given where it lines up with in the generation. This break in 'regular broadcast' honestly might have given anime content an additional vector to enter mainstream western culture.
Regardless, certainly an interesting change in trends.
Yeah. Combine that with the boons of anime from a business standpoint:
On costs, traditional animation is also just cheaper than live action and/or detailed CG. A skilled animator can render countless details and subtleties into the frames they draw that would require painstaking work to reproduce in CG, and the setting of the show has little practical impact on its budget no matter how many locales are involved or how fantastical it might be. Same for things like costuming.
Going back to the show I used as an example in my other post (Legend of Galactic Heroes), producing 110 episodes of a live action space opera with the numerous different locations, characters, and space battles as that show includes would be so wildly expensive that it wouldn’t even be within the scope of possibility. You’d be lucky to get a couple 10-episode seasons or 1-3 movies.
I'm pleased to hear most of them prefer watching anime dubbed in their own language. Perhaps we'll have more investment on dub actors for English language. It's been a small industry where we hear the same voices often.