Otakus. are they helping anime or hurting it

All you guys made clear that it's hurting and helping anime, however companies aren't doing anything to help Otakus give a good image to society because as long as the cash flows in, the consumer and the producer are both happy.

Which in a way it's affecting the anime industry by companies releasing shitty animes, just because it generate sales however some companies could use the profit to work on BIG projects to fund its development.

So there is no answer however In the UK, most people who are unknown to anime tend to have a bad image because of hentai... *sigh*, UK's government doesn't have to worry about anime for now as it has a very small market.

In my opinion, I think it is more leaning towards the hurting side, not because of Otakus but the image created by society. So technically its the people's judgement.

Both to be really honest. I feel that they're helping it by supporting the living shit out of it 24/7. I also feel that they're hurting it because some otakus go WAAYY overboard and end up hurting themselves.

I agree with Miyazaki. When you put otaku in charge of anime and not just as consumers, then anime will delve deeper into the unrealistic and with the trend leaning to younger girls, that may not be a good thing. Miyazaki Hayao started a great example to follow. I could write a full length essay on the subject but I will say this. The producers should be broad in genre and artistic style. That way, everyone gets what they want in anime and that is how otaku can help anime.

Eh, lots of people say that otaku are mindless nerds who will eat up all the bullshit, and that they're giving the anime fandom a bad name, but they're kind of necessary. I mean, the main reason anime studios, or any movie/tv studio in general, both American and Japanese, pump out crap ever year is so they can raise money for something great like Stiens;Gate, Anohana, Attack on Titan, or Sword Art. If they didn't pour out so much generic moeshit, they wouldn't be making money, and also, the "good" wouldn't stand out from the rest, and people would be expecting more and more.

I see it as a double-edged sword.

On one end, it's helping out the industry as a whole with the growing number of fans, including otaku, which is why it seems like it's booming.

On the other end, it's also hurting as there are groups that will prefer generic moe and fanservice instead of overall quality.

What? A character has to be someone who could exist in real life to be a good character? As much as I like Miyazaki, I disagree with him there. You can have completely unrealistic, over the top personalities and still have them support a series all the way through.

Miyazaki should know better than anyone that the point of any animated series isn't necessarily to be realistic. Why make a videogame that replicates real life perfectly when you could make something new, right? How would you feel if all of Miyazakis films were in a cliched, albeit realistic, high school setting? How would you feel if every shooter was COD? Imagine if Howls moving castle was an non-moving office complex. That'd suck.

Of course, I see where he's coming from. People are people, I'm not going to like an anime more if it gives all the girls six fingers because it's "further from real life." That'd be ridiculous. There are times where realism beats fantasy. Making everyone completely nonsensical is a great way to make a terrible anime, but at the same time it's naive to act like it's something you absolutely can't do in a good story.

People who think having more unrealistic characters makes a show automatically better are full of it, no arguing that, but if I can make people grow wings, walk on air, and turn into animals, I ought to be able to add a little magic to their personality too. Nothing wrong with that in the slightest.

The realism isn't the problem with modern day characters, at least overall. The problem is the lack of development. Characters that aren't different but equal than real people, but are simply different and less than human. Unrelateable characters that make every episode feel the same.

Let's take a look at "Steins;Gate," a fantastic show in my opinion. Is Okabe a realistic character? He's not the most unrealistic one I've seen, but I don't think I'll ever meet someone quite like him. Is he a bad one? Absolutely not! Of course noone would take the mad scientist facade as far as he does, but the exaggeration adds to the show all the more, and it evokes feeling when you see him change, the way all good characters do over time. Now look at Takumi from "Chaos;Head," a terrible show from the same group. He's a shut in who claims to hate 3D, just the type of person Miyazaki wouldn't like. Even though he's arguably more realistic than Okabe in at least a few ways, Tamuki honestly grows less than the inflatable women I'm sure most otakus like him own. That's what makes him a terrible character.

If I want to make an animation of a flower, it doesn't have to be realistic, but it has to grow and change. If it just sits still, I'm not making an animation; I'm just taking a photo.

Shows that are built to tease your cock or feed your ego are no more than bland porn, regardless of what part of your body it's supposed to get hard. I've got nothing against porn, but putting it in the running against actual shows that evoke new thoughts and emotions is silly. I'm not saying all "porn" is plotless, there are mangas on here with more emotion and wit than plenty of show's I've watched, but those are things I consider "more than porn". Tastelessness is what I consider explicit, not nudity. That doesn't make it wrong to indulge in your moe harem anime, or your genius protagonist worship anime, or straight up plotless gangbang hentai every once and a while, but it's a crime to compare those sorts of things to real shows.

Actually, the fact that otakus, the consumers, are supporting these samey, clichéd animes, means they are hurting the industry. It is not just the producers who latch onto ideas, but those who still watch it despite that are to blame. Granted there is still a fair amount of otakus who reject these poor animes, and look to the more original and interesting ones for their entertainment.

And it is the former type of fan who tends to go into the anime business, and having latched onto the story, starts to spew out more of the generic stuff. Go back to the start of any genre, and it will have the majority of works being original. It is when fans start making it that they start reusing ideas.

It's also not just writers that should observe people more, but illustrators/animators as well. Looking at others art will teach you to draw, but looking at the real world will introduce a new perspective to your work: your own interpretation of how the world looks.

The first professional Japanese animation dates to 1917, and animation was well established by the 30s. The 70s was when the classic style of manga and anime we know today became popular.

I wouldn't say it has nothing new, you still get a fair amount of very good, creative animes. The trouble is that these gems are often lost in the tide of the vast swathes of animes that are produced nowadays.

Otakus are big anime fans that love their hobby so shouldn't they be helping more than anything? If they watch the series and spend money on merchandise that helps the anime industry. I think the dip in quality is just a matter of opinion, some think anime is good/bad now, it's all about the individual's point of view.