The Death of Anime in America

Since I own a shop that sells (or at least sold) anime DVDs, among other things, I had a front row seat to watch the rise and fall of the American Anime industry.

"Rise and fall?" you say. But isn't anime still immensely popular? Well, yeah, it is. But the American Anime industry, those various companies who make their own living by acquiring Anime properties from Japan, dubbing them and making them available on American format DVDs, is trying desperately, and by many accounts unsuccessfully, to remain alive.

So what happened? Easy: The internet, file sharing and streaming.

I've engaged in countless "discussions" over the ethicality of downloading anime, manga and other intellectual properties without providing compensation to the owners or creators. I've heard all the arguments and, yes, some are compelling. "I only download," they say, "because the American companies aren't getting these series over here fast enough. I want to watch/read it now. It's their fault for taking so long to get it over here to America."

"Okay," I reply. "Imagine this: You are someone who creates manga or anime. You've toiled in the industry for years trying to create that special property, one that will make you famous and rich. Finally, after years of work, something you create becomes a HUGE hit in Japan. You know the real money is made by taking that property to other markets, like the US. But the Anime companies in the US lowball you and offer much less than you think the property should be worth. Think about this for a moment. If you finally created something that had a huge demand, you would want to profit from it. It's not necessarily greed, but simple reward for your efforts. After all, you might not ever have another hit like this. So you think, 'I'll hold out until the offer me something closer to what I want.' It's a viable option, right?

"Wrong. Every day you delay, your 'fans' are downloading your creations, because they can't (or more accurately, won't) wait. It is worth less and less every day. Congratulations, you no longer have control over the very thing which you created."

For better or worse, we seem to feel that cheap entertainment is our inalienable right. I'm guilty of it myself. I dropped my subscription to the morning paper last year because I now get all my news on the internet. Where does virtually all of that news come from? From the very same sources that are now floundering because no one is willing to buy a paper or magazine. We're getting accustomed to all of this being provided for free.

As a consumer, I like free stuff. I like cheap stuff too. I'm not knocking free or cheap. But there is always a cost, somewhere, to someone. And when people become so accustomed to getting everything for free, who will be willing to shoulder that cost so that great stuff can still be provided?

Did I mention the American Anime industry is dying?

Cause and effect, people.