Over the years, anime has grown in popularity, which makes sense considering how easy it is to watch these days. It wasn’t that long ago that anime fans had to rent VHS from Blockbuster or stay up late and watch Adult Swim. But nowadays practically every streaming platform has an anime selection.
Even if anime is more mainstream and easier to watch, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still downsides to being a fan. While many issues have been resolved, there are still some problems that persist in the anime community to this day.
10 There’s New Anime Every Season
While the Big Three controlled the anime market in the early 2000s, the 2010s didn’t have that problem. It’s great that the anime community wasn’t focusing on three anime, but the downside was there were suddenly dozens of anime getting equal attention. Not to mention every new season brought more amazing series. For the average anime fan, there was only so much time in the day they could dedicate to watching a new series. The idea that fans could miss out on an amazing series simply because they didn’t have the time to watch it was definitely a huge problem.
9 Oversexualization Of Women Still Exists
It’s typical for anime in the shonen genre to have tons of fan service. The genre is typically directed towards boys, so studios like to appeal to their male audiences. While it was considered normal in the early 2000s for female characters to be props instead of dynamic characters, by the 2010s most fans were sick of the old trope. Especially when series like Darling in the Franxx was taking fan service to ridiculous levels. Fans are more outspoken about the treatment of women in modern anime, but that vocalization began with anime in the 2010s.
8 Every Anime Protagonist Is 15
Children and teens are most anime’s main audience, so it makes sense that anime protagonists would align with that demographic. However, for fans who grew up with anime, it was apparent that anime with adult protagonists were almost impossible to find. For adults who still love anime, it can be difficult to relate to characters that are still in high school or middle school.
Additionally, the characters are often oversexualized which can be uncomfortable for an adult audience. What’s worse is anime in the 2010s often made their characters teenagers for no discernable reason other than the fact that the creator wanted them to be young. An anime like Goblin Slayer, which revolved around women being assaulted should not have had protagonists under the age of 18.
7 Each Series Is Too Short
In the early 2000s, the common episode count was 24 to 26 episodes which is a decent amount for any fan to consume. However, studios quickly realized that this wasn’t feasible anymore so by the 2010s most anime series were reduced to 12 episodes. This was a good way to test a series without spending tons of money to produce dozens of episodes. Unfortunately for fans, this means a limited amount of episodes. For really good anime this can leave them thirsting for more. Fans of anime like Yuri on Ice know the pain of waiting since there hasn’t been any content since the first series was released in 2016.
6 There are Too Many Streaming Platforms
While the internet and streaming have made it easier than ever to watch anime, there are downsides. Netflix took off in the early 2000s and by the 2010s it was the largest streaming platform ever. However, other companies wanted to get in on the profits, which led to dozens of other streaming platforms being created. With streaming services each having their own anime selection, it can be expensive for the everyday anime fan to get their anime fix, and the problem only seems to be getting worse.
5 Live-Action Has Taken Over
Considering how popular anime is it’s only natural that studios would want to profit off of it in any way they can. The 2010s brought several anime movies. Though fans hoped they would represent the anime and manga they were inspired by, most of them were complete flops. Out of dozens of live-action adaptions, only a few have satisfied fans – most of them left fans infuriated.
The Last Airbender and Dragonball Evolution are considered to be the worst live-action adaptations of an anime, and movie studios aren’t learning anything from past mistakes as they continue to cast the wrong people and cut out significant story arcs. Nowadays, the announcement of a live-action series or film fills fans with fear instead of excitement, which is understandable considering how poorly the movies from the 2010s performed.
4 Waiting For That Second Season
The quality of anime significantly increased in the 2010s and that’s mainly because studios took more time to complete a season instead of filling the gaps with filler. The downside to this is fans stopped getting content when a season ended and it could take years for a second season to come out. The 2010s have passed but many fans are still left waiting for the sequels of several beloved series to come out. Not to mention the Yuri on Ice movie has been in production for several years, and fans have no idea when it will be released. Fans love to watch anime, but waiting for updates has to be the most frustrating part.
3 It Looked Cute At First But Then It Got Dark
Most anime is upfront with what it’s about, but in the 2010s several series decided it was better to surprise the audience instead. Kakegurui seems like just a gambling anime on the surface, but anyone who watches the series knows how strange and sexually charged it actually is. Puella Magi Madoka Magica was probably the first anime to use this tactic and it still tricks anime fans into thinking it’s simply a magical girl anime. When it comes to watching anime from the 2010s fans never know what they’re going to get.
2 Too Much Drama Online
Fans often debate who the most toxic anime fandom is. The truth is, every anime fandom has its bad apples and this was especially true in the 2010s. When Tumblr was at its peak almost everyone used it, including anime fans. These fans were fierce when it came to protecting their favorite theories, ships, and characters. Unfortunately, this often led to fans attacking each other and some people even abandoned fandom spaces because of it. It’s probably better that Tumblr has lost popularity over the years because it was an incredibly toxic environment for fans of anime.
1 Anime Became Mainstream
While it should be a positive thing for anime to be more popular, there are definite downsides to that. More people will want to profit off of it which means more live-action adaptations, expensive merch collaborations, and other things fans don’t really want. It’s nice that fans don’t have to feel ashamed for their hobbies, but at the same time, some of the best parts of being an anime fan have gotten lost.
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