Anime have been on the rise for years. But the interest is primarily among younger generations – the “old boomers” do not Warm up to anime.
If you’ve ever talked to your parents about anime as a child, you are sure to know the accusations. Those are “children’s series” and they “all look somehow the same.” An opinion that often persists into old age. Because the “boomer” generation simply does not warm up to anime in many cases. Only a fraction of them watch anime regularly – quite unlike the subsequent generations.
Why don’t boomers like anime? Trailers like this one could be the reason:
Where do the data come from? The “Global Research Report” by Dentsu surveyed 8,600 people from different countries about their viewing habits, focusing on streaming and anime. You can read the entire report on the Dentsu website.
What did the survey reveal? The survey confirms what many have suspected: Anime is quite popular among younger generations (i.e. Gen Z and Millennials).
- Only 9% of baby boomers watch anime weekly.
- Among Generation X, it’s already 24%.
- 48% of Millennials watch anime weekly.
- Gen Z leads – a full 50% watch anime weekly, 14% even daily.
That this average is so drastically different is also not surprising, considering that most Millennials (also “Generation Y”) and Gen Z grew up during a time when anime was becoming more popular and gaining more popularity “in the West”. After all, Sailor Moon, Pokémon, and Dragon Ball Z probably occupied many a child’s room and solidified the interest in anime series more and more.
Anime replace Hollywood, prompting streaming services to rethink
The increasing popularity of anime has several reasons, which have been weighted differently:
- 29% are no longer interested in more Hollywood remakes or sequels.
- 39% like the unique worlds and stories of anime.
- 36% appreciate the variety of genres that anime can encompass.
- 32% have a general interest in Japanese culture.
This makes anime an increasingly important factor for streaming providers to attract new customers – and to satisfy them. At least anime fans should be pleased with this development, as it likely means we will see more anime in the long run.
One downside, however, is that the licensing of anime series will then be distributed across many providers who want to poach each other’s customers. Anyone who wants to experience the “whole” offering of anime will probably have to take out even more subscriptions in the future – or live with not being able to watch every anime immediately.
If you want to convince some of your boomer parents: Try using the 5 anime series that turn skeptics into real fans.
