Forum - View topicWhy International Anime Co-Productions Are So Rare
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catone2
 Posts: 218 |
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I'm not really interested in Internation Co-Production, then again not arthouse works either. Anyways, as long as those getting involved understand that said growing audience do like that subculture and work because of how it exists and what it produces domestically and not taking over or warping it to try to cater to what they assume the overseas audience wants or more importantly ignoring their domestic sphere then it's fine. So, I remain wary on that.
Though, in the end, it just seems to be a matter of finances, assisting with international advertising and different stream of profit which is fine |
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Slips Python
Posts: 40 |
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I'd rather have more international funding than outright co-productions. Fund adaptions of popular manga and sequels to shows fans already like rather than original co-productions that usually aren't very good and get forgotten about pretty quickly.
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Top Gun
 Posts: 4830 |
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So basically they're one more thing ruined by the hideously antiquated and cumbersome production committee system, then?
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Aerdra
Posts: 427 |
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The production committee system is mainly about the production of anime for profit, and the effectiveness of that system is judged by the level of commercial success of its products. However, the international co-productions that the panel focuses on are about "culturally" important works, produced even at the risk of losing money. This article seems to have conflated two distinct issues regarding anime production.
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catone2
Posts: 218 |
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This and as long as they are kept on a leash and not trying to bring their personal ideas to the table. |
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AsleepBySunset
Posts: 244 |
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I'm honestly disappointed by the replies to this thread. I absolutely loved Oban Star Racers. I liked Pig the Dam Keeper Poems. I liked Radiant (more of an international adaption but the point stands). Sure. Whatever crunchyroll insists on funding is probably utter garbage. Seriously, they have the money but they pump it into crap which only appeals to power otaku. But otherwise... I want more coproductions, especially French-Japanese ones. Just leave the streaming giants (disney, netflix, etc) out of it and/or give them as little control as possible.
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catone2
Posts: 218 |
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I'm more disappointed by this reply. If we're talking creatively, I like Japanese media because it's something born there with their flavor and values, not interested in the usual anti otaku stances and what they think overseas *may* like or external influence. If it's born out of being a fan and believing it can be profitable adaptation then by all means work together. Otherwise, those international co productions are better limited. |
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AsleepBySunset
Posts: 244 |
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*Sigh*, everything which crunchyroll funds as originals is... Genre fiction is too generous... no. It's microgenre fiction. Isekai. "Reverse harem isekai". And so on. I'm an anime fan, I've watched over 300 anime precisely because there are fantasy anime, historical anime, romance anime, slice of life anime. Seeing the entire industry and talent diverted into producing isekai which panders to 30 year old virgins with a lust for slaves who wish the world worked according to RPG game mechanics is... honestly... disappointing. I want more animation like Deltora Quest. And less animation like Death March Into a Parallel World And you might like french animation if you bothered to watch it. Nothing I've said is motivated by a hatred of japanese culture. No. I only hate the micro genres like isekai which are totally oversaturated. If the anime industry produced nothing but isekai it would have the same problems the western animation industry does, total lack of genre diversity. Yet that's the shit crunchyroll pumps out. |
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ATastySub
Past ANN Contributor
 Posts: 700 |
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Good news! In the real world things aren’t part of a weird made up conspiracy that is the only frame of reference you’re engaging with. So you don’t have to worry about any of this nonsense at all. You aren’t an oppressed group for liking anime, you aren’t being targeted by mustache twirling villains, and, oh no what’s this… Japan already makes things with the intent they are for global audiences? Who could’ve ever guessed such a thing! Guess it’s time for me to label shows I don’t like as proof of some nefarious scheme! |
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catone2
Posts: 218 |
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Obviously, that's more than fine for what you want, I just don't agree with how you've painted it in putting down others such as with the subtle "better than you, virgin" but whatever. I don't think that the industry has been producing nothing but isekai, that is part of it just being a phase and it will eventually pass just as others were popular before, but there are plenty of other genres to watch season to season, it's not like Slice of Life disappeared or action and pure fantasy. Whether I'd like it or not isn't really my point, I'm sure it's great, there's an audience for it, and I might like it. I'm simply saying my love is for Japanese anime and the works produced there. If international co-productions are just a means to be opposite of that then I'd rather they stay in the minority. |
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catone2
Posts: 218 |
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What are you on about? I'm not talking anything related to politics or conspiracies. Of course when they're at the table they would discuss the approach to what they decide to produce. |
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Shay Guy
 Posts: 2337 |
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Oban Star Racers was indeed great (haven't seen the others), but this piece doesn't seem to be so much about cases like that, where an overseas writer/director with a love of anime sought out Japanese collaborators to help implement his concept. The subject here seems to be more about projects conceived and developed wholly in Japan that rely in part on overseas funding. And I get that with overseas investors there's a risk of failure to grasp the domestic and international markets for anime, but on the other hand, I think there's always a risk of too-many-cooks, even normally. And worries about the ~ineffable Japanese-ness~ of anime being quashed kinda fall flat with me. Japanese creators are big kids. Their country has the third- or fourth-biggest GDP of any country in the world. They can handle themselves. |
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Traptrix Lover
Posts: 110 |
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I mean, I liked Wakfu and Code Lyoko back in the day, but most French animation is not like that. It's like saying all American animation is Batman the Animated Series and Avatar the Last Airbender. Most French animation is similar to to other western works in that they're mostly kids fluff. Sure, they may have a bit more lenient standards and allow for more content than American works do, but stuff like Trolls of Troy and Nate is Late don't really stand out from the typical stuff you would see on Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network. I think the fact you're focusing entirely on creators who idolize Japan and sought out Japanese studios to adapt their work such as Oban and Radiant indicate that even those creators gravitate more towards the Japanese industry of animation. After all, Thomas Romain essentially peaced out after doing Code Lyoko and Oban Star Racers to go live and work in Japan and the anime industry. Like with American animation, the only real way to make ambitious storytelling series in animated form these days is to essentially co-produce with Japan since western studios are not interested in doing that kind of stuff. The amount of original co-productions that end up being good is pretty small. You may not like isekai or harem but most anime fans do and that's why we like anime. It sounds like your issue is more with the fact other countries really don't have much in the way of good animation studios or ambitious creators to make an alternative industry anymore compared to back during the 90s and 00s. I can see how it would be frustrating Japan is the only country really doing this kind of animation anymore yet one is not a fan of the popular trends in anime, but I'd rather focus on fixing the western industry rather than trying to make Japan be regulated to animating co-productions for western creators. More people would benefit from foreign countries learning how to make good, varied animation again like in the old days and not just relying on Japan to do the work for them. |
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enurtsol
 Posts: 14893 |
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A project only has it necessary to get funding abroad if not enough domestic funders believe they're getting return on their investments
Thus, projects that they think will sell domestically won't be looking for outside funding. Outside funders can still join, but they're not necessary, so they're usually just junior co-partners. These projects are the equivalent of the popcorn flicks So, it's projects that they think won't sell enough domestically that would make outside funding necessary. These are the projects that usually require full co-partners since they're indispensable. Without outside co-partners, these projects would likely not be produced at all. These projects can include Pluto Generally, projects for otaku typically won't require outside funding, as they have expectations to sell. Projects for non-otaku may require outside funding - since they're not expected to make money targeting otaku (alone), they're not expected to follow otaku rules (they can make their own rules) (BTW, these are different from co-productions that are work-for-hire, like Disney hiring Japanese studios for Star Wars: Visions, or Netflix's Cyberpunk: Edgerunners) |
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