Japanese
animation has become a favored popular art form worldwide, and that
popularity is spreading to include other forms of Japanese popular
storytelling - and overseas influence in anime grows with the increase
in the audience for those shows outside of Japan. Hiroaki Inoue,
veteran animation producer, made those points at a Friday panel
discussion at Anime Central. Anime has long been the offspring of
manga, in the same way that American animated cartoons were first based
on newspaper strips and comic books. But manga, regardless of how
vibrant its storytelling, is not the only form of Japanese fiction.
"Japanese novels are influencing anime, and what opinions Japanese fans
voice - those are starting to influence the anime industry," said Inoue
through an interpreter. Japanese novels are probably more likely to be
"translated" into English as an animated show than as a book, it would
seem. But that's part of the trend where the audience outside Japan is
growing. Inoue said at an interview session that more people watch
anime outside Japan than in its
nation of origin, noting that the most successful anime DVD's in the
U.S. sold more copies than the biggest anime DVD titles in Japan.
Producers need to pay more attention to that
trend, Inoue feels. "I don't think the Japanese producers are aware of
what you really want, but through the opinions sent to magazines such
as Newtype, or through forums such as these, your opinions will be
heard."
Even the presentation of the series shows overseas
influence. Prompted by a fan's question, Inoue said he expects that
more Japanese DVD releases of anime, discs not intended for export, are
going to be made with subtitles available in English and Chinese. When
Inoue was involved in the production of Tenchi-Muyo and Moldiver for
AIC and Pioneer, he recommended that both series be released dubbed in
the U.S. as well as with subtitles. "I was told that the American
audience was not familiar with watching movies with subtitles," Inoue
later clarified at an interview session. "For us to reach a broader
audience base, I thought it would be necessary to dub the titles. Even
in Japan, it used to be that when we got foreign movies we got only
subtitles. Now we get a lot of dubbed movies. For ordinary people who
are not enthusiastic about anime, I think dubbing is a necessity." And
Inoue expects that more
American-inspired series written from original American stories will be
produced by Japanese animation studios. Inoue
made another comment that pointed to the growth of that overseas
influence on the anime industry. When he serves as the producer for an
animation project, he needs to raise money to pay for the production.
"I talk to companies such as investment banking firms, and I actually
have to negotiate with those people as well," said Inoue. "Also, we go
out and seek overseas funding sources and ideas from overseas." That
explains why many Japanese animated series that are released in the
U.S. bear the names of the U.S. companies that paid for the production
in advance.
Japanese
animation has become a favored popular art form worldwide, and that
popularity is spreading to include other forms of Japanese popular
storytelling - and overseas influence in anime grows with the increase
in the audience for those shows outside of Japan. Hiroaki Inoue,
veteran animation producer, made those points at a Friday panel
discussion at Anime Central. Anime has long been the offspring of
manga, in the same way that American animated cartoons were first based
on newspaper strips and comic books. But manga, regardless of how
vibrant its storytelling, is not the only form of Japanese fiction.
"Japanese novels are influencing anime, and what opinions Japanese fans
voice - those are starting to influence the anime industry," said Inoue
through an interpreter. Japanese novels are probably more likely to be
"translated" into English as an animated show than as a book, it would
seem. But that's part of the trend where the audience outside Japan is
growing. Inoue said at an interview session that more people watch
anime outside Japan than in its
nation of origin, noting that the most successful anime DVD's in the
U.S. sold more copies than the biggest anime DVD titles in Japan.
Producers need to pay more attention to that
trend, Inoue feels. "I don't think the Japanese producers are aware of
what you really want, but through the opinions sent to magazines such
as Newtype, or through forums such as these, your opinions will be
heard."
Even the presentation of the series shows overseas
influence. Prompted by a fan's question, Inoue said he expects that
more Japanese DVD releases of anime, discs not intended for export, are
going to be made with subtitles available in English and Chinese. When
Inoue was involved in the production of Tenchi-Muyo and Moldiver for
AIC and Pioneer, he recommended that both series be released dubbed in
the U.S. as well as with subtitles. "I was told that the American
audience was not familiar with watching movies with subtitles," Inoue
later clarified at an interview session. "For us to reach a broader
audience base, I thought it would be necessary to dub the titles. Even
in Japan, it used to be that when we got foreign movies we got only
subtitles. Now we get a lot of dubbed movies. For ordinary people who
are not enthusiastic about anime, I think dubbing is a necessity." And
Inoue expects that more
American-inspired series written from original American stories will be
produced by Japanese animation studios. Inoue
made another comment that pointed to the growth of that overseas
influence on the anime industry. When he serves as the producer for an
animation project, he needs to raise money to pay for the production.
"I talk to companies such as investment banking firms, and I actually
have to negotiate with those people as well," said Inoue. "Also, we go
out and seek overseas funding sources and ideas from overseas." That
explains why many Japanese animated series that are released in the
U.S. bear the names of the U.S. companies that paid for the production
in advance. 
