Last week, certain corners of Twitter were exploding with commentary on the new Seedance 2.0 model, which can generate animated clips easily, including anime-style animation. When I retweeted a post to ask what my followers thought of the idea of computer-created “anime,” I got a flood of negative comments. Let’s explore why anime fans hate the idea of AI-generated anime in this blog post!
It’s a very special time for us at J-List, because 30 years ago this week, we started the first anime and hentai shop selling to fans around the world. And we’ve been able to make it this far thanks to our wonderful customers. We’re celebrating with a huge 20% sale on all in-stock Japan products, through October 7th. Start browsing now!
Bytedance’s Seedance 2.0 Can Make Anime With a Prompt. Who Would Want This, Though?
In this post, we’re going to look at some samples of animation made using Seedance 2.0 and explore what the possible arrival of “vibe-animating” could mean for all of us as fans.
PLEASE NOTE! I do not support AI-created animation or art. I would not share it on J-List’s Twitter account or include it in a blog post like this, except to make a specific point about the technology, as I did in my post about 12 Japan Trends of 2025. The Seedance-generated videos used in this post were taken from Twitter posts and are used here for illustrative purposes. All animation is included here so fans can understand what Seedance and other AI tools are capable of, and gauge our own reactions as fans. I am not promoting AI-generated animation in any way in this post, but opening up a discussion about it with everyone.
What is Seedance 2.0?
Seedance 2.0 is an image- and text-to-video model developed by Bytedance, the former owners of TikTok. It allows you to animate anything you can think of, like a fight scene between Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise that never took place. Or create your own short anime clips, like the fight scene between Gokuh and One Punch Man you always wanted to see.
We’ve all gotten used to new AI tools getting announced week-after-week, each one capable of doing amazing things like write business plans, help students study, or explain investing concepts. We even got Ghibli-esque AI art that the Internet fell in love with, then forgot about a week later.
Since Seedance 2.0 arrived, fans have done everything from making live-action clips of their favorite anime to trying to “fix” the bad animation from the Imouto Ja Nai anime from 2018. The technology is truly impressive, despite the inevitable censorship that will come with a Chinese-run AI platform.
What is “Anime” Anyway?
One of the most annoying things for a Western anime fan is to watch Japanese TV and hear reporters talk about the latest “anime” film from Disney. While most Western fans define “anime” as animated works made in Japan, or made in Asia based on Japanese original works, not everyone in the world has such a strict definition.
What about using CGI to animate cars and robot battles in anime, rather than drawing them by hand? Or series made using the “cel-look” CGI process created by SMDE, which I sometimes hate (BanG Dream) and sometimes am okay with (Hi Score Girl). How about the Lord of the Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim “anime” made by Peter Jackson’s studio? Others might disagree, but since it’s not related to Japan, I would never call that film anime.
For better or worse, there’s now a new category of visual animation that casual viewers will call “anime,” while old-school fans facepalm.
AI-Generated Anime: A Quandary for Anime Studios
Like all businesses, I’m sure anime studios are interested in the possibility of AI tools to help streamline their workflows and help bring production costs down. And yet, the reason fans love and respect anime is because we know how hard it is to make, requiring years of study and practice by skilled artists, animators, directors, and voice actors. The reason we’re happy to spend $80 on a gorgeous anime Blu-ray is in recognition of all that hard work and the desire to support it as collectors.
Because of this, my general sense is that the direct effect of AI-generated anime platforms like Seedance 2.0 on the commercial anime industry will be limited. No studio would risk its reputation by using automated tools to create content. Other than making videos of Peter Griffin fighting with Bocchi for social media — and its inevitable use in porn — AI-generated anime can’t have real commercial value… right?
Why Seedance 2.0 Won’t Change Anime
In the end, I believe tools like Seedance 2.0 are just another shiny thing on the internet that will hold our attention for a while, then become mostly forgotten. We’ll be impressed by a few viral clips here and there, then move on to something else.
I asked Primus, the hardworking staffer who hand-animates sexy trailers for JAST USA games and J18 Publishing hentai manga, what he thought of the above clip of a father and daughter fighting. At first, he was impressed by the high quality. Then he said, “Oh, wait, it’s AI. As soon as I realized that, I lost interest immediately.”
I’m positive the current wave of AI-generated animation will be similar to the Ghibli AI boom of a year ago, as people adjust to the new technical tools and get on with their lives. And, I hope, flip on the TV to see if the new episode of their favorite anime has dropped yet.
How Did J-List Customers React To “Anime” Created by Seedance 2.0?
Below are comments to the “hentai heroine battle” clip that was up on Twitter.
It’s terrible and steals from the actual artist. Seriously, people need to quit stealing others’ work and passing it on as their own.
Whoever made this knows about culture, I’ll give them that. But I’m in favor of using AI as a tool, not as a replacement for creativity.
Morally bad. Visually looks like shit. Thank god AI video isn’t profitable, so it’s doomed to fail in the end.
Just because you COULD, does not mean you SHOULD.
How do they manage to both be a thief AND make garbage with what they’ve stolen?
Extremely disrespectful to actual creators/animators while also looking like shit. The sooner the AI generative bubble blows up, the better. And fuck those thieving no-talent tech bros.
It’s a disgrace to the passion of the creators behind those characters.
Typical AI slop… like why can the characters not hit each other? Looking all over the place and mismatched drawings because it can only use the images it stole.
Can it fix the animation in One Punch Man season 3?
Thanks for reading this blog post sharing thoughts and reactions from J-List customers about the Seedance 2.0 text-to-animation platform. How did you react to seeing computer-generated “anime”? Please share your thoughts below!
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It’s a very special time for us at J-List, because 30 years ago this week, we started the first anime and hentai shop selling to fans around the world. And we’ve been able to make it this far thanks to our wonderful customers. We’re celebrating with a huge 20% sale on all in-stock Japan products, through October 7th. Start browsing now!
