Is Anime as a genre...dying out?

[Jingo Jaden]

Nascar car's (o.o)

Well, I love much anime, but I want 2 find 1 who contains cat girls/boys and that kinda stuff which is not too offencive or childish. Anyone got any suggestions?

Note: Im not too updated on anime/manga.

[Ashley]

Everyone's favorite catboy Takuto is a promienient part of Full Moon wo Sagashite, which is a definate must-see/read (it's currently being released by Viz right now, so you'll just have to read the manga in the downtime) and there's also Kyo from Fruits Basket, another great read (the anime is good, but the end is incomplete since the series is still running).

[termyt]

I feel your pain, Heretic. Being too old for this, and just about everything I've ever taken an interest in, in a common theme in my life.

I get a little self –conscious when someone comes into my apartment since I have wall scrolls and shelves full of anime and *gasp* action figures.

[mitsuki lover]

Yeah it is sometimes embarrassing to have to admit you're an Otaku when you're in your 40s.However since the population is getting older it won't be too long before a lot of Otakus who are now in their 20s and teens will be hitting the 30 and 40 mark and then everything will be different.

[Kumagoro]

You can't say anime "as a genre" is dieing out, because anime isn't a genre. It's a medium that contains many genres and sub-genres, just like movies and novels. But yes, anime as a medium is, in fact "dying out" to some extent, or at the very least we're seeing a lot less anime released in North America.

See, when anime was just starting to become "the next big thing", companies like ADV and Geneon bought distribution rights for ALL the anime they could get their hands on. When the Japanese discovered there was a huge demand for anime overseas, they started to jack the prices for the rights up WAY beyond what's reasonable, and they keep rising every day. That's why we're seeing less and less anime released over here, at least, because it's just too expensive for companies to have to spend thousands of dollars on individual episodes for niche, non-mainstream-potential shows (like series based on dating games, for example) that will probably sell less than even 1,000 units. Without the money from foreign purchases supporting the anime industry, as of late it seems there just isn't enough money to throw around on anything that won't be a potential "hit series". Has anyone seen GunXSword? That was handcrafted by the Japanese to specifically suit American tastes to bring in the "big bucks". Just watch that series; its painful how truly bad it is. To think that anyone would assume Americans would like that garbage is kind of racist, in my opinion.

EDIT: Fun fact: Did you know that Japanese cartoons on average have roughly half the budget of American cartoons?

[Sakaki Onsei]

I can encapsulate this quickly:

Anime isn't necessarily dying out as much as the generation that took to it like water grew up.(i.e. those of us that were 15-16 around the time Toonami started showing Voltron and Sailor Moon.) Being as that was around 1995-96, and here we are 10 years later, the generation that was big on buying it has essentially grown up and they go other places (i.e. Japan, black market) for those pieces that they just cannot find here.

To be honest, the last real big "hit" with my age group (and this is just based on my observation, individuals who do not follow this need not worry about application) was Azumanga Daioh.

Anime as we see it today will be around for a long time to come, it's just a matter of quality and what comes over.

[dyzzispell]

My opinion is that anime and manga are growing greatly in popularity. I just think that most people are smart enough to shop somewhere other than their local bookstore, because their prices are usually outrageous. You go to a big place like Best Buy and they have pretty big sections. And their prices are incredibly lower. I bought the Azumanga Daioh box set there for $45, but the lowest I found anywhere else was $60. It was $70 at Suncoast!
And sometimes they move stuff around because the section is growing and they need an area with a lot more space to accomodate it, so they have to shift its location. That's my theory, anyway.

[mitsuki lover]

It also depends on where you live as well.