Gamerforlife wrote:Anime here in the states seems mostly the realm of kids and teenagers these days. It's all silly stuff like card battle this, DBZ rip off that. That's why I don't bother with anime anymore. It's just hard to find any mature stuff without some effort. Plus, buying anime is way too expensive. I still have a lot of stuff from my anime days though. Cowboy Bebop, Record of Lodoss War, Slayers, some Miyazaki stuff, Rurouni Kenshin. I think I have most of the well known, classic stuff in anime. I just don't care for the stuff that is popular now and days. I am so sick of hearing about Naruto and all those card battle shows.
As far as video games go, Japanese game development is REALLY falling behind. Some prominent developers have even admitted this, like Keiji Inafune. I think Japan is too traditional and there's littled appreciated for innovation or risks in video games. Just look at how samey all their rpgs are. I find it interesting that Japan is falling behind Western based game companies, considering that gaming started in the West and then Japan basically took it from us and then became the center for all things gaming. Now we come full circle
Well, the problem with card battle shows and Naruto - and a lot of other anime out there - is that they are based on one thing and one thing only: Merchandise Opportunity. In shows like Bakugan and Chaotic, it's blatant - the merchandise is right there in the show. With shows like Naruto and Bleach, it's still pretty obvious - the large cast of characters makes it prime fodder for video games (especially fighting games) and figure sales. Figure sales are also, I believe, the primary purpose of K-On and other Moe-centric shows.
Not all shows have degenerated to 30 minute commercials, but you just have to have a very discerning eye. I believe the reason so many shows have become over-merchandised crap is because of rampant piracy. No one buys the shows anymore, so they can't make a whole lot of money of DVD sales - they have to resort to making money off of something that can't be pirated.
As for games, I don't think a lack of innovation is the problem. If you look at some of the most praised recent Japanese games, like New Super Mario Bros Wii and Demon's Souls, you'd see that they don't create new ideas - they just improve upon classic ideas very successfully. After all, if there is one thing that people hate and will always hate, it's something new.
Besides that, I fail to see how the West is really innovative, either. Video Games in general are pretty standard, with only the occasional Flower and Portal springing up.
