New York Times: How Anime Took Over America
09-07-25 | 02:18 PM
#1
Thread Starter
DVD Talk Legend
New York Times: How Anime Took Over America
The New York Times Magazine printed an article today about "How Anime Took Over America," by Joshua Hunt. One can argue that it's a couple of decades late and quibble over its various omissions, e.g. not one word about "Astro Boy," "Speed Racer," "Star Blazers," or other older shows that played in America. Apparently, for the author, it all began with AKIRA, which, granted, was the true starting point for a lot of longtime anime fans in the U.S. And then it was Dragon Ball Z and Pokemon that cemented anime's expansion into the American market.
Here's a questionable paragraph, though:
This might have been at least partly true in the ’80s, but by 1992, when I became a hardcore fan, the anime market was already bigger than that.
I wonder what Maya Phillips, the Times’s regular anime critic, would think of this piece.
Anyway, here's the link:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...sultPosition=2
Here's a questionable paragraph, though:
"The explosive popularity of anime in the United States would have been unimaginable in the ’90s, when anime was limited to bootleg VHS tapes sold at head shops and record stores and a few small mail-order companies selling officially licensed anime, which had been overdubbed by English-speaking voice actors who often had little idea of what was going on in any given episode."
I wonder what Maya Phillips, the Times’s regular anime critic, would think of this piece.
Anyway, here's the link:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...sultPosition=2
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Brian T (09-21-25)
09-07-25 | 07:38 PM
#2
DVD Talk Hero
Re: New York Times: How Anime Took Over America
Yeah, a lot of that isn't true, a bunch of anime was officially released on VHS in the US by the early to mid 90s. My first exposure would have been Star Blazers (Space Cruiser Yamato) and Battle of the Planets (Gatchaman) on syndicated television in the late 70s, but I remember renting Akira in the late 80s and that's what hooked me on anime for around 10 years (after that obsessive period I've become a much more casual, occasional viewer).
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Ash Ketchum (09-09-25),
Brian T (09-21-25)
09-15-25 | 02:36 PM
#3
Thread Starter
DVD Talk Legend
Re: New York Times: How Anime Took Over America
Anime rules at the boxoffice:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/b...ox-office.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/b...ox-office.html
Younger audiences are sending a message to Hollywood: Our tastes in movies are changing.
Over the weekend, an anime film called “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle,” filmed in Japanese and released in North American theaters in subtitled and English-dubbed versions, was a runaway No. 1 at the box office. The movie, about demon exterminators battling inside a supernatural fortress, sold roughly $70 million in tickets in the United States and Canada from Thursday night through Sunday — about 55 percent more than analysts had predicted before its release.
“Young audiences are ready for something fresh and exciting,” said David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter on box office numbers.
“Infinity Castle,” which received strong reviews, set a record for the biggest opening weekend in North America for an anime movie. The previous record-holder was “Pokémon: The First Movie — Mewtwo Strikes Back,” which collected $31 million in 1999, or about $61 million after adjusting for inflation.
“Infinity Castle” also gave Hollywood its biggest opening for any animated movie so far this year...
Over the weekend, an anime film called “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle,” filmed in Japanese and released in North American theaters in subtitled and English-dubbed versions, was a runaway No. 1 at the box office. The movie, about demon exterminators battling inside a supernatural fortress, sold roughly $70 million in tickets in the United States and Canada from Thursday night through Sunday — about 55 percent more than analysts had predicted before its release.
“Young audiences are ready for something fresh and exciting,” said David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter on box office numbers.
“Infinity Castle,” which received strong reviews, set a record for the biggest opening weekend in North America for an anime movie. The previous record-holder was “Pokémon: The First Movie — Mewtwo Strikes Back,” which collected $31 million in 1999, or about $61 million after adjusting for inflation.
“Infinity Castle” also gave Hollywood its biggest opening for any animated movie so far this year...
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Brian T (09-21-25)
09-15-25 | 03:00 PM
#4
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: New York Times: How Anime Took Over America
The article is mainly talking about officially licensed subbed anime, not stuff like Robotech, Star Blazers, Voltron (or even Astro Boy and Speed Racer before that). In that sense, US Renditions/Books Nippon was the earliest officially licensed subbed tapes I can remember (Gunbuster and Dangaioh to start) but they and the likes of Animeigo were a more niche product.
Of course, the article then goes on to say that stuff like Dragonball and Pokemon just catapulted the popularity of anime, to which I say... what's the difference between those dubs (and Sailor Moon) and Robotech/Star Blazers besides a bigger platform? All of these dubs served as a gateway to many people who may not have even realized what they were watching had come from Japan.
On a side note I continue to be somewhat confounded by just the overwhelming popularity of Demon Slayer: the original source is not horrid or anything but certainly a prime example of just how much a great anime can elevate a work.
Of course, the article then goes on to say that stuff like Dragonball and Pokemon just catapulted the popularity of anime, to which I say... what's the difference between those dubs (and Sailor Moon) and Robotech/Star Blazers besides a bigger platform? All of these dubs served as a gateway to many people who may not have even realized what they were watching had come from Japan.
On a side note I continue to be somewhat confounded by just the overwhelming popularity of Demon Slayer: the original source is not horrid or anything but certainly a prime example of just how much a great anime can elevate a work.
